MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

It's been thirty years since Ruby Rose saved Remnant from Salem and almost a decade since it was saved again. Salem is gone yet the Creatures of Grimm remain and now a new generation of Hunters are ready to begin their story... By enrolling at the Breaktide Academy of Menagerie where they'll be trained by legends including Team CFVY and Ruby Rose herself. Part 5 of the Spiral-Verse

71. Castle Vertigo

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

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

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 71: Castle Vertigo

By the time the weekend had arrived the weather in Neo Vale had taken a marked turn for the worse with the final doubts and reservations being cast aside to make way for the approach of winter in earnest; the temperature had plummeted and the sky only deviated from shades of dull, iron grey in order to give into even more bleak shades with deep, dark and purple tinged clouds roiling overhead to unleash lashing torrents of frigid rain which then froze over on a nightly basis to leave every surface coated with a layer of ice and frost which crunched underfoot yet despite all this the first snow of the season was yet to arrive and provide a sense of catharsis about the entire affair. With the campus of Halo Academy being located so far above the ground where the howling winds were the most noticeable and had sent more than one unsuspecting student staggering and tumbling perilously close the outer edge of the campus the effects of the change in weather were even more pronounced and many of the students had found themselves the unwitting and unexpected subject of the attentions of the children who called the orphanage attached to the campus home, the rain and high winds keeping them confined indoors which, after only a few short days had begun to inspire fits of mischief.

All in all Regalia was glad for the heating provided by the campus to help her combat a climate more uniformly unpleasant than she was used to, though at the same time she was also glad to be preparing to leave for the day.

"Come on Dude how long are you gonna hog the bathroom for? Surely you can just glue that Mohawk in place and save time or something!" Athena's voice and the hefty thud of her palm beating against the bathroom door managed to jolt Regalia from own thoughts, a result of which being that she almost collapsed face first onto the floor as she had been in the midst of a set of push-ups whilst she waited for her friends to ready themselves. When the Racoon Faunus pulled herself into a sitting position on her bunk, brushing off some perceived dust from her shoulder to distract from the mild embarrassment she was pleased to see that none of her friends had paid any attention to her aborted fall; Zirconia was currently tuning and polishing her violin and was already showered and dressed, a side-effect of having awoken even early than Astra's usual habit which she claimed was a product of her guardian sending her a message at an unsociable hour, something that Damascus Nero apparently did somewhat regularly largely due to his own irregular schedule and constant business leaving him forced to simple reach out when the opportunity arose. Astra by contrast had slept later than intended despite the fact that much of what had been planned for the day was in fact their idea, this being the result of a late night training session that they had endured rather than venturing out into Neo Vale to give Regalia a tour of the cities' nightlife meaning that the Deer Faunus had awoken with aches and stiffness rather than a hangover, but more importantly that they had found themselves competing for the use of the shower with the teams' heaviest sleeper; Athena-Jade who prepared to slam her palm against the door once again only to stagger forward a single pace as it swung open a split second before her hand could reach it, revealing a shirtless Astra with their hands on their hips, toiletries tucked under one arm and an affronted expression on their face.

"Never, I mean it AJ, never talk shit about the hair"

"You are such a dork" the Bear Faunus laughed "You done in there?"

"Yeah, I can finish up out here" with that the two friends proceeded to exchange rude hand gestures, their partners exchanging glances and eye-rolls before Astra and Athena slipped by one another, allowing the Bear Faunus to enter the bathroom and close the door behind her whilst the leader of Team MARZ leaned against the edge of their own bunk, leading to Regalia slipping from her own bed so that she was not staring directly at her partners abs and was instead left watching as they set their scroll up to use its' camera as a mirror as they began applying their signature dark makeup.

"Want me to do yours as well?" Astra offered, seeing Regalia watching them

"Heh, now I think about it I've never really worn makeup….I feel like a makeover before we go to a party is something I have to do if I really want the full student and life in the Kingdoms experience, it's in all the movies" Regalia's happy chattering slowed to a pause as she regarded Astra a moment longer "But maybe I'll wait until you've got somewhere with a flat surface to work from"

"I don't need a flat surface" Astra replied distractedly, using their scroll to ensure that their winged eyeliner was of the standard they regularly wore "Trust me before I flew to Menagerie to the first time I fixed my makeup in the back of the car after sleeping in a cell-"

"You're a bad influence on us all" Zirconia chimed in, revealing that she was paying at least a little attention to proceedings around her.

"Absolutely terrible" Astra agreed half-heartedly before focusing on Regalia again "But if you wanna wait I can fix your makeup before we head to that party tonight, we'll have time"

"Do I get a slow motion entrance to the party and everything?" Regalia gave a broad smile which Astra matched despite their slight ongoing preoccupation.

"I mean I'd have to do some of my best work for that….But definitely possible" Regalia beamed at the notion and what she felt was, at least on some level praise from her partner and best friend whilst Zirconia cocked her head to the side, seemingly perplexed by something.

"What's the plan for today, if you said we've got time?"

"We're meeting my folks at the indoor park and play area for kids near our apartment in…." Astra winced as they checked the time "About an hour and a half, don't worry it's fine, we'll definitely get there, especially if Clunker is legal now"

"The bike might be legal, having AJ use a glyph as a trailer might not be"

"We have AJ use a glyph as a hover-board, totally different" Astra shrugged, pausing in the application on their black lipstick to smirk at the look on the Grasshopper Faunus's face whilst also bumping their knuckles against Regalia's

"Anyway, we meet my parents there….Best behaviour everyone" Astra continued, managing to look stern for a fraction of a second "But honestly that doesn't have to be an all day thing, if you an AJ wanna head off and do something that's cool, show her the sights and we'll meet up either somewhere in the city or back here if Regalia wants to stow Clunker before we head to the party-"

"Back here makes more sense" Regalia noted, the idea of having to trek back into the city below where crime was rife and find wherever she left her jetbike all with thoughts of it not being where she left it running rampant through her mind was enough to make the nomad, whose experience with cities were limited to Menagerie's Capital shuddering involuntarily.

"Okay cool….We still need to pick drinks up as well; I don't know if Professor Ren will turn a blind eye as much as Professor Adel does so maybe be careful bringing bottles in"

"Would you mind picking something up on my behalf, I have the Lien" Zirconia murmured "You're more acquainted with these kinds of parties than I am….I wouldn't want to get something that sends the wrong impression"

"Yeah not a problem" Astra grinned from ear to ear "Actually if I'm gonna be that near to home then there's a corner shop a couple streets away….Not the one I used to go to when I was running errands for my Mum, this is the one that cells drinks and smokes to everyone and doesn't ask for ID, the corner shop that made house parties happen"

"Why do I feel like there's some fun stories you're not telling us?" Regalia noted

"Because there are….And I can share those stories on the understanding that my parents never hear them" Astra gave a conspiratorial wink which Regalia managed a somewhat decent mimicry of despite shuffling in anticipation as Astra began to regale her with stories of teenage misdeeds and tomfoolery of the kind she had been unable to experience first-hand due to living with her tribe.

A fun precursor to Team MARZ's first real weekend together in Neo Vale, one which promised to be entertaining enough to push aside any lingering doubts or worries about the mission looming in the distance.

---

The intervening days between Gestalt-Prime's awakening and subsequent agreement to work alongside Chairman Damascus Nero and the current moment had been at least somewhat productive for the business mogul turned grand conspirator and self-styled revolutionary thinker.

Progress had been first and foremost, in terms of importance in the fledgling alliance he had formed with a Creature of Grimm in what undeniably amounted to a shattering of all that had come before and a total reimagining of the status quo between humanity and monsters; Gestalt-Prime was amenable to Nero's greater goal of creating a better Remnant for all who inhabited it and, through several layers of convoluted explanation and convincing had come to understand that this lofty goal was not incompatible with the hybrid Alpha's own plans to advance the Grimm species as a whole, in fact despite how counter-intuitive it might seem the two goals were in fact intertwined by necessity if either were to truly succeed in any lasting way. At present the alliance was still a tentative one, something which Nero could force himself to accept as reasonable on the part of the Grimm given the extent of physical discomfort he had ordered Albion to inflict on them and also given the fact that concrete and tangible results on Nero's end were currently sorely lacking, though that was a predicament he hoped to rectify in short order.

