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Chapter 31: Pride

Eagle Arc was the daughter of Qrow Branwen, a still living legend amongst Hunters all across Remnant who had been brought to the fore during the campaign against Salem and revealed as one of the members of the shadowy cabal that watched over Remnant in secret, keeping it safe from threats beyond even the normal horrors of the Grimm. Eagle was also however the daughter of Antonia Arc, the current head of Poly-Tech and the heir to the legacy in the field of robotics that had been built by Professor Polendina, his former assistant and hand-picked successor being involved in the creation of Penny Polendina and the construction of a similar android frame to house the Aura of Eagle's wife, Hellion following the end of the second defeat of Salem.

Currently Eagle was letting a part of herself very much influenced by her mother run free.

Her hands were cracked, bloody and dirty whilst her face was plastered with grime, soot and other filth that obscured her freckles and only made her deep crimson eyes more prominent, highlighting how unfocused her sleep deprived exhaustion had made them.

It had been a week since the defeat and capture of the remotely piloted and heavily modified robot used by the same criminals that Team FADE had travelled to Menagerie to apprehend and once its' chassis, rent apart by Diamond and shot by Arctus had been brought to Breaktide Academy Eagle had set about the machine with an almost ferocious fervour; all who had seen the blonde work commenting that it was like watching a pack of piranha or swarm of locusts strip their prey down to nothing. Eagle's initial hopes had of course been to glean useful information from the computers within the robot, possibly even use its' remains to retrace where its' commands had come from and identify its' pilot however this had proven impossible, Arctus being left to apologise profusely after it became apparent that his laser weapon had done irreparable damage to the vital and delicate components; although it was likely that the shadowy figures operating the smuggling operation and myriad other crimes would likely have been able to remotely scrub away any easily identifiable evidence regardless.

Which simply made the matter more of a challenge.

With her first avenue of attack denied to her Eagle, with the occasional assistance of Velvet, Ruby and Penny whenever they were free to give it, had proceeded to render the former Atlesian Wheeler down to its' constituent parts; dismantling, examining and cataloguing every individual component that she managed to rest from the damaged mechanical hulk and add the information that she pulled from her unwilling subject to the chaotic and sprawling web of notes, hastily scrawled theories and calculations that, along with other paperwork she had amassed in her pursuit of answers had taken over two wall of her workspace within the academy. Eagle's abilities and dedication, along with the occasionally fanatical aspect which they took on were well known and had been accounted for; as well as her habit of working herself to an absurd degree, focusing to the exclusion of all else in the exact same manner which she had often chided her mother for putting her own needs to the back of her mind the veteran Huntress's zeal had raised certain concerns for the well-being of the other students, the chief engineer of the academy requesting the Eagle and her efforts be contained elsewhere lest the blonde take over and render the workshops unusable for students, some of whom had missions fast approaching and needed to maintain their own equipment. As such the Atlas Wheeler had been, albeit with some difficulty manoeuvred into a hidden facility within the campus which only select members of senior staff and those personally permitted to do so could enter to work on secretive or personal projects.

The scent of coffee wafting into this work space managed to break the spell of concentration over Eagle, likely mere moments before she collapsed from utter exhaustion in the way she swayed and staggered as she turned to face its' source was any indication.

"Is that allowed in here?" Eagle asked as she took in the sight of coffee pot that Velvet had brought with her, the Rabbit Faunus's arrival going unnoticed until that point.

"Perks of being in charge...But still don't tell the other engineers" Velvet replied with a grin as she regarded the younger woman whom she had once seen as a somewhat distant niece but could now only rightly consider an equal "How long have you been down here?"

"Uh it depends….what day is it?" the blonde asked, wiping her oily and stained hands with a rag before wiping her bleary eyes; the questioning and scent of caffeine in the air prompting her to let out a wide and prolonged yawn whilst her stomach growled in displeasure at the neglect it had been subjected to.

"Oum damn it, this must be an Arc thing" Velvet grinned as she shook her head, marching over to where Eagle stood and gently forcing her down into a chair and pressing a steaming mug of almost poisonously strong coffee into her hands; the fact that her own brother had married into the family which had produced so many famous Hunters had allowed her to get a sense of just how deeply ingrained the idea of self-sacrifice and flagellation in the name of victory truly was within the Arc household and how widely it could be applied; suffice to say that Velvet had never seen such hard fought board games before or since.

"Kinda, I needed to know" Eagle mumbled sleepily as her energy began to rapidly flag now that a distraction had come, though her words began to pick up there signature machine-gun rapidity all the same "I needed to know that there was nothing from Poly-Tech on this thing, that not one single nut, bolt, wire or chip on this robot came from my Mum's company. I know that she would never be involved in something like this, she's part of y'know….the group, but another security breach, another person using Poly-Tech like that….I don't know what I'd do but it wouldn't be pretty"

"I get that" Velvet murmured quietly, rubbing the cleanly severed stump of the rabbit ear which had been cut short by Adam Taurus in the fall of Vale. Eagle's apprehension and anger were both entirely understandable in light of what the younger woman had already experienced; the most famous example of espionage within the company had after all been the actions of a corrupted iteration of the Wizard whose crimes ranged from arming terrorists and poisoning the mind of Nickel Polendina to orchestrating the near-destruction of New Vale and ultimately becoming the conduit for Salem's return into the mortal plane.

"There wasn't" Eagle managed a weak and tired smile as she delivered that assertion "It's odd when I think about it, the Wheeler is the exact kind of military robot that Professor Polendina was working with when he founded Poly-Tech, so it's almost like it's a conscious choice to avoid using the companies' parts-"

"Very telling" Velvet mused, seeing what Eagle had sensed even in her overworked state "Have you managed to find where things did come from?-"

"Oh I found more than that" Eagle announced with gleeful pride, rising from her chair and beginning to gesture wildly at the walls covered with the results of her work "I've got all of it, they can file of serial numbers as much as they like; if you make something one of a kind it can be picked apart and traced….I've got the proxies that handled the purchase of the Wheeler itself, the salvage crew for the failed mining operation where the drill was taken from and the Hunters involved in it, I've managed to find out exactly which AP Four Loader the left arm of this thing came from and connect it to a recycling facility owned by the same company that manufactured the control system this thing was running….I then managed to tie the owner of that to the people behind all the other stuff I mentioned AND some the people who were arrested at the Grimm fight club out in the wasteland"

"Holy….I mean that's incredible" Velvet mouthed the words out in disbelief "You're telling me that we've got 'em?"

"We've got circumstantial evidence" Eagle shrugged vaguely "They have lawyers and if they get wind of this we're probably in trouble but I think we've got enough to start building a case….which means we can focus on the real threat now"

"That mastermind we think is behind it all?" Velvet asked cautiously.

