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Chapter 49: Communication Issues

Friday had arrived and brought with it the expected double period of Combat Training as its' first lesson, taught by the ever-fearsome and respected, if never quite adored Professor Arslan Altan.

Despite her reputation for being fierce, stern and disciplinary to a fault the former prizefighter turned Huntress, leader, teacher and undisputed master of her craft was not as entirely heartless and unfeeling as her more embittered and often childish students decried her as; Arslan understood the minutia of emotion and the interactions between them which adolescence amplified and the confines of a place like Breaktide Academy condensed to an explosive degree at the best of times, she simply expected those who attended her classes to master themselves and rise above them however after the upset and disruption of the previous days following the cowardly, detestable and yet still worrying attack on Fox Scarlatina in his mothers' office and all it entailed along with missions and graduations drawing ever closer Arslan could both see and understand that the campus would inevitably become a tinderbox if some form of release was not provided and so had tackled the matter of rising tensions with all of her usual directness.

In the form of dedicating a double period solely to sparring matches between any students who wished to fight each other and extending the same offer to students in different classes once lessons ended for the day, though only under her strict and personal supervision.

Astra Mars, for their part and much to the well-hidden surprise of Arslan and several others had been one the first to raise their hand and put forth a challenge though not for the expected reasons; it seemed that the Deer Faunus had regained a sense of confidence and identity which had flagged and worn thin in recent months, or at the very least the beginnings of it and Professor Altan was more than willing to let the leader of Team MARZ enter the arena for the sole purpose of proving themselves, to themselves and remembering precisely what it was that they were capable of. Their opponent had been none other than Athena-Jade Slate, the Bear Faunus seeking the thrill of combat to clear her own distracted mind whilst also eager to see her friend and leader acting more like their old self once again; though she had no intention of giving any less than her best in the bout which felt to both parties like an important moment where the first, unpleasant experience they had with sparring against one another would come full circle.

As was proven by the ongoing exchange of blows.

Astra avoided an admittedly impressive cartwheeling kick from Athena's right leg which her admittedly less impressive height brought to chin level, blocking the follow up left jab as she sprung forward and retaliating to it in the some motion as they brought their rear leg up and pivoted at the waist as if to throw a roundhouse, only to knock Athena's arm away with their knee before throwing a sidekick which slipped beneath her guard and caught her flank. Knocking some of the wind, if none of the fight out the shorter Faunus Astra pressed on by continuing to pivot and carrying their momentum into a leaping, spinning crescent kick from their left leg which Athena avoided so narrowly that the snowy white spikes of her undercut hair rustled with the passing breeze though it was too late for the Bear Faunus to counter as Astra had returned to the ground and composed themselves before she could recover and the Deer Faunus had, in a single fluid motion braced themselves and flung out their right palm to collide with their opponents' solar plexus with a powerful impact which lifted Athena off of her feet and sent her sailing backwards to land on the ground in a crumpled heap.

Astra, seeing their friend was down but not yet beaten and in fact already in the process of recovering braced themselves and spared a quick glance to Professor Altan who nodded for the match to continue and then to the overhead screen displaying the Auras of the two fighters, grimacing as they saw that despite this momentary victory Athena-Jade was still in the lead; the Deer Faunus continued to stand their ground, fighting against every instinct to rush in and deliver a decisive, heroic blow to end the battle where a lesser fighter would have given in.

A lesser fighter would have gotten themselves kicked in the teeth.

"Get up AJ I'm not gonna fall for that!" Astra laughed and with a sound which sounded suspiciously like a disgruntled huff the Bear Faunus flung herself back to her feet with a whirling motion which saw both of her impressively muscular legs whirl around in wide, dangerous paths as she performed a flip and handstand which more resembled the breakdancing she had tried her hand at as a younger teen.

"Okay fine!" she exclaimed with a fierce yet still good natured yell, teeth bared in a smile which promised havoc before she rushed in once again at full speed. Astra expected a full on assault and prepared to weather it by flinging both forearms up to guard their face and torso as their friend gave all the telltale signs of preparing to throw herself into a spinning heel kick capable of crumpling a wall.

Astra was left surprise a moment later however when they were simply left staring up at the ceiling of the lecture hall.

"Oh come on! that's practically a signature move!" they spat, though with as much good humour as they could manage as they realised that Athena-Jade had feinted and caught them off-guard with a spinning leg sweep of the kind they themselves often employed, a flagrant ignoring of her usual stance on copying others so directly.

"I put my own spin on it….No pun intended" Athena answered guiltily, the attempt at joke being enough to bring Astra back to their feet with a wordless snarl, flipping onto their hands and chest before launching themselves upwards into an easily avoided back-kick.

From there the artistry of the fight was somewhat lost beneath its' renewed ferocity.

"Nothing personal AJ, I just need a win today!" Astra assured their friends, sea-green eyes wild and rendered even more imposing by the dark make up framing them as they flung their right elbow at Athena-Jade's skull which she blocked with her left forearm, the Deer Faunus following with a sharp roundhouse knee strike to the ribs and a spinning left-handed back-fist which brushed dangerously against the end of Athena's snout like nose as she reared back.

"Then you're gonna have to work for it!" she answered with equal force before using her team-leaders' open and over-exposed position to throw a vicious front kick at their chest which Astra answered by simply catching her foot and preparing to throw her aside yet before they could do so they were left with wide eyes and a feeling of sudden panic, followed immediately by blinding pain as Athena used Astra's hold on her to her advantage, throwing herself into a backflip and kicking then square in the chin with her free foot.

"And that's the match!" Professor Altan's sharp voice thundered out across the classroom, sweeping over any discussion or potential argument as always though Astra took a few moments to process their defeat, or anything else that was not the sharp stinging which they instinctively knew would give way to an ache that lasted days as they rolled over, remaining in the spot that Athena's final blow had left them slumped and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Really?" the Bear Faunus's voice sighed, Upper-Atlesian accent and enunciation unmistakable even when tight with annoyance and Astra, head still spinning needed a moment to see the source of their friends' anger, realising a moment later that Athena had been attempting to help them to their feet and they had almost spat blood all over her shoes.

"Sorry" they slurred out ruefully, massaging their jaw with one hand whilst taking her outstretched palm in the other and allowing themselves to be hoisted up.