Another area in which progress had been made was one which had unfortunately kept Nero from discussing matters with his new Grimm ally, namely that of continuing the life which continued to feel more and more like a disguise with each passing day despite the undeniable value it brought; the Clara Die Novum Conglomerate and its' countless subsidiaries were doing well and Nero's own personal image only rose with each appearance in the media he made no matter how uncomfortable the appearances made him as his own private and shy nature conspired with a healthy amount of paranoia for a man in his position to leave doubts whispering in his mind that he would soon make the inevitable fatal mistake which revealed all of his plans too soon, without any chance of the greater population seeing his vision for what it was. At the moment however Nero was enjoying proceeds, such as they were of his life as a very wealthy businessman in the form of an office building that was, at present serving as the second lair that he had decided he needed. The space had been purchased through the usual string of proxies which, through a certain twisting of common sense would in fact ensure that suspicions were raised and even if any questions were asked by the more uncharitable elements of the media it was likely that his meeting with a younger man at an office building not yet officially occupied by any of the companied Nero owned would simply be sneered at and dismissed as some crass and vulgar rendezvous which he had not deigned to allow to take place in his own apartment now that there was a chance of his teenaged ward visiting home on a weekend.

Though opinions would certainly change if it became common knowledge that the meeting was of an entirely different context, especially when the young man in question was Carmesi Hueso, Rogue Hunter wanted in multiple Kingdoms.

"This is not what I expected when you said you had a new location for us to meet" the Komodo Dragon Faunus rumbled out, rubbing at a stubble covered chin which had seemingly irritated him ever since he had been forced to shave his full and thick beard as part of his efforts to avoid detection, his voice echoing harshly in the empty space of the room which at present lacked anything in the way of furniture upon which to sit. Nero for his part slipped his suit jacket from his shoulders and folded it over his gloved right hand and forearm whilst pacing in a rare display of impatience though he still humoured his younger compatriots' attitude, understand how much he had asked of Carmesi of late and valuing that sacrifices that he had made in service of the plan.

"Call me an old hypocrite and a fool but for all I despise the likes of Branwen and his ilk for the lies they continue to tell while they lurk in the shadows, I do still see the use of compartmentalising certain things and keeping certain pieces of information on a need to know basis….Especially when one of our allies is a Creature of Grimm" Nero paused, finding something of Zirconia in his tone as he followed up with an utterly dead-pan expression and delivery "And besides, I'm in the habit of examining new properties in person….I feel that this building has a promising future as Neo Vale's largest coffee shop"

"Anything that might run Star Lien out of business is a step in the right direction, promise me I can be the one to tell Albion" Carmesi chuckled darkly, as was his nature even in more peaceful and relaxed moments though the atmosphere was shifted into something more serious by his following words

"But on the matter of need to know information….Does Aefen know of our new ally yet?"

"She knows that the procedure which we required her expertise for was a success, though the specifics have not been fully explained to her at present" Nero noted the distaste in Carmesi's voice and found that he could not begrudge the man that, though he was forced to brace himself in preparation for a possible argument as he added

"She will learn soon enough however, there is no helping it….We need her to know the specifics of what she is working with for the next stages of the plan; however I will endeavour to have as much of the task handled with Albion present, I plan to limit Aefen's direct interaction with Gestalt-Prime as much as possible….She might not be a true believer in the drivel spouted by the cult of hers but the risks are still notable, she's power hungry"

"Good" Carmesi nodded slowly, surprising Nero by accepting the answer without complaint which in turn gave the older man pause, sense and instincts honed through years of cut-throat business suggesting to him that the reptilian Faunus had some potentially bad news that he was waiting for a more opportune moment to deliver which drew a sigh from the Chairman's lips.

"On the matter of the next stages of the plan….Out with it Carmesi, what is it that you're not telling me" Carmesi's snarled at that, wordless and menacing with his leathery skin and scales rippling as muscles tensed and flexed in agitation for a moment before he contained himself, letting out a slow exhalation and working out a crick in his neck with a satisfying crunch as he began his answer.

"Petrol and his pack of thugs have largely done what they set out to do, meaning that those gangs under your employ who didn't take the advice to leave town and set up in other cities in New Vale, thus giving us foundations for a wider network have all been….Disposed of, with Petrol's gang taking possession of what Battle-suits and other equipment and weapons were not destroyed in battle. I've already sent word to Petrol to gather a sizeable portion of his people to begin moving out first thing tomorrow morning, along with whatever battle-suits he feels comfortable entrusting to his people-"

"Have you told them where they will be attacking and why?" Nero asked delicately, seeing some disagreement regarding the terms of the deal being the reason for Carmesi's obvious misgivings yet once again he was surprised.

"No, I'm meeting Petrol tonight to give him the location and specifics of the operation; cut any time he might use to double cross us to a minimum….Though if presented as a chance to dispose of some damaged goods and replace them with the latest model then I have no doubt that the idea of attacking Cosmo-Guild Industries will appeal to him and his bang of petty thieves"

"You have a positively devious streak Carmesi" Nero noted with some amusement, before boring into the Faunus's eyes with his own "So what is it that has you nervous?"

"There are going to be Hunters operating in the area that we didn't account for" Carmesi answered, seeing Nero's composure falter enough to allow a wince before pushing on

"My licence might have been revoked but there are still public forums and noticeboards where Hunters can collect missions from the Council….I took a risk visiting somewhere so public but I wanted to make sure all of our bases are covered-"
"A wise choice"

"There's a search and rescue operation being mounted, a group of travellers went missing in the area and Grimm numbers are high enough to be a serious concern away from Cosmo-Guilds' plant but at the same time not so high that the Council can be seen to act as though those peoples' fates are a foregone conclusion; a search party is being deployed on Monday, which is when we intended to act"

"Well then in this I do hope that the Hunters are successful….even if I also hope that they are sufficiently pre-occupied and stay out of our affairs"

"I have my doubts about this plan" Carmesi rumbled "Having Hunters in the area opens up too many variables, routines and things that we've accounted for could change in ways we can't predict. We should delay and be cautious…..This could end poorly"

"I see that you're learning patience Carmesi….And it physically pains me to argue against the voice of reason that you have become in this instance" Nero sighed

"One change I would expect then, if other Hunters are going to be present is for there to be Hunters on site at Cosmo-Guild….It would be sensible for them to use the facility as a staging area. I don't have any confirmation as of yet, I didn't want to raise suspicions by enquiring about the plants' security immediately before it was attacked but consider that a worst case scenario for us-"

"Then why not wait for a week or two?" Carmesi demanded, galled that his rare decision to be more cautious in the face of a potential threat was being overlooked.

"Because Gestalt-Prime is conscious and willing to work alongside us" Nero answered bluntly "A key part of everything is having the cooperation of a thinking Grimm, we will lose that if we cannot provide some sort of proof of our goals and intent; if the Grimm feels as though it can overpower us in this then it will….Time is of the essence Carmesi, we need results and we need them soon"

Carmesi found that he could not bring himself to dispute that and promptly turned to leave, there were preparations to make.

---

Team MARZ had arrived at the meeting place Astra's parents had chosen, which Astra had explained to their friends was a park in which they had spent a great deal of their formative years.

In a hive-like metropolis such as Neo Vale where open space was at a premium and fiercely competed for those who lived within the monolithic towers which filled the cities' skyline were often forced to make do with something less than the genuine article and one such example of this was the park near to both Astra's apartment and the school they had attended as a child which, given that it was contained entirely within the confines of a hive-tower and situated several levels above the ground was a construction of artificial grass and subjected to the same artificial sunlight and day and night cycle with a regulated climate that governed the interiors of all of the cities hive-towers, though across the city of Neo Vale with its' expansion, reconstruction and advancement that was still ongoing even years after Salem's defeat such things were becoming less common as more land became available.

