Chapter 90 - Breakwater - Settling In
Year 73VE, December
Cover Art by Mi Chumi
Happy Holidays!
It had taken a full day, with stops at Haven and Lushu, to reach Menagerie. A full day to come to terms with the ache in her chest that faded a little but didn't seem to want to go away.
Which was why, when her dad finally announced over the speakers that they were nearing Menagerie, Cinder felt… weird about being excited on top of that achy feeling.
How does that even freaking work?
She glanced over at her friend, Sarah, and saw that she was looking exhausted, but also was already easing over to the windows to catch a first glimpse of what would, for the next four years, be their new home.
And that thought caused those two feelings, sadness and excitement, to war through Cinder all over again. It was kinda like when she was living in Mistral City with Dania, where she'd be happy one minute only for intrusive thoughts to come in and ruin the moment, over and over.
But at least this time, everyone knew where she was. And she'd been able to call Argent several times already, at Haven and Lushu. And she had not only her parents with her, but Sarah and Visha.
So… it's… gonna be okay. Right?
"Holy crap, Cinder. You gotta see this!" Sarah's obvious excitement drove all other thoughts, thankfully, out of her head, and she shifted next to her friend to see what it was she'd-
Breakwater. It was Breakwater. They were coming in from the east, and her eyes locked onto Chimera Tower. And it was just like Sophia had described it, though she'd have to be careful not to call it Chimera just yet. The delicate pastel colors of the campus reflected the afternoon sun a bit further inland. She looked downward, and saw a gorgeous crystal-blue cove shaded the cliff face, with a large structure mostly in the water in that shadow.
That has to be the Aquatics Center.
As they eased south and then curled back west, she caught sight of the city of Kuo Kuana past the campus. It was really pretty as well, with the sun just starting to drift down behind it.
Like… a tropical paradise in one of my books.
"It's gorgeous," Cinder breathed.
"Yeah. This is… I can't believe I'm here. You and me, Bestie." Sarah agreed, and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
And then the view shifted as the Bullhead made a final turn and set down with a thump at Breakwater's docks.
. . .
When the Bullhead finally set down, Garek breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a long trip. The last segment from Lushu to Breakwater had been nerve-wracking for him, considering it was over water and if anything had gone wrong, not that anything should have, considering Reggie going over the Bullhead with a fine-toothed comb before leaving Argus… well it would have just sucked all around.
And now, here they were. He'd made contact with Kuo Air Traffic as soon as they'd passed Atlantia Island, so Chieftain Ursulus and Director Nagata should be expecting them. The sliding partition between the cabin and passenger area slid open, and Selene poked her head in.
"The girls are very excited," she informed her husband with a tired smile.
"Thank the gods for that. I was really getting worried around Haven."
Selene nodded. "Shall we see what awaits us?"
. . .
When they exited the Bullhead, Garek found a handful of individuals waiting for them, along with a ground vehicle of some sort.
But that wasn't what caught his eye. The truth was, he'd been so stressed over landing that he'd blocked out what he actually seeing.
And so he just stood there, staring past the welcoming committee at the buildings beyond.
Apparently with his jaw dropped open. "Garek, love, close your mouth," Selene murmured.
"Yeah dad! You look like somebody punched you in the face," Cinder said helpfully.
"I'm glad to see that even after all the videos, the campus is still able to make an impression on you, Garek." Chieftain Ursulus observed as he moved forward with a laugh. "And considering the role you had to play in all this, it warms an old man's heart to see it." Garek managed to tear his eyes off the magnificent structures, and focus on the old Chieftain who had his hand held out. Garek took it warmly, but noted that Ursulus was… well the stresses of what they'd undertaken the last few years had definitely taken a toll on the bear faunus. He seemed a bit more stooped, a bit more hollow-eyed. And he was also using a cane.
But he was smiling broadly now, as the two men shook hands. "On behalf of myself and the people of Kuo Kuana, welcome to Breakwater, Garek." He turned to the young girls. "And of course, a special welcome to our two new students!"