"Nobody I've been able to identify has the kind of connections to override a cities' infrastructure the way we saw in Neo Vale….It's on par with what my Dad….what Qrow has managed to put in place over his entire career; the fact that there's someone like that out there and we don't know who it is-"

"I understand" Velvet rested a hand on Eagle's shoulder, gentle and firm as she gave the freckled woman a reassuring smile "But you've done more than enough, leave the politics to Coco….you would not believe how good at twisting arms she's gotten-"

"I should report to-"

"Ruby and Penny have already kept your Dad up to date while you work, they'll keep doing that" Velvet interjected, sensing the next objection before it came "What you need to do is get some rest….and also call your wife, Hellion is worried about you and she also has cute pictures of Ether and Olivine's kid-"

"I've gotta see those" Eagle beamed brightly, pushing through her own tiredness once again to set about this new, critically important task.

Sleep would come, eventually.


In the week that passed Team MARZ alongside Wolfram Ironside had managed to cement themselves in the minds of their peers as something of an oddity, earning themselves a level of minor and likely fleeting celebrity as it was revealed by a highly enthusiastic and energetic Professor Ruby Rose in a Grimm Studies lecture that a seemingly new Creature of Grimm had been discovered; the Silver Eyed Warrior had made many such discoveries of her own over the years though this expertise had done nothing to dim the apparent joy she took in describing the ghoulish avian creatures that had been found in the wasteland and explain how, whilst it was Team FADE who had ultimately defeated and would take credit for identifying them Team MARZ had in fact been the first to encounter them. Being regarded with a level of awe from their classmates had the entirely unintended effect of going some way to smooth over troubled interpersonal relationships between team-mates as Astra took every opportunity to extol on the way that Regalia had held her own against the tide of unknown monsters until help could arrive, making his partner sound every part the heroic figure that she aspired to one day be whilst, in a surprising turn of events Diabla Fuego's professional curiosity and dedication to her studies had seen her questioning everyone who had been at Marble Manor about this new Creature of Grimm and its' capabilities; though her focus was largely directed towards her own team leader and what few words she did exchange with Athena-Jade were brief and direct despite the undeniable awkwardness.

The only downside to this fanfare was that certain members of the group who had earned it had begun to allow their egos to run away with their common sense, an easily solved problem that would be corrected with a simple sparring match under normal circumstances however it seemed that Professor Altan had other ideas; Combat Class for the last week had in fact contained a distinct lack of actual combat as the fierce and sharp eyed disciplinarian instead spent her classes going over the head to head training exercises that all of the first year students had now completing, highlighting their various successes, failures and areas that needed to be improved along with other matters that she had deemed to be of enough importance to supersede actual physical training in advance of the students' second training mission, the First Years second chance to shadow and learn from fully fledged Hunters taking place in just a few short weeks.

It was one such theory-focused Combat Class that Teams MARZ and WULF were in their customary places towards the rear of at that moment, dutifully taking notes whilst also watching as the clock ticked away the final few minutes of the double period until Professor Altan's voice cut through the fog of ennui that had set in despite the students' best efforts.

"There is a matter I would like to bring your attention to before the end of the lesson"

"Fuck me, not another assignment" Wolfram grumbled under his breath, earning himself a well-meaning elbow to the ribs and rattling stinger in his general direction from Ursinia, a sidelong glare from Diabla and an amused smile from Astra though before any bickering could ensue Arslan continued, paying no heed to the antics occurring at the back of her classroom despite being well aware of them.

"I have been asked to pass on a message from our esteemed librarian" she paused and gave a rare smile at the reaction the mention of the wizened old Owl Faunus elicited, the former teacher at Shade Academy was stern yet loved by all "Menagerie, despite the horrors that befell it during the first great war was and still is the homeland of the Faunus people and since its' founding Port Alistair, as the Capital City of the remade Menagerie has played host to an annual celebration of Faunus history and shared culture-"

"Faunus pride baby" Astra muttered, voice wavering with excitement.

"It is possibly the largest such gathering on Remnant, with this years' festivities beginning tomorrow morning and lasting for a week" Arslan paused and surveyed her students "It is not my place to demand that you attend this festival, it is also not my place as a human living on Menagerie to presume to tell my Faunus students how to honour their own culture….that being said, more than one Professor who teachers at this academy and the local college will be giving speeches and I, like our librarian think that each of you, especially the humans amongst you who call the island home owe it to yourselves and to each other to educate yourselves and experience the event"

"Hey Astra" Wolfram's murmur caught the Deer Faunus's attention and they turned their rapt focus away from Arslan towards where their boyfriend had turned in their seat to face them, wearing an uncharacteristically nervous expression "I know you were probably gonna go to this anyway, but uh I was planning on asking you to come….I know that this is important to you, so I wanna be involved and-"

"Absolutely" Astra pulled Wolfram into a tight hug and kissed his cheek, keeping their face from view to keep suddenly watery eyes hidden and swallow a lump in their throat before whispering in Wolfram's ear "We'll sneak off before the big speeches and party so I can call my parents….I'll introduce you to them, or at least send some pictures; they'll love you"

"Sure" Wolfram braced himself, endeavouring to impress someone's parents an entirely new experience to him however he quickly noticed something odd about the comment "Why are we sneaking off though?"

"I mean I thought everyone was gonna be coming?" Astra answered as they pulled back, popping the collar of their uniform out of habit as they stared at each of their friends' faces "You guys are coming right?"

"Darlin' I will most assuredly be there" Ursinia beamed "Aint many Faunus where I come from and it's too far of a journey to make it to the party in Neo Vale….I've only been to one of these here shindigs a few times"

"You're missing out" Astra beamed "The ones in Neo Vale are great, Blake Xiao Long gives a speech, her wife gets Signal students front row seats"

"They are a spectacle….a little loud for my tastes but I wouldn't feel right if I missed this" Zirconia added, a small smile tugging at gentle features as Astra blinked in brief surprise; being reminded that no matter how different the two of them and their upbringings undeniably were they did in fact hail from the same city, albeit vastly different parts of it.

"Awesome we'll all go together" Athena-Jade gave wide and toothy smile as she leaned against Zirconia's shoulder in a chance to be close to the conversation as a whole "I've been to a couple of the ones in Atlas with my Dad but….y'know, rich and famous so big security detail around me and stuff….And my Mum couldn't really come because no matter how much Remnant changes a Schnee at a Faunus party….well y'know-"

"Yeah" Astra sighed sadly, understanding the Bear Faunus's clear sadness.

"I passed through the ones in Vaccuo a couple times" Laser noted with a shrug "Not to steal anything before anybody asks….It's one of the few things everybody respects, you don't steal from there-"

"I've never been to any festivals" Regalia noted, a sense of uneasy glumness washing over her that her friends struggled to understand until she continued "I don't know if this is for me….I mean I've always wanted to see the Kingdoms but….Clan Aiktishaf weren't part of any wars, we weren't part of any Faunus rights campaigns, there are no differences between Faunus and humans in my clan; we've just handled our own business for generations away from everyone else. I don't know if I can honestly say that this is my culture….Am I Faunus enough for-"

"You don't even finish that sentence" Astra interrupted, forceful and vehement yet at the same time impossibly soft and caring as they moved away from Wolfram to place both hands on their partners' shoulders, their eyes boring into those of the nomadic Racoon Faunus.