This park in particular was one in which Astra had trained with their older brother, even when they had first met one another when Astra had been a somewhat out of shape child with glasses and a susceptibility to bullies whose idealised vision of a Hunter had been seemingly impossibly far beyond their reach, it was a park they had frequented countless times as a child with other children from the neighbourhood and a place which was kept free of vandalism, the drugs and petty crime which plagued working class areas such as those Astra hailed from and even the marginally more organised street gangs which, when the Deer Faunus had been younger were largely under the command of the now deceased Rhodium Torchwick by the parents of those same children who, as part of their efforts to foster a sense of safety and community in the area had organised a schedule wherein every available parent would spend a portion of their weekend in turn overseeing the park and ensuring that things were kept safe and that what little vandalism did manage to escape their initial notice was cleaned and repaired in short order.

Currently Myrtle and Redwood Mars were the parents on monitoring duty and the two of them had exchanged nervous glances as the sound of a roaring engine drawing closer toward the park at a dangerous rate reached their ears, bringing several of the children playing to a halt, with ball-games halted, hiding places and games of tag abandoned and a few brazen boys and girls leaping from swings mid-arc to sail through the air and land in tumbling heaps before springing back to their feet with a sense of urgency before finally the source of the sound was revealed; with the sight of four teenagers who could only be Hunters in training riding a single jetbike made of scrap metal with a design like a chopper drawing an excited gaggle of children flocking to the edge of the park, pointed and chattering animatedly even before any of them recognised the antlers and Mohawk of the Deer Faunus who had attended school with several of their older siblings.

"Hey Mum! Hey Dad!" Astra called out to their parents as the bike came shrieking to a halt, somehow managing to appear as though it were skidding despite a lack of wheels and the fact that it hovered firmly above the ground until the Racoon Faunus riding the contraption planted a kickstand and brought the engine to idle growl which limited the flames which warped the air around the bike as the burst from behind it and came perilously close to the Bear Faunus and Grasshopper Faunus trailing after the bike itself, balancing on a glowing symbol which promptly disappeared with a casual wave of the hand on the part of short and broad-shouldered young woman with blue eyes and snowy white hair whom Myrtle and Redwood would both have recognised by her defining features even if they were not already somewhat acquainted with Astra's friends.

"Good grief that's…..certainly a lot" Myrtle breathed out, the reptilian Woman taking a moment to take in the vehicle that she had only heard vaguely mentioned in passing along with the sight of her youngest child, seemingly in their element and surrounded by people who seemed to exude the sense of sheer presence and gravitas that could either enrapture or terrify those who lived more mundane lives, a feeling given more weight by the way the girl with the Racoon tail casually handled a shotgun with a harpoon fitted to a winch slung under its' barrel before holstering the weapon at the side of her bike before clambering off; she had privately expected her husband to share her sudden concern though it seemed that Redwood had finally managed to come to terms fully with the fact that Astra was destined to be a Hunter, the sight of them training over the summer and lifting entire train carriages causing their father to fundamentally change the way he viewed them.

Or else the mechanic was simply stunned into appreciative silence by the jetbike.

"Bloody impressive is what it is" Redwood answered, the older Deer Faunus letting out a low whistle of approval as he spoke "I'd love to see how you keep that stable if it's one half of a paired pair of thrusters from something Atlesian powering it, I've only ever worked on a few cars with anti-gravity systems since there's not much use for them here with all the bridges"

"You guys hear this, I don't even get a hello or a welcome home" Astra laughed, his expression making it clear that the comment was in jest

"Heh" Regalia found herself ringing her hands together nervously as she remembered the positive first impression that her friends had made on her mother and sought to respond in kind now that she was meeting her partners' parents in person "Thank you….I don't drive it like that inside a city, Astra asked to do something that makes a scene and gets attention"

"Oh did they now?" The Deer Faunus looked helplessly from their partner to their mother upon seeing the look Myrtle gave them, stern and with arms folded across her chest much to the giggling amusement of the curious children who had remained lingering on the periphery of the reunion only for Astra to be spared the indignity of being subjected to their mothers' impending lecture in a public setting by their father deciding to intervene a show a degree of mercy as he strode forward to loop and arm around Astra's shoulder, taking a brief moment to surreptitiously examine Clunker in more detail before speaking.

"Good to see you again, we've missed you"

"Missed you too Dad" Astra answered without hesitation or any of the awkwardness or bravado that they might once have suffered with "Sorry it took all week for us to get down here, I would have visited last weekend but-"

"But your brother and his cousin surprised you as soon as your flight landed, we heard" Myrtle interjected with a fond smile, happy that her two children were on better terms once again "But don't leave your friends standing there without introducing us Astra, I raised you with some manners"

"You've spoken to literally all of them before" Astra sighed with a roll of their eyes which unfortunately did not go unseen by either parent.

"Humour your mother" Redwood instructed, giving Astra's right, unbroken antler a playful wiggle and tug in a gesture which left not only the local children but also Regalia giggling.

"Okay, okay" Astra grumbled as they gestured first to Athena-Jade "This is Athena-Jade Slate or AJ, half the reason we can never be anywhere in a morning and her partner Zirconia….Who isn't as scary is she looks kids I promise"

"Ah, Fluffy's other cousin; I can see the resemblance with your brother" Myrtle beamed, ignoring the teasing on Astra's part and inadvertently making the Bear Faunus smile, it was rare for Athena that someone's first point of reference for her was her cousin rather than her brother or parents; from there Astra's mother turned to Zirconia "We haven't spoken as much as we'd like while you've been at college with Astra I'm afraid; I've heard a lot about your…..Foster Dad?"

"That's close enough to accurate" Zirconia nodded

"Well he seems to do no end of good work for this city, more than the Council have in twenty years in the last year alone….But enough of that, no doubt you get enough questions from the papers; the way they hound you two girls should be criminal"

"And this" Astra cleared their throat and drew Myrtle's well-meaning attention away before she could become overbearing unintentionally "Is my partner Regalia, the only member of my team who's actually from Menagerie"

"Wow….Well just look at you" Myrtle paused, taking in the sight of the Racoon Faunus whose jackets hung open to reveal her chiselled abs as she leaned comfortably against her bike, wearing a bright smile and giving Myrtle a sheepish wave "I don't know what they feed you on that island but it seems to be doing the trick, I've heard Astra can lift trains now but I don't imagine you'd even need the Aura thingy for it-"

"Mum please" Astra visibly fought the urge to drag a palm down their face as they groaned the words out lest it smear the makeup they had put so much effort into; the reaction only making them the subject of more laughter until Redwood once again spoke up.

"So what're you kids getting up to then, besides humouring us old folks….Astra's not getting you into any trouble are they?"

"You're not that old" the words left Zirconia reflexively, a sentence she had uttered to Damascus more times than she could count and her hands flew to her mouth as she realised how overly familiar it might sound, yet she pressed on despite the mild embarrassment "The plan was for us to head into the city centre later and get some things for a party"

"College parties….I remember those and I'll thank you to spare me by not giving me details" Myrtle made a show of clutching at her heart in an overly dramatic display which had all present laughing save for Astra, who once again groaned at the display though even this was done good-naturedly.

"I'll spare Astra a few minutes of being shown up in front of their friends, come on kid" Redwood gestured for their child to step off to one side for a moment, turning to his wife "While I've got 'em distracted make sure these girls give you all the fun gossip"

"Oh I plan to" Astra's mother laughed, bringing the remainder of Team MARZ into a conspiratorial huddle whilst the children that had been gathered, sensing that there would be nothing extravagant or awe-inspiring occurring despite the presence of Hunters went back to playing. Once Astra and Redwood were a short distance away, but far enough to be on the edge of the range of Faunus hearing the older Deer Faunus turned and after a few faltering attempts to start a conversation nodded in the direction of Regalia.

"So….She seems nice?"

"Seriously?" Astra sputtered and choked on air, sensing from the sudden awkwardness alone what was being implied "Seriously I've been back for two minutes and this is what you're doing-"

"I'm not doing anything and I'm trying to tell you your business" Redwood raised his hands "All I'm saying is you were in a mood all summer which I understand, first real breakup and it hurt….But now look at you, smiling again and sharing a bike with a pretty girl who your mother seems to-"

"Okay no, we are not fucking doing this" Astra shook their head vehemently and pressed on before their cursing could be commented on "It's not like that, she's my best friend….When I said I partner I meant in the Hunter way; okay?"

