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Chapter 112: Team MARS
Athena-Jade Slate had returned to her team, odd as that word currently felts' dormitory late the previous evening, shamefaced at her own cowardice as she waited until her team-mates would be asleep unless they had specifically chosen to await her return.
They had not and the Bear Faunus had been relieved to find that Astra and Regalia were sound asleep in their own beds, clearly slow and tentative with the new developments between them that she personally had been unaware of whilst the bunk above her own which now belonged to Stygian was empty entirely, prompting a fresh wave of suspicious but aimless thoughts from the pale young woman to fray her nerves even further. Eventually however it had become clear that the Mouse Faunus was not going to simply appear out of the shadows to demand an apology or at least an explanation, nor to trouble her in any other way and Athena had been able to resist no longer; the frigid temperatures of Menagerie's nights being enough to see her huddle beneath the masses of blankets she typically slept with where her exhaustion, both physical and mental had seen her drift into a fitful and uneasy sleep.
Now morning had come and that rest seemed far too little for the day ahead, even in light of how poorly Athena usually functioned in the morning.
"AJ come on, we're gonna be late….I don't wanna miss breakfast!" Regalia's voice intruded on the Bear Faunus's attempts to organise her thoughts, punctuated by a sharp knock on the bathroom door in what was the second such urging for her to hurry along; with Astra having given the first.
In truth she had been ready for several minutes and could leave the bathroom at any time, it was simply a matter of mentally psyching herself up to do so.
Upon being dragged, haltingly piecemeal and with several attempts back into the waking world and making sense of her surroundings she had seen, with some relief that Regalia was just leaving the shower and Astra was entering as the Deer Faunus had clearly failed to employ their usual habit of waking at almost the crack of dawn to ensure that their hair was perfectly styled; which left both them and Regalia making pointed but bashful attempts to look anywhere but one another as they crossed paths despite being in no more of a state of undress than they had been around one another countless times before.
After some mercifully brief attempts at small-talk and catching up from Regalia, who quickly remembered how unsuited to such things her friend was at such an hour Athena-Jade had been the final member of the trio to shower and dress and was currently lingering in a room whose steam-filled humidity left condensation trickling down the walls and clouded the mirror enough to prevent her from studying her own features; something she was forced to conclude was probably for the best given that she no longer wore childishly decorated band-aids as fashion accessories and frankly did not wish to see how severe the bags around her eyes truly were. It took her a few more moments of mental preparation and running her hands through hair that was already tied back before finally she decided that she was as ready as she could possibly make herself and slowly trudging across the bathroom towards the door, adjusting her tie of her Breaktide Academy uniform as she went and finally taking the black gloves that were part of her combat gear and slipping them on.
"Okay, I'm ready" she announced in a glum-sounding monotone, passing her friends and making to reach for her book bag until she heard Astra let out a faintly annoyed sigh
"Finally"
"You don't get to complain, you take long enough on your hair every day!" Athena snapped, realising only part way through the biting retort that she had not intended to sound nearly so aggressive; before she could begin to offer an apology Astra had straightened out and reared up from where they had been leaning against their beds' frame. The sight of Regalia stepping between them with a warning glare directed at both of them enough to make each of the pair take a moment to reconsider, with Astra gently looping their arms around Regalia's waist and resting their forehead against hers.
"Can you do me a favour?" they asked in a muted murmur "Find Stitch in the canteen and save us a table, we'll catch up…I just need to talk to AJ for a sec"
"Sure, okay" Regalia gave her partner a final, lingering look wherein a silent plea for them to be careful with their words seemed to pass between them and Athena watched as Regalia slowly peeled away from Astra after a moment where it was painfully obvious that the two would have liked to kiss one another but were restraining themselves to spare their friends feelings. Regalia left and Athena, forcing her tone into something that could, if one were generous be called sunny.
"So, when did that happen?"
"It's...I….I guess it's still happening, work in progress" Astra shrugged, cheeks colouring as a fond and distant look filled their sea-green eyes "We kissed before….before the summer and we're still working things out but yeah; she's the best"
"She is" Athena nodded, forcing herself to show some of the happiness she genuinely felt for her friends even if dredging such things to the surface currently took far more effort than she was used to "I'm glad, hope it works out for you too"
"Yeah….but look, we need to talk" Astra let out a slow breath, steeling themselves and searching for the words they needed in order to make their point without hurting their friends' feelings "You need to apologise to Stitch"
"I don't-"
"No, listen to me AJ….Please" Astra massaged the point where their antlers sprouted from their skull in what Athena recognised was a clear sign of stress
"I get that you're probably not in a good place right now, things are a mess and I don't think any of us are okay, not really….Zirconia, what she did hurt all of us and we're all trying to pick the pieces up"
"I don't wanna talk about this Astra" Athena's voice was a clear effort at firmness, though a faint wavering note betrayed her and Astra gave her a sympathetic nod.
"I get that" they paused for a moment, once again considering their words "I get that this is worse for you than the rest of us and listen AJ, if you ever do wanna talk about this then you know I'm always here right?….But in the meantime, we're here, we're back at Breaktide and Stitch is one of us now. We need things to work, because what the hell are we gonna do if they don't? That means you're gonna have to work with Stygian and, if I'm honest AJ….You were out of line last night, he hasn't done anything wrong and you can't take this out on him"
"Fine" Athena forced the word out in a tone that was perfectly neutral, material of her gloves audibly straining her hands balled into fists before she could master her emotions enough to make for the door.
"So you're gonna apologise? Or at least try and make this work?" Astra sounded cautiously optimistic as they grabbed their own bag and followed after her, popping the collar of their uniforms' shirt as they went simply out of habit.
"I said fine" Athena repeated bluntly as she fixed her features into a determined grimace and marched in the direction of the canteen where she would be exposed to the full student body of Breaktide Academy for the first time since Zirconia had abandoned her.
She tried to mask how much that prospect scared her and simply hoped that her scowl would keep questions at bay.
Stygian gave a final stretch and placed a hand under his chin to manually crick his neck, relieving soreness and stiffness caused by sleeping in an uncomfortable position before giving himself a final once over in the mirror. Those marked out by the Hunters who controlled Pikesreach to be its' future defenders were expected to train and thrive in the harshest conditions the island could throw at them and so taking his belongings to the lockers attached to the changing rooms and showers behind the campus gym, sleeping on a bench there with his jacket serving as a makeshift blanket to fend off the cold was far from the worst he had been forced to contend with and he was certain that if any of the older inhabitants of the settlement he had fled could see him now his perceived softness would simply be one more reason for them to be disappointed in him.
Yet he still hoped he would be able to sleep in an actual bed in the near future.
After leaving his new teams' dormitory Stygian had first scoured hallways and corridors that he had spent recent days becoming slowly more familiar with and half-heartedly considering seeking out company to distract himself from his feelings, though any ill-considered notions of becoming acquainted with students of Breaktide Academy he had not yet met or seeking out those who had travelled to Neo Vale and perhaps enjoying the company of some particularly attractive young woman were quickly set aside and so, as he set out in search of somewhere to sleep the Mouse Faunus had been forced to confront his own thoughts regarding what had happened between himself and his new partner.