"You are enough, Faunus enough or whatever else that means, you're enough" their sea green eyes softened without losing any of their intensity "Come….please, it wouldn't feel right to not have you there"

"Historically speaking the first Faunus to leave Menagerie went to Vaccuo, so actually your clan and you specifically can trace your ancestry back to the island meaning, as a matter of fact this is definitely your culture" Athena noted firmly, remembering the academic trivia with her usual ease.

"Heh, alright I'll come" Regalia felt her body sag and relax as nervous tension flooded away with her friends' reassurances; her doubts being once again pushed aside for the moment.

"As interesting as all this is" Diabla interjected, the sudden concern and bristling of those around her halting only when they saw the bemused smirk on her scarred face that preceded her rare and often biting attempts at humour "Are we all gonna ignore that Wolfie just tried to do something sweet?"

"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, I didn't try, I succeeded" Wolfram countered with a snort and like that the usual friendly bickering between Teams MARZ and WULF resumed, filling up the final few minutes before the class ended.


Night had fallen over the quaint and seemingly peaceful farming and fishing village beyond the walls of, but still under the protection of Port Alistair that Rowan Oralie had fled to following the destruction of her Atlesian battle robot and the severe setbacks to her plans that had come with it.

The place was rumoured to have been founded by a young woman with magical abilities manifesting as contrails of vivid green light that spilled from her eyes as she raised crops and reshaped the landscape to fit her whims, a Semblance that went far beyond the scope of those wielded beyond what should have been possible and who was connected to the cabal of figures like Qrow Branwen and the heads of the Hunter academies whose activities had come to light roughly a decade ago along with the revelations about the being known as Salem; there were several such villages on the island Kingdom with rumours already abound about the still incomplete settlement of Maiden's-Gate.

Rowan was not sure that she believed those rumours and frankly didn't care too much about them one way or another; what mattered was that there were no representatives of the academies or secret orders bringing justice to wrong-does here, magical or otherwise and the certainty of that knowledge was a large part of the reason that this backwater on the fringe of the Capitals' territory was a large part of what made it such a secure hideaway.

Along with the ability to hide granted by its' remote location the village also provided several business opportunities to one as criminally minded as the hired muscle with aspirations of being something far greater; potential recruits for her own criminal empire were easy to draw from the ranks of a youth with few prospects in their own community and no pre-existing ties to the criminal underworld, narcotics were used far more widely that one might have expected and river which supplied the settlement with water, one of many that snaked through the island Kingdom and kept the plants that miraculously managed to grow in the area alive served as a more secure thoroughfare to bring goods into empty barns and boathouses where they could be stored, it was far from an adequate replacement for Rowan's abandoned freight docks but it would have to do for now.

Yet none of these facts changed how much she hated the place.

Rowan was born and raised in cities, the sounds of sirens and the intrusion of flashing neon signs even in the dead of night were familiar and comforting to her in a way that the seemingly more profound darkness of the wastelands, illuminated only by the broken moon and filled with the shrieks and howls of the island Kingdoms' wildlife, warped as it was by whatever corrupting influence still lingered in Salem's absence was not. This uncomfortable quiet, combined with a boredom that she knew visiting a bar filled with yokels whom she had nothing but vague and sneering contempt for would do nothing to alleviate had seen Rowan pacing the confines of the barn attic she had made a mercifully temporary base for herself in, her mutterings and scheming growing less focused with each bottle of liquor that she emptied.

Until her secondary scroll, the one used solely for dealings with her shadowy benefactor began to ring.

"About fucking time" she slurred, before quickly slapping her own pleasantly rosy cheeks and shaking her head; forcing herself into some facsimile of sobriety with the willpower of a champion as she sat on what passed for a bed and answered the call, a video transmission as always despite the way the figure that greeted her remained veiled in shadows and their voice modulated to the point of being impossible to identify.

"Miss Oralie" the benefactor greeted her curtly "I apologise for calling at such an unsociable hour-"

"Flashy and considerate, where can I get me one of you" Rowan tittered, betraying how blunted and dulled her mind currently was "Besides it's not like I'm doing anything out here in bum-fuck nowhere, what do you want?"

"Your time and services in return for the considerations that I show you and your associates" the shadowy figure replied curtly with a gesture that might have been a wave of a hand "It might please you to know that I will soon require your presence in Port Alistair once again"

"Finally, just say when" the redhead chuckled.

"Your cooperation is appreciated" the benefactor noted "However there are complications that I am trusting you to deal with, your knowledge of the inner workings of organised crime make you better suited to this matter than the heavy hand that perhaps Major Grapeshot or Carmesi Hueso would show-"

"Where are the goon squad?" Rowan couldn't help but ask

"Handling their primary objective on the island, keeping track of their targets whereabouts until such a time as it can be safely contained….Work on the containment unit is progressing nicely"

"Right, who do you need me to whack" she snorted drunkenly, cognizant enough to understand what was being alluded to.

"Members of one of the criminal gangs that you were using your position at the docks to supply narcotics and weapons to have used your absence, combined with the presence of their own members on private security firms to begin taking over operations at the freight docks….This organisation has proven to be less amenable to my advances and has no interest in the bright new Remnant I am planning to build"

"Leave it to me" Rowan growled, naturally choosing not to mention her own lack of faith or even any particular interest in such plans to the man at least partially funding her ambitions and instead focusing on the importance of removing those who sought to take her place in the hierarchy of crime; that the benefactor had come to her only when his offers had been declined elsewhere was proof of just how precarious her position truly was.

"Oh and there is another matter that I wished to share with you….One that you might have been aware of whilst spending some time in that lovely little village" Rowan's eyes, bloodshot as they were widened in sudden shock as she had made sure not to share her location with either the secretive figure to whom she was now speaking or either of the rogue Hunters at his disposal.

"Go on?"

"Your other….previous backers, with whom you and the late Persian Green did business" there was a threat in that sentence that went unsaid, with only a token attempt to hide it beneath the pleasantries "It would seem that they were careless, I have eyes and ears in many places Miss Oralie and once I learned that the robot was being placed in the custody of Breaktide Academy I knew that it was only a matter of time before those moneyed savages who enjoyed watching Hunters die at the hands of the Grimm were brought to justice….I have it from a reliable source that such a time is close at hand, legal avenues are being pursued and several subpoenas and warrants were issued mere hours ago to be enacted in a series of dawn raids"

"Why are you telling me this?" Rowan asked, keeping her shaking hands from view and trying her best to keep a mask of detached disinterest despite the bile rising in her throat.

"I simply thought it would be pertinent to you return to the Capital Miss Oralie" the benefactor almost purred "It would behove you to be more careful in your operations….I require those docks and your presence at them will be most helpful, however I cannot reward sloppy work"

"I under….Yes boss" Rowan gulped the words out, fighting to keep her voice even.

"I'm glad we understand each other" with that the call ended and there was single, pregnant beat where everything was still but by no means peaceful before the would be crime-boss flipped the small table that her empty bottles had been gathered on, a screamed curse spilling from her lips as she did so before she staggered to the corner of the barn and promptly collapsed and vomited, simply drunkenness pushed aside by terror and the dawning realisation that she had never, at any point in her aspirations had the power or control that she had deluded herself into believing was hers; she was as she always had been a lackey that could be replaced at will.