"Like I said, I'm not telling you your business….But, when you do feel ready to get back in the saddle I'm just saying, you could do a lot worse-" Redwood trailed off, seeing the obvious discomfort on Astra's face and changing subject accordingly "But that's only vaguely connected to why I brought you over….This is me checking in and making sure that you're doing okay, 'cos I know that I don't know enough about this Hunter thing of yours but I know enough to understand that it can get heavy"

"Yeah, yeah it can" Astra sighed as they thought back to the state their body had been reduced to over the summer before shaking their head and brightening their expression "But I'm doing fine, we've got a mission next week-"

"And that's going to be dangerous?"

"They always are to some extent, Grimm don't wear training mitts" Astra nodded, not wanting to lie to his father over something so important "But we've trained, we've practised and put the hours in, we're good at this and we'll have someone more experienced with us….It's also kinda why we're having the party at Castle Vertigo tonight, last chance to get our minds off of it"

"Will it be your brother taking you on a mission?"

"I doubt it" Astra shook their head "If it is then it'll be a surprise again but I doubt Team FADE will be allowed to keep doing that, it'd start to look like favouritism"

"That makes sense" Redwood nodded "Whatever disagreements I've had with Felix over the years the man knows his stuff though and I'd be happier knowing that he had your back"

"I don't need to be looked after, I can do this" Astra fought the urge to bristle and Redwood planted his hands squarely on their shoulders.

"I know you can, but you're my only child….No matter how proud of you I am and trust me when I say that I'm proud of you I still worry, permit me that much kid"

"You're learning how to do speeches from Fluffy's Mum aren't you?" Astra snorted, swallowing a sudden lump in their throat which Redwood responded to with another playful waggle on their antler.

"Blake? Yeah we talk union stuff and politics on the mainland sometimes….Yang and I have actually managed to get each other the tools we needed a few times as well" Redwood smirked, obviously catching Astra off-guard with that fact "Which actually reminds me of something important I wanted to say….I couldn't get you a proper birthday present when you turned eighteen and that didn't sit right-"

"You don't have to-" Astra was promptly silenced with a wave of their fathers' hand.

"If I can't get tickets to that tournament you've come home to be part of then I'm damn well gonna do something special for the milestones. I've got you a little something that I hope you'll like, so what I want you to do is come and pick it up after you get back from your mission"

"Thanks Dad, it really means a lot" Astra pulled Redwood into a hug whilst privately forcing themselves not to wonder too much about the nature of the gift, lest they find themselves hoping for something that turned out to be false; their father patted them gently on the back and nodded in the direction of Myrtle and the rest of Team MARZ

"So, how much damage do you think she's done to your hip-ness"

"First of nobody says hip-"

"Penny Rose says hip, I've heard her say it in interviews"

"Penny Rose can say whatever the hell she wants because she's cool by default" Astra countered before pondering the initial question and finally shrugging "Honestly, Fluffy already told them about the bad haircuts and fashion choices I made before I figured out my style was"

"Yeah but your mother has baby photos that she fished out to show that boyfriend she never got to meet" upon hearing that Astra's blood ran cold.

---

Tiger Santara of Team TRQS was, despite the fact that it was early evening on a Saturday and yet as was entirely expected for her in the midst of training.

It was in her defence, for she had found herself feeling as though the decision might need to be defended a calming and almost therapeutic form of training which she had chosen, practising with Fearful Symmetry in its' trident form until she was once again assured of her own mastery with the weapon doing more to calm her and mentally prepare her for the coming mission than any amount of self-indulgent partying where she would be surrounded by people whom she was ambivalent towards at best.

Instead, once she was largely certain that her team-mates had left the campus for the day several hours ago made her way out onto the grounds of the campus where the cold air and howling wind would go some way to counter the sweat she worked up if not the burning ache in her muscles as she pushed herself and once she was situated she had begun to work through kata and routines of steadily increasing complexity whilst vaguely aware that in the early stages of her training session she had been observed by an audience of children, those who lived aboard the anti-gravity platform and to whom the presence of Hunters was an everyday reality and yet still managed to be a source of enjoyment. Tiger had been proud of herself in those moments, the awareness that there were children watching her pushing her strive harder for excellence as she moved at a dizzying speed, each strike delivered with an artful blend of precision and fluid grace that transformed the broad blades of her weapon into a blur of motion that whipped around her; eventually however as the evening wore on and their curfew neared the children slipped away leaving Tiger to continue to train alone, her motions becoming ever more intricate and demanding until it seemed that she would soon surely reach her limit, only for her eyes to harden and her teeth to clench and grit more fiercely as she pushed herself through each limitation in turn.

Until she was interrupted by the arrival of her partner.

"WARN ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT!" Tiger's yell was a piercing and frantic thing as Stygian appeared with a suddenness that could only have been the product of his Semblance, forcing her to pivot mid-way through a complex, twirling move which would have seen any Grimm it struck utterly destroyed; the sudden change in her direction, angle and momentum seeing the shaft of her weapon spinning dangerously and its' tail-end brushing perilously close to the Mouse Faunus and rustle his clothing.

"Not bad" Stygian noted producing a water bottle and handing it to Tiger as he had apparently made the correct assumption that she would have emptied her own by now and not bothered to refill it, after gulping down cold water and taking the opportunity to refocus herself and realise just how long she had likely been training judging by the darkness and chill in the air the leader of Team TRQS treated her partner to a look that, despite her best efforts to remain neutral still appeared suspicious.

"What're you doing here….I thought you would have gone to the party?"

"Yeah Rye and Amaya have already left, I told 'em I'll catch up after I've seen you" Stygian shrugged "I was looking for you….I thought you were coming to the party?"

"Why did you think that, you've commented on my lack of social skills enough times to know better" Stygian winced at the comment at first, before seeing the faint curling of Tiger's lips and realising that it was his partners' idea of a joke, self-deprecating and bitter as it might have been though he still gave it an honest response.

"I thought you were coming 'cos it's Honey's party, she's someone you actually seem to respect….But I guess you changed your mind when you heard your brother and Snapdragon were going to be there"

"They're free to do as they please" Tiger sniffed stiffly and Stygian, in a flagrant disregard for the logic which had served Team TRQS at least moderately well thus far let out a disgruntled huff before striding closer to his partner, seizing her shoulders and turning her to face him so that she was forced to meet his stern, yet worried expression.

"Can we not do this? Can we just, for one day pretend that we're a functional fucking team and actual partners….Can you just talk for once and try and work through your shit?"

The stunned and tense silence that filled the air was shattered a moment later when Tiger drove the blades of her trident down into the ground with enough force to send cracks outwards, yet Tiger's electric blue eyes remained locked on hers.

"Go and enjoy your party Stitch….I'll be fine here" Tiger sounded deflated, suddenly weary as though the weight of her self-imposed loneliness had finally begun to press in on her, the use of her Stygian's nickname setting the tattooed Mouse Faunus even further on edge and whilst he removed his hands he remained firmly where he was, the idea of leaving stricken from his mind.

"What happened in our initiation?" Stygian asked with a heavy sigh "I mean I know you wanted to partner with Ravi, which I totally get, I mean you're twins….But I wasn't there for everything; we were the last pair to partner up right?"

"We were" Tiger nodded, expression darkening as she thought back to the debacle of Team TRQS's initiation and how close they had come to failing in entirely before the four of them had learned how to at least function around one another. Rye and Amaya had formed a partnership without incident prior to meeting either Tiger or Stygian whilst the Mouse Faunus had relied on his Semblance only for it to lead him further away from his objective or any potential partners and Tiger had deliberately ignored the opportunity to complete her initiation several times as she sought out her twin, only to find him a bleeding mess being carried away by the rest of Team SHMR.

"It was never anything personal against you" Tiger muttered "It was supposed to be me and Ravi, always….We always had each other's backs; I looked for him in the initiation and I thought he was looking for me, by the time I found him he'd already gotten a partner and a team. Snapdragon didn't pay attention, she didn't focus, she never focuses or takes anything seriously. Snapdragon tried to show off like she always does and Ravi got hurt….I tried to get him to see sense, the two of us could have gone to Headmaster Ren and made a case to change the teams; she nearly got my brother killed, she isn't a leader and he shouldn't be forced to work with her-"

"Ravi said no?" Stygian surmised, forcing himself to keep the sting of knowing just how readily his partner would have abandoned the idea of Team TRQS from showing on his face.