Truthfully he held no ill will towards Athena and whatever brief sparks of anger had ignited with his self-imposed banishment had fizzled out within a matter of moments. This was not the first time Stygian had struggled in such a situation, the deliberately isolated and inward-looking culture of Pikesreach had left him searching for frames of reference and common ground with those born in the Kingdoms in the immediate wake of fleeing from the wastes of Menagerie and immediately boarding a vessel away from the island and then again, at Halo Academy he had struggled for over a year to form a relationship with his former partner which functioned in any capacity outside of battles.
He already knew Athena and over the course of their time together at Halo Academy over the previous year what had begun as simple attraction to the bear Faunus had grown into genuine respect and friendship wherein he had seen first-hand how important her relationship with Zirconia Shadowmoon, whose name he would curse every time it was uttered had been. Despite his own commitment to making Team MARS and the new arrangement they found themselves a part of work he was not foolish enough to believe that it would be easy for her and had easily come to terms with that fact that there were difficult conversations to be had.
Though as Stygian cricked his neck again in the opposite direction it was hard to ignore the idea that such conversations would be difficult when his new partner refused to stay in the same room as him.
As he tied back the part of his hair towards the back of his head that had remained unbraided and arranged the pair royal blue braids which framed his face and took a moment, more attempts than he would admit to fasten the tie of a uniform that was admittedly similar to his old one and yet still managed to feel like a departure, the former member of Team TRQS looked at his reflection in the changing room mirror. His tattoos, marking a life that had been mapped out for him and subsequently rejected were largely hidden from view, his electric blue eyes were somewhat bloodshot and bleary from a lack of proper rest and their was a tension he carried in his shoulders which he sensed would be obstinate in its' refusal to leave and yet despite it all he was happy in his overall appraisal of himself.
Professor Coco Adel had understood his goals and dreams and had supported him in transferring to her academy and so, regardless of whatever challenges presented themselves he promised himself that they would be overcome.
With that in mind the dark-skinned young man made his way back to where his belongings currently were and first slipped the two necklaces he had taken to wearing, the one with his own emblem and the other a rope of beads in homage of his former partner, around his neck in a violation of the uniform standards that he hoped might be overlooked. From there he began gathering up his belongings only to halt as a casual glance at his scroll cause him to see that a small light on its' casing was blinking was to indicate that he had received a message which, upon opening the device he quickly realised was from none other than Tiger Santara.
'Stitch, just making sure you actually wake up because old habits die hard and I wouldn't want you to reflect badly on me by becoming a bad influence on your new team. Keep in touch like we both promised, it's strange to not have you here' those last words contained and conveyed so much more than the words themselves and Stygian found himself nodding in agreement as though Tiger had been present and spoken the words aloud; after staring at the message in silent contemplation for a few moments the began typing a reply, deciding to match the same familiar biting but joking tone that his friend had used as it was simply too early in the morning to add another heartfelt conversation onto his potential itinerary.
'I was already awake Tee, so a) fuck you and b) it looks like your leadership taught me something, so thanks. I get what you mean, I miss you guys and it hit me when I put this new uniform on that I'm not coming back. Get in touch with Amaya and Rye if you can?' the Mouse Faunus read the words back to himself a few times before deciding that he was satisfied even if it did veer towards being more honest than he had meant, finally snapping a picture of himself in his new uniform with tigers' eye beads plainly visible and playfully making a rude gesture to his old partner before sending the message. From there Stygian gathered what he would need for his first few classes and stowed the rest of what he had brought from the dormitory, including his sword which he was somewhat reluctant to part with in a locker which was currently open and unclaimed before making to leave.
Only for his scroll to begin vibrating with an incoming call, leaving the Mouse Faunus breathing through his nose in exasperation.
"Fuck sake, really?" he hissed to nobody in particular before seeing that it was Astra calling him and answering "Hey man, what's up?"
"Hey, sleep well?"
"And fuck you too" the deliberately over-cheery tone earned him a laugh from his new team leader and Stygian found himself wondering briefly if having known Astra as a friend previously might make following his lead difficult now that the Deer Faunus had a position of authority over him; hailing from Pikesreach had left him unused to the idea of a fluid or mutable hierarchy.
"Yeah, yeah" Astra snorted "Listen, Regalia is probably already in the canteen and AJ and I are heading there now so if you're not there yet then head over. We don't do official team meetings or whatever Tiger did but we still eat together most days"
"Am I welcome?" Stygian winced at his own tone, the bitter sarcasm being harsh even to his own ears though Astra waited only a beat before answering; likely having expected something of the sort.
"Of course you're welcome. Look we're all sorry about last night okay, see you there?"
"Sure man" and with that the call ended, leaving Stygian to gather his thoughts once more and begin wading through his feelings; a task which the Mouse Faunus found far more simple than one might expect as he considered Athena-Jade, his new partner, someone who had been deceived by someone she given her heart to and left to suffer the consequences, his friend and the reason he had slept on a bench in a cold locker room.
She needed help and Stygian decided that he would help her in any way he could, if only she would allow herself to be helped.
Pantheon was a being capable of immense patience.
The sentient being which presided over a vast, interlinked network which amounted to the largest concentration of Grimm psyche left on Remnant had begun their existence as part of a simple contingency plan made by Salem, part of her efforts to return herself from oblivion after initial defeat had left her stranded beyond the flow of space and time. Patience and an ability to plan and adapt whilst serving as a focal point around which other monsters could gather had been key to that original purpose and those same abilities had continued to be paramount in the role that Pantheon had ascended to roughly a decade ago that of the usurper Grimm General and natural successor to Salem herself.
And yet that patience was being tested.
The hulking monstrosity remained motionless atop their throne of twisted metal, crossed with veins and ribbons of pulsing, fleshy tissue; the remains of a desperate attempt to kill Pantheon which now sat as a trophy and monument within the heart of the labyrinthine fortress they had carved into the ocean floor.
Pantheon themselves, despite their stillness was entirely aware and conscious and sat with both pair of arms steepled before them in an attitude of deep thought and contemplation with the membranous cape which had once been wings, since fused and morphed gave the monster an almost regal air which was further exaggerated by the crown of bone spires which grew from the skeletal helmet which was a fused and integrated part of their snarling maw. The eyes of General Grimm were too inhuman to ascribe any easily recognisable emotion to, six in total, sunken things arranged in two inverted triangular patterns which gave off a baleful glow more intense than those of the average Creature of Grimm and yet, if one were to study Pantheon in that moment they would almost certainly be able to describe the monsters' gaze as calculating.