With another supreme act of will the redhead pushed through her emotions and the fug of alcohol and attempted to focus on what needed to be done, lists of thugs who both reliable and currently not in police custody compiling themselves in her mind before a matter which would take more finesse to deal with presented itself; taking out an entire rival gang, especially one capable of running front businesses in a single fell swoop would require a sizeable distraction. Wiping the corners of he mouth and searching for a fresh drink to wash away the taste of bile Rowan rose to her feet, her drunken tittering soon giving way to laughter that could only be described as evil to its' core.

The order to take back the docks had come at the perfect time, there was already a distraction that would last for a week in place.


There were simply no words to describe the plethora of sights, sounds and smells that was the Faunus Pride festival of Menagerie; the word festival itself almost feeling to small as the event spread outwards from the centre of the city and seemed to touch and influence every area of Port Alistair to some degree.

Teams MARZ and WULF had left the campus of the academy as a group and were far from the only students to do so, in fact if one were to inspect the grounds at that very moment they might feasibly find them deserted as almost every student and a vast majority of the staff had ventured into Port Alistair to partake in the beginnings of would almost certainly one day soon become a national holiday for the Kingdom of Menagerie. The eight first years, along with many of their fellow students had at first naturally gravitated towards the centre of the city where the festivities were largest and most impressive with parades that paid homage to the culture that had once existed on Menagerie, kept alive by those who had managed to survive the horrors of the great war and passed them down to following generations of Faunus; beyond this there were several bars, restaurants and open plazas given over entirely to the celebration of more modern Faunus successes with bands and other performers. from all across Remnant travelling to the island Kingdom to take part.

There were more subdued affairs to be found as well, documentaries including grainy footage of the former Menagerie showed the idyllic setting of Kuo Kuana which had once been the largest settlement on the island before its' utter devastation and recorded interviews laid bare the horrors that had befallen Faunus everywhere in the aftermath of the war, including the Faunus revolution, the failed attempts at a peaceful path to justice and the subsequent rise of Adam Taurus through the ranks of the White Fang along with all that it had led to; with the latter being in living memory and an entire generation who lived through it being all to willing to discuss their experiences.

Not all introspection was soured by the blood that had been spilled however, to deny that Remnant was in the midst of a hitherto unseen age of equality and prosperity was laughable, the Faunus homeland was a recognised Kingdom and there were even efforts to preserve the original language of the Faunus, something that had been lost with the implementation of the standard common tongue and the passage of time along with Old Vaccuan and Old Atlesian; one discourse on the matter had been taking place in the bar where Teams MARZ and FADE had stopped for lunch, headed by the history professor who served both Breaktide Academy and the local college; allowing Regalia to stun both her friends and the civilian students by knowing a few words of the thought-dead language, pointing out that whilst they were hardly fluent or even especially proficient the isolation of Clan Aiktishaf allowed their own dialect and speech patterns to develop differently and that certain words that were not used in the Kingdoms were still commonplace among her people.

By early afternoon however the group had begun to slowly drift apart, with Astra pulling Regalia to one side and making what might have been too much of a fuss about ensuring that they and their partner both knew where they other would be, that she had her scroll and most importantly of all that she was okay with the fact that they were once again leaving to spend time with Wolfram; the events of Marble Manor might have given Team MARZ some degree of notoriety which had in turn allowed for certain issues to go largely unaddressed but they had also given the Deer Faunus much to chastise themselves and beneath their facade of swaggering bravado they had spent several days doing just that. Eventually though Astra and Wolfram had make their departure, finding themselves in a small park filled with artificially grown and maintained grass on the outskirts of the city where there was a modicum of peace and quiet though the influence of the festival could still be seen here in the form of the painted faces of playing children.

"Y'know I used to play in a park just like this as a kid….that one was inside one of the Hive-Towers and it's where Fluffy first started teaching me to box, this one's on a desert island; how do we manage to make parks everywhere?" Astra mused with a faint smile as they turned and brushed Wolfram's cheek whilst leaning closer "You're paint was dripping"

"Thanks" the grey-eyed boy smiled as he brushed the same cheek gingerly, not wanting to smudge any of the glyphs and flags of Old Menagerie, bright and sunny affairs that looked comically out of place on such sharp and brooding features "So….how does this compare to the other Faunus Pride festivals you've been to?"

"This place is amazing" Astra breathed out earnestly "Like, really amazing….I know Fluffy is in the city somewhere so he's gonna sending tons of photos and videos back home but I should probably send a few as well, I don't think my parents have ever seen anything like this before….It's gonna be weird for the big speech at the end of the day, right before the firework display to not be given by Blake Xiao Long though, she always does them back home"

"I can't believe I've never seen this before" Wolfram admitted with a breathless sigh, still getting his bearings and slightly disoriented by the seemingly endless explosion of colours that he had been subjected to "I've lived on Menagerie my whole life and I've never seen one of these festivals….There's nothing like this in Stalwart"

"Not enough people?"

"Not enough Faunus" Wolfram shrugged, pausing and becoming serious almost the instant the words left his mouth "That sounded….y'know"

"Yeah, just a little" Astra admitted with a playful nudge as they leaned into their boyfriend "Seriously though, what is your village like….I mean in terms of, y'know?"

"I mean it's a Mistrali founded settlement, Mistral was on the wrong side of the Great War and did a lot to support all of Atlas's fuck ups but….I wanna say I've never really seen any racism, but at the same time I know that's not exactly right" Wolfram huffed and thought for a moment "I mean let's be realistic, people who hate Faunus are generally just not gonna come and live on Menagerie but at the same time you get a bunch of Mistralis who want to go wandering in search of something together and let 'em build a settlement that place is gonna be pretty close-knit an insular, it's just who we are. The aren't many Faunus in Stalwart, but they're no different to anybody else in town; a lot of people do say a lot of really messed up stuff about the nomad tribes….and I know I need to unlearn some of that, but really the main divide in Stalwart is the same as anywhere else on Menagerie; which Kingdom founded your settlement and which teams do you support"

"I have got to come to a football game with you one day and see what all the fuss is about" Astra chuckled gently, being well aware of Wolfram's love for the sport and the almost tribal behaviour of the fans, especially when they encountered one another in bars both before and after a match "So you're telling me Stalwart isn't racist, it's just full of people who enjoy a fight?"

"We're Mistralis, even if we live on Menagerie" Wolfram snorted "You're talking about the Kingdom that produced Pyrrha Nikos, Professor Altan-"

"You" Astra added with a pointed look "The first thing you did at Breaktide was try and fight Regalia"

"She nearly ran me over!" Wolfram exclaimed before flopping back dramatically and returning to his previous point "So, yeah there's problems in Stalwart obviously but nothing you've gotta worry about….I've sent my Mum pictures of you and she's shown the neighbours, people can't wait to meet that 'cute Faunus with the fancy hair' that I'm dating"

"I'm sorry they call me what?" Astra sputtered, face flushing beet red at this information as all of the confidant ease they had found themselves approaching their relationship with Wolfram with now that it had properly begun promptly vanished in a flood of self conscious embarrassment.

"I mean did they lie?" Wolfram almost purred as he leaned in and kissed Astra's cheek, being prevented from trailing his lips down to their neck only by the presence of children.