Sarah looked starstruck at meeting the actual Chieftain of all Menagerie. Cinder seemed impressed but… well it wasn't quite the same for her apparently. "Thank you, sir!" Sarah exclaimed. "I'm so excited!"
"Well that's good to hear, because there's someone I'd like you to meet." He turned to his right and waved a young boy with no obvious Faunus traits forward. "Mr. Aukei! Why don't you introduce yourself to your teammates and show them to their dorm!" Chief Ursulus turned back and extended his hand yet again. "And Miss Selene, so lovely to finally meet you in person." Garek watched as Selene took the man's hand and murmured a greeting in response, before Ursulus turned to the final member of their party. "And this must be Madame Visha."
"Please, just Visha," the old woman said with a grimace. "Madame sounds too damn stuffy."
Ursulus barked a laugh. "Well, I've been told, eh? Fine. Fine. Well folks, grab anything you want to keep on-hand. We'll have the staff unload the rest of your luggage and take it to your quarters." He eased himself toward the vehicle, "Director Nagata and I are going to make sure you're well tucked in before we call it an evening as well. We'll save the full tour for tomorrow, after you folks have had a chance to rest. Cafeteria is still open if you're hungry. Would you like dinner delivered to your accommodations?"
"That would be lovely, Chief Ursulus," Selene said, squeezing Garek's hand. Garek knew she was eager to get settled in and 'let her hair down'.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate you putting us up while we look for longer-term living arrangements," Garek added. "Really takes the pressure off looking for housing."
Ursulus shared a look with Director Nagata, which caused the hair on the back of Garek's neck to prickle a little, "Least we can do, Huntsman. Least we can do, all things considered."
"Still I-"
"Not another word. Like I said, you and the Director have all the time in the world to talk about logistics tomorrow. Right Nagata?"
"Absolutely," the Director said. And with that, they gave a last look at their luggage being removed from the Bullhead, even as a second cart pulled up and a couple of staff began shifting their belongings.
The temporary accommodations located in the outer ring of the complex were, surprisingly, quite spacious. Perhaps not quite as large as their apartment in Argus had been, but it included a full suite of rooms including living room, kitchenette, a small study, and both a master suite along with a guest suite for Visha. All was pre-furnished, though Director Nagata said they could swap out anything they wanted. Breakwater had, apparently, taken pains to make them feel welcome. Cinder, of course, was not staying with them, but instead would be settling into the four-person dorm in the Sea Fan Wing with Sarah and the local student, whose name turned out to be Rosso Aukei.
The way the three teens appeared to hit it off had been encouraging, Garek decided. He was really starting to feel like this was the right decision. They'd have several weeks to settle in, and then he'd agreed to pitch in as a part-time combat instructor.
As promised, the next morning after breakfast, Director Nagata gave Garek and Selene a full tour of the campus. Visha opted to putter around the residence and relax.
Young Rosso, Nagata explained, would be ensuring that Sarah and Cinder received the same. "Best to let the youngsters bond without us old fogies around, eh Huntsman?"
"I suppose so, Director."
And what a campus it was. Most of the students were off on holiday, so the campus was relatively quiet, and Nagata took his time, starting with the dorms, where they caught a glimpse of Cinder, Sarah, and Rosso walking the grounds and chattering animatedly. Cinder had run up and given Garek and Selene a quick hug, before bolting back to her old and new friends. From there, they'd had the opportunity to oooh and aaaah over the Sparring Arena and Auditorium, then the classroom facilities and weaponsmithy. Then lunch. And finally the Aquatics Center before heading back up to get a full tour of the CCT Relay and its offices.
"The relay itself isn't really designed for public access," Nagata explained. "Apparently your Sophia and some of the Chief's folks had a long meeting with the kids down at the Technical School, and they decided that with the need for the tower to be so exposed, they wanted to just trench all the core wiring over to the outer ring of the Campus and put the bulk of the communications gear there, where it could be better protected."