"Come to me" the words left them in a distorted an unnatural and echoing voice which attacked every part of the scale and register at once; Pantheon's clawed tail swishing gently where it was coiled around their throne and saurian legs, its' sharpened, chitinous appendages clacking faintly whilst their living cape gave a reflexive, shuddering spasm though the most clear sign that something had been put in motion and that the General Grimm were not simply speaking to themselves were the crackling arcs of violet lightning which jumped and forked between the various prongs of their crown of spiked bone before extending outwards to strike the walls of the fortress chamber. The signal, for that was what it was began to pass through the vast construct of condensed and reinforced Grimm tissue which sat above broken seabed and glowing, venting magma; the pulsing signal being intended for the attentions of specific Creatures of Grimm which dwelled within the bowels of the fortress of violet and ebony spires itself.
Those creatures answered the call in short order.
"Come" Pantheon repeated, more subdued now as the first of them came bobbing into view.
They were unique strain of Grimm, a kind which Pantheon themselves had created for a specific purpose and the most immediately notable thing about them was that they seemed to float without any visible source of power or propulsion.
Overall they most resembled a squid, with a body whose main bulk was roughly the size of the average person and which could almost be described as inverted in some way as it hung in the air with what passed as a face making up its' lowermost regions. The top of the floating squid creature was an odd shape to describe, a bulbous and tubular thing tipped with an arrowhead with rounded edges; a sac of stretched and glistening ebony skin which had become a visceral, arterial red with the stain it seemed to be under which was entirely without armour despite holding innards of some unclear but obvious importance. Within this sac were fluids of an uncertain nature within which bobbed a roiling viscous mass not unlike the Spawning Pits from Grimm were birthed but yet more coalesced and congealed in appearance, a rippling and shifting thing which seemed to crackle with some internal energy and the same violet lightning Pantheon themselves had sent forth as the mass oscillated between a roiling thundercloud and floating brain matter.
Beneath this bizarre and twisted mass of fluid and organs was the head of the Grimm, as unfitting a descriptor as that was for the jutting and misshapen mass of bone and thin-stretched tissue littered with uneven eyes, misplaced and of unequal size which overall seemed to be little more than a means by which to connect the glistening sac to the tendrils with erupted from where the things' maw might have been. Each tendril was entirely devoid of armour and comprised of an inky blackness even deeper than that which formed the usual Grimm-flesh, the boneless limbs of which their were at least a dozen were thin and prehensile things which had the same odd quality of being able to float and hover which allowed them to drift in the air around the Grimm rather than trail along the ground as each tendril was roughly twice the length of the monster itself.
Or they would be, if they were in fact there at all.
The tendrils sported another odd quality, one quite unique to this particular Creature of Grimm in that its' appendages appeared to be in a constant state of being unmade and then remade once again; not to say that the thing regenerated or healed itself but instead that a miasma of faint, wispy darkness pervaded it as though the tendril had been severed and was fading away and from within that misty void the writhing limbs seemed to flicker in and out of reality at odd points. Despite their disturbing appearance and qualities Pantheon gave the closest thing to a smile that their inhuman features could manage as the first of the floating, graceless thing was joined by others which began to flock around their throne.
Pantheon had called them 'Synapses' and they served a vital function.
Whilst they had been made to be a leader of the Grimm Pantheon had never been intended by Salem as any lasting form of replacement and had never been intended to oversee a section of the Hive-Mind as vast and complex as what they now considered their domain and as such solutions and workarounds had been devised.
Where the Grimm General was largely content to re-establish connections between lost swathes of the former Hive-Mind and otherwise keep and their influence in the affairs of the surface of Remnant to a minimum they had still seen the need to be able to reach out and tilt the proverbial scales to ensure that the cycle of creation and destruction was maintained; Pantheon was wholly capable of directing one or more Spawning Pits at any given time or compelling a tide of monsters under their command to act with more cohesion and intelligence than their own bestial nature would allow but ultimately with simple and defined parameters, controlling Spawning Pits all across Remnant however, attending to each of their various needs whilst commanding and seeing through the eyes of hundreds, if not thousands of lesser monsters, many of which had been purpose made for their specific role whilst maintaining control was an altogether greater task and one which threatened to tear Pantheon's consciousness asunder and leave them an empty, hollowed husk.
Synapses were both an amplifier and a buffer in one.
As they drew close the floating things whipped their formless appendages out and the vanishing, intangible tendrils merged with the web of vein-ridden, pulsing tissue which sprawled over twisted metal of Pantheon's throne and in turn fastened itself to the membrane of the Grimm General's living cape; causing their eyes to glow more brightly.
Information flooded in and yet it brought no answers.
The snarl which escaped Pantheon was a low, vibrating thing which threatened to shake stalactites of violet crystal from the roof of their chamber, changing in note and tone from the pain rush of air that followed their mind being overloaded with incalculable streams of data to a sound of deep, burning vitriol.
"Where is it….Where is Gestalt-Prime" the Grimm General had dedicated themselves to seeking out their fellow sentient monster, the one who whose dangerous designs threatened the stability of the cycle that they had taken to upholding by untethering the Creatures of Grimm entirely and transforming them into an all consuming scourge, something that would tilt the scales so heavily that there could be no creation in their wake. Thus far Gestalt-Prime had been impossible to find, having gone to ground somewhere beyond Pantheon's ability to see with thorough scouring of their last known location providing nothing of any value; in response Pantheon had begun subtly building raiding parties of Grimm, stronger than naturally occurring packs and having them hunt and stalk through places that might harbour the enemy or allow their secrets to become known. The latest influx of information the Synapses, each of them overseeing a portion of Pantheon's will across the vastness of Remnant had revealed that the latest raiding and search parties had found nothing and so Pantheon would dismiss them, turning the beasts loose to worry and maul any humans they encountered; unknowingly contributing the spikes of Grimm activity which had currently panicked the Kingdoms.
"Where are you?" Pantheon growled, questioning the darkness around them as the Synapses detached themselves and floated away.
They were patient however and they knew well enough from the vague outlines of Gestalt-Prime's plans that they had seen that their enemy would have to emerge sooner or later.
The first class of the day for Third Year students had been a busy and practical lesson which had allowed no room for talking or distraction, an advance survival training course which had been taken as an elective and which had been introduced to the students outdoors; though still in their uniforms as weapons and combat gear had not been deemed necessary. This had been followed by a Combat Class, taught by the always demanding and unquestionably stern Professor Arslan Altan, whose no nonsense approach to teaching and the announcements she had elected to make at the start of the class had been a welcome distraction for Athena-Jade if only because they ensured that her peers were distracted from her presence.
The first order of business had naturally been for the Combat Instructor to impress upon them the seriousness and necessity of her subject, one of the core lessons at Breaktide Academy which could not be dropped at any point and using the example of what had happened only a few shorts months ago at the Vytal Tournament and the new threats which now lurked across Remnant as an example of why her class was of the utmost importance; parlaying that into a brief series of announcement regarding the obvious change in the makeup of the Third Year class.