"It's fine….I didn't meant to catch you that hard" Athena replied with a sheepish grin which faltered as she saw the way Astra gave a wordless shrug that flowed seamlessly into a defeated and dejected sagging.

"You were good today, your form was flawless and you adapted without hesitation" she continued, gently and playfully punching their shoulder "You made me work for that, more than anybody else does"

"I guess….Thanks AJ" Astra mumbled, the lack of clarity only partly owed to the fact they had been kicked in the face only moments before and they took in the sight of their friend, noting that Athena was indeed flushed and sweating, panting for breath, sporting several marks that would soon become bruises and favouring her left leg which all leant credence to her supportive claims yet still it rang hollow and the Deer Faunus gave a slow sigh before beginning to trudge back to their seat so that the next fight could begin.

They had begun the day with a fresh burst of inspiration and determination, taking a loss in their first period of the day had put something of a dampener on things.


The sun had not yet reached its' zenith when an aircraft which bore neither the emblems of Breaktide Academy, the Kingdom of Menagerie or any of the other organisations overseeing Hammerfall Observation Outpost upon its' wings or hull, though as it came into view of the installation; sunlight gleaming on a regularly polished exterior to give it the appearance of a swiftly approaching star the specifics of its' outline could be seen and identifying features which set the personal transport craft aside from any standard model of aircraft sent ripples of relief and detached excitement throughout those still stationed at the floating observatory at the realisation of what this sight meant.

This was the Pearl which meant Ruby and Penny Rose had arrived.

"Salutations!" the single word rang loud and clear from the hatch of the heavily modified air craft mere moments after the sound of its' idling wing-mounted thrusters and the heavy thud of a precisely calculated, yet still hefty landing had served to cease any remaining activity; Penny's greeting rose above a muffled hiss of decompressing air and the dull buzz of muttered and expectant conversation that lasted for the fraction of a second it took Penny herself to emerge, clad in a summery dress and comfortable, practical shoes in place of the fatigues she often wore on the occasions her presence was required at the outpost though the presence of a pair of black-bladed swords hanging at her waist could not be missed; the copper haired android was also carrying a toolbox heavier than most people could hope to contend with in one hand, a custom built laptop in the other and wore a smile that competed with the morning sun with its' brightness and warmth.

Ruby was behind her in an instant, throwing back the iconic red hood which had been lowered over her face and cracking her neck as her ponytail and a few strands of hair which escaped it blew in a gentle breeze to create a dramatic effect that might be lessened somewhat if those observing her knew that had been sleeping lightly in the cockpit for much of the flight from Port Alistair.

"So, who do we report to….The usual air traffic crew weren't responding?" Ruby asked her wife, the snippets of chatter she had picked up as she had slowly roused causing something of an itch in the back of her mind as they indicated something being amiss until her concerns were assuaged by a simple smile from Penny.

"The shields will be down while we work, many of the staff who were present for the attack on Hammerfall have changed their work schedule to allow themselves to get home more often and will be joining us later" Penny's bright smile wavered a little "Very few engineers, researchers or technicians are willing to remain here overnight or for extended periods of time at the moment"

"I can't say I blame them" Ruby noted quietly, understanding that whilst it was likely that Remnant had any horrors left with which to frighten her the same could not be said of most Hunters and civilians, even those who worked alongside Hunters and observed the Creatures of Grimm and their movements from a distance were another matter entirely.

"There are still representatives of Hammerfall Observation Outpost present on site" Penny continued "The outside help would not be able to dock and begin work otherwise, even though the Clara Die Novus Conglomerate, or at least its' Chairman is now the majority shareholder and effective owner of the aerial platform and research facility the arrangement with the Kingdom of Menagerie and Breaktide Academy gives the Kingdom more direct control over day to day affairs….However I think it would be best if we report to the team of specialists sent over by the Conglomerate"

"Okay that makes sense, I think that's them over there" Ruby answered, cybernetic eye whirring faintly as it swept across the open ring which formed the landing platforms and outer area of the base; looking passed groups of obviously blue collar workers wearing high visibility jackets and in many cases a safety harness which secured them to the platform as they performed maintenance checks on the outposts' small fleet of aircraft, worked at bringing weapon systems that had been torn apart by Gestalt-Prime back to functionality and in some place worked to replace safety rails, passed lone Atlas Knights of a new model which currently stood in for the usual security detail and focusing on a group of men and women who had filed out of one of the doorways of the main, domed structure mounted atop the massive aerial platform; each of whom wore a uniform which balanced practical professionalism with a distinct sense of class and sported a company logo involving a stylised capital N which Ruby studied a moment longer and noticed was remarkably similar to Zirconia Shadowmoon's personal emblem, as though either guardian or ward had taken then others' symbol and tipped it on its' side.

"They seem….Unfriendly" Penny murmured, barely audible as she studied the group and compared their appearances to those of the people around them, herself and Ruby included; finding even the autonomous machines to have more distinct character.

"Probably they're first time on the island and they're here because of a dangerous Grimm; they're just nervous" Ruby reasoned, giving the scientists the benefit of the doubt both due to her own habit of kindness and the fact that Chairman Damascus Nero was by all accounts a man of good intentions who hired and promoted those with a similar view and mindset, his activities both charitable and otherwise had drawn the attention of her Uncle Qrow and impressed the grizzled veteran to the point where an invitation into the shadowy group of Remnants' overseers had been considered if not yet extended after all.

"Soon we'll be combat ready and able to track that Grimm down" Penny's voice perked up again at that, the notion of felling the monster that had caused so much havoc and disruption across the island Kingdom she had now called home for several years pleasing her greatly, her smiling enthusiasm quickly spreading to her wife who matched it with a feral smile which crossed her scarred face in a way that might have scared the slowly approaching scientists if they had seen it from any closer.

"Not just them, if we can find the Grimm that Hueso and Grapeshot are looking for then we can find them as well….If we can capture them and charge them with everything from Rowan Oralie's murder back to the beginning of this whole mess then we might just be able to find out who the hell this Benefactor of theirs is and put a stop to this whole smuggling thing and whatever else is going on" the notion that shadowy plans even larger than her unknown adversaries' current intricate and seemingly behemoth designs caused Ruby's confidence to waver for the briefest moment before she firmly lodged her determination back into its' proper place at the forefront of her mind whilst Penny nodded in determined agreement.