"That seems an elegant solution, Director," Selene observed happily. She liked it when her friend received the credit she was due.
"It does, doesn't it. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let people who know what they're about run things, eh Garek?" He elbowed the leopard faunus and waggled a bushy eyebrow.
Garek laughed. "Yeah. It does that."
. . .
One thing that Garek was glad to see was that the CCT offices were secured by two of Chieftain Ursulus' personal guards. There was also, Nagata told him, a retired Huntsman on call at all times. Heck even Nagata had to show identification to enter.
Finally, they worked their way back to the administrative areas of the campus. "Want to show you where the staff offices are. Try not to be too impressed," Nagata rolled his eyes. "We decided to keep all that low-key, so as not to give anyone a big head." And with that he led them through yet another entrance, down a long hall, and through a door with a placard that read Headmaster.
It was a modest and comfortable office, wainscoted and warm, with a view toward the interior ring of the facility. The tracery framework of the campus' dome cast fractal shadows against the windows in the afternoon sun. A sturdy wooden desk and comfortable leather chair dominated the rear of the room, with two upholstered chairs facing it. Filing cabinets and bookshelves lined the side walls.
The three filed in, and Nagata shut the door behind him. "Well, what do you think?"
Garek smiled. "It's not bad, Director. I thought from the video calls that your office looked a bit larger, but I guess the camera does distort the view." He shared a look with Selene, who nodded.
Director Nagata's smile broadened, causing some of the wrinkles of his face to smooth and the dark areas around his eyes to make them look almost glowing. "Oh, this isn't my office, Huntsman Grae. Did you see the word Director on the door? No, I don't think you did."
No, it had said… it had said Headmaster on the door...
Something cold wormed its way down Garek's spine.
"Why don't you have a seat in that very comfortable chair there behind the desk, and see how it suits you, Garek."
Garek Grae's day had just taken a turn toward absolute horror.
Headmaster.
They wanted him to be Headmaster.
In fact, he couldn't imagine how things could possibly get any worse.
And then the door to his office slammed open, and Cinder flew into the room, saw him slumped in the chair behind the desk. The teenager literally threw herself across the desk, landed straddling his lap on her knees, and nearly threw the entire mess backward. Her eyes were wide and frantic, and she grasped his shoulders with fingernails digging in.
"We have-" she gasped, "we have to go!" She shook him, which shouldn't have been possible except he was already feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. "We have to go now, dad! Get the Bullhead! We have to go!"
Garek felt like his brain was sizzling. But to be fair, the idea had a certain appeal at the moment. Yeah. Run. Run like hell.
But… why is Cinder freaking out?
"Cinder, love, what is wrong?" he heard Selene move forward, attempting to extricate Cinder since he seemed unable to do it. And looking past Cinder's panicked expression, he could see Sarah and the boy… Ross-whats-his-name, peeking past the doorframe with alarmed and confused expressions as well.
Cinder turned her wild eyes to her mom. "No time to explain!" She finally eased back, trying desperately to drag Garek out of his chair. "Come on, dad! Now! No time to waste!"
"What in the world happened, child?" Director Nagata tried. He seemed both confused and alarmed.
"Cinder… I… it's…" Garek tried.
"Mr. Aukei, what in the world has happened?" Dr. Nagata said, shifting his attention since Cinder seemed unable to answer.
"Dunno," Rosso said shaking his head. "We were talking about the team, sir. And I mentioned that our fourth was a girl from Mistral named Vernal and-"
"Don't say her name!" Cinder screamed, covering her ears. "You'll freaking summon her! No! NONONONONO!"
"Oh. Oh gods…" Selene breathed, even as her scroll pinged. She looked down to see a message from Visha, and she felt the floor fall from beneath her feet.
V.: Just so you are aware, I have an unexpected visitor from Raven here in your quarters. She… says she's going to be studying here. You're not going to be pleased.
Selene looked to Garek with a bleak expression.
Behind his desk, tawny ears collapsed and eyes streaming, Headmaster Garek Grae began to laugh hysterically.