Firstly there had been the announcement that Athena-Jade had been dreading, though it had come with additions she had not expected and so the Bear Faunus had been just as rocked as her classmates upon hearing that along with Zirconia Shadowmoon's proven defection the entirety of Team NUGT were currently unaccounted for and signs pointed to them having joined Damascus Nero. Immediately following this had been Stygian Blue's official introduction to his new peers and the Mouse Faunus's first experience with Professor Altan's gruelling standards as, whilst she had seen his abilities in the Vytal Tournament just as everyone else had she was yet to verify them herself and so, with the faintest hints of a smirk she offered the new addition to the class up for any of her students who had not ventured to Neo Vale to spar against.
That class had ended however and now Athena-Jade's nerves had reached a point where every word she wrote in her efforts to take notes was a small victory as it required her to keep her hands steady.
"Hey AJ?….AJ?….Hey-"
"What is it?" her words were a hissed, snapping sound; barely above a whisper and filled with an inordinate amount of venom as her head whipped up from where she had been staring blankly at the page before her in an effort to write something that might be useful or meaningful later despite the professors' voice having been reduced, in her mind at least to a dull and incoherent drone. It had, almost predictably been Stygian who had attempted to speak to her and the young man whom Athena felt looked remarkably out of place in a Breaktide Academy uniform visibly reeled back in his seat at the sight of the wild-eyed glare her was treated to, Athena's sharp teeth remained bared for a moment longer before she forced herself to take a steadying breath in a futile effort to regain even a baseline modicum of calmness.
"Are you….okay?" Stygian whispered, leaning closer again with an apologetic expression which made it clear that he understood fully how ridiculous the question sounded but simply needed to ask anyway. Athena grit her teeth and counted backwards silently, taking another breath as she mustered up more of her self control before answering. She knew that she was being unkind and unfair, she knew that Stygian was simply trying to continue the friendship that had already existed between them and make the situation they had found themselves in work and yet, despite that knowledge she could not bring herself to accept the idea of starting from the beginning again; of building another partnership from an unsteady beginning just as she had done with Zirconia.
"What do you want?" she demanded bluntly, choosing to ignore the question out a simple inability to answer it honestly.
"Do you have notes for this class from before you came over to Halo? Or do you know who I can borrow from?" the question, in its' mundane simplicity managed to catch Athena off-guard and leave her blinking for a fraction of a second. The class that they were currently in the midst off was a General Studies lesson taught by a man who had managed to earn the respect of the student Hunters despite being in the rare position of having never been a Hunter himself, instead teaching both at the academy and at a local community college within Port Alistair; it was a class that Athena-Jade had truthfully not expected to return to. Astra had apparently made some changes to their electives since the teams previous discussions on the matter and General Studies was something that she realised she could understand their interest in as it appealed to their ethos of having an answer of some kind ready for every scenario. Though the changes themselves Athena-Jade realised with a sickening feeling she should have expected.
"You're seriously struggling with this?" Athena shook her head, trying to clear it whilst also trying to find a way to quickly end the conversation with the young man whose mere presence she found unnerving at the moment. Her answer however was one which was quickly countered, thus protracting her suffering.
"AJ come on" Stygian huffed, first signs of open annoyance creeping into his voice despite his own efforts to be understanding; adding more quietly "The syllabus was different at Halo….And I'm not from the Kingdoms"
"Yeah sure" Athena-Jade answered blankly, staring directly ahead and forcing herself to try and take in the ongoing lecture despite her minds' apparent unwillingness to settle and focus and trying, with equally lacklustre results to ignore Stygian's presence through sheer force of will alone. She had spoken too loudly however and in doing so had disrupted her teacher, in turn prompting him to cast a single pointed look over his shoulder as he stopped short.
"If Miss Slate could please refrain from having what I'm sure is an important conversation with her new partner in the middle of my class, that would be grand" The words hit Athena like a physical blow, leaving her numb and breathless as her stomach churned and ringing filled her ears.
The moment she had been dreading had come.
General Studies classes did not take place in lecture halls, they were instead held in more traditionally laid out classrooms; this particular class having desks large enough for two people and each desk being taken up by a pair of partners with Athena-Jade and Stygian having found themselves, much to the Bear Faunus's extreme discomfort in the middle of the classroom. The teacher had turned his back to the class and continued on with his preprepared lesson already, sparing no further time or thoughts on the snowy-haired young woman he had challenged but in Athena's mind the damage had already been done.
Eyes had already been turned towards her, attention had been drawn to the fact that she had a new partner and the Bear Faunus swore that with every second that passed she could hear more and more whispers filling the classroom; all of them directed at her and each of them an accusation.
How could they trust her? How could she not have known what her partner was? How could she let Zirconia run away?
Her pen struck the surface of her desk with a quiet thud, being swept from its' surface along with her textbooks and notepad a moment later in a disorganised mess that filled her bag in a way she would never normally tolerate; in the next instant Athena was on her feet and taking a single shaky step on treacherous and uncertain legs whose current wavering had nothing to do with the scars that now littered them in the wake of Carmesi Hueso's violence.
The feeling of a hand gently grabbing her wrist nearly saw her lash out and break the offending limb before a familiar voice reached her through the haze of panic and sudden nausea.
"What's wrong?" Astra had been at the desk beside her own and was now regarding Athena with a look of deep concern.
"I think I'm gonna be sick" Athena admitted, painfully aware that the act of standing had drawn more eyes to her and brought the class to a halt, with Astra unintentionally keeping her pinned in place and under scrutiny she could not stomach.
"You want Regalia to go-" Athena shook her head and broke free of Astra's weak hold on her before all but fleeing the classroom with her breath coming in ragged and shallow gasps.
By the time she had exited the room she had decided that she would not be returning to that lesson and would most likely be missing the following class as well.
Carmesi lunged at Zirconia, the burly and ferocious reptilian Faunus crashing down upon her like a wave of muscle and force with both of his swords at the ready. Zirconia responded by bracing herself and holding Sunriser Cain aloft horizontally to absorb the blow, sending a wash of dust and grit out in all directions as the hard ground fractured beneath her cybernetic limbs and limited her usually preternatural ability to maintain her footing and balance; for a single torturous moment which seemed to last for an eternity sparks flew from the point Vindication and Retribution had struck Sunriser Cain.
Then the Grasshopper Faunus retaliated.
Knowing that she could not hope to simply overpower the raw physical strength of her adversary she instead let momentum, positioning and his own power work against him by relaxing her arms and swing them down in such a way that the Komodo Dragon Faunus was left staggering forwards in an uncoordinated and flailing motion which he tried to repurpose into a charging headbutt only for Zirconia to use the power coiled in her mechanical, insectoid limbs to throw her self into a somersault which carried her over her opponent; in the perfect position to unleash a downward to-footed kick which impacted between Carmesi's shoulder-blades and left him sprawled on the ground with a resounding thump.
The crowd of Pikesreach's inhabitants gathered around their glorified sparring and training session erupted into cheers at the sight, entirely as planned.