"First thing's first, even with all of the experts we have here it's going to take us several hours to get any of the long ranger sensors up and running again" even with this blunt statement Penny's enthusiasm remained undented and she took a single step towards the help Damascus Nero had sent "Let's go save Remnant, one step at a time"

Ruby reflected in that moment on just how much she adored her wife.


The sound of the Aiktishaf in motion defied description; though if Major Grapeshot, formerly of the Mistrali Air-force were to attempt such a description he would liken it to that of a mountain range being dragged slowly across the horizon by heavy chains and some colossal beasts of burden, a distraction which was prosaic but could not be said to be unfair and would almost certainly please, or at least amuse Clan Aiktishaf if he were to say it out loud.

The vast and angular mass of the main crawler, with its' countless ramshackle and impromptu modifications including turrets and a collection of greenhouses gracing its' uppermost reaches resembled some enormous fortress of scrap and belched impossible amounts of smoke and debris into the air as it drove forward at a torturous pace, drawing up what trace amounts of Dust remained in the blasted earth of Menagerie as it went so that they could be processed. Ahead of the main crawler were the Outriders of the Aiktishaf who had welcomed the Major and Carmesi aboard at Swarf Russet's command, though not without prying stares and also the cavalcade of mismatched and vastly outmoded automata in the clans' possession which had been lashed to the Aiktishaf to give the illusion of a pack of mechanical hounds whilst behind the crawler were the dozen or more trailers which the crawler towed, each more than large enough for several families to call home and given over to the same patchwork and generation-spanning network of alterations which made use of every available inch of space, including more greenhouses, water processing facilities and a network of flexible and articulated bridges spanning across the exterior of the entire affair in a way that terrified onlookers not born aboard the Aiktishaf itself.

It was at the rearmost of these carriages that Major Grapeshot and Swarf Russet watched Carmesi work.

"You say you were never taught how to do this?" the scarred and thoroughly impressive Racoon Faunus enquired as she gestured with her remained hand to where the younger of the two Hunters to come to her aid and be aided in return was in the process of attaching the CCT uplink that they had offered to a hastily made, but impressively sturdy tower and support structure comprised of what material could be spared.

"When I was a lad Haven Academy wanted fighters, men and women who could give any monster they encountered a jolly good thrashing….Anything more technical was somewhat out of our purview, things seem to have changed since then; Carmesi is always finding new ways to impress me" Grapeshot caught himself, hoping that Swarf had not noticed the way his tone had darkened bitterly with the last few words as he studied the Komodo Dragon Faunus and wondered precisely what devilry he was concocting in the name of his plan, Carmesi's initial declaration that the uplink would need severe recalibration to overcome the interference caused by the mass and conflicting signals of the Aiktishaf itself and that integrating it into the existing communication systems of the gargantuan crawler, since the Aiktishaf did not carry personal scrolls would take some time had rung true enough yet Grapeshot was not so naive that he took anything his younger companion said at face value any more, the man had proven himself to be ruthless, callous and bloodthirsty in a way that did not befit an officer nor a gentleman and the Major, disgraced as he might be was left wondering where exactly he had failed in his mentorship; though such musings were pushed to the recesses of his mind by Swarf's low, smoky and slightly wheezing voice as she used one of her freshly resupplied javelins as a staff to support her weight and gestured around her with her chin and gave a bemused grin.

"Well it seems that his hard work is appreciated by even the youngest of our people….I do hope he doesn't mind an audience" Grapeshot craned his neck around to see what Swarf was referring to only to be left dumbfounded to such an extent that had he been drinking anything in that moment it would have been sprayed out in disbelief.

The children of Clan Aiktishaf had managed to sneak up on him.

In the Major's defence the noise of the crawler itself had muffled the sounds of their approach and the children had chosen vantage points which, whilst likely entirely natural to them caused the ageing mans' heart to lurch and stutter uncomfortably as he watched human and Faunus alike clamber and scurry across the hull of the Aiktishaf even whilst it was in motion, a pack of dozens of lean and wiry bodies with cherubic, if dirty faces who scrambled across the metallic hull and found handholds by memory alone and leapt from one bridge or makeshift platform to the next with what was obviously practised ease until they had gathered around Carmesi's current task; keeping a safe and respectful distance to ensure that they did not interfere by hanging onto the slightest of purchase and in many cases dangling over the edge of the moving settlement single-handed as they gestured to their peers excitedly with the other.

"The little rascals" Grapeshot breathed out, slowly clutching at his chest to make sure that he was not about to suffer an inglorious end in the form of a heart attack, prompting Swarf to spare him another glance for just long enough laugh gently at his expense upon seeing his clear concern.

"The children of my clan are well aware of the dangers, but we teach them how to manoeuvrer from an early age….As it stands my daughter is the only one of us whose own path has led her to become one of your Hunters though she, along with these more frequent meetings might prompt others; if you think they have the makings?" Swarf gave a stern look to a pair of children whose brazen temerity saw them trying to sneak closer to where Carmesi was working "They are certainly curious, as all good Aiktishaf should be….we were explorers once"

"I dare say they'd be marvellous" Grapeshot answered with honest conviction which gave way to a dignified harrumph "Why look at them, brave, active and spry things with scraped knees and dirty faces….children in the Kingdoms these days would never, far too pampered and engrossed in their-"

"Don't get too fond of this place Major, we'll be leaving soon" Carmesi's low rumble interrupted Grapeshot's tirade and left him fumbling awkwardly with a mild sense of embarrassment which was quickly put aside as his partner, who had stopped his work and drawn close undetected spoke again.

"Much of the work here is done, I might need to come back to it for final adjustments" he gave Swarf a respectful nod of the head, averting his eyes "All being well the CCT array should be fully prepared, at the very latest, shortly before we arrive in Port Alistair tomorrow" Grapeshot saw the younger man stiffen a little at that, his report giving an unknown admission that this wretched plan which Grapeshot could not agree to in good conscience was going to have a much narrower margin of error than even Carmesi was comfortable with; though Swarf in her ignorance simply smiled.

"I thank you again for your aid, is there anything you need?"

"I need to work with the people in your control room….If that would be permissible?"