"I guess not" Astra managed to reply with some degree of a smirk before producing their scroll and snapping a picture of their current position.

"Seriously, no warning?" Wolfram grumbled good naturedly as he glanced at the picture that Astra had taken of the two of them.

"Nope….But since you brought it up, I'm gonna send this to my parents"

"If you're sure?" Wolfram answered quietly.

"There's nothing to worry about, my Dad doesn't believe anything more stupid than the people in your village….Besides, when do I miss a chance to show off?" before Wolfram could offer a fitting retort to that he saw the caption that his date was currently adding to the picture and couldn't help but snort.

"Look what I got….Really?" he demanded with a laugh "Makes me sound like something you got out of a loot-crate"

"Would that be better or worse than telling my parents that we started dating after I kissed you and then kicked you off of the top of an airship?" Astra countered, leaving Wolfram making several entertaining faces as he floundered for a response.


"Well, that's somewhere else Team WULF are barred from"

"Darlin quit your caterwauling now 'cos you know good and well that if Wolfram was here he would have thrown the glass in that ingrate's face instead of just pouring a drink on 'em….and gosh darn if it wasn't deserved" Ursinia drawled out, tipping her hat low over her face as she, along with Diabla, Regalia and Laser hastened away from the establishment that they had just caused no small amount of ruckus and disruption in; various emotions rising to the surface as their adrenaline faded, in Laser's case primarily the sense of chaotic glee that came from being utterly desensitised to all manner of things.

"That was hilarious, I can't believe you just walked over to that ass-hole and emptied their own drink on 'em!" the lithe and spindly blond howled with laughter as he flitted between the more robust women around him, draping himself briefly over Regalia's shoulders as he spoke in his usual nasal tone; hoping to distract the nomad from the nerves and alarm at her own actions that left her bushy and striped tail standing erect behind her whilst her hands trembled even as she rubbed them together in a familiar nervous tic. Glowering at the memory of what had caused her uncharacteristically aggressive behaviour she bit out a reply through clenched teeth.

"In the nomad clans you don't make those kind of claims about peoples' heritage, you don't lie about someone's bloodline to make them out to be something they're not" the events that she was referring to had occurred when the four of them had stepped into another bar with the intent of asking for directions and clarifications about which events were happening where in the city centre; Athena-Jade and Zirconia were both absent after the Bear Faunus had received a message from brother stating that Team FADE were currently backstage at one of the larger venues and that she was was invited to join them. Things had taken a turn for the worst when a group of Faunus revellers who were seemingly college age and almost certainly drunk produced an effigy of the late Jacques Schnee which they openly declared, to rounds of raucous laughter that they planned to fasten to a firework later that night; Regalia had been uncomfortable at this point but had remained silent as from what she could gather from what little information she had Athena-Jade's maternal grandfather was indeed every part the villain he had been portrayed as; from there however another drunk student had asked, seemingly in good faith if there was also an effigy of Adam Taurus to be burned which had somehow led to an open discussion of a theory that posited Adam Taurus was actually the bastard child of Jacques Schnee and that the true reason for his crimes was that he had been denied his birthright of a life in Upper Atlas due to racism.

At which point Regalia had reacted with fury and disgust, certain that Athena-Jade would have been aghast at the suggestion that not only was Adam Taurus her uncle, but also that some of the worst acts in living memory were part of what amounted to a family squabble.

"And in the nomad clans y'all have got some common sense, way I see it if AJ or her brother had been here in person they would have been within their rights to have the blow-hard come outside so they can fix his wobbling jaw" Ursinia nodded almost serenely, at odds with the way her tail arced over her head and rattled threateningly.

"I'm not saying that they didn't deserve it" Diabla noted, her time in the Atlas Cadets had given her a thorough understanding of the kind of impromptu 'field discipline' that could be dispensed in lieu of a court marshal "I'm just pointing out that it's another place we can't go and that we just caused problems at Faunus Pride, on Menagerie….If our Professors find out about this-"

"We tell 'em what the little ass-hat said" Laser cackled "At least half our Professors fought Adam Taurus personally, they wouldn't have listened to that either"

"Fine" Diabla sighed, conceding the point as she found it to not be worth the argument; especially in light of just how tenuous her current relationship with her immediate friend-group still felt to her "But where are we going now?"

"There is the big speech before the firework display" Ursinia noted "We'll probably wanna get there early for that, it'll be packed"

"That works for me" Diabla nodded, finding the idea of something a little less energetic than most of what they had already experienced appealing; a life spent in the tundra of Mantle and Atlesian military bases had in no way prepared her for such vibrant and frenetic festivities after all.

"Can y'all set with that?" Ursinia asked, directing the question toward Laser and Regalia.

"A nice big crowd to vanish into, always suits me" Laser answered with a twisted smile as he lowered his opaque, oddly shaped and vivid green visor into its' customary place over his eyes; brushing his spidery mass of hair away as he continued to strain his ears and listen for any sign of approaching police as he had been doing surreptitiously ever since the four of them had left the bar.

"Sure, just let's go find where I parked Clunker first….I don't wanna have to go looking for it in the middle of the night, we should probably message the others as well" Regalia replied, thoughts turning quickly to the jetbike that was without question amongst her most prized possessions; she had travelled into the city with it but the streets had proven to be far too packed.

"We can do that" Ursinia beamed "But don't you be hounding our partners now honey, they'll come yarn the night away with the rest of us when they're good and ready….And I'm sure Astra will love to hear about how you handled things back there, in the meantime why don't you go on and crack up to AJ herself about it, find out where she wandered off to"

"Heh, sure" Regalia managed a smile and pushed thoughts and concerns about her partner to the back of her mind, she would very much have liked for Astra and even Wolfram to be present however it was not like she had been abandoned by her partner, she also understood the importance of their plans to introduce Wolfram to their parents at some point during the day; the pop culture she had become so enamoured with had made that very clear to her even it was something she had no direct experience of, with her own mother meeting Team MARZ being the closest comparison she could make. As Regalia began typing a message to Athena-Jade, wishing once again that her clan had access to a CCT uplink that would make it possible for them to use scrolls she found herself fighting the urge to check on Astra, if only to root for them however as she and her friends began to meander through streets that grew steadily more crowded as they made their way towards where Clunker had been left the Racoon Faunus received a reply from Athena-Jade which cleared all other thoughts from her mind.

"Hey guys….The big speech that everyone's excited about, it's Professor Scarlatina that's gonna be giving it" she pointed to her scroll and continued "Athena and Zirconia are with her now...It turns out the stage that Arctus was backstage at was the really big one, all the bands are still there as well"

"Typical rich kid" Diabla's comment was expected, yet it did nothing to change the fact that she along with everyone else present was now suddenly much more driven and interested in taking up the Bear Faunus's offer of joining her.