Nero had arrived the night before with Gestalt-Prime and Aefen Cruor at his side to bolster the already overwhelmingly imposing forces that had taken control of the town in what they claimed was an act of liberation and despite giving grand speeches, despite his open discomfort dislike towards such public appearances the former Chairman knew and understood that if he wished to be believed, to have the truth of his vision seen by those he liberated from the system that had bound and yoked them, then he would have to achieve the twin goals of appearing strong enough to be believed when he promised that he could not only provide safety and security for the people of Pikesreach but also impart the ability to do so onto those same people whilst at the same time appearing human and relatable enough to be trusted. The former could be achieved with ease, the latter was a far more difficult task in the wake of the violence that had been visited upon the settlement and with the Cyber-Grimm still lumbering around its' perimeter and so Nero, privately aggravated at having to stoop to such cheap theatrics had taken the example of the Hunters he sought to depose and hosted an exhibition match between the two best fighters at his disposal.
"I think that will do for now" the former Chairman called from the sidelines of the makeshift arena, truthfully little more than a hastily marked out circle in a relatively open area of the town around which children and adolescents had quickly huddled. Hearing this Zirconia, understanding the showmanship that would need to be displayed gave a bow and a flourish whilst Carmesi dragged himself to his feet with a low, guttural rumble which made clear his distaste at the match being called the instant his opponent landed a blow against him.
Nero was certain that the younger man muttered something about 'Daddy's favourite' but chose to ignore it, instead addressing the assembled crowd as a whole.
"Despite current appearances, I think we can all agree that Carmesi here has some ability can we not?" there was a pause and a moment of awkward silence where Nero was forced to confront the stark reality that Carmesi had killed Pikesreach's defenders, that demeaning his ability was in turn an insult to the friends and family that had fallen and so he quickly pressed on, simply powering through his mistake.
"Carmesi made promises on my behalf, promises I intend to honour!" he exclaimed, raising his voice to something more suited to a convincing oratory "My Cyber-Grimm, under the command of Gestalt-Prime will protect your lands and your people. I bring Dust, medicine and resources in return for your cooperation and assistance in Doctor Cruor's work so that together we can change Remnant together and finally I offer you the means to take your protection and future into your own hands, all I ask is that when given these tools some of you might stand alongside me….With that in mind, Carmesi and I will soon return to our main base of operations elsewhere on the island; any of you wish to wield the power to create your own futures are welcome to join us"
There were waves of mutterings at that, the first members of the group of impressionable youngsters and adolescents already slipping away either to ready what few belongings they owned or else to seek the permission of their parents and spread word of Nero's promises across Pikesreach until the entire town was once again buzzing with talk of the strange figure who controlled Hunters and monsters alike, whose Grimm-faced scientist was the head of a cult whose beliefs had already begun to be whispered through the bleak settlement.
Nero allowed himself a small, awkward smile at the sight of his words having the desired effect, made all but impossible to deny as the proof of his abilities could be seen all around. At the same time Carmesi's hellish red eyes swept across the gathered people of Pikesreach and studied those who were either physically or mentally preparing to leave their home whilst Zirconia swallowed as a simple realisation came to her.
Damascus had said nothing about her returning to Jidhir Town with him.
"Where do you need me to be?" she murmured quietly as she closed the distance between them in a single, loping stride and took a position at his right hand side "Team NUGT, a few of our other fighters and I could begin scouting operations for our next-"
"Zirconia my dear" Nero wrapped an arm around her shoulders, unbothered by her armour and planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head "I need you to stay here, at least for a little while longer"
"But, why?" she fought to keep a pleading note out of her voice; instead straightening up, rolling her shoulders back and attempted to covey a sense of confidence through raw physicality like Athena-Jade had no matter how much it physically pained her to think of the Bear Faunus. For Zirconia there was no longer anything she could call normality and nowhere left that she could truly call home, after committing herself so fully to Nero's vision of a better Remnant and finding the realities of achieving it so much harsher than she could ever have imagined the Grasshopper Faunus, who had been sheltered since her parents' passing had found herself falling back on the last familiar comfort available to her only for it to be taken away.
She wanted reassurance from her father figure.
"Because you are the only person I trust to be my eyes and ears and my hands here" Nero answered gently, the one-armed hug becoming a littler tighter around her shoulders.
"Carmesi-"
"Has his own role to play and if we're honest…. He lacks the subtlety for this" Nero sighed.
"What is it you're asking me to do?" Zirconia turned, mismatched eyes wide and uncertain beneath the mask which showed only the scarred portion of her face.
"You told me that there were concerns about the potential for….Disruptions from the people of Pikesreach, yes?" Nero waited until Zirconia nodded in understanding before continuing "By breaking their ranks, having Carmesi take those who want to be fighters we limit the spread of those disruptions and by having our own people fill in the gaps this leaves we create opportunities to cement our own version of the future of Pikesreach more firmly. The problem of course lies in having Gestalt-Prime and Doctor Cruor in the same place, without Albion's influence to limit either of them….Tell me Zirconia darling, would you trust them unattended?"
She looked out across Pikesreach to where, in the distance a building was already being repurposed to serve as the mad scientists' personal quarters and laboratory with masses of equipment which defied description being carefully transported under the watch of chittering Cyber-Grimm.
"No" Zirconia shook her head before turning back to Nero "So you want me to be your spy?"
"A….Steadying influence" Nero smiled "We'll have communications set up here soon….For trusted individuals of course, that means yourself. Official reasons will be given for your continued presence here but truthfully you will be acting much as you did as a student Hunter; you've proven yourself well-suited to the role and I'm glad I can rely on you….Your parents would be proud of who you've grown into Zirconia"
"Thank you" the words came easily and were delivered in her usual calm and dignified tones however inwardly Zirconia was almost entirely numb; the only emotion with any consistency being an overwhelming sense of dread towards a future she was no longer sure she recognised or understood.
Being a part of Team MARZ had never terrified her like this.
The first day of classes had passed with the expected degree of gossip between students, many of whom had not seen one another for quite some time and with an amount of effort that was, as always more severe than anticipated as each of the returning students were shown to have underestimated the demands of the new years' syllabus and the freshman students who had endured their initiation only the day before were forcefully divested on any lingering high from that sense of achievement. With lessons concluded for the day and only the most hardy and driven of the student willing to immediately begin attending to assignments and study or push themselves any further physically there had been an unspoken consensus amongst the students, regardless of age and year group that the remainder of the day would simply be spent recovering and recuperating.
For Stygian Blue this meant experiencing the atmosphere of one of the students' common areas for the first time.
He had of course been aware of them, with Astra having made a point to show the Mouse Faunus where each of the areas that had been specifically designed for students to congregate and socialise were and explain the various pros and cons of each of them with a depth and nuance which had made them seem far more in depth than their closest analogues at Halo Academy; something attributed both to them being a more intrinsic part of the campus's design rather than an afterthought and also the simple fact that part of the architecture and structure of Breaktide Academy had been overseen by Coco Adel herself.