"He told that the team selection being performed the way it is was tradition for a reason and that he was going to make it work" Tiger let out a bitter, pained scoff accompanied by a visible shudder as she forced her emotions back under her tight control "And naturally it's nothing at all to do with the fact he thinks she's pretty….So instead I got you"

"Thanks" Stygian sneered, unable to keep the venom out of the word before taking a deep breath and adding, in a much more serious tone "But thanks, really Tee….You actually saved my ass when you found me in the forest; I'd probably still be there now. For what it's worth I think you're-"

"Don't" Tiger huffed "Don't patronise me Stygian….If I was any kind of leader then our first mission wouldn't have ended with multiple injuries. If I was any kind of Hunter then I wouldn't be struggling just to put up a fight against someone who barely even tries to improve-"

"Can I say something?"

"Is there anything I could do that would stop you from talking?" Stygian considered giving Tiger's sarcastic answer a scathing retort before pausing and considering that it would not be worth it.

"Snapdragon doesn't give a single fuck about you….Believe me, I've spoken to all of Team SHMR and tried to mend fences; she finds this little one-sided rivalry that you've got going on with her funny and she only plays into it as much as she does because she thinks it's hilarious to watch you get worked up"

Tiger seemed to sag so much that she might physically collapse under the force of the revelation, yet her partner was not finished.

"As for Ravi, he misses you just as much as you miss him" the Mouse Faunus shook his head "All you've gotta do is reach out and make the first move….Right now you're the one hurting the two of you"

"Enough" Tiger waved her hand as if to dismiss Stygian with a bluntness that was more habitual than intentionally disrespectful "I came out here to train and clear my head-"

"And I came out to make sure my partner is okay….We've got a mission coming up, we need each other to bring our A game if we're gonna handle whatever gets thrown at us"

"See now you're thinking in a way that I can understand" Tiger noted "Preparation, focus, clarity….The important things"

"One day Tee I will get you to actually relax and enjoy yourself" Stygian breathed out, flashing his partner a bright smile as he added "Promise me you'll try and talk to your brother and see if you can patch things up"

"I…." Tiger swallowed thickly, considering the various ways that attempting to reach out to her twin could go wrong until eventually she nodded "After our mission….I can't have any focus or clarity in the field if I have that on my mind"

"Fine" Stygian nodded, accepting that it was the best he was likely to get before rolling his neck and shoulders and dropping into a ready stance, hand reaching over his back for his weapon "So….Back to training?"

"You weren't planning on going to the party at all were you?" Tiger noted, realising that her partner was wearing his usual combat attire which, whilst it could be considered suitable if one were especially lax was not something Stygian typically wore to such events.

"Nah" he shrugged with a sheepish grin "Call me a sore loser on this one but Team MARZ are cool, I like those guys….Doesn't mean I wanna watch AJ and Zirconia make out all night after I made an idiot of myself with her, give it a week or two before I feel comfortable with that"

"Hypocrite" Tiger laughed as she ripped her trident free of the ground, the sound being remarkably rare from her and as the two circled one another for what they had silently agreed would be a sparring match of sorts both partners found themselves realising that they had taken a step closer to being the more functional team that they had always intended to be.

---

Team MARZ's arrival at the party had been a display of extravagance overshadowed only by the sheer lunacy of the venue itself which left the four of them wondering just what connections Honey Scarlatina and her vast extended family had at their disposal.

"Zirconia, I need you to do me a favour" Astra laughed, almost giddily as the four of them reached their destination "If I ever give you or AJ a hard time for being stupidly rich again, just do me a favour and remind me about this"

"I'm sure I can manage that" Zirconia murmured with a soft smile.

For the four members of Team MARZ the Saturday had thus far gone as planned, with the time spent with Astra's parents being followed by them briefly splitting up into pairs to attend to some small matters which in Astra and Regalia's case had involved them first acquiring a sizeable amount of alcohol to be shared with the various guests at the party and from there the Deer Faunus had given their partner directions, allowing Regalia a chance to properly explore a portion of Neo Vale's seemingly endless multi-layered metropolis in search of a suitably filling meal before the pair returned to Halo Academy to deposit Clunker, with the notion of flying the jetbike to or from the venue being ludicrous. Upon their return the pair had reunited with Athena-Jade and Zirconia only for the pair to inform them that they, or more specifically the Grasshopper Faunus had made their own contribution to the nights' events in the form of a private limousine, of the hovering variety capable of reaching their floating destination, a rarity in a city with as many bridges between its' massive structures and such strict traffic laws as Neo Vale and rented, with a chauffeur from a company Zirconia had explained that Damascus Nero and other important members of his conglomerate had somewhat regular dealings and standing accounts with and whom operated with a policy of strict confidentiality; meaning that there would be no stories or photographs leaked to the media should any of them do something foolish, nor would there be any complications in getting to and from their destination.

Castle Vertigo.

The place was of course not a castle in any real sense though as Team MARZ stepped out of the limousine, with Astra taking care to thank the driver as they did so they were treated to the sight of the outermost portions of the amusement park which had gone unfinished and abandoned which had been styled to resembled spires, towers and ramparts emblazoned with colourful emblems which toed a strange line between whimsical and jarring; beyond that the outlines of roller-coasters and other large attractions which had given the gravity-defying venue its' name rose up into the night sky and contrasted sharply against the flaring, sweeping glow of various neon lights all whilst thumping bass pulsed through the ground.

"This place is awesome!" Regalia exclaimed, eyes wide as she positively vibrated with excitement and visibly restrained herself from rushing ahead to see as much of what lay ahead as possible.

"You know it's not all up and running right?" Athena-Jade cautioned her, understanding that the Racoon Faunus had never seen anything like this before but wanting to temper her expectations, only for her comment to draw objections from an unexpected quarter.

"They managed to get more than you'd think up and running!" the familiar voice caused each of Team MARZ to turn their attention towards the gathered Team NUGT and more specifically Nugget the Chicken Faunus who had spoken, their fellow Breaktide Academy students seemingly taking care of one of their number who was a little worse for wear.

"What happened to her?" Astra asked nodding towards the slightly discombobulated teen.

"Well a few of the smaller rides have been hooked up to generators and are sort of working….Stay out of the haunted house thing, basically it's the designated make out spot; the water slides, the really big ones….Yeah someone had the idea of trying to skate and hover-board down those" Nugget cast a baleful look at his own team-mate which made it abundantly clear that their misery was entirely of their own making and that sympathy would be limited. Hearing this only seemed to spur Regalia's childlike and gleeful wonder on to new heights however and Astra, sensing this and grinning wildly nodded for Team MARZ to make their way beyond the outer gates of Castle Vertigo.

"Come on, let's roll" Regalia was already three steps ahead before the words had left the Deer Faunus's mouth however Athena-Jade faintly shook her head.

"You two go on ahead, I'll set our drinks down and make sure the hosts know we're here….Be polite" Astra signalled their agreement to this and handed over the various crates and bottles of alcohol they had brought which Athena supported on one shoulder with a casual lack of effort before using her free hand to squeeze Zirconia's as the two of them finally entered the venue proper, their friends already disappearing into the distance.

"Not that I'm complaining about the privacy….But I feel that this will be a difficult place to find it" her partner murmured as she leaned in to kiss the Bear Faunus's cheek, words audible despite noise around them.

"It works" Athena noted quietly "With everyone busy enjoying themselves we can slip into the crowd and relax….Everyone else here is another Hunter who's gonna be competing in the Vytal Tournament and the fact that we've both got famous families' and the press always photos of us doing something questionable doesn't matter-"

"Because this entire event is questionable, so nobody wants to implicate themselves?" Zirconia noted.