It took some time, with the assistance of Nagata, Sarah, and Rosso, to reach the point where anyone could use actual words again. In the end, Selene messaged Visha to ensure the visitor remained there, while she retreated with the teenagers to a separate conference room, leaving Nagata alone with Garek.
"I can't be Headmaster!" Garek objected, hands balling on the desk. The desk in front of him. His fucking desk. He flinched at the thought. "Lionheart is Headmaster!"
Nagata shook his head. "Lionheart is going to be the Headmaster of Breakwater. I need you to run Cove Combat School, Garek."
"You told me you wanted me to teach part time! I agreed to teach!"
"And we need you to teach." Nagata eased himself into the chair in front of Garek's desk. "Grae, I'm not sure you understand the situation we are in right now. With the news of Cove and Breakwater spreading like wildfire across Remnant, applications have quadrupled from last year. We're about to be hit with a literal monsoon of new students from Kuo and the four Kingdoms." Nagata suddenly looked exhausted. "We're all running on fumes already. And on top of that, we need someone to handle the Public Relations element nearly full-time. That's me. I'm the figurehead, Grae. The face man. I've been doing stuff like this my whole life. Unless you want to be face on everyone's scroll?"
Garek felt a thrill of fear at the mere thought. "Oh gods no."
Nagata shrugged. "Then this is where we're at. I can keep the Academy and post-Academy program going. Hell, my staff have already been running that with minimal input from me. I just need someone to keep the Combat School from cratering when I take my eyes off it."
"But I don't know the program!"
"You will by the time the month is up." Nagata eased forward in his seat, holding Garek's gaze. "Look, I've talked to Lionheart. I've heard how you trained Cinder to get her ready for Sanctum. I know damn well you can manage this. And we've got more folks coming in, some of them people you know. We need you, Garek. Hell, if your wife can teach something, even better."
Selene… teach…
Well she'd kick ass at Grimm studies.
The mere idea of it nearly threw him into another fit of hysterics.
"Cinder, please, you must calm down." Selene had barely managed to get her own reaction under control.
"Calm down?! Calm down?! This is Vernal we're talking about! On my team! In my dorm! For four frakking years! Vernal! Remember Vernal, mom?! Every other word is the F-word?! Spits on stuff!?"
Rosso had fled the room as soon as Selene had asked for a few moments And Sarah was starting to look seriously concerned for her friend's sanity. She had one of Cinder's hands gripped tightly but was mouthing 'what the heck?' at Selene.
Selene frowned. The problem was…
Cinder was not… exaggerating. And she was not being quite unreasonable.
And yet…
"I understand, but love, we cannot leave Menagerie now. We have given up our lease. You would not be able to apply to another Academy." She tried logic.
Cinder stared at her for a few moments, and then said in a quiet but horrified voice. "I can live in the woods. Yeah. The woods. If Vernal's coming here, I can go to Mistral. Yeah. I'll live with that Branwen Tribe."
Sarah gave a short gasping laugh, and then stifled it, shaking her friend. "Cinder, seriously girl, you gotta stop. This is crazy. She can't be that bad." Selene gave Sarah a look that said volumes, and her friend paled. "Seriously?"
"She sucks, Sarah. She sucks bad. She's like… she calls me Bitchface." Sarah had to stifle a snort at that. "Oh come on! You're supposed to be on my side here!"
"You're the one trying to ditch me here with her and flee the country, Bestie."
Selene tried again. "To be fair, Cinder, I believe you called her the same."
"Yeah, but that's because she is!"
"Cinder Scoria," Selene scolded, brows drawing down.
Cinder actually flinched back at the use of her full name. "Okay fine. I did… but… why? How!?"
"That I do not know. I can only assume that Raven Branwen contacted… well I would assume Headmaster Lionheart, and he would have spoken with Director Nagata."
"But why Headmaster Lionheart do this to me!? I freaking thought he liked me!"