Stygian had initially thought Astra might be exaggerating somewhat in an effort to sell the positives of having transferred to Breaktide Academy, though now that the Deer Faunus's preferred hangout was populated it had become apparent that there was definitely a uniquely homely and welcoming feeling which the blue-haired young man found himself appreciating.
At present Astra and Regalia were close at hand and whilst the couple, if that was indeed what they were at this point had chosen not to be overly physical or public with their displays of affection neither of them it seemed had any qualms about sharing a comfy seat meant for one person; the Racoon Faunus having apparently been raised in a background where physical closeness and touching were largely expected and so having slightly different boundaries, though there was no mistaking the contentedness in either her own expression or Astra's as she leaned into them whilst the two paid only a limited amount of attention to the nearby television screen which was Stygian noted quite possibly the largest he had ever seen outside of a stadium.
The Mouse Faunus himself, despite lacking such a pleasant distraction was similarly disinterested in the current goings on as whilst a video game tournament of some sort would likely be a good way to better acquaint himself with his new peers he had lacked the opportunity to play them as a child and had simply never entertained them as a pass time in the relatively brief time he had been away from Pikesreach. Instead his electric blue gaze swept across the common room, taking in the sight of a small handful of cliques gathered around with the largest of which being a group comprising several students from different year groups clustering around a noticeboard; something Astra had explained was used by students wishing to buy, sell or trade items that were not provided by the academy itself and provided an invaluable resource which Stygian himself would likely make frequent use of.
Amongst this crowd was a student Stygian recognised as being a fellow third year, though the two of them were yet to be properly introduced to one another.
The young man, spindly and wiry and possessed of a skulking quality which made him appear perpetually as though he were being caught in the midst of something illicit wore an outfit of blacks, greys, translucent green and jarringly vivid yellows which featured countless pouches and pockets and a prominent opaque visor intended to cover his entire upper face but was currently raised and whose messy, spidery hair was a chemically blonde shade which clashed painfully with his gaunt and sickly pallid complexion whilst his narrow eyes were an almost poisonous shade of green. The two locked eyes for a moment, the unknown teen cocking his head as he considered Stygian before beginning to slink across the dormitory and in the process gesturing to what were clearly his own team-mates who flocked and gathered around him; leaving the Mouse Faunus more than a little uncomfortable under the intense attentions of the skulking blonde, a brown skinned young woman clad in tactical armour and suspenders over her shoulders with a scar below one eye whose fiery orange eyes held a powerful focus to them, a dark-skinned scorpion Faunus with a cowboy hat and a chitinous stinger arcing up over her head to add to her already incredible stature who walked had in hand with a sharp-featured and powerfully built young man clad in odd pieces of almost knightly armour adorned with spikes, whose smokey blue-grey hair was tied back into a wolfs' tail and whose eyes were a thundery shade of steel grey.
"Astra, Regalia….Do we know these guys?" Stygian fought to keep his voice even and without a sudden hint of nervous suspicion at being so closely scrutinised until his two friends and two team-mates turned their attention towards the newcomers and reacted with a friendly familiarity and open happiness which immediately put the Mouse Faunus at ease.
Until the girl with the orange eyes and intense demeanour spoke.
"Stygian Blue?….Of Team TRQS?"
"I used to be?….And call me Stitch" the questioning note in Stygian's voice as he rose to his feet instinctively could not be helped; though his confusion was amplified further when the young woman drew close enough to put her hands on his shoulders, the physical closeness having the feeling of being something she was unused to and did not engage with lightly
"Thank you" the words were earnest, genuine in a way which left Stygian baffled and entirely unsuspecting when the towering Scorpion Faunus wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a crushing hug that saw him lifted off of the ground in a fit of wheezing and sputtering which saw left his team-mates and everyone else nearby laughing until Astra finally saw fit to interject.
"Okay, set him down he looks lost" the Deer Faunus chuckled before addressing Stygian himself "These are Team WULF, friends of ours….Not sure what this is about though?"
"I'm Wolfram, Wolfram Ironside" the apparent leader of the team held a hand out for Stygian to shake "These are my partner Ursinia, Laser and Diabla….Turns out your old team actually rescued Ursinia's cousin, who is also Diabla's girlfriend on a mission last year"
"Mighty fine work you did there" Ursinia nodded solemnly "Huck was all shaken up about it, but she's healing up right….Some time on the island away from problems and she'll be right as rain"
"Huck, Huck….I think the name rings a bell" Stygian answered slowly as half-remembered details about the mission involving a Tardigrade Grimm which melted and blighted everything in its' path began to resurface "But I was just doing what Hunters to"
"And he does it well" Astra commended before changing the subject in order to ease Stygian into the social ecosystem that had existed before his arrival "But yeah Stitch, like I said Team WULF are good friends of ours….All you've gotta know is to not let Laser borrow anything or to make any deals with him-"
"You're slandering my good name" the blonde retorted in mock outrage in his nasal and whining Vaccuan accent; receiving snorts and sounds of derision all round.
"Varmint y'aint ever had a good name in your darn life" Ursinia laughed.
"Okay, fair" Laser cackled "Regalia….Did you bring me anything from Neo Vale, come on I've had months to build up a supply of nice tasty trinkets and rare tools and equipment that you can trade for-"
"Heh, I still don't deal in stolen goods" Regalia laughed, well acquainted with the scavengers' proclivities and honestly having missed his unique brand of banter. Stygian gave a brief smile at the interactions, fending off the brief stab of emotion that came with missing his former team-mates by turning to Astra.
"So anything else I need to remember?"
"Yeah, you should probably never mess with Diabla….But you should definitely never mess with Ursinia" the Deer Faunus nodded sagely.
"Darn tooting" Ursinia nodded and tipped her hat.
"Oh" Regalia chimed in "And Astra and Wolfie actually dated for a while"
"And now he's with Ursinia" Astra' eyes narrowed into something calculating as an opportunity to catch up on a years' worth of missed gossip and properly reintegrate themselves into Breaktide's social scene presented itself "How did that happen?"
"We'll share if you do" Wolfram snorted as he nodded towards Regalia who was still sat on Astra's lap "This looks cosy"
"We're not….I, um heh" Regalia was rendered incoherent as she flapped and flailed for a few moments before finally taking a deep breath and composing herself "It's uh….We're seeing how things work out?"
Stygian allowed himself to tune out the conversation around him after that, Astra and Regalia's recounting of how they had apparently kissed for the first time apparently needing the Deer Faunus to backtrack and explain to his friends exactly how and when they had acquired a modified pickup truck and then be further distracted as Laser also habitually began haggling and, in a display which apparently surprised no-one but Stygian promptly began producing tools, spray paint and worryingly enough a compact pair of bolt cutters from various pockets both visible and hidden. The talk went on for a while, Team WULF and Astra and Regalia evidently enjoying the much needed opportunity to catch up and speak with one another in person whilst Stygian simply took it all in until a sharp and sudden contact with his upper arm demanded his attention and he whirled around to see Diabla staring intently at him.