"I'll have the children escort you, though they might question you a little more than you are prepared for I'm afraid" Carmesi gave a wordless gesture which made it clear that he would have no problems with this before Swarf gave another series of equally wordless gestures to the children who still looked on in curious awe, sending them into a fit of competitive eagerness as each tried to be the first to show the Hunter, a shiny new trinket amidst the drabness of the wastes, they way to where he needed to be. Moments later Grapeshot and Swarf were stood side by side watching the somewhat incongruous sight of Carmesi, all stalking gait, fierce demeanour and sharp edges be led away by a gaggle of chattering and hyperactive children; a display which clearly prompted a series of thoughts within the woman's mind which the Major did not immediately follow.

"Does your friend have anyone waiting for him at home?...He seems eager to leave" Grapeshot pondered for a moment, his initial and immediate answer being snuffed out by the sinking realisation of how much he'd clearly misjudged the man he would once have considered a surrogate son and was left wondering what else he might not truly know for certain.

"No parents, a ghastly business" he answered slowly "As far as I know he has no partner or children, he never speaks about any….Surely he must have somebody though, strapping young man like that I can't imagine he's entirely devoid of companions"

"I see" Swarf noted conversationally "My people are used to fleeting acquaintances, we would not have left Vaccuo behind so easily if we were not….However if the two of you ever find your way to this island again I'm certain the Outriders would be honoured to fight the Creatures of Grimm alongside you; if only to show you what they make of the buggy you gave to them"

"Ma'am I assure you it would be a pleasure" Grapeshot tipped his hate earnestly, fighting the urge to give a pained wince as for a single painfully brief moment a better future flashed before his eyes, one where he stayed with Clan Aiktishaf and as he might once have called it, went native; embracing a simpler life amongst good and decent folk where he could still enjoy his aims of creating a legacy that lasted longer and stood for more than himself by becoming a teacher or master at arms to inspire generations of those who called the wastelands their home by allowing himself one glorious last hurrah in the form of a heroic battle against whatever monster presented itself.

Compared to the deeds he had been forced to witness and take part in as part of his current course of action it would be a life of luxury, an epilogue to the story of his life that he could no longer say he deserved as he knew entirely too well that he had sold his honour and decency in the name of goals he did not fully understand even now.

Furthermore it was all a foolish dream, Carmesi's plan and the license the Benefactor gave him to enact it would see to that soon enough.


Classes had ended for the day, heralding the beginning of what would be; at least for Team MARZ and the vast majority of Breaktide Academies' other students, another dull weekend confined to the campus. Athena-Jade Slate had elected, in a departure from her usual studiousness to forego immediately attending to her assignments which needed attention; a decision made in part simply because she had spare time and would likely use the work to fill said time at a later point when restless boredom overtook her and, more honestly because she was enjoying all of the sympathy she could garner for herself far too much after her sparring match with Astra had, despite her victory left her pale skin covered in dark and sickly bruises which Aura had not yet healed, including a particularly uncomfortable swelling around her left eye.

At the present moment the Bear Faunus was watching a show with her partner on Zirconia's scroll, or at the very least she was trying to.

The two of them were on Athena's bed, the mass of additional blankets she buried herself beneath at night despite the climate making it the most comfortable place in the dormitory by far and whilst the television was available the partners had come to an unspoken agreement to use a scroll and share a pair of earphones, each of them quietly and privately thankful for the chance at physical closeness which would raise no questions which had led to Athena, being the shorter of the two being the one to hold her partners' scroll whilst the Grasshopper Faunus positioned herself around her in a way that had almost entirely inadvertently left Zirconia chest pressed against the Bear Faunus's upper back and left Athena's naturally porcelain white complexion and rounded cheeks a deep scarlet.

Athena's efforts to continue watching the show without making a fool of herself of simply failing to function entirely which were, in her own opinion nothing short of heroic were presented with another obstacle as the sound currently reaching her ear was dropped in volume suddenly and significantly before the device vibrated; the briefest beginnings of a notification flashing across the scree before Zirconia reached around and retrieved her scroll.

"It's a message from Damascus, I should take it" she murmured with her usual rasp and an apologetic look which became a concerned frown upon seeing Athena's reddened features which clashed spectacularly with her bruises "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Hops, don't worry about me" Athena managed a toothy smile that hopefully didn't look as weak, dazed or idiotic as her words had sounded to her own ears and Zirconia, after another moment of quietly regarding her partner rolled over so that she was facing away from the Bear Faunus in order to have a modicum of privacy as she read the message from her guardian.

Athena did not begrudge her partner her privacy, though she could not help but feel a pang of slight sadness and something almost like longing as she realised just how much she still didn't know about Zirconia and how many of the reserved Faunus's barriers remained, as she wondered how best to go about convincing her to open up more, all the while reminding herself that she did not want to do anything which might risk the unity of Team MARZ; an excuse which grew more feeble every day as it became obvious that both she and her partner were attracted to one another but both equally hesitant in their caution Zirconia for her part scanned the contents of her guardians' message before offering a summary aloud for Athena to hear.

"It seems I missed the convoy from the Conglomerate, although I expected I would given that we're confined to campus….It seems as though Hammerfall Outposts' long range sensors should be operational by some time tomorrow, which will be excellent news for anybody hoping to travel between settlements; or students on missions" Zirconia paused and waited a beat, Athena-Jade being certain she could hear the smile in her partners' words as she added "And it seems your aunts have made an impression on some of the technicians"

"Aunt Ruby and Aunt Penny are like that, it's hard not to like them" Athena beamed happily even as her mind continued to ponder and race despite her wishes for it to be silent, the final mission of the year was indeed only a few short weeks away and despite the usefulness to the people of Menagerie as a whole that repairs to Hammerfall Observation Outpost would represent the Bear Faunus had it on good authority that the upcoming missions would likely not see the students venturing far from the city, all the better for them to return to campus should any complications ensue; ensuring that each of them made it home when they intended to as the school year would end completely soon after that. With such a stark reality in front of her and unable to be denied Athena was left pondering her relationship with her partner once again, being forced to reassess her commitment to denying her own feelings and see it for the cowardice which flew in the face of her hopes of making a name and identity for herself that it was just in time for Zirconia to speak again, in her usual quiet and cultured rasp, entirely unaware of the existential crisis her shorter and more stocky partner was having mere inches behind her.

"Shall we carry on?"

"Sure, just let me get comfy" Athena answered, fighting to keep her voice even and steady as she shifted herself so that she was now the one pressed comfortably behind Zirconia, the sound of the dark haired girls' sharp intake of breath as Athena nuzzled into her shoulder almost cost the Bear Faunus her conviction but still, with careful gentleness and a hand that trembled with uncertain nerves at the motion she draped a muscular arm around Zirconia's waist, allowing herself to relax and give a contented sigh even as her face flushed an even brighter shade of red when the taller girl laced the fingers of her hand through Athena's.