"I mean sure, something like that….but it works right?" Athena laughed, gently leading Zirconia deeper into the party where, as expected the few people they knew gave them little more than a faint nod of recognition in passing which allowed the pair to follow the source of the loudest and most insistent noises which came from the same direction as the flashing lights which swept across the sky until eventually they found what seemed to be one of the epicentres of the party where a food court had been transformed into a series of bars and makeshift dance-floor which the two girls slunk around the periphery of as they sought out somewhere to deposit the drinks they had brought.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Athena had to raise her voice a little to be heard now, though in answer to her question Zirconia's mismatched eyes filled with a sudden intensity and she pulled her partner and girlfriend into a secluded corner out of view of their fellow students and proceeded to kiss the shorter girl slowly which Athena answered by slipping her arms around Zirconia's waist.

"This would have been a nice way to end the night" Athena whispered between kisses before breaking apart just enough to tuck her head into the crook of Zirconia's shoulder.

"It would" she agreed, taking the opportunity to simply lean into her girlfriend and breathe out everything that weighed on her, taking a few moments to simply be at peace as she allowed thoughts of the upcoming mission, the Vytal Tournament and the conversations that would have to come as Damascus's plans continued to move ahead; the tender moment at odds with the carefully contained chaos of teenage revelry around them until Athena shifted against her.

"Hey are you okay, you seem….Off?"

"The last few weeks have felt long with qualifying and travelling home but not meeting with Damascus yet, then the mission….It all just hit me at once"

"I get it" Athena nodded, slipping away from her girlfriend just enough to take Zirconia's hands in hers as she prepared to lead her away "I know that big parties like this aren't really your thing and you kinda got roped into it-"

"They're not my first choice of ways to spend a weekend….But Astra seemed excited"

"Oh they have the biggest hero-worship type crush on Honey, it'd be pathetic if it wasn't so funny" Athena agreed "But if you wanted to sneak away we could, we'll find somewhere quiet….And I promise that I didn't meant that to sound as desperately horny as it does; I just mean we can hang out at the edge of the party if you feel like you're not up to it, or we can head back to campus?"

Zirconia watched Athena's cheeks darken, her alabaster skin already coloured by the lights flashing against it and in that moment she realised that even in her limited experience of such things it was suddenly obvious to her that she was well on her way to falling hopelessly in love with the Bear Faunus.

Which would complicate things.

"I-" whatever she had intended to say, for Zirconia had not been entirely certain if she were honest with herself, the current location seeming ill-suited to such an admission in her opinion went unsaid as the voice of someone interloping on their privacy brought the moment to an end.

"Hey, hey Slate!" Athena-Jade and Zirconia turned to see Team SHMR close by, it was Snapdragon who had spoken and her tinted glasses, worn even at night and her multicoloured coat working especially well in the shifting lighting whilst Ravi, whose personal aesthetic was a vast departure from that of the twin sister he otherwise resembled stood close at hand and the other two members of the team whom Athena had admittedly interacted very little with, a young man who went by his surname of Marsh and Hibiscus, or Hibbs as they were commonly called if the Bear Faunus recalled correctly already helping themselves to the drinks Team MARZ had brought.

"Yeah sure, we brought enough for everyone" she tried to wave the interruption aside but was unsuccessful as Snapdragon ignored the drinks and merely chuckled, shedding her coat and adjusting her beret with all of the same swaggering confidence she displayed in class.

"Word with the other students from Breaktide is that you can dance and let's be honest everyone knows how your Semblance works…..You've seen the Shuffle Kicks; wanna make it fun?" Athena took a moment to process the request and realised that Snapdragon Majus was in fact, apropos of nothing and seemingly for her own amusement challenging her to a dance off. The sound that escaped the Bear Faunus was somewhere between a groan and a choked noise of disbelief before she muttered quietly enough that only Zirconia could hear.

"Well, there goes our chance to sneak off"

"Well then" Zirconia's expression was one of faint bemusement as she leaned in to kiss Athena's cheek "Make sure you win"

---

Petrol looked up at the beams of light sweeping across a swathe of the Neo Vale skyline from where they were being cast by the allegedly decommissioned and abandoned Castle Vertigo with a sense of festering and inadequate jealousy that he slowly realised, with a sneering and crooked-toothed smile as comprehension dawned on him, was no longer warranted as his standing and personal power had increased.

He knew of the parties that periodically occurred on the floating platform as well as any other denizen of the hive city below it of course, for many children and adolescents within Neo Vale the defunct amusement park was a source of fascination and countless rumours which had slowly transcended into urban myths as none amongst them could ever say for certain who owned the anti-gravity platform the site had been built upon, nor could they offer any satisfactory answer as to why the disused park was allowed to remain in its' current state when other such platforms hovering above the city were the homes of stadiums, luxury hotels, defensive installations, a medical college and at least one library that Petrol knew of, to say nothing of Halo Academy itself. With this in mind Petrol, along with many of his peers had been forced to conclude that the parties were something secretive and exclusive which the regular masses of the public would never be able to find themselves a part.

Learning that the current party was being thrown by student Hunters went some way to proving Petrol's opinion to be correct.

He had learned of the identity of those currently using the lights of Castle Vertigo and sending lances of neon out in all directions through one of his own underlings who had in turn heard it from a cousin who worked a legitimate job as a cashier, this cousin claiming that she had overheard talk from some of the students in question and whilst Petrol rarely gave consideration to second and third hand rumours he could not immediately verify the idea was admittedly an interesting one. For all of his claims of placing no value on image and reputation the idea of rubbing shoulders with Hunters was one which filled the criminal with excitement which only increased as he considered how easy it would be for him to secure a means of transport, claiming he was a few years younger than he actually was and lying about attending an academy all whilst using his unlocked Aura and Semblance as a form of verification to convince the unsuspecting students; once inside his options would be limitless and even if he was unable to steal a Hunters' weapon returning to lowest reaches of the city and bolstering his current string of victories with the knowledge that he had entered a venue full of Hunters, possibly flirted with several attractive young women and left unchallenged would propel him to a level of mystique which would see his dominance of the criminal underbelly unchallenged.

Yet despite all of these grandiose, if ill-defined plans Petrol was still merely looking up at the lights in the night sky much as he always had.

"I don't like meeting you in public like this" a low, menacing rumble announced Carmesi Hueso's arrival to the meeting place that had been specified, namely one of the bridges spanning two of the cities' remaining towers at a level that, whilst still within what would be considered the working class and thus lower reaches of the city was still above the slums from which he and the founding members of his gang of thieves and thugs turned mercenaries hailed. Turning to acknowledge the older man Petrol noted that Carmesi had foregone the suit and unbuttoned shirt to display his scales, scars and physique that he often wore and was instead sporting a coat which was more suited to the steadily worsening weather though the younger Faunus was not naive enough to believe that Carmesi had come unarmed even if he could not currently see either of the reptilians' two blades at that moment. After a momentary pause he managed a small, almost dismissive shrug.

"You picked the spot" Petrol spat over the edge of the bridge, resisting the urge to imbue his phlegm with the destructive corrosion of his Semblance what would have been a display of pettiness "Plenty of bars where people don't talk to the law, coulda easily had this talk over a drink"

"You think they don't talk, I've learned to put no stock in the idea of honour among thieves" Carmesi answered with a glower, hellish red eyes almost glowing with barely contained malice.

"Suit yourself man" Petrol shrugged, once again trying to feign nonchalance and hide the fear the older Faunus instilled in him through his sheer presence alone "But let's hurry this shit up though, it's cold and I've got places I'd rather be….We've had a good week, thought I might celebrate with somebodies' daughter y'know-"

"Your plans are cancelled" Carmesi informed him bluntly, arms folding across his chest in a silent challenge before adding "The Benefactor has work for us"

"Both of us?" Petrol fought the urge to appear visibly nervous or uncomfortable at the notion whilst Carmesi himself merely chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying the sense of panic he inspired in the criminal, the last twisted vestiges of something resembling the life of a Hunter.

"Both of us" he nodded "And perhaps two dozen of your most trusted and capable, people you trust to operate the….Heavy machinery you've acquired over the last few days"

"I'm gonna need more details here" Petrol insisted, the chance to frame this conversation as simple, dirty business allowing him to find his rhythm "Right now the stuff we took from the other crews is all we've got, so that's a big ask for someone who hasn't held up their end of-"

"The target is the Cosmo-Guild Industries plant based outside of the city limits" Carmesi interrupted firmly "The Benefactor requires certain items to be recovered from the facility and it will be you and your peoples' job to provide a distraction and cover any tracks by making the damage appear more random as well as stealing other things….I assume you are familiar with Cosmo-Guild Industries and what it is they produce?"