"Where's your partner?"
"She's….Uh" Stygian found himself trailing off, regretting that he did not have an answer ready; after claiming that she had felt ill earlier in the day Athena-Jade had missed several lessons and lunch only to return to class towards the end of the day for a Grimm Studies class taught by Ruby Rose, admittedly looking unwell and uncomfortable.
"What's up Diabla., why do you need AJ?" Astra interrupted with a protective note to their voice as Regalia climbed from their lap and allowed her partner to stand in a way which suggested there was a history Stygian was unaware of.
"Easy Mars" the particularly tough and fierce looking girl answered "Just checking in. You heard about the coaches getting picketed and people throwing bottles at students?….She was pretty much next to me when it happened, looks like she took it personal"
"I can imagine" Astra muttered, expression darkening into a deep frown only accentuated by their makeup "She might just still be in the dorm….If not then I'm gonna go look for her-"
"I'll do it" Stygian interjected, offering a nonchalant shrug as he added "You catch up with your friends, it gives me a chance to figure out where things are here a bit better"
"Okay cool, if you're sure" Astra nodded "Text her first, when you find her let me know….I don't like the idea of her dealing with stuff alone; she's been going through it"
"Neither do I" Stygian murmured before turning and departing in search of his new partner, trying to make educated guesses about where she might be if transpired that she was not in Team MARS's dormitory and then trying to plot out the fastest routes to those places.
All whilst fighting the feeling that, given how blunt Athena-Jade had been with him in their limited interactions his Semblance might take him directly to her if it were not limited by line of sight.
Wielding a sword again came almost depressingly easy to her.
Depressing because it gave further credence to an uncomfortable idea that had taken root and nestled itself immovably in Athena-Jade's mind, namely that all of her efforts to prove that she was more than the product of a good family name and fortune which her parents had leveraged for her benefit, more more than an unremarkable middle-child lodged between a heroic older brother and a prodigious adopted sister and more than the continuation of a legacy than she had never had to work towards or contribute to had been for naught; depressing because it seemed to further prove to Athena that despite everything she had done to distinguish herself she would have been better off simply following tradition and doing what was expected of her.
It would likely have hurt her less in the long run.
The snowy-haired young woman had like so many of her family, as far back as Great-Grandparents she had never known been taught to wield a sword with incredible skill, grace and finesse and whilst Athena had personally always found herself gravitating towards the same mobile but close ranged and highly aggressive fighting style her father, a street-level criminal in his own youth had always favoured it was only a matter of time and practice before she could refamiliarise herself with steps and motions that had been set aside in favour of using a blunt instrument to simply smash her way through problems. Heartbreaker was a hefty and dangerous thing to be sure, its' weight and balance not being entirely unlike her previous weapon due to its' construction and the way its' laser cannon form was compacted into it; the broad blade and extended handle making it an entirely different weapon to her mothers' rapier and yet Athena found herself twirling, thrusting and parrying with it easily.
The Bear Faunus had forced herself to eat after missing lunch and beginning to feel faint and dizzy due to hunger and a building mental fatigue that promised to lead to migraines if it could not be counteracted, using the immediate rush of students heading to their dormitories after the final lesson of the day to do so and using the opportunity to eat alone, without eyes on her and suspicious comments whispered or muttered behind her back. As she ate she had thought and planned until coming to the simple conclusion that she needed to find an empty place to train, if only because the idea of copying notes for the lessons she had missed or starting assignments early perturbed her almost as much as the idea of socialising; as a result she had found her way out onto Breaktide Academies' grounds where she had made her way to an arena like outdoor training area that could only be described as state of the art with its' multiple hard-light and hologram projectors. Once there she had drawn her weapon and began preparing a simulation involving multiple waves of attacks from low level Grimm which would serve as a way for her to properly acquaint herself with her new weapon.
Despite her heavy heart and emotional turmoil the training was at least going well.
A Beowolf made of nanites and light was bisected neatly as Athena span and pivoted in a blur of motion, Heartbreaker's blade cleaving through the projections' abdomen as she balanced on her toes in a poised stance not unlike something her mother would have used. In the next instant another projected monster had leapt at her and her answer was to use a single handed grip on her oversized weapon, a glyph forming over her left forearm to serve as a shield; batting at the incoming Beowulf mid-pounce before driving her blade into its' flank before it could right itself in a move that clearly drew influence from her brother Arctus and from there Athena pressed her advantage against the projections by forming a Glyph at her feet and rocketing herself forwards, low to the ground and firmly clutching her weapon to deliver a single precise blow to sever necks just as her Aunt Winter would have done.
The sight of movement in the furthest corner of her vision and the expectation brought Athena whirling around for another decisive and devastating attack, following the motion of her previous slash and adjusting her feet with a dancers' fluid grace her sword came up overhead with a twirling flourish and lethal momentum before being brought down for an arcing slash to split the next Grimm in half.
Only to be halted by another sword.
"Stitch what the hell!" Athena demanded, the furious outburst in her mind justified considering if nothing else the Mouse Faunus should not have entered a training area whilst it was in use and weapons were drawn without announcing himself. In response the blue-haired and dark-skinned young man simply offered her a bright smile and a wink, further angering her after he had seemingly used his Semblance to appear in the most dangerous place possible, specifically in the path of Athena's attack which he had then proceeded to block by resting Sharp Cheese across the back of his shoulders and bracing himself to absorb the brunt of the blow whilst having the audacity to appear utterly unflappable. Any further comments Athena might make were rendered moot by the fact that there seemed to be no more hard-light Grimm coming, suggesting that Stygian had either waited until the training program was completed or had halted it himself before approaching.
"Astra was gonna come and look for you, we were kinda worried about you" Stygian offered with a shrug which he used to casually sling both Athena's and his own weapon from his shoulders, flourishing his Katana calmly as he regarded Heartbreaker with keen interest.
"That looks really nice" the praise was offered carefully but followed earnestly "Hey, if you wanted to get some practice in then I'm down. Seriously, you could have asked AJ we're gonna be partners-"
"I'd rather train on my own" Athena's words were blunt, lacking anger or venom but painful in the way that they lacked anything at all and Stygian was left off-balance as he tried to form a response; eventually letting out a sigh before trying to keep the pain and accusation out of his words
"Okay AJ, I get that you're in a bad place right now, trust me I get that but I'm trying to help you….I thought we were friends?"
"And I thought my last partner was the best person I'd ever met" Athena let out a bitter, choked sound that she tried desperately from being a sob "Guess not-"
"So what then, no friends and no partners now?" Stygian fought equally hard to keep a sudden sneer out of his voice "I don't think that's how this works"
"Stitch….When I first came to Breaktide I was not a nice person to be around, ask Astra or Regalia" Athena shook her head at the memory before meeting her supposed partners' eyes "When things didn't work out for me I cut myself off, I did nothing but train and study because anything less than the best Hunter I could be wasn't enough and nothing outside of that matters….You wanna know what I learned? I learned that I was right!"