"I suspect he was… unaware of the history the two of you shared and used different criteria than we would have." Selene considered. "I can discuss with Director Nagata, and see if we can, perhaps, adjust the teams..."
Rosso Aukei was feeling much less sure of his place in the world compared to a few hours ago.
Things had been going really well. Heck they'd been awesome! Cinder Scoria and Sarah Tourmaline were both outgoing and personable. And based on what Director Nagata had told him they were kick-ass at combat too!
And then he'd just mentioned, offhand, the other member of their team, and Cinder had freaked the heck out. Like totally lost her mind!
And… well… surely it couldn't be that bad, right?
And from what Cinder's mom had said, this Vernal Branwen had arrived, right? She was apparently with that Visha woman.
So maybe I should just… stop by and see what the big deal is?
"Look, I'm not tellin' you what to do, Visha. I'm just tellin' you what Raven said." Rosso heard through the door as he neared it.
"And I'm saying that if Raven wants me back with the Tribe, she can blasted well tell me herself instead of dumping you through a portal with no warning!"
There was a choking sound from the other side of the door. "That's… not a good idea. I mean… maybe you can get away with that, but-"
Rosso, not willing to eavesdrop further and dying for some answers, knocked on the door.
"Come in." the older woman snapped, and since she'd practically ordered him to, he opened it. And stood there.
In front of him was a teenage girl, about his height, with spikey-short brown hair, pale blue eyes, and tan skin. She had the bearing and dress that just screamed bad-ass.
And she glared at him, crossed her arms, and addressed him. "Who the fuck are you?"
Oh crap…
"Vernal Branwen, you'll mind your tongue, or I'll tell Raven that you are misbehaving."
The girl turned that glare on Misses Visha. "Oh you will, will you?"
The old woman drew herself up, and pointed a finger at Vernal. Rosso noticed for the first time that a portion of one pinkie was missing. "You're damn right I will. I'm not afraid of you, you thorny little git. I've faced…" she glanced at Rosso and reconsidered her words. "Let's just say that I've faced things a hell of a lot scarier than you, child. And survived." Barely, she muttered. "Things that would have you soiling yourself and crying for mommy. So no, I'm not afraid to go to our Chief."
Vernal's face paled at that. "Our Chief?"
"Yes, ours. Raven took me in, Vernal. I'm part of the Tribe too, whether I'm with her at the moment or not. And that means that I outrank you. Got it?"
Rosso stared between the two of them. "Wait… wait… Branwen. Raven Branwen?" He stared at Vernal. "You're Raven Branwen's daughter?"
Vernal's face did something complicated. "Meh, not exactly. I mean she treats me like one, I guess. And I dunno what my real last name is, so.. fuck it I guess."
"But that's a Bandit Tribe!" he objected, taking a step back.
"Used to be," Visha said with a cold smile. "Now they're a Mercenary Company." She turned back to Vernal. "And apparently Raven thinks that Vernal would benefit from a Huntsman's education."
If anything that seemed to cause Vernal to deflate more than anything. "Yeah. And I don't understand it at all. Sending me away to a fucking school.
"Language, Vernal."
"FFFFUuuuuuuuuuuu" Vernal saw the look on Visha's face and choked it off. Glanced at Rosso and back to the old woman. "Craptons of Grimmshit. This is gonna suck!" She huffed, and stormed past Rosso into the hall.
"You get your ass back here, young lady! We aren't done!"
Rosso stood in the empty room, listening to the two yelling down the hallway.
Okay. I'm starting to see why Cinder was so freaked out.
The night was spent… attempting to recover. Vernal ended up sleeping in Visha's room, because no one was capable of having a reasonable conversation if she was in the same room with Cinder.
Garek called Lionheart.
Selene called Summer.
Summer called Raven.
A lot of yelling was had.
In the end, Lionheart stood by his original decision, which Garek found… shocking.
"This is not the first time, nor will it be the last time, that four students were thrown together who had… interpersonal conflicts initially, and yet turned into an incredibly talented team of Huntsmen. Garek, I have a very good feeling about this."
