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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 101: Going Forward
Monday had arrived with its' typical marching relentlessness and with it once again a return to something approaching normality within the Kingdom of Neo Vale, its' Capital City and more particularly Halo Academy itself as the Vytal Festival and the tournament at its' heart once again subsided enough to allow life and routine drudgery to resume.
For Qrow Branwen this had taken a form slightly different to his usual custom as the grizzled veteran had found himself enjoying breakfast in the staffroom alongside those members of the faculty who either lived on the campus or else arrived early enough to eat with their colleagues, something which Qrow usually forewent in favour of either eating alone within his apartment, if he ate at all on the days where he devoted the hours before the sun rose to making last minute adjustments to lesson plans or surveying the latest data brought to him from various sources or else enjoying his breakfast alongside the orphan children who called the campus their home; something which gave him an immense pleasure as it allowed him to blend the roles of stern and demanding teacher who drew the best from those under his watch and adored uncle with countless thrilling stories and a listening ear for those who needed it; crafting a persona which allowed him to be the figure that many of the children needed in their lives.
At present however he was simply taking in the company of his fellow teachers and enjoying pancakes made by the headmaster, their quality alone enough to explain why Nora had married the man as he took in the last of the friendly griping, assorted reminders and exchanged ideas and simple friendly discussions.
Even with the Vytal Tournament having been paused until its' singles rounds began it was still the most prominent topic of conversation; not that Qrow had expected anything different.
"I still can't believe Scarlatina lost….like that as well" the comment was met by a small smattering of chuckles and delivered by the tenured and well regarded, if somewhat eccentric Professor Peach who had been the resident expert on all things related to Dust handling for several decades now and it caught Qrow' attention simply because the match in question had allegedly been a spectacle of the highest quality, even if there had been some severely worrying moments and Qrow, despite continuing to see his reasons were justified was at least a little annoyed that he had not been able to witness it first hand after hearing about it from Yang. With his attention earned Qrow ignored his pancakes for well enough cast his gaze around the staffroom as realise that Peach had in fact been directing the comment at him and that the eyes of his colleagues were now turned towards him.
"Astra Mars, the Breaktide student….One of the ones you give extra training to right?" she added.
"As a continuation of additional training their team was already being given at Breaktide, something I agreed with the faculty there" Qrow's answer came flat and more terse than he would have hoped as he rubbed at his grey and scruffy beard and glanced passed Peach to see Ren and Nora sat only a short distance away, both wearing bemused smiles at the entire situation. Peach spoke again however and Qrow's attention was forcefully turned back to her.
"Right, a favour to your niece….I don't suppose you could do us a favour and start giving that training to Halo students? It makes us look bad-"
"I have and do give additional training to Halo students who show promise. Honey Scarlatina is one of them and I can't honestly say that I appreciate the tone or the accusation" Qrow fought to keep the growl from his words, deliberately turning away from Peach as he felt a hush fall over the staffroom like a physical thing and instead addressing Ren and Nora in a more calm and gentle tone "How did Scarlatina take it? I'm guessing she's spoken to you since?"
"She visited our apartment with her partner after the two of them were discharged from medical, a brief visit before they went back to the festival" Ren nodded in confirmation, the familiarity between student and teacher going beyond the open door policy which both Ren and Nora used in regards to their offices but going unquestioned by staff who all knew and understood that as former members of Team JNPR the two professors were just as much part of the extended Arc family as Honey Scarlatina herself.
"Pfft, she's fine….She saw the funny side the moment it happened" Nora snorted, giving way to laughter a moment later before composing herself "Honestly she never wanted all the attention the press gave her anyway, she just wanted to go good in the world as a Hunter-"
"She wishes Astra the best of luck with the media" Ren added, the faintest hints of a smirk tugging at his lips which Qrow could only mirror whilst Professor Peach looked as though she might make further comments on the subject.
Fortunately the sight of other professors beginning to move in order to make their way to their first lecture of the day gave her incentive to reconsider and instead she poured a fresh coffee before taking it with her, offering only a curt nod as she left. Qrow for his part moved his unfinished plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee that was not quite up to the standard of his usual supply of Oobleck's special brew and prepared to depart as well, wondering not for the first time why the arms of his mechanical chair had not been built with cupholders or something similar attached until he found his way barred by Ren and Nora.
"Qrow, we need to have a quick discussion about something if you don't mind" Ren's voice was a soft murmur and still the veteran Hunter could feel a hint of aggravation behind it which alone was enough to give the older man a sense of total certainty about what the discussion would entail.
Though the fact it was being said here rather than the safety of Ren's office was reassuring in a way.
"Of course" he grunted.
"You left the Vytal Tournament and went looking for Damascus Nero at his place of work….I don't know what you did or said Qrow but official complaints have been lodged against you-"
"You think we don't have enough work to do?" Nora added with a grimace.
"I was following a lead a student….Astra Mars let slip something that made me suspicious and I chose to follow it" Qrow explained "I'll admit, I could have handled it with more tact but time might have been of the essence"
"What was the lead?" Ren asked, suddenly far more focused and determined.
"Astra Mars is under the impression, to such a degree that it's affecting their teams' choices in elective studies moving forward and given credibility given who their team-mate is; that Damascus Nero has a long term goal of starting a private security operation or something similar but larger scale" Qrow answered and waited for a moment, seeing the lack of comprehension on either Ren or Nora's faces he pushed onwards "It suddenly occurred to me that Nero is benefiting a lot from the current problems facing us, we don't know who the Benefactor is or what they want but we do know that they have almost exclusively used Nero's assets and that their actions have opened the gates for us, admittedly myself first of all to consider bringing Nero into the fold and for him to take on a greater role in the Kingdoms' defences….We know he's got issues with Hunters and it wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to play both sides"
"That's-"
"Insane!" Nora cut across her husband's more thoughtful comment "That's what it is Qrow! Damascus Nero? The guy who founded and funded half the charities in the Kingdom, socially awkward recluse billionaire who paid for our student dance a few months ago just because he wanted his daughter's night to be special….Are you telling me you think that he's the Benefactor? Or that they're working together? That guy, really Qrow?"
"I don't know, I don't have answers yet" Qrow growled, incensed by the incredulous and scandalised tone of the redhead "But you haven't seen how much anger the man has in him….Let's not forget that he was already conveniently out the city when I went looking for him, or that the dance was attacked-"
"Don't think for a moment we've forgotten that" Ren's voice had a steel to it which made Qrow regret his choice of words in an instant "But consider that Zirconia Shadowmoon was present for that, just as she was present for both the attack on Cosmo-Guild wherein Nero's assets were stolen and for Nora and Team MARZ's attempt to detain Petrol, where that….thing that the Benefactor created was waiting for them"
The mention of the Grimm-infested mech-suit and what it had done to its' pilot sent a palpable chill through the room and silenced Qrow enough for Ren to step close and ask a single question in a hushed tone.
"Do you think Damascus Nero has the motivation, the sheer malice in him to make these machine Grimm we've seen or be party to any of it?"
"I-" Qrow fell silent for a moment, truly trying to reconcile the image he had of a doting father filled with righteous anger at a system that had failed his loved ones who sought to turn that vitriol into something constructive against that of whatever twisted mind could create the heinous abominations he had seen and order so many deaths in service of some unknown goal; with only a vague hint and sense of unease to connect them.