"That's not-"
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE STITCH!" Athena's voice raised and Heartbreaker pierced the floor as she slammed the blade downwards, glyphs forming in her gloved hands in order to push the young man in front of her away if the situation called for it. Stygian in response simply sheathed his katana and raised his hands in defeat as he backed away.
"Okay, if that's what you want...I'll tell Astra where you are and that you'll be back at the dorm later" he breathed out dejectedly "But I think you're wrong, I think you're more than anything that can hurt you"
With that he turned and walked away, trying his best to fathom how to overcome this particular obstacle. Tiger Santara had been a difficult partner to work with in the early days of Team TRQS to be sure, but her driven and commanding need to be in control of her surroundings and urge to inspire the best in those she had been given leadership of felt like an entirely different problem to Athena-Jade's defensive self isolation and Stygian found that all he could do was hope that someone else, perhaps Breaktide's student Counsellor might be able to reach her.
As Stygian walked away and Athena ripped Heartbreaker from the ground and prepared to resume her training each of the new partners were left trying to ignore the pain the entire situation was causing them.
Author's Notes:
Well we're now a quarter of the way into Vol.07….How're those feels?
All I can promise is that there is a happy ending in mind and that it isn't just going to be angst; there are lights at the end of the tunnel and we'll see the first of them in a couple of chapters.
In fact, if it helps consider this volume as a parallel to Vol.01 in a lot of ways.
Also what's crazy is that this felt like a short chapter, it's not….I've just been treating you well over the last few weeks.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
AJ's got that Winter Schnee vibe….Kick ass in a fight, but wait until they've gone when it's a personal problem.
Once again AJ and mornings are one another's mortal enemy.
Ah the sitting in the bathroom for half an hour to mentally prepare yourself for the fact the day is gonna be a shit-show….Or as I call it, Monday.
Astra and Regalia are good friends, refraining from being overly affectionate in front of the friend who's just been utterly heartbroken.
I think Astra handled that as well as possible given their position because "You're clearly hurting right now and I want to help you" and "You hurting does not mean I have to overlook the consequences your actions have on people around you" can and should coexist.
I relate to Stygian here, sleeping on a floor or a bench won't kill you but you don't want it to become a habit.
He's in exile from his dorm in a college full of attractive people….Let him dream and be mildly horny.
There is no shame is struggling with a tie first thing in the morning; as someone who is interviewing for jobs again and has not worn one since the last time I was interviewing for jobs a couple years ago it's a habit you quickly fall out of.
Did you really think Tiger was just gonna forget her old partner? After everything? That message made Stitch's day.
Stygian's concern with Astra is valid, having a friend as your manager gets tricky when they have to act like the manager.
You didn't think I'd forgotten Pantheon, surely? They'll be in the background for a while but they're still important.
The "Come to me" command is generic, but it's also a subtle nod to FADE….It's the command they kept hearing from Salem before she was back.
The Synapses were something fun to design; they're not really combat Grimm and are closer to Salem's watchers than anything else….But with my own flavour of unsettling.
Gestalt-Prime nearly lost their mind by venturing into the Hive-Mind, Pantheon has a counter to that, which they need considering how big their network is.
Gestalt-Prime has been either in Jidhir Town or Pikesreach since fleeing Pantheon, the only Spawning Pits they've attacked were ones not connected to Pantheon; so they've managed to hide.
So, the spikes in Grimm activity aren't just caused by negativity….Part of it is hunting parties made specifically to hunt Gestalt-Prime.
Arslan's combat class would have been the first lesson of the day if I hadn't already mentioned the students being in uniform rather than combat gear and Stygian leaving his sword behind.
Of course Stygian got put through his paces on his first day.
Of course the guy who grew up in Pikesreach needs notes for general studies.
And the teacher just managed to say pretty much the exact words in the exact order that he needed in order to trigger an anxiety attack from AJ.
"How could they trust her? How could she not have known what her partner was? How could she let Zirconia run away?" the word you're looking for is ouch.
How does a scene that start with Carmesi getting kicked into the dust end with the person who kicked him in a worse mental state?
Nero's predicament is a tricky one, balancing an appearance between human and relatable with overwhelming power.
….You just know he was pissed when he realised that having a tournament style match would help.
"He has some ability" Nero, he was literally ripping peoples' chest cavities open a few days ago.
Nero's plan has a few layers to it, on the one hand more bodies are always useful on the other hand….Well look at how Roman's took people from conquered places into their legions, creating work for them, moving them to other places and making uprisings less likely.
Look at Zirconia trying to copy AJ's body language when she wants to look tough.
And here's where the tragedy of Zirconia hits hard….She and Nero lost everything, Zirconia was a child who threw herself into Nero's vision and now it's happening; she's lost everything again.
So Nero isn't dumb enough to not be suspicious of Aefen and Gestalt-Prime, now it becomes a game of "I know that you know that I know that you know".
And now we get Stygian's introduction to the wider student body of Breaktide, particularly Team WULF.
Diabla marching towards you for any reason is scary and she does not give hugs so yeah, that's what you get.
I have missed writing Laser Greenback.
Casually pointing out that Astra and Regalia probably still need to have a talk.
The sword and the outfit and hair that's more traditionally "Schnee", you're seeing the problems here right?
So she hasn't had much practice with Heartbreaker but she's got that muscle memory of using a sword from previous training….And she really is good; what you will notice though is that her previous rule about not copying other family members moves has been entirely forgotten about.
Stygian just had to make an entrance.
He is trying so hard to be a good friend and partner.
"And I thought my last partner was the best person I'd ever met" AND THERE IT IS.
"You wanna know what I learned? I learned that I was right!" 'cos you know what, anyone telling you 'It's better to have loved and lost' is lying to you; it doesn't build character, it doesn't make you wiser….It just hurts.
So yeah, AJ is backsliding as a defence mechanism….Can't get hurt again if she never lets her guard down again.
Thank you to MajorBrony95 for their review on the last chapter.
A funny thing about canon Atlas Vs my version of Atlas is that whilst outwardly they look different, there actually is something really fundamental in common between them but it's just expressed differently. Atlas in canon is floating above Mantle so that the people in charge are literally on top, my Atlas didn't have Mantle it had 'Lower Atlas' because it was designed before we saw Atlas in canon... But because it's based loosely on a Warhammer 40k Hive City the people in charge are still literally on top because they live at the top of the mountains that everyone else lives either in or under.
Oh yeah, Zirconia's wavering beliefs are gonna be fun to see.
Funny thing, the protest probably wasn't even organised by Nero...At least not directly, he's gotten himself to a point where things are working in his favour.
Telling me I'm able to make you hate a character and then like them afterwards is a massive compliment.
AJ is a mess and will take some time to not be a mess.
Oh yeah Nero is more tyrannical than even he wants to admit to himself...But at the same time, it isn't "Rule the world and be evil for evil's sake" he's still got goals and ideas and some nuance.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.