Some threshold had been crossed, without a word and with complete understanding and now Athena-Jade was entirely certain, she wanted to date Zirconia Shadowmoon, she wanted to reach over and kiss her here and now; she wanted a great many other things that were forced from her mind as all thoughts were replaced by a spike of sheer, numbing cold dread that came in response to a single sound behind her.

That of a bed creaking.

Whipping around and breaking free of the physical contact far sooner than she had planned to Athena saw, with a rush of conflicting emotions which left her heart uncertain as to whether it should continue thundering in her chest or allow itself to relax that Regalia Russet was clambering off of her own bunk, cut-down tank-top revealing her truly spectacular abs as she reached for where she had cast aside her boots and hand-me-down leather jacket, oblivious to everything around her as she swayed and bopped happily in time to music blaring from earphones which Athena recognised as belonging to Astra.

The Racoon Faunus had been present the entire time and both Athena and Zirconia had been so engrossed in one another they had completely forgotten that fact.

Regalia, sensing eyes on her plucked the earbuds out and regarded her friends with a bright, yet altogether too knowing smile before speaking.

"Heh, you two look cosy, I'm gonna go and get some food; you two want anything?" Athena fought the urge to spit the word 'privacy' out with all the venom she could muster and instead simply shook her head, as did Zirconia which prompted Regalia to give a silent shrug and make for the door with one final comment.

"Do either of you know where Astra is?" Athena paused before realising that she did not and that her team-leader had been oddly reserved since that morning; though with another shake of her head she found herself assuming that they were either in the gym or with their boyfriend.


Astra was indeed with their boyfriend, though any sense of peace or sexual gratification they had hoped for was entirely absent.

The Deer Faunus had been in something of a slump for much of the day and largely absorbed in their own thoughts as they fought to maintain the drive which they had begun the morning with; their renewed efforts to achieve their own goals whilst becoming the leader they felt Team MARZ deserved having received a crippling blow in the form of defeat at Athena's hands shaking confidence that had only recently begun to recover. Astra's thoughts and worries had been given additional fuel when, at lunch break Wolfram had asked if the two of them could talk in private later that afternoon and the Deer Faunus had sensed that something, or they were entirely honest everything about the young man's tone and demeanour had seemed wrong in a way that was hard to explain even to themselves, his words and actions oddly stilted and robotic as though Wolfram were forced, or forcing himself to do something against his will.

Late afternoon had arrived and with it the promised meeting, the couple finding themselves amidst the flowerbeds Counsellor Daichi dutifully attended to, their contents including flowers from all corners of Remnant which seemed to defy the laws of nature by existing next to one another and flowering for much of the year despite the inhospitable climate. Astra was currently perched upon one the many wooden benches scattered around the exterior of the grounds, feet resting on its' seat as they rested precariously on the narrow edge of its' back and fiddled absently with the frontmost points of their spiked Mohawk, regarding Wolfram all the while and noting that even now their boyfriend seemed uncomfortable.

"I know this is probably a dumb question….Considering it's y'know, you that I'm talking to" they began lightly in an attempt to lessen the inexplicably tense atmosphere between them "But something's up, so wanna talk about it?"

"I don't want to" Wolfram began with a sigh that seemed to have been dredged up from the deepest parts of his being, a sound that set Astra's nerves on edge and left a sudden lump in the Faunus's throat as the sound served as the only fitting preamble for what followed "We need to talk"

"Okay" Astra replied simply, the single word delivered tonelessly as base instinct drove them to simply scrabble for more time and room in which to prepare and think whilst the supposedly rational parts of their being failed them entirely, leaving the teen filled with a chilling sense of foreboding that slithered into their entire body to leave them numb and panicking in an instant.

Wolfram's tone alone told them what would follow and devastation came with another shuddering sigh as the armoured teen forced himself to commit to his chosen course.

"I think we should take a break, from….us" steely grey eyes turned briefly in Astra's direction and Wolfram found them frozen rigidly in place, wearing an expression somewhere between terror and utter bafflement and swallowing thickly he continued; determined to at least explain himself

"You've changed….we've both changed, we're not who we were when we started dating and not at all of it is for the better Astra-"

"I-" Astra croaked out a single, faltering and aborted worked which prompted Wolfram to risk another glance in their direction just in time to see the first tears leave streaks in the Deer Faunus's make up and witness the exact moment panic gave way to anger "What the hell does that even mean Wolfie!"

"It means I love you Astra, I really do….I love the person you were but over the last few months you've changed, I don't think either of us know who you are right now so I wanna give you some space until you figure that out-"

"This is about me trying to figure out my Semblance! Seriously?" Astra demanded, voice cracking with shocked and disbelieving rage as they hopped from the bench and wheeled around so that Wolfram was forced to at least look at them.

"No" Wolfram insisted as he rose to his own feet, placing his hands on Astra's shoulders only for them to shrug free of the touch reflexively "I would love for you to figure out your Semblance….This is about….everything you're turning into to get there; you don't listen to anybody any more Astra, you don't consider anyone else and it's making you reckless, I don't even think you really notice anybody else any more….You've acting like you're only person who matters enough to do anything important and it's putting people who care about you at risk, you're putting yourself at risk. You're acting like I used to and I can't watch it any more-"

"I can-"

"No you can't" Wolfram shook his head, cutting off a desperate insistence that Astra could change before it could be given "You can't because you don't want to….You're not gonna stop until you figure out your Semblance and who it is you want to be, so I want us to take a break so we can both think about everything and try and work out what's important"

The realisation that the decision had already been made and that there was nothing they could do struck Astra like a physical blow.

"Fine" tears streamed down their face and they forced as much vitriol as they could into the word in a futile attempt to mask emotions that were etched clearly on their tear-streaked face, to hide the fact that they were in the midst of collapsing from the inside out from the person causing them such unspeakable turmoil by burying it beneath a layer of anger, only for Wolfram to add insult to grievous injury by simply refusing to fall for it and reaching out to cup Astra's cheeks.