"I don't know" he finally admitted "He has the means and there's something more than we know about going on….But I don't know-"
"Of course there's more going on, he's filthy rich. Of course he wants to do more for the Kingdom and that shows itself as wanting to be in control of things, it fits everything we know about him" Nora shrugged, turning and departing for the first Combat Class of the day and leaving Ren to add.
"You need to be careful….This isn't the fight against Salem Qrow, our opponent here is a person. Remember that" the admonishment rankled and yet Qrow could not dispute it, it had been so easy with the reach and power of the faceless Benefactor to see them as another shadowy figure lurking all around them like the late Queen of the Grimm.
"I understand" Qrow nodded "I need more time and evidence but I'll be careful how I go about it….I'll get answers"
With that he pushed his many-legged chair into motion, plans of action already beginning to take shape.
By the time classes had broken for lunch Team TRQS were already well and truly back in a more recognisable frame of mind; wherein Tiger was her usual reserved and studious self, interacting with her peers only sparsely and with a politeness that had taken time and effort to learn and maintain whilst being less stilted but equally intermittent in her conversation with her friends, her quietness being easily attributed to her studiousness.
Around her Stygian had continued to make noteworthy efforts despite finding himself by distractions from his scroll and nearby classmates on several occasions, to such a degree that Tiger was forced to question if the blue-haired mouse Faunus had taken study and self improvement more seriously of late of if her partner had simply never been as lax as she had often lamented; the uncertainty at yet another seemingly concrete aspect of her understanding of the people and factors at play around her being a decidedly unwelcome feeling which she was given some respite from in the form of Rye and Amaya who continued to be almost offensively saccharine, with public displays of affection which managed to be obnoxious without ever venturing into territory that could be considered indecent.
If Tiger were a genuinely mean spirited person, rather than simply being stern and reserved then she would have said that it was enough to put her off of her food.
As it was lunch period was drawing to a close and the couple were amongst the press of bodies heading towards the canteens' exit so that they could make their way towards their next lesson, with Amaya making a show of being carried on her towering boyfriends' back in a display that seemed to greatly amuse the other students around them, Rye being easily capable of carrying on a conversation of his own as he did so. Tiger watched the display for a moment with a single snort of amusement escaping her before turning her attention back to the last of her food and scowling as she realised that she would likely have to abandon it, years spent on the move and without money had given both she and her brother an intense dislike of wasting food but the fact remained that she had chosen a chicken salad and it simply would not do to try and microwave it for later. Movement at the other side of the table team TRQS had been seated at managed to catch her attention and bring her thoughts back to the present.
"Stitch, can I talk to you for a moment?" as she asked her hand shot out, tugging at the sleeve of a uniform jacket which Tiger noticed with a faint smirk that her partner had taken to wearing as though it were a cloak much as he did with the high-collared and shoulder-spiked affair that was part of his combat attire.
"Yeah sure, what's up?" he turned to face her, halting and leaning against a table whilst regarding his partner expectantly. Tiger took a moment to gather her thoughts, finding words to be a sudden stumbling block after spending the rest of the weekend following Team TRQS's victory in the doubles round considering what needed to be said.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Vytal Tournament, about the singles round" Tiger managed to force the words out, a deep frown which despite being almost customary still failed to look at home on her face accompanying the explanation and as she spoke she wished she had worn her veil despite the ludicrousness of the idea.
"Okay" Stygian spoke slowly, hairless tail curling and uncurling reflexively as his entire body language shifted into something more alert and ready, lightning blue eyes sharpening "Who's it gonna be then Tee….I'm guessing it's either me or you, I don't think the rules would let us send Rye or Amaya after they sat the last round out so-"
"It's traditional in circumstances like these, where the leader is a representative in the doubles round for the Team leader to advance….At least in Mistrali culture, we lead from the front" Tiger began, being raised in Mistrali for much of her life despite her Atlesian heritage having left its' mark on her thinking in definite ways "Under normal circumstances I would insist on honouring the tradition and being the one to represent Team TRQS, I wouldn't ask you to shoulder the burden but things are different now. Stygian, would you be willing to represent our team in front of all of Remnant?"
"Are you fucking kidding me, I'll do it for sure Tee!" Stygian seemed to be fighting the urge to laugh at the severity of his partners' words "Seriously, I'll carry the flag for TRQS as far as I can….Is that what's been bothering you? What's up, you wanna get some more practice in with your Semblance before you take anything else on?"
Tiger paused and considered, Stygian had offered an acceptable excuse with his comment about her Semblance and she was sorely tempted to hide behind it but after a single lingering moment of deliberation she shook her head and commanded herself to be better, to be the friend, partner and leader that the Mouse Faunus deserved.
And so instead she answered honestly.
"My Semblance can be honed and it will be in time, that's only part of it" she sighed "I've spent much of the weekend thinking and I've realised….I'm not sure I even know who I am any more Stitch"
"Tee….Shit are you okay?" the confused expression on her partners' face demanded explanation and answers more than his question and so Tiger pressed on.
"We all define ourselves by our relationship and standing with other people to some degree I think, even if we like to pretend otherwise" she stifled a snort, casting her eyes around and realising it was very likely she would be late to class which would on any other day be anathema to her
"For years I was the one to protect Ravi and now he doesn't need me, he unlocked a Semblance first and I didn't even know….I spent so much effort on a rivalry with his partner only to realise when we fought that I understood nothing about her at all; it made me question too much and I know it sounds fucking stupid Stitch but I don't know, I don't feel like I fit in the places I'm supposed to and I'm not in the right place in my own head-"
"Tee, I get it and I'm not judging you" the Mouse Faunus assured her, deep voice soft as he rose up to his full height and slapped a friendly hand on her shoulder "See how much easier it is when you just talk to people about what's bothering you?"
"Well you were busy whoring yourself out all weekend" Tiger sniped without missing a beat.
"I wish" Stygian snorted "I get people asking photos and asking to sign their….well-"
"Don't finish that sentence, it's bad enough I'm wasting food. I don't want to throw up what I did manage to eat" Tiger interrupted, making her partner snort in the process before the Mouse Faunus adjusted his jacket and brushed a stray braid away from his face.
"I won't let you down Tee, I won't let the team down"
"I never doubted that….I checked the statistics-"
"Of course you did-"
"Fuck off" Tiger huffed "You've been our most valuable asset, you've taken out more opponents in the tournament than the rest of our team combined; it just makes sense for you to be the one to fight in the singles round….Besides, it could be a good opportunity for you"
"How do you mean?" Stygian asked, the suddenly nervous edge to Tiger's words making him curious which in turn left the leader of Team TRQS more uncertain, worrying if she might cross some unspoken boundary with her next words but forcing herself to push ahead regardless.
"I considered options to sell the idea to you in case you wanted me to fight instead" she admitted, deftly ignoring Stygian's incredulous look "And competing in the singles round means a lot more interviews and press coverage….You could use it as a chance to shed light on what's happening on Menagerie, on your home-"
"That's….Tee I don't know if that's thoughtful or the fact that you were gonna use it to convince is me is a super low blow" the Mouse Faunus murmured, fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Both?" Tiger offered cautiously "But a public outcry might change things….Maybe, at the very least the media will spin the story into 'Lone Hunter training to return home and liberate it from corruption' or something like that. You said your mother probably thinks you're gone, if your face is being shown all across Remnant there's a chance that word might reach her-"
"Okay" Stygian held up a hand, swallowing a lump in his throat and taking several moments to speak which served to leave Tiger steadily sinking deeper into a pit of self-loathing, winding up to apologise until her partner spoke "I already said I'll do it and your idea is honestly a pretty good one Tee….I kinda like the idea of being a rebel with a cause, I just didn't expect to get choked up thinking about home on a Monday…..But thank you"
"We're partners" Tiger mumbled "Friends?"