"But sir. Vernal is-"
"Foul mouthed. A pain in the ass. Nearly unmanageable other than through threats of violence. Yes, Raven told me."
"And you didn't see fit to tell me?"
"Honestly, I was going to call you. I didn't realize Raven would… insert Miss Vernal… directly into campus before you could settle in."
"Well fuck."
Lionheart shrugged. "We all must bear our burdens. I believe that Vernal is an incredibly gifted fighter, Garek. And she needs someone strong-willed to be her teammate, to be able to push back against that. I could think of no one better than your Cinder and her friend Sarah."
Garek rubbed his face. "I'll tell them. But… they're not going to like this, sir."
"Very well. So we are all clear that this is… unfortunately… non-negotiable."
Selene was sitting in a chair in the dorm room of… the as yet to be named team. Visha sat opposite her in another chair with her back to the closed door.
To ensure no one could simply storm out.
Her daughter, Cinder, was huddled on what she'd claimed was her bed, back to the wall and clinging to her friend Sarah, while staring between Vernal and her mom with a mixture of horror and disbelief.
Vernal, for her part, was soured up on the bed opposite, arms crossed and scowling. She seemed about to say something, caught a look from Visha, and clammed up.
Visha had spoken with Raven and Summer, and had been given the power of the gods themselves to make Vernal's life a living hell, and Vernal now knew it.
On the third bed sat Rosso Aukei. The poor lad appeared at a complete loss.
"And that means," Selene continued, "you will have to determine how to deal with each other."
"But mom…" Cinder pled with a whisper.
"Non-negotiable, love. I am sorry."
Vernal started to curse, choked it down and almost spat, then choked that back and just gurgled a quiet epithet.
"Language," Visha scolded.
"I'm tryin', dammit!" Vernal growled.
And, Selene had to admit, Vernal did appear to be trying. A little.
"Unfortunately, the Director says that the next step is to choose a Team Leader. You do not have to do so immediately, but-"
"Wait…" Sarah objected. "I thought the school did that. And isn't there supposed to be some sort of initiation where the teams get picked?"
Selene shook her head. "That is apparently not something they do here, and from what Director Nagata tells me, the ones at the other Academies are not nearly so random as they appear. No, in this case, he wishes you to discuss among yourselves ,and choose a leader."
"What's the loot?" Vernal asked, face brightening a bit.
"Loot?"
"Perks. Lien. Extra stuff." Vernal replied, like Selene had asked what color the sky was.
Selene shook her head. "There are none. You are merely responsible for the team's performance and advancement."
"Fu-," Vernal said, then flinched. "Screw that! That part of being a leader sucks. Extra work and knives out for your back and no extras? No way."
For the first time in her life, to her horror, Cinder found herself in agreement with Vernal.
She felt like barfing.
"Regardless, it must be one of you. And so, if Visha and I were to … leave you four alone… we can do this safely, yes? To discuss who you wish to be Team Leader?"
Vernal glared at the floor, but nodded.
. . .
As the door closed, several sets of eyes fell onto Rosso.
Who held up his hands. "Oh heck no. I'm not… built like that. Seriously. Yeah, I know the campus and everything but… I don't want it. No way no how."
"And I'm not taking freaking orders from Bit-" Vernal glanced at the door, realizing that people could listen through them, and choked a little. "…Cinder. I'm not taking freaking orders from Cinder. No way."
That left…
Cinder gave her friend a pleading look, and Sarah Tourmaline huffed. "Fine. I'll freaking do it. But that means you two don't get to make my life miserable every five freaking minutes. Seriously."
Cinder looked at her bestie like she'd been horribly betrayed. Acting like she was the problem when it was Vernal-
"As long as you don't play favorites, just cause she's your freaking bedmate."
"The freaking hell, Vernal!" Cinder cried.
"What? I just assumed, the way you two are all clingy and shit."
"No!" Sarah objected. "We're best mates, and Cinder's got a girlfriend back in Argus."