"They're a robotics firm right?"

"And an arms manufacturer, with some overlap between the two" Carmesi waited for a moment, watching understanding come to the younger Faunus before giving a smile that was all jagged teeth as he added "This is the Benefactor keeping up his end of the agreement, some of your people may be required to deal with defences and assist my work but the rest of you are free to steal whatever weapons and mech-suits you desire and the Benefactor will see to it that they are kept in working order and modified to your whims"

"See now you're making a sensible deal" Petrol grinned, the expression a sour and unwelcoming thing yet entirely incapable of troubling Carmesi who simply pressed on as though the criminal had not spoken.

"Are you capable of doing your job?"

"We handled everybody else right?" Petrol sneered "Not sure how many of the mech-suits are good to go right now and I'm gonna play it cautious with those….I've got people and lots of guns though, was it the Benefactor who gave the East-Side Crew those big Atlesian laser carbines?"

"The job will be Monday. I'll rendezvous with you at your lock-up near the old brickyard at seven pm tomorrow evening to delegate tasks and give a more detailed plan to our strike team. You have until then to choose and inform the people you want to bring and prepare your equipment and vehicles" with that Carmesi turned and strode away, dismissing Petrol before the younger man could answer and instead leaving the Avian Faunus casting a series of gestures in the general direction of Carmesi's retreating back whilst being fully aware that attempting to do anything more direct in response to the flagrant disrespect would see him be thrown to his death over the side of the bridge.

"Shit, brand new mech-suits though….Wait until I get my hands on that little prick with the Mohawk now; gonna crush 'em like a fucking bug" Petrol muttered under their breath as he turned and trudged his way towards a now uncertain destination, Scroll finding its' way to his hands so he could text the various young women he had considered entertaining that evening to tell them that plans had been cancelled and then beginning the process of drawing up a mental shortlist of who would be most suited to the coming heist.

All whilst being completely unaware that if he had ignored Carmesi's summons and instead managed to sneak his way into the party at Castle Vertigo then he would have come face to face with the student Hunter he had sworn a vendetta against.

---

For Regalia Russet the night was going terrifically so far.

Whilst she was certain that Castle Vertigo would have been the kind of spectacle she could stories of to the children of Clan Aiktishaf if had been completed and opened to the public in its' current state it held a charm all of its' own, albeit one which did provide several reminders to various horror movies she had watched at an age when their content was unsuitable for her. Surrounded by her fellow student Hunters and more importantly with her best friend beside her and a decided lack of chainsaw-wielding masked serial killers anyway to be found the Racoon Faunus had explored as much of the abandoned theme park as she and Astra had been able to without wandering too far away from areas that had been brought into some level of operation or into places which they had been warned by older students to steer clear of for various reasons.

The largest roller-coasters and other rides had remained dormant and darkened as none of those organising the party had felt confident enough in their ability to operate them to take the risk, though Regalia had spotted more than one individual clambering up the tracks and frames of the massive structures to afford themselves an even better view of the expansive city below. Beyond this Regalia had been appalled and mortified on a fundamental level by the dodgems, much to the amusement of her partner before she and Astra had watched from the edge of the crowd as Athena-Jade had been coaxed into a dance-off against Snapdragon Majus of Team SHMR, enjoyed several of the smaller attractions which had been brought to life and were being operated by older students of the various academies who seemed to enjoy the responsibility as much as the party itself and also watched the ongoing efforts to use gigantic water-slides into part of a makeshift race-course for those who owned hover-boards or similar devices with all of this being punctuated by several enlightening and entertaining conversations with the other second and third year students who had chosen to attend which the former nomad was grateful for Astra's presence and ability to facilitate, as much as Regalia had voraciously devoured and studied anything relating to the life of a Hunter for years before finally being accepted to Breaktide Academy opening conversations with people whom she had little else in common with had proven more difficult than expected, especially given that she was not a particularly heavy drinker and many of those who had arrived at the party before Team MARZ were decidedly sozzled by the time the Racoon Faunus could talk to them.

All of that what was currently secondary to the private conversation she and Astra were currently happening.

"Your parents really thought that?" Regalia managed to cough and sputter out through the last dregs of a drink that had been pressed into her hands and promptly expelled through her nostrils as Astra revealed the subject of their early talk with their father, the two of them having situated themselves in a tunnel like walkway between two more populated areas of Castle Vertigo so that they might happen upon their friends or absent team-mates by chance as well as so that they could have a moment of peace to collect their thoughts, even though the sensation of bass reverberating through the ground still reached them and the music, whilst muffled was still loud enough to clash with Regalia's exclamation as her words echoed through the enclosed tunnel.

"Okay, first of all!" Astra managed to gasp out between their laughter at their partners' response before draining the last of their current bottle and leaning back against the nearest wall "You didn't have to say it like that….I am a fucking catch"

"A flu is a catch" Regalia snorted, proud of herself in her slight tipsiness for delivering what she felt was a witty quip which had not been plagiarized from one of the countless movies she had seen during her time cramped within the confines of the Aiktishaf.

"Oh that was good" Astra beamed, appreciating the swiftness and delivery of the comment before refocusing "But I don't know if Mum really thinks we're dating or if it's just my Dad being an ass-hole….He does that sometimes, but now I feel like it's gonna be awkward 'cos I'm gonna have to make sure you don't get cornered and asked really weird questions if we're ever at my place"

"Heh" Regalia rubbed her hands together, wishing she had something more intelligent to contribute but finding herself silenced by a mixture of tiredness, mild intoxication blunting her senses slightly and the fact she was currently trying, with little success to process the jumbled mess of feelings that had left her cheeks burning despite the intolerable cold upon Astra's revealing of their parents mistaken beliefs.

The Racoon Faunus was so thoroughly discombobulated by it all that she was almost grateful for the interruption which presented itself a moment later, even upon realising that the blonde girl approaching them with her partner close enough that the two were almost draped over one another was Honey Scarlatina.

"Hey, Mohawk!"

"It's Astra" the Deer Faunus immediately perked up, almost standing to attention in the presence of the gold-eared Rabbit Faunus whom they clearly admired, something that left Regalia frowning for reasons she could not fully articulate beyond the idea that it reminded her of the worst parts of suffering through being on the edge of Astra's relationship with Wolfram. She slunk a little closer to her partner, as though ready to provide cover for them despite the lack of weapons that had been insisted on by Honey and her fellow organisers and waited for Honey herself to draw close enough for a proper conversation, her darker-haired and currently more provocatively dressed partner hanging back a single pace.

"Your friends are looking for you, they said they were gonna head back to the academy and Slate said she'll cover your cab fair….I said I'd pass the message on 'cos I wanted to talk to you"

"Sure" Astra visibly puffed their chest out with pride in a way which Honey seemed to pretend not to see.

"You hung out with Eagle last weekend right?"

"More with Felix but she was there" Regalia realised, with a slight sense of trepidation that she could not explain that this older, more experience and allegedly utterly terrifyingly capable Huntress being loosely connected to Astra through their relationships to members of Team FADE meant that the Rabbit Faunus, whose hair was once again styled in immaculate ringlets complementing her gold dress would always have a passable reason to approach her partner.

"We saw Eagle, she had some fun stories about missions she's been on" Regalia wasn't sure what made her place herself firmly at Astra's right hand side and interject but Honey's reaction was not what the Racoon Faunus had expected, though admittedly she had not been sure what to expect at all.

"Oh my gosh really, how is she?" Honey gasped "She was always my favourite cousin growing up, she used to babysit for me and everything….Mohawk the first time I met your brother Eagle let me paint his nails, it was great. I never see her any more 'cos she's always away on missions, you've gotta come and hang out with my team and tell me how she's doing….Bring your friend as well"

"Oh this is Regalia, my partner" Astra perked up, clearly privately cursing their own foolishness for not properly introducing their partner properly before that moment in a way which Regalia could not help but grin at.