"Hell yeah" Stygian gave her shoulder a half hearted punch, bemused and yet somewhat confused at his partners' uncertainty which led to a moment of lingering silence between the pair punctuated by the ambient sounds of the academy canteen which threatened to grow faintly awkward until it was shattered by the sound of a familiar voice calling out to them.
"Hey are you two coming, the rest of your team thought you were behind them?" Tiger and Stygian whipped around to see Astra Mars leaning against the door frame, the Deer Faunus having either returned to collect something that had been left behind, grab a final snack for themselves or their partner or, equally possibly to seek out any gossip that had not yet reached their ears. Stygian gave Tiger a final reassuring smile before striding towards Astra with a faint wave.
"Yeah we're coming….Where's AJ though, haven't seen her all day, or all weekend actually; is she okay?"
"Medical kept her in for observation after the tournament" Astra's tone remained bright but something tightened in their expression and they paused before adding "She's fine overall, just taking a day or two out of class to make sure….So naturally Zirconia is staying in the dorm to keep an eye on her"
"Right, for medical reasons" Stygian rolled his eyes in expression which Astra mirrored; an understanding passing between the two of them as they each had to suffer the consequences of having team-mates who were dating.
"Sexual healing" the Mouse Faunus continued with a snort, glad that they could joke about the idea without any twinges of jealousy "Absolute filth"
Athena-Jade's fingers laced through Zirconia's and she adjusted the way her head rested on her girlfriends' chest, seeking to keep the recently opened and healed portion of her skull from pressing against anything no matter how soft the Grasshopper Faunus's breasts might be. Zirconia responding by lazily tracing abstract patterns into the pale and yet still bruise-laden skin of Athena's upper back with her free hand as the two of them simply cuddled on the Bear Faunus's bunk and shared a moment that was entirely innocent.
Though Zirconia was certain that their friends would no doubt assume that the two of them had spent the entire day having sex and refuse to hear anything to the contrary.
"Y'know you didn't have to miss a whole day of classes just to check on me babe" Athena mumbled sleepily into the fabric of the baggy t-shirt Zirconia was currently wearing, words slurred by faint drowsiness now rather than anything more severe; easing a fear that had haunted her partner since the moment she had seen the extent of Athena's injuries and been horrified by them.
"But I want to" Zirconia answered simply, voice kept barely above a whisper so that emotions might be held in check to at least some extent as she leaned and reached as best she could to kiss the top of Athena's head without having to move her partner from where she had made herself comfortable, taking care even now to avoid the part of Athena's skull that had been smashed on the edge of the arena whilst her Aura had been depleted. In the intervening time the Bear Faunus had shown no sign of any lasting damage, though she had been reduced to a sorry state that Zirconia had wept over initially; the smaller girls' left eye unable to open, her snowy hair caked and matted with dried blood and her face swollen with sickly purple and yellow bruises which Aura stimulants were yet to fully attend to. Overall however Athena's primary issue was simple fatigue after being kept under observation and then told that sleeping for the following twenty-four hour period was not advisable, her ruined sleep schedule and the toll taken on her by medicine having left her drained and listless.
She had further reasoned that after having her weekend at the Vytal Festival and chance to celebrate Team MARZ's latest victory snatched away from her cruelly that it would simply be unfair to return to classes immediately, she was owed some respite; which had led to the two of them allowing themselves to indulge as they caught up on several shows that they both enjoyed whilst keeping the curtains closed to spare Athena from another splitting headache.
Zirconia had found herself unable to argue against that logic and found herself smiling faintly at it even now as Athena gave a weak smile of her own.
"What would Damascus say if he knew you were cutting classes to spend a whole day cuddling in bed….I'm such a bad influence"
"He'd be worried that you were hurt and tell me to make the time you have with the people you love count" Zirconia answered readily, something in her tone making Athena glance up at her; moving her head from where she had made herself comfortable at a speed which clearly caused her a small amount of discomfort that was pushed through so that she might meet Zirconia's mismatched eyes with her own pale blue.
"Oh my gosh I am so sorry, I didn't mean anything-"
"AJ, it's fine I promise" Zirconia assured her, never thinking for a moment that her own deceased parents of Damascus's lost lover had ever entered Athena's mind before she had spoken "Do you want to put the next episode on?"
"Sure….We're actually finished with Leaf-blower Man, you wanna put Mocci the Rock on instead?" the Bear Faunus asked as she rolled away from Zirconia for a moment and sought out the scroll that the two of them had been using instead of the television which had been laying discarded but not quite for forgotten after the previous episode had concluded; Athena and Zirconia taking the opportunity to enjoy one another's touch and presences. Finding the device Athena's smile widened into something which displayed teeth which she was glad had not been knocked loose or chipped in her fall as she saw a handful of messages awaiting responses, including newly received ones from both Coral, her adoptive sister likely wanting to discuss the latest gossip from their previously shared friend group and from Arctus and Diamond, the two of them excited but nervous in regards to their approaching parenthood.
Before Athena could load the next episode or open and read any of the waiting messages a gentle knock at the door preceded it being opened and the Bear Faunus was left briefly confused before looking back at the scroll to find that it was indeed mid-afternoon and that classes had concluded for the day.
"Damn it, I really spent a whole day in bed watching anime" she murmured.
"Living the dream AJ" Astra snorted as they slung their bag down, Regalia close behind them and the consideration that had seen the Deer Faunus knock to announce their arrival rather than simply barge into their own space was quickly cast aside as they shed their shoes and jacket before hauling themselves up onto their bunk with little regard for the noise they made.
"I brought you a sandwich" Regalia offered something which smelled divine and was, hopefully devoid of any of the Racoon Faunus's customary culinary experimentation "And Astra took notes for you"
"Well, for most classes….Some of it I slept through" the leader of Team MARZ snorted.
"You suck" Athena's sing-song response was half-hearted at best though Zirconia gave a wordless scoff to assure the Deer Faunus that she shared her girlfriends' sentiment; something Astra only laughed at before rolling onto their chest and finding an angle from which they could see their gathered team and becoming marginally more serious.
"Okay but we've gotta talk about this so let's just get it out of the way….Some of the other teams who made it into the singles rounds have already picked their rep. I was kinda working on the assumption that it's gonna be me going forward, I just wanted to make sure-"
"Why would you just assume that?" Zirconia interrupted, the surprising act being made more so by the sharpness of her tone which brought Astra's gaze swiftly from the taciturn rogue to her partner, just as AJ managed to pull herself into a sitting position and fix them with a glare.
"Because I'm the one in a position to actually train right now" Astra offered, trying to keep the peace without giving ground "And because I was the one who actually finished the match- sorry AJ-"
"Fuck you" the bruised Faunus spat, broad shoulders heaving with a ragged breath before she wrestled her emotions under control and forced herself to be reasonable "I wanted this Astra….I need this-"
"Why do you need it more than me?" Astra demanded, unable to keep a note of accusation and simmering anger out their tone which Athena found she could understand but was stung by nonetheless.