"Well, thank the gods for small favors. At least I don't have to hear to that in the room, then."
Rosso felt ill.
Please. Please let this get better…
. . .
"So… no one has screamed in pain yet." Visha said in the hall. "Though there's a bit of yelling."
"No. That is a good sign, I suppose." Selene exhaled. "That one is a handful. I could wish we had been forewarned."
Selene's opinion of Raven Branwen had swung wildly over the years. She was Summer's best friend, though she found it hard to understand why at times. She was coarse, mercenary, violent, and at times terrifying. Selene had still not fully recovered from the terror she'd felt when they first met the woman. But she was also, apparently, fiercely loyal to Summer and had her own very strange code of honor. And she had put herself at personal risk to save Kuroyuri.
And in the end, she had, apparently, supported Selene's innocence when asked by The Lone Huntsmen whether Selene had… committed an offense in the forests outside Argus.
"There's one more thing you and I need to discuss regarding Raven…." Visha said more quietly. "Raven wants me to rejoin her in Mistral, since Vernal is here to act as anchor for Kindred Link."
"The gods. I cannot take more. And surely you do not need to do this…"
Visha looked uncomfortable. "Honestly, Selene, I'd not mind. It's… well the truth is, I spent so many years alone that these crowded spaces eat at me a bit." She let her eyes roam around the hallway. "Too many people crammed together. I prefer the camp."
That, Selene could somewhat understand. "Oh."
"But I could stay a bit, see you settled in. And visit as frequently as you like. Raven will do that for me. If that's alright? You've got people here to look after you. You don't need me underfoot any more, Selene."
Selene hugged her. "You were never underfoot. But if this will make you happier then… I will manage."
"Silly child, you'll be fine."
By the time two days had passed, Team Scarab, SCRV, had reached a rough and somewhat temporary truce, but only after Sarah Tourmaline had threatened a two-on-one spar against Vernal, who had promptly taken her up on the offer with a feral grin.
Rosso had been left watch and then to fetch the staff nurse.
It had, surprisingly, helped things along. And no permanent damage was done.
The real surprise was what happened when Raven's portal opened to allow Visha to return to Branwen Camp. And for the first time since arriving in Menagerie, it was a pleasant surprise, because from the darkness of Branwen Camp four figures stepped out and onto the grounds of Breakwater.
"Summer," Selene said with relief. "Thank all the gods."
[A/N] Thanks to recent reviewers Eltrio Chou, Rookie80, and AtomicR4y!
Eltrio: Yes you do indeed see folks converging on Menagerie, but not EVERYONE will end up there. But I think you'll be very pleased with how things turn out! I will seriously consider incorporating Acts into the storyline. I've generally called them "story arcs" where we have the initial Garek and Selene Arc, and then The Lone Huntsmen / Cinder arc. And then we start pulling in more canon Characters in the third Arc with Lionheart and Team STRQ. Then the Hunt for Cinder arc. And finally we have the Atlas / Menagerie arc which is in full swing now. Merry Christmas to you as well!
Rookie80: Yep! Can you smell what Menagerie is cooking?! But no, not every canon Faunus character will head to Menagerie. Many have roots in their home kingdoms, and not all Kingdoms, much less villages, have issues. And you are raising some very interesting points about Menagerie attracting more than just Faunus. Stay tuned cause I've already got some fun stuff drafted!
AtomicR4y: Thank you very much for your kind words! Still got some rough times ahead for Menagerie and for our antagonists, but it's gonna be quite a fun ride!
. . .
And finally we have our original duo (now trio) settling in at Breakwater, though not at all as they had expected. Garek has been voluntold into the position of Headmaster for Cove, Vernal makes her appearance and appears little happier to be there than Cinder is to have her. Cinder... nearly loses her mind cause... Vernal.
And Summer, Tai, Yang, and Ruby give a visit. And for now, it's just a visit, though they'll be having some heart-to-heart talks with each other and with Selene and Garek. And of course, we're still waiting for a few more Combat School teachers from the other Academies to arrive.