"This isn't the end….I don't want it to be, I don't want to hurt you like this" Wolfram, steadfast and immovable as he was had begun to cry now, words becoming muffled beneath the sound of his own emotions yet still prompting some final barrier with Astra to break, causing the Deer Faunus to shove him back several paces.

"But you're still doing it though!" he yelled "So that's how it's gonna be! I guess neither of us can stop what we need to do!"

"Astra wait-" Wolfram trailed off as they watched the Deer Faunus turn and stalk away, their Aura visibly rippling around them in a crackling display of power and lost control which made it abundantly clear that nothing good would come of following; at that he simply collapsed back onto the bench and buried his face in his hands as he broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

It had been every bit as painful as he had expected and even now he had no idea if Astra would absorb anything that had been said or simply carry on a path that would inevitably lead to self destruction.


The sun was setting slowly over the wastelands of Menagerie and as the last lingering rays of golden light cast long and looming shadows across open expanses of cracked and dusty earth broken up by small hills and a smattering of dips and valleys whose origins were rooted in the sustained bombing that had rendered the island desolate over a century ago, though in the intervening time erosion had smoothed these scars to the point of appearing natural and they, along with the rest of the windswept landscape currently shifting sharply from blistering to freezing was littered with small scrubby brushes and resilient weeds and cacti.

Even as night fell over the island Kingdom the space between its' scattered and disparate strongholds proved once again that it was not so empty as those who lived behind high walls often liked to believe, in the places where roads between settlements did not exist, away from the eyes of nomad clans where and the only light came from the broken moon the cooling air was filled with the sounds of the local fauna as the buzzing and chittering of insects was replaced by the snuffling, growling and predatory sounds of packs of Menagerie Coyotes, a breed of omnivorous scavenger capable of causing as much danger to any passing traveller as a small pack of Beowolves and which had been known to fight those lupine monsters for territory whilst in other places it was the sounds of the Menagerie rabbit in their incessant burrowing which filled the encroaching darkness, lean and wiry things with fur like steel wool and a temperament at odd with the nickname of 'dust bunnies' which natives to island had given them.

Yet tonight something far more monstrous stalked the wastelands and even the bravest bandits and raiders now lived in fear of the sound of Gestalt-Prime's shrieking wings and the trails of fire they caused.

The hybrid Alpha currently tore through the night, flying low with the baleful glow of their single red eye diffused by the visor placed in front of it to create a single hellish point of light which the fire of their wings gave twin tails to, forming the appearance of some sinister comet ripping across the wastes. Whilst any lone or underprepared wanderers would likely not have been spared the wrath or hunger of the thinking abomination the current goal of Gestalt-Prime's hurried flight was something far less animalistic. The Alpha had, as intended set their remaining Winged Beowolves out across all corners of the island Kingdom, each of them with scouting parties and detachments of specialised lesser monsters in loosely organised raiding parties which would bear little resemblance to the disorganised masses of teeth and claws those who fought the Creatures of Grimm were used to if they were engaged; at the same Gestalt-Prime had continued to build more reserve forces and begin sending them out to strategic positions so that their horde was not constrained by the single Spawning Pit currently under the Alpha's control until, after days lost in a fog of demented focus they had been roused from an almost fugue state wherein their mind was almost entirely removed from their body and traversing the section of the tattered and ruined Grimm Hive-Mind which they held sway over until another signal from within that fragmented labyrinth reached them.

One of their scouts had found something.

The Winged Beowolves had, after several iterations reached a point where at least some, basic information could be transmitted across long distances mentally and what little the lupine beast had been able to convey had made it clear to Gestalt-Prime that further investigation was needed, with their own leadership possibly being called for if things were as they seemed; that imperative spurred them on and as they flew their flesh and metallic components were in perfect synchronicity, the mental link of the Hive-Mind being translated into the heads-up display of their visor to show the location of the relevant minion on a map of Menagerie that stolen intelligence had provided and finally, after seeking out their target for longer than their primal urgency could tolerate they reached their goal and surged upwards in an arc of fire.

Their meeting with their scouting party was as brutal as ever, with no amount of evolution being sufficient to alter Gestalt-Prime's nature.

The hybrid Alpha's way blocked by a Scree of below average size that had been part of this Alpha's raiding party, though that obstacle was brief as Gestalt-Prime simply directed their claws and tendrils forward and hurtled directly into the lesser Grimm; the resulting impact could barely even be called a collision as the avian monster simply ceased to be and the Alpha continued on unhindered until reaching the altitude that their minion hovered at, the Beowolves' membranous wings flapping in powerful beats whilst Gestalt-Prime themselves, by far the superior monster was suspended by roaring pinions. The two lupine horrors regarded one another for a single instant before Gestalt-Prime's tendrils lashed out and burrowed into the skull of the smaller Grimm inflicted horrific, yet in this instance not fatal damage as they began the process of extracting the information they needed.

Were Gestalt-Prime's skull-like capable of human expression they would have looked both shocked and overjoyed.

It was undeniable that this Beowolf had seen something of great importance and that Gestalt-Prime themselves would need to take to the field to ensure that their plans were brought to fruition, rummaging through their minions mind, connected as it was to the minds of their own subordinate monsters in some bleak semblance of functioning chain of command allowed Gestalt-Prime to see flashes of images from multiple sets of eyes, images that showed an enormous vehicle large enough to be considered a settlement in its' own right yet with far less protections; their own reservoir of information telling them that this machine, thus far overlooked in their schemes belonged to one of the nomad clans however the images Gestalt-Prime plucked from the mind of the Winged Beowolf showed a new and vital addition to the dune crawler.

A CCT uplink array being constructed on its' hull.

With that image burned indelibly into their mind Gestalt-Prime sent out a single mental command across each and every Grimm under their command, secure that it would be received and acted upon in a matter of moments.

'Converge'

Victory lay within their Gestalt-Prime's grasp and this time the hybrid Alpha would leave nothing to chance, the colossal vehicle would be hunted like any other prey and then plundered for all of its' spoils; its' inhabitants prey for the packs whilst the Alpha themselves gorged upon the connection to the CCT and used the sheer bulk of the thing to finally ascend to a higher state of being and usher in the next stage of evolution within the Grimm species. An anticipatory shudder, like that of an addict whose next dose was within reach passed through the monster and they allowed themselves a satisfied growl with a sound like tearing steel at the thought of their coming apotheosis.