"Because….Damn it I still need to prove myself, to myself" her words came out hushed "I still feel like I'm in the families' shadow, after the doubles it's been nothing but comparisons to my Mum and yeah, Mum is awesome but….My brother didn't make it to a singles round, neither did either of my parents-"
"You're not the only one with something to prove AJ" Astra's face was a harsh glower "I've got a famous big brother too, I get wanting to prove yourself because I feel the same way and….I earned this, you can't just ask me to give it up; I can't go back to being that pushover kid who used to get picked on"
There was a moment of heavy silence where Astra and Athena-Jade regarded one another, neither willing to give ground and yet being unwilling to speak lest either of them say something that could shatter a valued friendship which seemed as though it could crack under the pressure it was currently subject to; the moment only passing after Zirconia and Regalia met one another's gaze and the Grasshopper Faunus's imploring look spurred the former nomad into action.
"Heh, there is one way to settle this" she offered, hands rubbing together nervously.
"What?" Astra visibly balked and gestured at the bruised Bear Faunus "I don't wanna fight AJ for it, especially not while-"
"NO!" Regalia gasped, hands flying to her mouth as she realised that her intention had been vastly misunderstood "I meant flip a coin for it"
"Oh" Astra had the decency to look suitably mortified before managing to turn to Athena, the tension broken by the teams' collective amusement at the situation "You okay with this? Whatever happens is final and we're all okay with it?"
"Okay" Athena nodded, swallowing as sudden nerves clutched at her and left her breath coming in wavering, shallow pants "One flip, all or nothing….And I swear Astra if you win the toss then you'd better kick some ass going forward"
"Same to you AJ, I hope you've got some more tricks up your sleeves" Astra shot back, the bickering more good natured than their previous exchange; to such a degree that Athena felt comfortable giving a sheepish look as she spoke.
"Do you have any coins though, I don't really carry any?"
"Of course you don't….Nothing smaller than a fifty Lien note I bet" Astra snorted.
"Don't you only carry coins to throw at referees after dating Wolfram?" Athena shot back acidly, proving that her head injury had done nothing to dull her stinging wit.
"I've got a coin" Regalia fished into a pocket on the inside of her uniforms' blazer to produce a coin which Astra noted was Mistrali in origin despite the fact their partner had never visited that Kingdom, pausing for a moment and steeling themselves as they prepared to allow their fate to be decided entirely by chance.
"Okay….Heads or tails?"
The Chamber was already undergoing repairs in the wake of the violence subjected to it during Gestalt-Prime's rebirth and reforging.
Albion could cast his icy blue eyes, framed by a repaired pair of gold-rimmed spectacles around himself and see a dozen or more instances of change, repair or improvement in almost any direction he looked as he sat at his own personal workstation whose multiple screens had thankfully survived the fury of the Alpha Cyber-Grimm's emergence unscathed. Various other articles of purpose built machinery had been righted and brought back to various degrees of functionality, the heavy lifting by both mechanical means and the monstrous strength of the Cyber-Grimm which had been returned in small numbers to the Chamber; though wincing at the sight of their clawed implements handling sensitive tools had been enough to leave Albion considering the idea of allowing some of Nero's new or promising recruits access to the hidden base.
Defence systems had been reinstalled and reactivated at the insistence of both Nero and Carmesi Hueso, the reptilian Faunus casting seething glares in the direction of Gestalt-Prime as he had gruffly stated to the scientist that the fact that the sentient horror had become mobile once again and was yet to make a genuine attempt on their lives or bid for freedom was no reason at all to become lax and ignore the risks posed by either the monster they were in alliance with or their actual enemies. With Gestalt-Prime's transformation however additional space had been created, owing to the removal of the shattered remains of the now redundant containment tube and the mass of piping and cables between it and the docking system which the metallic husk that the hybrid Alpha's new form had attached to; where the standard Cyber-Grimm entered regular fugue periods not entirely removed from sleep it seemed that Gestalt-Prime themselves had no such limitations and could likely function indefinitely. This lack of a requirement for rest and sustenance had allowed the space to be cleared for more Cyber-Grimm of larger varieties to be prepared and work was already underway to create additional docking clamps.
Though Albion Herringbone's attention was too consumed by the task at hand to pay attention to their surroundings, save for the looming presence of Gestalt-Prime themselves behind them.
"Drones are operational, I have visual….Do not let your people lose those drones Carmesi, we cannot afford a mistake like that"
"My people?" the rumbling sneer of the Komodo Dragon Faunus was distorted faintly by the speakers of the computer from which it issued into the Chamber, a disgruntled note entering his words as he added "Don't tell me how to run an operation in the field"
"That one wants to be Alpha, kill them before they challenge" Gestalt-Prime's voice, oily and smooth in a way which Albion was still unprepared for announced that the towering mass of steel and obsidian flesh had drawn close, moving silently to study the developments with rapt attention and yet going unnoticed by Albion until the diffused glow of their singular optic was reflected on the various screens and their tail swished lazily behind the scientist in what felt as though it might be a thinly veiled threat.
Albion simply cleared his throat and silently hoped that Carmesi himself had not heard the threat on his life.
At present the rogue Hunter was in some stretch of untouched and unwanted marshland far removed from the nearest settlements or any routes that served them, his purpose there to undertake in further training exercises for the groups which were finally beginning to resemble something greater than a haphazard alliance of street gangs and, much more importantly to both Albion and Gestalt-Prime and also Chairman Nero who would review the compiled footage at a later date it was a chance to field test some of the larger models of Cyber-Grimm.
Albion Herringbone's eyes widened in naked wonder at the sights that greeted him as various cameras affixed to aerial drones which had fanned out to create a near panoramic display of their surroundings began to display their various feeds whilst beside them Gestalt-Prime licked at jagged fangs with a slobbering, lupine tongue in a display which revealed the bestial nature at their core which no amount of evolution or modification could truly mask.
The scene was truly the beginnings of Nero's great work in earnest, Carmesi strode forward with his weapons drawn and began issuing orders for those under his command to move into position and take up their pre-designated roles; the force encompassing a small contingent of what could now be called footsoldiers almost entirely without irony, young men and women with practical tactical armour worn over black clothes with only the merest hints of gang colours and affiliations clutching weapons as they moved to cover the vehicles that had brought them to the marshes and take up firing positions. Accompanying this small group were a pair of mech-suits sporting much heavier and more esoteric armaments, with this currently sparse resource being bolstered by a pair of Cyber-Grimm accompanying each of them whilst the true masterpieces lumbered forward, crushing fallen trees underfoot and moving with a relentless sense of purpose which drew Gestalt-Prime's attention and caused a low sound almost akin to a purr to escape the monster.
"They will destroy their prey" the hybrid Alpha asserted with certainty and an unmistakable pride directed at the larger Cyber-Grimm, knowing and understanding their creations of a visceral level whilst Albion could only appreciate the technical details and scientific aspects of their existence which had been shared with him by Aefen Cruor, the cult leader almost demented with glee as she had displayed her grisly work and revelled in the opportunity to do so.
"The troops have taken to calling them Bug-Bears" the dark-skinned scientist noted with a sense of bemusement, deciding that he liked the name as he adjusted his lab-coat.