"Do….do people actually believe this?" Athena-Jade words were hoarse and her mouth suddenly dry as she and Arctus shared stunned and utterly lost expressions upon reading the latest message from Regalia, detailing exactly why the Racoon Faunus, along with most of Team WULF were putting as much distance between themselves and a certain bar in the city as possible. Meanwhile, Athena and Zirconia had taken up Team FADE's offer to join them almost as a matter of course, any opportunity to spend time in the company of her brother, her sister in law and some the other Hunters she considered amongst the coolest people on Remnant; a category they now shared with Zirconia Shadowmoon, was one to be taken without question. The fact that this particular offer had included a possibly once in a lifetime chance to be backstage at the main stage of a Faunus Pride festival, surrounded by celebrities and cultural icons whom her family name and her own status were not enough to impress was almost enough to send the Bear Faunus zipping across Port Alistair by using her glyphs for additional speed just so that she might arrive a single moment sooner, this eagerness being tempered only by her partners' caution.

Currently however Athena and her brother were off to one side of the small waiting area set up between makeshift changing rooms and hidden from view of the public, the younger Bear Faunus trying to fight a rising anger and sadness until Arctus ruffled her hair gently and gave her a stern, but warm glance.

"People believe all kinds of weird shit, it says nothing about us, about you"

"I know but-"

"But nothing" Arctus cut of his sister's defeated whine "If I lost sleep for every time someone said Diamond only married me for the lien I would have died of exhaustion years ago"

"But Adam Taurus though….That he's actually our uncle!" disgust filled Athena's voice, utter revulsion fuelled not only by the obvious and well documented crimes of the extremist, but also the more personal horrors that he had inflicted on her family; things that meeting a different Adam Taurus from an alternate Remnant briefly during the twisting course of Salem's second campaign had done nothing to change. Before the Slate siblings could discuss further they found themselves interrupted by an obnoxious, juvenile and yet perpetually overconfident voice.

"What about Adam-Oh crap! Oh….Hey Mum come read this, it'll get a laugh I promise!"

"Fuck off runt" Athena-Jade growled with uncharacteristic annoyance, dark-nailed claws extending from her fingertips out of reflexive anger as she shoved Fox Scarlatina, or little Fox as his parents still called him away, taking care to carefully measure the amount of force she used whilst doing so to ensure that she didn't accidentally break his ribs. The dark haired rabbit Faunus who resembled both of his parents glowered, a sulking and petulant expression which Athena-Jade met with a steely glare and when it became apparent that his position as the son of Breaktide Academies' head and the Councilwoman for the city would amount to nothing in this instance the sixteen year old, who had at least worn a suit for the occasion slunk away, mumbling as he continued to try and catch his breath.

"I don't care what anybody says, we grew up privileged but at least we were never that kid….I'm glad Summer-Pyrrha dumped him" Arctus grumbled, voice low enough for only his sister to hear though whilst Athena would normally have loved to use a conversation on the many failings of Fox Scarlatina as a precursor to finding out how her cousins were faring with college and their own personal lives at that moment she simply could not muster the energy; instead the snowy haired Faunus absently brushed one of the band-aids that she wore as fashion accessories whilst scanning the room and finding that it had emptied somewhat whilst she had not been paying attention.

Flax had returned to where Coco and Yatsuhashi were giving last minute coaching and moral support to a clearly nervous Velvet Scarlatina in the final moments before her speech, many of the lingering bands and other performers had made their excuses and left with only the penultimate act of the night still being present and talking with the rest of Team FADE as the two groups were seemingly equally interested in one another, Athena smiling upon finding Zirconia amongst them, the Grasshopper Faunus and Diamond deep in an animated conversation with a guitarist about the merits of various makers of musical instruments.

"I think I'm gonna go-"

"Your partner can last five minutes without you AJ" Arctus gave a bemused smiled "Let her hang out with the family for a while"

"The family?" Athena turned and studied her brother's expression for a moments, seeing the knowing look on his face and quickly realising exactly what conclusions he had managed to incorrectly draw "Wait….you think? Ugh, you suck, you suck so bad, you are the suckiest!"

"Why do all little sisters have the exact same tone when they tell you that you suck….And why is Little Fox muttering about you and Adam Taurus?" Athena snapped to attention, expression guilty and body language stiff and alert as she and her brother both whipped around to see that they had been joined by Velvet Scarlatina, the deputy head of Breaktide Academy taking a break from her preparations in order to join them; Arctus however, with the benefit of being a licensed Hunter, adult and several years removed from a position where Velvet might have had authority over him merely let out an annoyed huff.

"Conspiracy theories….Some of the dumb ones, one of AJ's team heard 'em in a bar"

"Oh….those" Velvet's expression was one of someone who had just tasted something foul, it was not the first time a truly unpleasant rumour of the sort had reached her ears by far "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really" Athena mumbled, broad and powerful arms folding across her chest defensively as her eyes trailed downwards "I mean they're not true so who cares right….I just….Not what I needed to hear on Faunus Pride y'know?"

"I definitely understand that" Velvet nodded "And I understand that this time of year must be hard for you….Jacques Schnee was a lot of things but your whole family shouldn't be tarred with that brush-"

"And my Dad is a former Atlas Specialist who also used to be in the White Fang, so that's fun" Athena muttered, taking care to keep her voice quiet enough for only those closest to hear.

"And I was in the Fang with him for a while….Now look at where I am" Velvet replied, voice equally muted as that particular piece of information was one known only to a small handful of individuals even almost thirty years later. Athena paused and fumbled for words, knowing that there should be something more poignant and meaningful said before she made her excuses and left the conversation that had suddenly become heavy yet despite her best efforts the younger Faunus found herself floundering until a simple question came to her.

"Are things better now? I mean beyond legislation….There's still hate and distrust, the White Fang tried to come back when I was a kid and I just….Are we really-"

"Things are better in ways that I'm glad you don't understand" Velvet answered sternly, whiskey brown eyes darkening as haunting memories came to the fore "Even your brother is too young to remember how bad things really used to be, AJ you and Flax are part a generation raised in the most accepting and peaceful time in history….Back when your Dad and I were your age today couldn't have happened without turning into a riot"

"Trust me she's right, Dad's told me how the White Fang used to provide security" Arctus chimed in solemnly. Athena-Jade swallowed thickly, finding her own concerns to feel small and petty in the face of what had come before, yet unable to allow her mind to sit entirely at ease.

"Do you think anything is gonna happen today?" she asked tentatively, earning herself a smile from Velvet.

"At Faunus Pride on Menagerie, with Team FADE acting as my bodyguards….Who in their right mind would try something here?"


Rowan Oralie's face was the perfect fusion of a determined glower and scornful sneer, resulting in a truly fierce expression as she and her cohort of several dozen heavily armed criminals turned their sights from the slowly setting sun to their target, the very heart of Port Alistair itself.

Today's operation was bold play, but her hand had been forced and the time for subterfuge had passed.

The redhead ringleader and would be crime-lord had spent much of the day in a blend of deep, concentrated organising and frantic, turbulent action as she brought her hastily formed but undeniably workable plans into reality.