They had created specialised monsters for all manner of tasks after all and as vast as the nomad clans' moving fortress was the Land-Shark Gestalt-Prime had spawned, a magnificent example far larger than even the behemoth standards of its' species would tear through the crawlers' unprotected belly with ease. With that thought the hybrid Alpha let out a piercing rallying cry

"LET'S GO GAMERS!"


Astra had been an inconsolable mess when Regalia had found them.

The Racoon Faunus had found her partner wandering the halls of Breaktide Academy, any thoughts of getting food together removed forcefully from her mind by the sight of Astra, charismatic and swaggering, if occasionally overcompensating Astra curled almost into a ball as they wept uncontrollably in an empty corridor. Upon rushing to her partners' side and gently coaxing them to look at her Regalia's dismay had only been magnified by the sight of Astra's ashen and tear-streaked face, make up having left dark trails and splotches where it had run whilst their eyes were puffy and bloodshot and their lip continued to tremble, rendering their attempts to speak even less coherent than their utterly broken state had left them. Without thinking Regalia had scooped Astra up and half walked, half carried them back to Team MARZ's dormitory with the intention of having Athena-Jade and Zirconia help with the task of bringing the Deer Faunus back from the brink as the sheer scale of the undertaking was beyond her alone and, with their brief sputtering protestations at another interruption being swiftly silenced by the sight that greeted them the two young women had risen to the occasion.

Zirconia had made tea, an impressive feat to Regalia considering that the Racoon Faunus had not even realised that there was a kettle in the dorm though she did not have nearly enough time to ponder how many other appliances she might've overlooked and what she might use them to cook as she and Athena were instead focused on getting answers from Astra, whose crying had finally subsided enough for them to explain, haltingly and with stumbling, wavering resolve that they and Wolfram had seemingly broken up, the details given to them by degrees and with a sense that much was being left unsaid; it was however a development which led to Zirconia having to briefly intervene as Athena prepared to march over to Team WULF's dormitory and use her hammer to knock on the door before demanding answers whilst Regalia had been left numbed by a sickening feeling of guilt and terror as she realised the her conversation with Astra's boyfriend the previous day had played a part in this no matter how small it might have been.

Eventually the four of them had huddled together, with Team MARZ all but buried beneath several blankets and the collective mass of their team-mates as Athena, texting an older student whom she often sparred with in the gym managed to procure some suitable movies and an amount of ice cream which Regalia was certain would be enough to rot teeth and freeze nerve endings solid, explaining as she took the time to fix Astra's smeared make up that with all the interpersonal drama and machinations that an Atlesian private school produced this was far from the first time she had helped a friend recover from a breakup and after several hours, with evening passing into night enough of a sense of normalcy had been restored, fragile as it had felt for the teenagers to go to bed with promises that they would try to salvage what they could the following morning.

That had been several hours ago.

Regalia could only assume that it was a mixture of hunger and a guilty conscience that had woken her as she blinked her eyes open and allowed them to slowly become accustomed to gloom which took on familiar shapes. The sun was slowly making its' way above the horizon outside and the first birds could be heard beginning to chirp however light was prevented from streaming into the dorm in earnest by heavy blinds which Athena had insisted upon, leaving Regalia to lay in silence for several moments with a growling stomach and racing mind leaving her turning fitfully until finally she was forced to concede that sleep was unlikely to return to her.

She Needed to talk to Astra.

She was uncertain of what she wanted to say exactly or even if broaching the subject of Wolfram was a good idea but the fact remained that she felt guilty in a way she could not fully articulate; she had spoken with Wolfram and it seemed obvious that her words had some bearing on the young mans' actions which left Regalia feeling as though despite intending only to help she had been the one to cause a disaster. The idea that Astra might despise her upon learning of this left her feeling physically ill in a way that pushed aside all thoughts of food and spurred her to action, urgent and desperate despite the fear taking root in her gut and a moment later she had clambered out of her bunk, kicking sheets aside and wearing the vest and shorts she had slept in which, along with her lions' mane of tied back grey-brow hair been unleashed to reveal its' true momentous volume gave the nomad a wild and somewhat dishevelled look.

"Heh….Astra, are you awake?" she mumbled, blearily and yet at the same time wary; hoping that her partner was indeed awake so that she would not have to explain way she had woken them along with everything else however only silence answered her and Regalia reached up onto the top bunk to gently pat at where she expected Astra's shoulder to be but found nothing but empty space and soft sheets waiting for her. Brow furrowing in confusion Regalia blinked her tired eyes a few more times, allowing them to adjust to the half-light a little more before hoisting herself up onto Astra's bunk and seeing with a sudden, inexplicable sense of foreboding that the Deer Faunus was not in their bed. Hopeful notions that they might simply have gone to the bathroom were shaken by the lack of light coming from that direction and lingering silence whilst the fact that Astra's closet door hung open caused Regalia to swallow thickly as unwelcome thoughts whispered themselves insistently into her mind. Stepping away from the bunk beds and peering around the dorm she caught sight of something on the small writing desk the team shared which had not been present the night before and, using this as a distraction from the worrying absence of her partner stepped closer to examine it. It was a note, handwritten in what Regalia recognised immediately as her partners' writing after copying and borrowing their notes so many times, the words smudged and distorted where tears had fallen on them, a condition which was only worsened as Regalia scanned the contents of the letter and found her eyes stinging as a sense of dread and something akin to grief began to seize at her.

'Regalia I'm sorry' the note began 'But I can't do this any more, I've tried and I've tried but I just don't think I'm cut out for being a Hunter. I know I'm a coward for heading out without saying anything but I couldn't face you….hopefully the Professors can find you a new partner, someone who won't hold you back; keep chasing your dream Regalia you're gonna be great. Tell AJ that she's in charge if she still wants that and give this note to Professor Adel, tell her that she can take it as my official resignation from the academy. I really am sorry'

There were no words to describe Regalia's emotional state as she flung herself into frantic, terrified action. It simply felt as though her world was ending and she was powerless to stop it.