If each of the specialised Cyber-Grimm were intended for a specific battlefield role then the Bug-Bears were most analogous to tanks or artillery meant to grind down any resistance; each of them sharing similar design principals to the original model albeit being far larger and with a more flattened and low-slung build. The things were hunkered down and moved on four limbs though an additional pair of purely mechanical and piston driven legs existed to act as anchor points when the thing was stationary, segmented without the usual hunched forward and angled torso; each of their limbs in fact ended in a collection of roving caterpillar tracks however when the Bug-Bear reared up to its' full height its' forelimbs could be reconfigured to that the moving parts functioned as a heavy duty siege-drill of sorts. A sacrifice had been made in mobility however, the Bug-Bears could not fly or glide as their smaller cousins did as the mechanisms involved in doing so had been removed to make way for additional cooling and power supplies required for thorax mounted weapons platforms which far eclipsed what was integrated into the standard Cyber-Grimm.
"The prey draws near" Gestalt-Prime declared, nodding faintly towards several of the individual feeds from drones clustered together in the air, Carmesi's low guttural voice issuing from the speakers once again before Albion could answer.
"Scouts say we've got incoming, can feel the vibrations already….Get ready and take notes" the warning both confirmed the hybrid Alpha's assertion and at the same time allowed Albion to understand how it had been made, the monster having likely been able to detect some minute motion in the footage which Albion himself had missed. Such things were put aside as thoughts for later in short order however as the reason for the strike teams' presence became clear; a single Grimm whose mammoth form was mammalian in overall form and covered in a dense, shaggy coat or fur which clung to its' hulking body in sodden and clumpy masses as it charged.
Only to be set upon by the Bug-Bears, whose opening salvo of withering firepower tore so much flesh and bone from their foe that follow up attacks from those working in coordination with the larger machine Grimm were largely perfunctory.
"Beautiful" Gestalt-Prime's oily tone seemed to ooze with smugness, something more nuanced that the Alpha had ever been capable of before.
"The bright new tomorrow is almost here" Albion breathed out, heart hammering and adrenaline coursing through him to a degree which left him fighting the urge to leap from his seat and whoop for joy; deciding that ultimately such a display in front of Gestalt-Prime was a lapse he could not bring himself to accept.
All whilst a small, boyish voice in the back of his mind noted that it would be hard to maintain such composure when the bat-winged flier variant was finally unveiled and allowed to see proper action.
That promised to be a spectacle.
"I'm going to be representing Team MARZ in the singles rounds of the Vytal Tournament" the words were directed at the scroll held loosely in Astra's hand, its' loudspeaker allowing the device to dangle loosely close to their lap rather than being held to their ear as they took in the sights around them as part of a futile effort to overcome a bout of nervous uncertainty which had steadily worked its' way to a crescendo since they had won the coin toss.
Neo Vale's skyline was truly beautiful and the view of the sprawling-hive city afforded by Halo Academies' aerial platform was one far greater than Astra had ever been able to enjoy from their own home district in the lower reaches of one of the cities' many towers, the sight of the setting sun casting impossibly long shadows and giving the glass and steel of the towers' exteriors' a golden hue all whilst the airships and smaller craft weaved through the sky closer to eye level and the scene below was illuminated by rolling waves of neon in countless shades and colours as the cities' lights and those displays added for the ongoing festival began to activate as the sky gradually darkened, adding to the glow of various building-sized billboards and notices was all something Astra would truly miss upon returning to Breaktide and the island Kingdom of Menagerie. Despite their worries the Deer Faunus allowed their muscles to relax a fraction, breathing in cool summer evening air for several moments until a voice from the device in their hand reminded them that their call was still ongoing.
"That's awesome kid, you're gonna do great" hearing the reassuring voice of their older brother Astra brought their scroll back into a position where its' screen could be seen and toyed idly with the tips of their black-dyed Mohawk as they searched for an answer. On the screen Felix regarded them patiently, the muscular Lion Faunus sitting on the roof of his muscle car whilst his mane of dirty blonde curls blew in the faint breeze; deep blue eyes studying his half-sibling and likely sensing everything Astra was yet to say.
"I mean I kinda don't have a choice now" Astra finally breathed out "It's do or die"
"Come on, it's not that bad" Felix snorted, overlong canine teeth being flashed with his faint smile "You've done good so far, really far….Beating Honey Scarlatina is not something to overlook, even if you don't make it any further; not that I'm saying you won't because I've got complete confidence in you but it would still be a respectable first showing"
"Yeah, but AJ wanted to be the one to go forward. We had to flip a coin for it" Astra gave a weak chuckle of their own, leaning back on the bench they had found themselves on in order to let out a slow sigh. Felix's expression changed subtly, the Lion Faunus understanding just how intently focused and driven his younger cousin could be from both his own experience and stories told by Arctus.
"Ah" the blonde said simply "How is she by the way, that was a nasty fall she took"
"She's honestly pretty much okay" Astra nodded "Bruised up and didn't come to class today but she's okay….Kinda makes it awkward that I couldn't pull a medical reason on her. So yeah, I've kinda gotta win now because AJ will kick my ass or at the very least hate my guts if I let the team down now"
"You're not gonna let the team down" Felix assured them "And honestly, ignore AJ. She's upset now but when all's said and done she'll be cheering for you along with everybody else, whatever happens….Besides, she's gonna be too busy to hold a grudge before too much longer; she's gonna be Auntie AJ remember?"
"Oh yeah" Astra's smile brightened with genuine enthusiasm "How are Arctus and Diamond by the way, I mean I don't know them as well as you and AJ obviously but-"
"They're fine, panicking a bit and pestering some of our old friends who've got kids asking for advice on everything….It's cute and hilarious" Felix laughed before letting out a faint sigh "Kinda weird not having those too around for this long though, me and Eagle have been taking on odd jobs, looking for any sign of those robot Grimm and chasing up anything that might be a clue about who the Benefactor is or what they're doing; they've gotta be bringing supplies in from somewhere and the docks are being watched….Mainly we're just shutting down small-timers and getting rid of Grimm"
"That's something though" Astra noted, inwardly wincing at how easily the larger matter of Benefactor's shadowy presence had managed to slip from their thoughts in the wake of the Vytal Tournament.
"Yeah, it's helping people which is always a good thing" Felix nodded "And we've got Helios and Hellion with us most of the time, Carcharodon brings the ship along the coast wherever there's room to anchor but we'd all still rather get this son of a bitch; especially after that thing you and Nora found….Anyway, I'll let you enjoy your night kid. You've got company"
"Wait huh?" Astra's sputtering confusion sufficed as a goodbye and Felix's faint laughter at their sibling cut off abruptly as the video call was ended; giving Astra an opportunity to leap from the bench on the academies' grounds and whirl around.
Coming face to face with Regalia.
"Heh what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" the Racoon Faunus beamed and Astra managed a faint snort of amusement, taking a moment to process just how that particular greeting had made them feel and fiddling with the red sash worn around their hips and over their jeans as they wondered if they really should wear skirts and dresses more often or if it was simply a further sign of just how attracted to their partner they had become.
"Mainly just worrying about stuff….Downside of being the one with the plans I guess?" Astra shrugged.