"Regalia Russet, of Clan Aiktishaf; travellers of the wastelands of Menagerie; daughter to the Helms-woman of Aiktishaf" it was rare that she ever used such a formal greeting but in that moment, with alcohol and a confusing cocktail of myriad emotions, fear hidden somewhere amongst them coursing through her the Racoon Faunus felt that Honey Scarlatina was someone who should be met with a sense of decorum; her expectations were once again shattered as the blonde girls' eyes widened in abject wonder and she continued to prove that her actual personality was something vastly different to the persona those around her attributed to her.

"You're from Menagerie? Like actually originally from there?….That's so cool, I've always wanted to go, especially with my Aunt Velvet living there as well-"

"Easy Honey, you're scaring the poor girl" Honey's partner who had thus far been content to remain silent and simply observe almost purred with a sense of faint amusement which prompted Honey to turn and gracefully pull her closer so that the two were once again almost draped over one another with their closeness before Honey gently pressed her lips against those of her partner for a lingering, clearly slightly drunken kiss.

"Oh right, introductions" Honey seemed dazed as the two of them broke apart "This Yuki, my partner and….Uh my partner, yeah. So, are you two gonna come and hang out before you get that cab back?"

"Sure" Astra beamed, clearly unbothered by the fact the girl Regalia had assumed that their interest in was more than platonic had just kissed someone else in front of them and Regalia herself, seeing this was left slightly stunned as her brain, addled by alcohol as it was was first overcome by a wave of relief and then a swooping, plummeting feeling that spilled through her as that relief gave context to her other jumbled feelings.

Which she promptly decided that it was neither the time nor the place to try and make sense of or examine and any detail and pushed firmly downwards so that she could continue to enjoy the party.

Author's Notes:

Okay, so this was the last chapter of scene setting and paradigm shifting now that we're in Neo Vale and from the next chapter we'll be moving into the Finale of Vol.04.
I can't lie it has kinda felt a little jumbled and spotty for the back half of this volume, but then again it's basically been trying re-establish everything in a quarter of a volume and still keep the plot and narrative moving along with develop existing dynamics; volume five and six will give us a bit more equilibrium.
The fact I've felt like shit for the last couple weeks has also probably got something to do with it.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Sorry Regalia, can't relate….I would kill for some nice frosty weather right now.
I never went to university except for some parties I wasn't actually supposed to be at, I only know of dormitory shenanigans through second-hand stories and pop culture; but having to negotiate for the bathroom with strangers would probably get me kicked out in the first week.
AJ and Astra's friendship is fun to write.
Makeup in the car on the way put of the police station, callback to chapter 01.
Zirconia would absolutely turn up to a shady student party with a bottle of something aged and high class.
Nero has been a very busy boy….And let's be real, if the press caught him meeting up with an undisclosed random younger man in an unoccupied building the story they'd go with is is "Billionaire has new boy toy" before anything conspiracy related.
I don't like coffee shop AUs but I do love throwing the occasional coffee shop joke in.
Yeah Grimm cultist and sentient Grimm actually having a chat seems risky.
So Nero did play both sides a little bit, when Petrol went to make a power play and take control of the gangs in the city Nero started moving some of them out of the city, putting them in his debt and widening his net.
Carmesi and Petrol are doing a job together, Team MARZ have a mission coming up and now there's talk of extra Hunters being moved in to look for some missing people out of the city limits….I'm not even being subtle about where this is going.
If you read FADE, this park is where Astra and Felix first met and Astra first learned to fight.
I feel like Myrtle's response to Clunker, as a civilian who did not grow up on Menagerie is pretty fair and accurate.
Also….I am an absolute cock, I went back and re-read an earlier scene with Redwood and I realised that for at least one scene I've called him Redshank, which I'm gonna have to go back and correct at some point. Redwood Mars is Astra's Dad, Redshank was another OC from FADE, Dove Bronzewing's son.
Astra's parents, despite their misgivings about Astra being a Hunter took one look at Team MARZ and thought "Yep, adopting these".
I know at least a few of you ship Astra x Regalia, the ship-name is Scrap-metal and Astra's parents ship it too.
So Astra has a birthday present waiting for them when they get back from the mission, three guesses what it is.
Penny and the word Hip….Thank you RWBY Manga anthology.
The Tiger and Stygian scene is where I feel like my pacing and flow took a hit, but again the missions will give us a chance to really give these new secondary characters a chance to shine and Vol.05 gives a chance to expand and develop.
So Tiger was swinging a trident about and Stygian just appeared right next to the blade, I've hinted at his Semblance without outright stating what it is but you'll see it soon enough.
"Why did you think that, you've commented on my lack of social skills enough times to know better" Oof, lines like that give enough of a sense of how this team has interacted for the last year.
Stygian, good intentions….Questionable execution.
And now a little background on this cluster-fuck of a team….They've been dysfunctional even since initiation because Tiger got partnered with Stygian right after she saw the twin brother she'd been looking for get wounded in the field. As for her doing a canon Vol.01 Weiss and trying to get the teams reworked, I can't say I agree with her but it's a position I can understand.
"Is there anything I could do that would stop you from talking?" oh god she does have Weiss vibes.
That home truth about Snapdragon is gonna sting, but it's the kinda thing you honestly need to hear….Kids listen, there's no point trying to have a rivalry with people, life isn't an anime and 99% of the time the other person doesn't care.
Stygian isn't a dick here it's just bruised ego, he flirted with the hot girl, made a dick of himself and doesn't want to hang out a party where she's gonna be with her girlfriend….Hardly a bitter incel.
Some progress with this shambles of a partnership.
Of course hops rented a limo to bring them to the shady party.
Castle Vertigo….Do you have any idea how long it took me to come up with a name for this abandoned amusement park that I was happy with? I had to name the chapter after it out of a sense of accomplishment, I feel like I spent enough time describing the place that I've gotta use this location for something else as well, ideas are currently percolating.
Water-slide as a skateboard tunnel/ramp, you know you wanna try it.
AJ and Hops moments are always fun to write….And not just because we all know that it's a ticking time bomb.
Oh no, the L word has been brought into it.
Meaningful conversation averted by Snapdragon….Because those hover-boots vs AJ's glyphs in a dance off is too good of an idea to pass up.
Also we now have names for all of Team SHMR: Snapdragon, Hibiscus, Marsh and Ravi.
Petrol is such a hood kid at his core….Which also means that he was probably old enough to remember Rhodium Torchwick.
Of course everyone in the city knows about the parties on Castle Vertigo and that's allowed them to become the source of a ton of rumours and urban legends; even Astra didn't know the specifics of them. It makes sense.
Of course Petrol is low-key jealous of the prestige Hunters have and wants to go sneak into their party just to tell everyone that he did it.
Carmesi does have a knack for entrances.
"Your plans are cancelled" just casually ruining someone's weekend, no mercy.
So some more talk about the upcoming attack, Cosmo-Guild is the subsidiary of Nero's company which made the drones we saw during the arrival to Neo Vale, they also make other robots and weapons; Petrol is being allowed to take what he wants for his gang as payment whilst raiding it so that Carmesi can acquire the parts Nero needs for his plan….Gestalt Prime + battle robots, fun times.
The final touch of Petrol swearing revenge on Astra without realising that he could have just gone to the party and seen them there felt poetic.
Regalia deserves all of the good things.
Yeah her response to finding out Astra's parents think the two of them are an item is fair.
Okay see anyone with eyes can see what's going on here but in Regalia's defence she grew up sheltered, most of her exposure to romantic relationships is from Remnant equivalent to 80s movies and she's a demisexual who only learned the word demisexual exists a few weeks ago….Let her figure this shit out, besides we've got enough things to do and who doesn't love a good slow burn.
Let's be honest Regalia is a little jealous of way Astra perks up at the sight of Honey...and is also a little bit scared of her, which is funny because it's going to be a running thing through the time in Neo Vale that Honey Scarlatina is an absolute darling.
Also, Yuki the Y of Team Honey….Not sure which spelling I'm gonna go with, Honey's partner and girlfriend; because we're nipping a dumb love-triangle arc in the bud. Regalia is figuring her feelings out, Astra has a slight hero-worship thing going on and Honey is oblivious to it all.

So two chapters in a row with no reviews….I'm going to be honest that's the kind of thing that makes writers just quit writing.

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