Author's Notes:

EDIT: I am writing this preface to the notes on November 25th, the chapter itself and notes, sans reviews were written a week ago but I felt that it was important to say this - I don't normally put something as directly politcal as this in my works, however I hope those who have read my writings thus far and have interacted with me elsewhere understand that I stand firmly against tryranny, dictators and despots in all their forms. I am from a city in the UK with a strong East European community from several nations, Ukraine amongst them ever since WWII and with that being said my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine as they resist the Russian invasion with a courage and willpower that will soon be seen as historic.
I don't know if a single Ukrainian will ever read this, but to those defending their homes and loved ones I say "Slava Ukraini" and may the ammunition and aid we send find you well, may those bullets find your enemies soon after.
To anyone reading this foolish enough to side with Imperialism of any stripe I would like to borrow the soon to be famous words of a Ukrainian woman "Carry seeds in your pockets so that flowers grow when you die in the dirt"

BACK TO NORMAL PROCEDINGS.
Whew….That one got emotional.
Slightly shorter chapter this week, but it did what it needed to.
And don't forget, we've got half a dozen chapters left, chapter 55 is the end of Vol.03/First Year so we've got plenty of room for some fun stuff.
We're by no means near the end of the story but I genuinely can't wait to get to the conclusion of this part of it, the end of the beginning is upon us.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Typical Arslan, just let the students knock the shit out of each other in a somewhat controlled environment.
I can tell you now that this is the last classroom scene of the first year arc, which means we're ending the years' schooling with a callback to day one and a fight between AJ and Astra.
Trying to rush at AJ would absolutely have ended with a kick in the teeth, she gets up with one of those crazy spinning type moves….you know the ones.
Seriously how often does Astra use a spinning leg sweep?
Getting kicked in the mouth is gonna bruise more than their pride….Ever had a day like that? Where you woke up ready to go, full of spark and then just nothing went right at all?
The key detail of the Ruby and Penny scene is that Ruby and Penny are not gonna be in Port Alistair when whatever happens next happens.
People thinking Ruby is going for a dramatic effect when she pulls the hood down….Only to reveal that she'd been sleeping on the ride over.
Can you blame the Outpost staff? They weren't trained for what happened to them.
Clara Die Novus Conglomerate or "Bright New Day" Conglomerate, of which Chairman Damascus Nero is in charge….If you follow me on Tumblr you've probably seen the Z that I imagine as Zirconia's emblem, the company logo is basically just that on its' side.
Ruby can win over anybody, doesn't matter how vaguely ominous their uniforms look.
Yeah Coco and her people, including Ruby and Penny have their own plans because having them sit and be passive until plot happens to them doesn't make sense….But it's looking unlikely that they'll get chance.
Felt that I needed to recap what the Aiktishaf actually looked like and remind people that thing thing is huge.
See Grapeshot's explanation about never learning things like that at Haven makes sense, until you remember that we're about thirty years after canon and he's only actually five to ten years older than Coco at most.
Aiktishaf kids being climbers makes perfect sense….Hell Regalia climbed the side of Hammerfall Canyon with no trouble during initiation, it's probably part of the core workout that gave her those abs.
I couldn't resist having him make a "Kids these days" comment.
Swarf extending the hand of friendship, just to twist the knife a little more because we all know how this is going to end.
And now the question is, how much does Grapeshot value what little self respect he has left?
Of course AJ plays up a black eye for sympathy and attention, I can imagine her being an absolute nightmare when she's sick.
Everybody's suave and clever until their crushes' tits are pressed against 'em, then it's a factory reset.
One day we will get to unravel the mystery that is Zirconia Shadowmoon….One day.
Hammerfall will have long range sensors tomorrow….Right around the time the Aiktishaf is due to arrive.
Third mission of the year being inside the city just makes sense, not that it's gonna matter.
JET-PACK AJ!
Regalia was there the whole time.
"We need to talk"….Why are the Kill Bill sirens playing?
I've actually never written a break up before, I've also never actually had that many actual break ups….Usually if I'm dating someone one party will just get
bored and ghost the other eventually, but I sincerely hope this hurts.
Also "A break" is just a breakup, anybody who tells you otherwise wants to fuck somebody else and then come back.
Of course Astra got angry and stormed off, that's pretty much a default reaction at this point.
Gestalt-Prime really does need somebody to talk to just to make their scenes easier to write and flow.
Also yeah, I haven't really shown it off much but I keep mentioning that Menagerie wildlife is crazy.
The Buzzard Grimm got a "Birdie no!" from Gestalt-Prime.
So three things to take not of here: A) Carmesi's plan is working, Gestalt-Prime is being drawn to the Aiktishaf. B) A tide of Grimm is now heading after the Aiktishaf, which is expected to arrive at Port Alistair right as Hammerfall Outpost is reactivating and C) That big fin from a couple chapters back, that was another land-Shark….The one at the start of Vol.03 was about forty feet long, this one's gonna be a lot bigger.
Of course it was Regalia to find Astra and of course they were an utter mess, first breakup and let's be honest….Astra is super emotional, as much as they try and be cool they feel everything like it's been dialled up to eleven.
Look AJ & Hops are both rich kids, the idea that one of them has just had an entire portable kitchen tucked away in their luggage this entire time and never bothered to mention it to Regalia is no big deal.
AJ is definitely the only member of Team MARZ with the social skills and experience for this.
Yeah Regalia is definitely feeling guilty, her talk with Wolfram last chapter might have been what solidified the idea to break up with Astra in their hand and now she's gotta talk to her partner about that, which is definitely gonna be a thing.
….Which would be a lot easier if Astra was actually there.
So, the leader of Team MARZ has gone AWOL, although does anybody think that they're actually gonna get out of Port Alistair? Come on, we've got a big finale coming and they've gotta be around for it; there's arc and plots and things to attend to.

Thank you to Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their review on the last chapter.
The Literal Land-Shark lol.
Yeah I forgot that I did a Sabre-Tooth Tiger Grimm years before RT revealed the Sabyr...I actually prefer theirs though, the pack hunter vibe works for it.
The Wraith wasn't intelligent at all, it's not like Gestalt-Prime...The copying victims is actually based on something Cheetahs can do, they can chirp like birds and I think they can copy other animals as well...Also the dust and fog that they vent out was based on the fact that they can run until their bodies overheat and kill them, whilst the super erratic movement was taking not just their speed, but their nervous dispositions and turning into an anime fight type action.
Yeah, the interpersonal arcs aren't quite finished yet though...We've got a few more chapters to go and we can still have development even when characters are fighting for their lives.
The Astra and Wolfram did not go the way either of them had hoped.
Oh yeah, Mama Russet is loved and respected by the sort of people who are actually at home in a place where even the rabbits are man-eaters...Even Carmesi is gonna struggle to win that fight.

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