"I caught a little bit of you conversation with your brother" Regalia admitted sheepishly, expression brightening again as she added "I wish he'd stayed on the line, he's cool"
"Yeah he is" Astra said simply "And he kinda gets what I'm worried about, being the one to carry the teams' good name and reputation and stuff….I don't wanna mess this up and let you guys down in front of all of Remnant. That last fight was one that we were supposed to lose but we didn't and now that means all bets are off, there's nothing to hide behind or justify it it's-"
"You're not gonna let us down" Regalia interjected firmly taking a single step closer so that she could lean down and rest her forehead against theirs as her voice lowered to a murmur "You couldn't let us down if you tried"
"Thanks Regalia, it really means a lot" Astra managed to force the words out around a lump in their throat.
"Heh, you've got a friend in me" she mumbled as she allowed her head to move to her partners' shoulder, pulling them into a loose hug "You wanna go and do something? We can hit the gym if you wanna feel like you're working, or head into the city and get food?"
"I'll drive" Astra answered "Come on, we've seen all the main attractions of the festival but I'm thinking if we head out to the edges of the city we can find some spots that a lot of people have missed….Maybe some gigs or sights that even locals like me didn't know about; if not we'll hit the industrial areas and see if there's any parts that haven't made their way to a scrapyard yet that you can liberate and work on"
"See, this is why you're awesome" Regalia grinned into Astra's shoulder, adjusting her position to that the Deer Faunus could pop their collar out of habit before a moment of bravery overtook them. Astra didn't kiss Regalia, though if she had been in an easier position for them to do so then they might have given in to temptation and taken that risk but instead they looped their arms around her to return the hug and in doing so allowed one hand to drift beneath both of her unfastened jackets so that their fingers could brush against toned skin and defined abs before trailing to the small of her back whilst their other hand gently stroked the coarse and striped fur of her tail. Regalia's breath hitched faintly at the contact and she nestled herself further into them which was all the invitation Astra needed to continue.
The two remained like that until Astra managed to return to their senses to some degree, a confidant smile plastering itself over their painted lips as the two teens made their way to the campus garage and a sense of conviction overcoming the Deer Faunus with a new goal setting itself before them.
They were going to win the Vytal Tournament and complete the years' missions and once the weight of it had been lifted from their shoulders they were going to ask to take Regalia Russet on a real date so that they could shower their partner with all the affection she thoroughly deserved.
With classes concluded for the day and the other assorted forms of drudgery that constituted life as a teacher attended to, from marking assignments which had been written so hastily and sloppily that their presence was mildly offensive at best, to planning lessons, responding to various memos and notifications which added nothing of real value or simply offering advice, guidance and help to those students who came in search of it, with the latter being something handled with far more genuine care and attention Qrow Branwen was finally free.
That sense of freedom allowed him to slough away the guise of simply being a retired Hunter and one of the schools' most revered teachers so that he could, in the privacy of his own apartment within the academy take on the persona that he felt had come to define him more than any other; that of the one who watched from the darkened corners and ensured that the monsters which might otherwise lurk there were kept at bay.
Qrow Branwen had been a force of necessary evil for much of his adult life.
After decades spent in the service of Professor Ozpin, learning and honing skills that had made him both one of the most capable Hunters of Grimm on the face of Remnant and a covert agent almost without equal despite his fame, capable of uncovering the truth of any conspiracy Qrow had taken up the mantle left by the passing of the Wizard and in the decades since, an almost equal amount of time to the years spent in the field confronting the darkness head on it had bee all the now greying and ageing man could do to keep some semblance of order and keep Remnant from being poisoned and ruined from within by the corrupting influence as dangerous as the Creatures of Grimm that the misery they would unleash promised to beckon.
And yet for all his experience his current quarry continued to elude him at every turn.
He still had no idea as to the goals or identity of the so-called Benefactor, only that they were far more than the aspiring gang-lord or higher class of criminal that they had first been assumed to be over a year ago now and that, by one means or another Chairman Damascus Nero of the Clara Die Novum Conglomerate was connected to the figures' long term goals.
If he were entirely honest with himself the idea of the slender man who wore an outdated prosthetic which caused him pain as a badge of honour and spoke with a carefully hidden stammer whenever he was not avoiding public appearances being the figure responsible for so much misery, the one who had united the cities' gangs, infiltrated the cities' infrastructure and waged an attack against one of his own subsidiary companies before using the stolen machinery to craft the monstrous machine Grimm that had been encountered by Team TRQS was an almost laughable one, entertained only because Qrow refused to exclude or discount any possibility; a life filled with the improbable and fantastical having taught him better and that something about the Chairman having his own visions for protecting Remnant which might well involve poaching Hunters or those who might well have otherwise become Hunters had rattled him in a way that was hard to articulate.
If he were more honest still then Qrow could admit to himself that he was growing desperate.
As he sat in the familiar gloom of his work area, the darkness giving him none of its' usual comfort he shifted his weight within a many-limbed mechanical chair which responded by moving with its' own interpretations of his mood and body language though this did nothing to hinder then man as he sipped at his latest steaming cup of coffee and regarded the dozens of screens and countless reams of data before him with deep crimson eyes rimmed by dark rings and crow's feet whose name had amused Yang to no end.
His investigation into Nero was, at present a perfunctory thing; the man was still to some extent an ally until proven otherwise and Qrow had little intention of straining that relationship further than he already had should he be proven wrong in his suspicions, though the fact that Nero had been the ultimate owner of the warehouse where Nora and Team MARZ had fought the monstrous Grimm-Mech which had consumed its' host was damning evidence, even it proved only that the Chairman was incapable of keeping his business from being subverted by either those within his own ranks or untrustworthy business partners. Regardless Qrow had still contacted those amongst his allies more suited to the task and asked them to discretely acquire what knowledge they could about the man's comings and goings or anything which might suggest that there was more to the wealthy eccentric than the persona he presented.
Qrow's personal attention was, at the moment directed towards the larger picture.
Without a lead to follow and with the Creatures of Grimm an ever-present threat no matter what conspiracies were abound within the Kingdoms the grizzled veteran had sent those Hunters he trusted most out into the field wherever possible, both to help the people of Remnant wherever they could and also to follow up any alleged sightings of either the machine Grimm or anything suspicious enough to indicate that one might be present so that one might be captured or its' mechanical components recovered and studied.
Thus far Qrow's efforts had borne little if anything in terms of results; the Kingdoms' official response-line set up to report the new horrors being described as a form of Geist had naturally been overrun with hoaxes and frauds the moment talk of a bounty had been suggested. What Qrow did have now however was a much more accurate and constantly updating map of Grimm incursions and building populations both around Spawning Pits and away from them, which he could use for multiple purposes including cross referencing the more questionable build-ups of Grimm activity which did not hold with regular migration and hunting patterns against possible Cyber-Grimm sightings and then against any possible connections to Damascus Nero.
It would also make the task of co-ordinating Hunter responses much easier, at least until the Kingdoms' council and its' bureaucrats decided to cease funding the notion; at which point Qrow would either have to find his own means to keep the system operational or else rely once again on less admirable methods.
"Let's see….This one, this should be an interesting test" his voice was a gruff croak, roughened by lack of use as he regarded several of the more concerning Grimm presences before settling on one in particular which seemed to be entirely within normal ranges and predictions yet would still need to be tackled nonetheless as the monster which had reportedly been sighted moving towards several villages in the outer territories was one which would be capable of inflicting immense carnage if it were allowed to go unhindered.
Qrow had just the response to such a threat in mind.