Upon waking up from the fitful, terror and alcohol induced fugue of the night before Rowan had begun searching news sources from across multiple Kingdoms and found her sense of dread growing to mind-numbing proportions as her benefactors' thinly veiled threats were lent credence by what she saw; all across Remnant well to do and wealthy families and individuals were being taken into custody and their assets seized and frozen in connection to a smuggling operation which included a fight club responsible for the deaths of several Hunters. Whilst the details were foggy, largely owing to those reporting on them lacking the proper knowledge of the inner workings of the criminal industries they discussed there was still no doubt in Rowan's mind that these were her financial backers, inherited from Persian Green and representing an escape from the unprofitable nonsense she had been forced to endure since her current benefactor had used his rogue Hunters to take control; with these individuals now unmasked, exposed and more importantly removed form the equation Rowan understood implicitly that her options were loyalty to her benefactor, with provable and unquestionable results to show for herself or death.

And with that in mind she had attended to her assigned role with the same diligence she had whilst in Persian's employ; business and survival were one and the same in her line of work after all.

Rowan had abandoned the small village she had taken up residence in, glad to be free of its' stagnant pace and unbearable quiet no matter how useful the place might one day prove to be and upon her return to Port Alistair she had set about the business of learning her enemies' identities, or at least the most useful and important details so that she could properly orchestrate their demise with a single crushing blow.

It had been a simple enough matter, already armed with knowledge that her would be usurpers operated a security firm as one of their legal front businesses and that said firm was trying to muscle in on her own operations at the docks and surrounding areas it had taken only a few scroll calls and discreet visits to information brokers for her to learn that behind their various fronts, shell companies and other facades the group she had been tasked with eliminating for the sake of her benefactors' unknowable ends were frankly nothing special. They were, by all accounts a backstreet razor gang that had grown in size and reputation steadily until the inactivity of other, more powerful gangs imposed by Grapeshot and Carmesi had allowed their previously overlooked operations to expand; the gang called itself the 'Pink Soldiers' which Rowan suspected was connected to some way that their members identified one another and they were supposedly led by a Squid Faunus with a penchant for hiding their face.

What was important to the redhead charged with removing them however was that their front business and their own pride could be easily turned against them.

No matter how many Hunters might be present for various reasons and no matter how unseemly it would be for them to conduct business here of all places, Rowan knew beyond any reasonable doubt that these 'Pink Soldiers' would be present at Faunus Pride and using their legitimate face as a security business to work themselves into its' running if only for their own ego and the bragging rights it would give them to other Faunus street gangs, of which there were many in the capital; owing simply to the realities of inner city life and the vast amount of Faunus who called Menagerie their home. It was with this in mind that Rowan had then contacted her most reliable fighters and killers, or at least those who had not been imprisoned or butchered by Grimm following orders given by Grapeshot and Carmesi and then, as the opening day of the week long Faunus Pride festival began to wind down, with its' vast crowds creeping inwards and coalescing around the main stage she had begun to not only dispense weapons, shotguns, sub-machine guns and simple blades that could be easily replaced and which would not incriminate their users but also a plethora masks and costume accessories such as cat ears whose presence in such circumstances could only be described as deliberately offensive.

If Rowan were asked by her benefactor she would simply state that the disguises, whilst being in spectacularly poor taste would ensure that any members of the rival organisation that survived would be too focused on retaliation to pose any kind of problem and likely make them easy to find and dispose of; the redhead would of course be lying however, she had no intention of anything less than total completion of her assignment by the end of the night and in truth the racially insensitive costumes were nothing but an indirect jab at the pride of Carmesi Hueso as she knew that he would be powerless to react to it so long as she delivered results.

"I love it when the circus is in town" she sneered in a dull yet impossibly mocking tone upon handing out the last such mask to one of her gang of villains.

"I don't like this boss….This doesn't feel right" one of them, a relatively young Faunus, an uncommon but not unheard of presence among the gangs Rowan operated with sighed as they looked at the angular mask that was clearly intended to evoke and parody a now defunct terrorist faction.

"Oh fuck me, you're getting woke about this?" Rowan spat out amidst mocking laughter "The job is fine but wearing fluffy pink bunny ears while you do it is where you draw the line?"

"I don't like the job Rowan" the younger crook replied bluntly, quailing and shuffling under the glare the received in return, though they were quickly emboldened by mutterings amongst the ranks "This is gonna put targets on our backs….Hitting the festival, it's a bad play, it's always been neutral-"

"Neutral turf, yeah I've been told" Rowan snorted with a dismissive wave of her hand "Grow up kid, everyone likes to talk about the code and the rules of the game but the only people who ever make it big are the people who got away with breaking it; you think the Goodyellows played by the rules?….There is no neutral turf, this is our city; we just haven't taken it yet. Everyone got that?"

"You got it boss" the rumbles of assent came from multiple sources until finally the questioning Faunus nodded in silent agreement which Rowan was pleased with, no matter how much recent events had cost her she refused to stoop to using Carmesi Hueso's name as a threat to keep her own troops in line; just to be certain that morale was maintained she took the weapons that the younger thug was carrying, namely a meat cleaver and a bottle of acid intended for truly horrific crimes and replaced them with a handgun which would do much cleaner and less visceral work as she affected a stern and commanding tone.

"That being said, no civilians. No mistakes" her eyes roamed the small crowd of hooded and masked figures around her "We create a nice big distraction, Pink Soldiers come out to play and we pack 'em up in boxes and body bags….make a scene, the kind of shit that will dissuade other crews from trying to take what's ours….But the second Hunters start breaking things up you lose the masks and get out of there"

"You're not coming with us boss?" one of her crew asked suspiciously, noting something in the phrasing of her instructions and in response the redhead reached into her customary black overalls to withdraw her currently collapsed weapon, hefting Insolence fondly a wearing her most genuine smile yet Rowan answered.

"The boss of this little pack of mutts might be here but they won't get caught up in the middle of the action….They used to be a razor gang, now they've gotten ideas above their station" Rowan's muscles coiled beneath her clothing like those of a predatory animal and her smiles' ferocity increased to match "I'm gonna find the Pink Petty Officer, or whoever they are….And there's gonna be a little talk, leader to leader"

With that ominous statement, followed with dark and menacing laughter Rowan Oralie and her black clad gang of thugs split up and began to make their way into Port Alistair.

Author's Notes:

Okay so we have the first half of basically another two part episode….And honestly it's good to be going back to my routes with a little mob violence, even if it is only in service of a much larger plot.
This is gonna move a few pieces into place for the finale of Vol.02 which will be starting after this two-parter concludes.
I actually did a little bit of scene rearrangement over the next couple of chapters, what was meant to be the ending of Chapter 32 will now be the start of Chapter 33.
With that being said….Once we get into the finale you're all in for a treat, there's basically a month of extra long chapters coming.
However as a trade-off, since that's gonna give me very limited time to plan ahead (Although I have already made a start) for Vol.03 and also tire me out, there may be a brief break before we get back into Vol.03.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
I just felt, since Eagle really does have a cult following among my readers that it was only right to remind everyone that she absolutely has that Arc instinct to go hard.
So, the Wheeler has been brought to the Academy and dissected over the course of a week.
Velvet is absolutely breaking a rule by bringing the coffee in….But considering the egregious breaches of clean room etiquette and protocol I've seen at some engineering firms, it's relatively fine.
Yeah the legacy of Professor Polendina and subsequently Antonia Arc took some pretty nasty knocks over a couple of years during FADE.
AP4 is the Loader Maria used in Vol.8.
This basically means that the last of the financial backers of the Desert Claw are about to be removed from play; leaving the only real threats being Grapeshot, Carmesi, Rowan and their Benefactor….And obviously the Hell-Hound.
Further proof of just how much reach the Benefactor has, they're being considered in the same league as Qrow and his group.
Come on, being involved in the discovery of a new Grimm as a first year is pretty bad-ass.
Astra has absolutely spent a whole week hyping Regalia up as an apology.
Diabla is a lot of things, bone-headed being one of them...But if you think she made it as far as she has by refusing to entertain her curiosity then you're mistaken.
More mention of the upcoming missions, just sprinkling it in a few chapters before it comes around so it isn't out of nowhere.
Astra, who wears Non-Binary and Pansexual Pride patches on their jeans and who trained under Yang Xiao Long and whose Dad was a Faunus separatist before working with Blake ABSOLUTELY gets excited for Faunus Pride.
Wolfram may struggle with talking about feelings, but he's not stupid and he is trying.
I feel like it's sad but realistic that AJ and Regalia aren't as involved in this part of their culture.
AJ's private education came in handy though.
If any of you actually thought Diabla was gonna say some bigoted shit there then you've misunderstood her character.
The village Rowan is hiding in was founded by the previous Spring Maiden, the one who died and was succeeded by Nickel Polendina during "Endless Spring".
So, remember the containment unit that was made for the Alpha Geist, the one that was captured in the chapter where Rowan was first introduced….There's another one being made, which is why Grapeshot and Carmesi are busy.
Haven't heard the flowery talk about a bright new future for a while.
A few things to unpack here, one the benefactor just absolutely called Rowan out and gave her an ultimatum to get in line or die; secondly there's the eyes and ears everywhere comment….Who saw the Wheeler be brought to Breaktide and then finally there's the wording about 'Sloppy work' that was a deliberate call back to something.
My ability to write a Pride festival is limited….I came out as Bi just in time to miss Pride this year and I haven't actually been to one since I was eighteen, I've just passed through them.
I hope the vibe felt right and managed to give a nice bit of exposition without feeling laboured.
Faunus having their own language at some point in history is a headcanon I am not letting go of.
Learning to box in a park is a scene from FADE Legacy.
Wolfram with bright coloured face paint just works.
Astra basically just had to ask if Stalwart is the Remnant equivalent of a Sundown town, because the Adam trailer proved that those are definitely a thing that Faunus need to know about.
American readers, what I want you to do is watch a compilation of British Football chants and film your reactions….Because seeing Americans faces when they learn how to properly banter the other side is always fun.
Mistral really does produce some good fighters.
cute Faunus with the fancy hair….Are they wrong?
Just casually starting the scene with them being barred from somewhere, not the worst way to start a weekend though.
Ursinia was oddly fun to write this chapter even if she didn't do much, it's just relaxing to hear her voice and mannerisms in my head.
So, yeah Regalia tipped a drink on somebody because they managed to say something that both insulted her friends and also offended her sensibilities as a member of the nomad clans.
Burning effigies of Jacques Schnee is absolutely a thing that happens at Faunus Pride.
There was actually a theory that Adam was Jacques's bastard for a while after we first saw his eyes, the theory has less weight in this story since Adam was described as having red eyes back when I started the spiral-verse in 2016, but I wanted to have a little fun and play the theory as an in-universe conspiracy.
Diabla's concerns aren't unwarranted, especially considering that she's human.
Reminder that not only is Diabla not used to having friends, she also doesn't really drink.
Regalia has Clunker in the city, that'll come in handy later; thank Chekhov.
Our little Nomad just wants her people around her and to see everyone doing well, is that too much to ask?
Of course AJ took Zirconia to hang out with the stars.
It's rare there's an amount of celebrity that can leave AJ starstruck.
The alternate Adam is another callback to FADE, one that I feel like I would have been slipping up if I didn't mention.
Yeah, a reminder that Little Fox Scarlatina exists and that he's a bit of a shitbag….AJ probably wouldn't have reacted as harshly under normal circumstances though.
Well, Arctus basically just slipped up and basically said that the thinks something is going on between AJ and Hops to her face, maybe that will get one of these oblivious dorks to think.
The different reactions that the Slate siblings had to Velvet.
Remember the nightmares that AJ was having in Vol.01, remember when she told Zirconia about them being because of the New White Fang attacking Atlas….So that's where AJ's head is at right now.
Nice going Velvet, invoking Murphy's law.
Well, the financiers have been arrested so now it's crunch time for Rowan.
A gang run by a Squid Faunus called the Pink Soldiers, yes it's a Squid Game reference.
….She's going to cause a scene while her crew are wearing fake White Fang masks and fluffy ears, maximum disrespect.
The Goodyellows….I'm not sorry.
Also let's just be real about something, Rowan's attitude is one shared by a lot of gangsters and mobsters, all that talk about codes of honour is for their own peace of mind, they don't follow it.
Acid attacks, something that's been getting more common between gangs in the UK.
"Leader to leader"….Well, there's quite a few team leaders in the city, I wonder who Rowan runs into first.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Regalia deserves free reign of a scrapyard of her choice and the most random yet somehow delicious combination of junk-food from across Remnant all at Astra's expense.
I was honestly gonna go with Astra's antlers being a bit like Faunus teeth or Adam's horns in this universe and have them slowly regrow if they get snapped.
Zirconia was using her Semblance it's fine, AJ was firing into a closed space that was inside the closed space; totally cancels out.
Elder sibling protocols can blur into being a dick when the baby sibling being a horny teen and making horny teen choices leads to them putting themselves and others at risk….This is a case of Felix personal and professional lives conflicting now that Astra is a student; take it from someone who has had to work with his little brother before.
Arctus and Diamond have never, in their decade plus of partnership, not had it.
See you say that but….Rhodium Torchwick absolutely deliberately antagonised both Melanie Malachite and Nickel Polendina as well as fucking with the Xiao Long Siblings so I'm gonna have to disagree.
See normally you'd be right….But with the two sets of powerful and well-connected backers that Rowan was playing off each other, she probably thought it was safer to try and have cops and judges paid after she'd made sure that the stashes were moved.
The fact that this Wheeler improved on the design from the Black Trailer is funny considering that it's an older base model with parts jerry-rigged onto it.
You actually reminded me, has Weiss killed a King-Taijitu on screen in canon?
The Flamingo Grimm is one of my favourite creations so far...I'll have to see how I can one-up it.
Yeah, I could have had a Faunus Separatist movement be a larger part of the story but honestly I feel like that would have just been White Fang v3.0 and at that point I'm steering into the "Faunus are always the villain" territory that I want to avoid (I will die on the hill that RT didn't have to make Leo a Lion Faunus for him to be the cowardly lion)
Carmesi is always pissed and the funny thing is that it's because he doesn't want to be working with criminals any more than Grapeshot does.
As for there being no Toto allusion in RWBY...Honestly I think Vol.9 would be the perfect place to introduce one since "We're not in Kansas any more"

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