"They wanted action….I'll have to make sure Ice Queen's niece is cleared for duty though" he muttered to himself. Team MARZ were capable and showed great promise, with Qrow fully supporting Coco and Ruby's intention of giving the team additional training to bring them more fully into the fold when they were older and as such giving them additional challenges that would normally be reserved for older and more experienced students was expected. As he began
composing a message to the medical wing of the academy to verify that Athena-Jade slate was fit for combat, not trusting the Bear Faunus to be honest if honesty would see her confined to solely academic work Qrow began searching for any and all available data on the villages question as they were not places he was readily familiar with, on the slight chance that there were any subsidiaries or other connections to Chairman Damascus Nero to be found.
There were none and Qrow frowned, it would have been informative to see how Zirconia Shadowmoon might act in such a situation; even if the grizzled Hunter highly doubted that she could be directly involved in a conspiracy against multiple Kingdoms.
With his duty as Remnant's defender attended to Qrow allowed himself to relax, draining his coffee and letting the tension in his weary and permanently injured body recede and finding his scroll in order to answer several unopened messages from Eagle Arc, the blonde and freckled woman with eyes so like his own likely still grumbling good naturedly at the fact her younger cousin had been bested by students under his tutelage.
He let stiff joints crack satisfyingly as he sloughed off that particular role for himself in turn so that he might don a guise he had never expected to wear in his younger years but had come to love and find more gratifying than any others.
That of a father to an amazing woman.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?….You seemed like you were holding back how upset you were earlier" Zirconia's question roused Athena-Jade from the silent and outwardly contented stupor she had allowed herself to fall into, blue eyes regaining a sharp focus as she turned her attention to her girlfriend and allowed a quiet huff to escape her.
"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine" she finally mumbled, broad and powerful shoulders sagging and eyes lowering as she continued "I wanted to be the one who won this for us y'know? I had it all planned out in my head, I could honestly see myself standing on the podium….But it's gonna be Astra representing Team MARZ and I have to be okay with that; they're gonna need all the help and support they can get and I'm not gonna ruin something for the whole team"
"I never thought you would" Zirconia answered gently "I just don't like seeing you upset, seeing you hurt is bad enough"
"Thanks" Athena managed a weak smile "But I remember what I was like when we first met, angry and jealous and selfish because I didn't get to be team leader….I hope I've grown since then but sometimes I'm not sure"
"You were always amazing and you've grown into the best version of who you always were" Zirconia answered, a sleepy murmur sneaking its' way into her words as she allowed herself to draw closer to her partner and cuddle with her which Athena eagerly laid back to accommodate more easily even as a blush crept across her cheeks at the answer.
"I love you" she breathed out simply.
"I love you too" Zirconia pulled herself closer and the two enjoyed the moment, peaceful and soft as they wrapped themselves around one another. With the dormitory empty again once Astra and Regalia had departed and after spending much of the day lounging listlessly in bed the pair had agreed that they should shower which had naturally led to them showering together, though despite the teasing and insinuations that would no doubt be cast their way it had been an entirely innocent and gentle thing; Athena-Jade doing more than plant brief kisses on Zirconia's shoulders as she helped wash the Grasshopper Faunus's luxurious black hair whilst Zirconia had repaid the favour by washing her partners' back, taking care and fighting the urge to wince at the sigh of the bruises littering her body.
At present however the two were once again on Athena-Jade's bunk, with Zirconia clad in her nightclothes whilst the Bear Faunus wore an almost comically fluffy and comfortable robe which in her girlfriends' opinion only made snuggling into her even more enjoyable.
Though as the two made brief eye contact something in the mood seemed to shift subtly and Zirconia swallowed thickly as she felt Athena's gaze on her.
"You okay?" the bruised and thrashed Bear Faunus asked, her own voice taking on a husky note which suggested to Zirconia that the two were in unspoken agreement; though before she acted on the need welling up within her she found herself studying her partners' face for a moment longer, mismatched eyes trailing up from the places on her cheeks and bridge of her nose where Athena often wore band-aids as an accessory towards where her snowy hair continued to stick out at odd angles even after Aura had knitted her skull and flesh back together and dried blood had been painstakingly cleaned away from her shaggy, snowy locks.
"Just thinking….I don't think you can cover that one with a band aid, allow me" Zirconia murmured before reaching up to her own hair and freeing the now customary confines of the jade green bandanna worn around her head, the one which had once been wrapped around Athena's bicep and given to Zirconia to cover a gash left in the wake of the Grimm's breach of Port Alistair; untying the bandanna she made to wrap it around Athena's head and cover her injury only for the shorter girls' strong and calloused hands closed around her wrists gently.
"Nope" Athena-Jade let out a gentle laugh, expression turning faintly hungry as she locked eyes with Zirconia and chewed vaguely at her own lip for a moment before adding "I gave you that and I like you seeing you wearing it….Especially when it's all you're wearing"
Zirconia's only answer was a wordless, breathy whine of pure want which was followed by swift motion, the taller young woman rearing back stripping herself out of her nightclothes to expose bare breasts and the taut, lithe muscles of her slender form as she straddled her girlfriend before all but pouncing on her.
"Let me" she whispered into Athena's mouth as her girlfriend tried to shed the robe she was wearing, kissing Athena fiercely as she turned their previous position around and pinned the shorter but more stocky girls' wrists down against the bed to draw a low, whimpering moan from her.
Within moments the robe was unfastened and cast open, both Athena and Zirconia's bodies pressed flush as the two kissed desperately until Zirconia took charge of the situation and moved thing in a different direction; pulling herself into a position she was leaning over her lover and pinning both of her wrists down with one hand, her right hand trailing slowly and deliberately down Athena's powerful body until finally she reached the waistband of her underwear.
"Hops….Please-" the words were a ragged, need-filled gasp that was cut short and lost within a gasping moan of pleasure as Athena's eyes rolled back and their lids fluttered in the moment Zirconia began to thrust with two fingers, curling them back upon themselves and building a steady rhythm which quickly reduced her partner to lustful ecstasy and even here she maintained her new control, Athena desperately tried to reach up and kiss Zirconia so that her moans could be muffled by a searing kiss only for Zirconia to tease her by remaining just out of reach, the Bear Faunus's gasps and hitched half-formed words hot against her own lips. Athena's entire body thrashed and shuddered, words failing her entirely as she reached a peak that promised to leave her seeing stars.
The dormitory door was thrown open and the sound that escaped her could only be described as a strangled squawk of surprise, rage and utter frustration.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" she demanded, the sudden need to cover herself with her robe as Zirconia frantically bulled bedsheets around herself being the only thing keeping the Bear Faunus from taking the heaviest object in sight and hurling it with all of her strength at whoever had dared interrupt.
"You didn't answer your scroll….Uh, we brought snacks?" Astra's offer did little to endear them at that moment though the Deer Faunus did at least have the decency to keep their eyes averted and the good sense to remain largely out of range of a clear shot, having chosen not to actually step in the dorm and instead limit themselves to casting furtive glances around the edge of the door frame so that only the tips of their spiky Mohawk and one of their antlers could be seen easily all whilst they wore a mortified expression which threatened to give way to hysterical laughter at any moment and Regalia lingered somewhere behind them, face buried with her hands. Athena could only sputter indignantly, coherent thoughts still far beyond her current mental capacity and so it was Zirconia who answered.
"I-we….We were in the shower, we didn't see any missed calls" her low and rasping voice was breathier than usual and filled with a rare fury which made it clear that whilst she was more composed than her partner she was also yet to see the funny side to the situation and so Astra was forced to speak quickly and more plainly.
"Okay well I got a message from Professor Branwen while we were out, looks like we're getting deployed on a special training mission. We get leave tomorrow morning….Unless you wanna sit this one out AJ?"
"No, I'm definitely coming-" her eyes widened at her own choice of words and she rounded on Astra again "NOT A FUCKING WORD, UGH YOU SUCK!"
"I wouldn't dream of it" Astra's voice finally cracked and laughter overtook them, the Deer Faunus ducking out of view and leading Regalia away presumably so that the two could give Athena and Zirconia a few moments to make themselves presentable before things were discussed in more detail. The Bear Faunus flopped back onto her bed and promptly placed a pillow over her face so that her wordless scream of frustration was muffled at least somewhat whilst Zirconia merely muttered to herself about the unfairness of it all.
Athena-Jade was thrilled to be cleared for active duty and the chance to face off against the Creatures of Grimm or whatever other foe Qrow Branwen had prepared for them; though in her mind the timing of it was utterly inexcusable.
It wasn't deliberate but Astra had managed to successfully ruin both her day and her night.
Author's Notes:
And here we are, the second half of Vol.06 and whilst this chapter might luck quieter than the first half of the volume….Just you wait and see.
We still set some fun stuff up.
Even though you won't see it for a couple of weeks I actually finished writing this the day after the Vol.09 premiere so RWBY brain is now officially back in effect.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Opening a chapter with grumbling about Mondays and getting back to work feels a little on the nose considering how close I am to saying "Fuck this job" and quitting with no backup plan.
Qrow being a surrogate uncle to all of the kids in Ren and Nora's orphanage just feels right.
Ren makes enough pancakes for everybody, but only Nora gets the syrup and booping….If y'know what I'm saying.
Let's be real, spirit of cooperation aside you know good and well Qrow giving students from other academies extra training for them to then go and beat Halo students would cause tension in the staffroom; and this might be the first time Professor Peach has actually spoken or put in an actual on screen appearance, I usually maintain the early canon and old fandom joke of her only ever being referenced in passing.
Honey is at least loosely related or connected to just as many people as Athena-Jade is, including Ren and Nora through the Arc family….Which would also mean she's tangentially connected to Qrow as well given that his daughter and Honey are cousins.
For those who read my writing who are too young to have started their first job yet….If the bollocking from a manager happens in the staffroom or canteen you're probably fine.
And there's why Nero's deception works….Because when you say it out loud it sounds stupid, like Clark Kent the reporter, yeah he's Superman; if you didn't know already you'd have no reason to believe it.
Ren does make a point at the end there as well, they're not fighting the Queen of the Grimm this time around; things like due process exist.
Just a little look into how Team TRQS actually function on a day to day, naturally we've seen more of that from Team MARZ thus far.
Yeah, no way does Tiger let food go to waste if it can be helped….But also, don't reheat chicken.
"We" lead from the front, so Tiger was born in Atlas but considers herself Mistrali.
Tiger really doesn't get people, she worked herself into a state over that just for Stygian's answer to an unequivocal fuck yeah.
Yay for identity crises….But it makes sense, Tiger's moved forward a lot in a short space of time but what nobody tells you about that is when you look around to get your bearings nothing looks the same any more.
Stygian continued to be a flirt with limited to tragic results.
Of course Tiger checked the stats, but also she's right….Because I made it a deliberate choice for Stygian to end up being Team TRQS's star asset.
Okay so Tiger bringing up Stygian's mother and home village is absolutely emotional manipulation….But it was also done with genuine care and concern and is undoubtedly the most considerate thing she's done.
AJ is still the first person Stitch asks about when he sees Astra, that crush might be as dead as he thought.
Their friends need to get their minds out of the gutter, AJ and Hops were cuddling, fully clothed and watching anime like nerds.
Yeah AJ got absolutely fucked up by that fall.
Leaf-blower Man and Mocci the Rock….I am not sorry for either of those, like not even slightly.
Arctus Diamond and Coral really aren't doing anything for the plot but it would feel weird if they weren't at least shown to be messaging Athena occasionally.
And now for the Team MARZ tournament talk….Which goes the exact opposite to Tiger and Stitch, which was absolutely planned.
Astra and AJ completely talking passed each other because of their own issues, it was never gonna be solved by talking….But the idea that they thought Regalia was suggesting a fight was just too good to pass up on.
Of course the rich kids don't carry coins
The Albion and Qrow scenes, geniuses in their respective lairs watching over unfolding scenarios….Very similar and both honestly annoying to write.
But the reworking of the Chamber in just a short space of time should serve to show just how on the ball the villains are right now.
Just enjoy the image of Gestalt-Prime lurking around micro-managing like an office supervisor.
Firstly, the Bug-Bears are a new heavy type of Cyber-Grimm just to spice things up, secondly….This is a smaller sample of what Nero's plan looks like; this is the force he's planning on replacing Hunters with. And it seems like the idea actually works.
The Grimm they took down, it's honestly unimportant what it was….I just didn't have an idea for anything beyond 'Big mammal' until after I'd written the scene.
Yes the flying Cyber-Grimm with the bat wings has been teased twice now and you know damn well that I'm saving it for something.
Astra won the coin toss and you know damn well the first thing they did was call their big brother.
Felix knows AJ better than Astra does but I'm not sure he's right on this one….She would be pissed if Astra messed up now.
Gotta give some justification for why Team MARZ, as some of the most elite Hunters on Remnant aren't in Neo Vale searching for the Benefactor in person.
That's just how hot Regalia is, she makes a movie quote and calls someone a nice girl and it makes 'em question their gender all over again.
"That last fight was one that we were supposed to lose but we didn't and now that means all bets are off, there's nothing to hide behind or justify it" yeah, you pull off a lucky shot then you've gotta do it again.
God these two wanna fuck each other so bad it makes 'em look stupid.
But good for Astra being self aware enough to know that they need to be in a good, clear head-space to date again.
After being the covert guy for so long do you think Qrow's sense of self or identity is a fixed thing or that he just wears different versions of himself like suits?
Qrow isn't quite willing to let the Nero idea go yet, but even he's not convinced that Nero himself is the Benefactor yet because he's buying into the same thing that Nora did earlier.
There's the problem with the big picture, once you have access to a certain amount of information you end up losing stuff in the shuffle when you have to prioritise what counts as important according to your own preconceived biases.
So the upcoming training mission for Team MARZ is just a mission, Qrow isn't using it to observe Zirconia….Because she has an even larger degree of protection from scrutiny due to sheer disbelief than Nero does.
Here's AJ, totally not sulking; but at least she recognises how bad she can get and is making choices to not be that.
God Hops really is great, even with the inevitable reveal and its' fallout.
Shower-sex is overrated, there I said it.
The bandanna stay ON lol.
And now for some absolute fucking filth because after the week I'd had at work when I wrote this chapter I deserve it. Also, I feel like AJ and Zirconia are probably both switches, but something about having Hops pin AJ down and take charge here felt like common sense….And also hot.
….But would it be me if I didn't cock-block?
AJ's reaction is more than fair and Astra is right to keep out line of sight to avoid having something thrown at them.
"I'm definitely coming-NOT A WORD!" because why wouldn't I make that pun, literally all standards are out the window at this point.
Yeah, wordless scream into a pillow is justified
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
