So, as mentioned last chapter, we start off with SSSN being introduced to the Beacon Brigade, consisting of many students that defended Beacon. And as we're introduced to them, we find out that, covniently everyone from the Vital Festival is there. Outside of FNKI. What are the odds that somehow all the named characters who aren't accounted for ended up in Vacuo. I'm almost disappointed that Cardin's team isn't here.
Sun mentally expresses that he doesn't consider being 'honorary beacon student' much, he moves around a lot so he doesn't get attached to people or places. He also never liked the mentality behind Huntsman teams, making people build their identities around their academies and lose themselves in it.
Team ABRN were apparently at Haven when the White Fang attacked happened and... Didn't do anything? Wait, now that I think about it, the rest of team SSSN were at Haven as well. Where the fuck were they when the academy was being attacked?
Team BRNZ, outside of Nolan Porfirio, died during Beacon's fall; I remember this being implied, but not confirmed, in the last book.
The group discuss how the other students don't want them outsiders in their academy, including digs at ABRN for 'abandoning two academies now'. Yatsuhashi admits that it at least helps him keep focus when he leads his meditation groups with the rest of the Beacon Brigade (Sun mentions he doesn't like meditation).
Iris (and no, I don't remember who or what team she was apart of, none of them were exactly memorable) expresses some survivors guilt, that she deserves to be treated wrongly for surviving Beacon. Velvet, and others of the group, admit that they'd felt the same. Velvet explaining that Vacuo's harsh conditions make it the best place to get stronger and that, as well as she did in Beacon, this place helps her much more.
This make Iris tear up as she says that one of her teammates would have had their birthday this week, to which everyone goes on about how much they miss that teammate. Sun, however, doesn't because he doesn't actually know who Castor is and just stays quiet. I feel like the scene is trying to make this come off as Sun being callous or not taking things seriously, but I think most people in that situation would be like "Probably best to stay silent than risk giving the wrong reaction.".
Nolan repeats that he thinks he should have died at Beacon, before then jarringly jumping to saying that he must have survived for a reason. And then suddenly Sun thinks "Yeah. Because you ran away," for really no reason. I get that it's supposed to be 'He's from Vacuo and they view everyone as having to be strong!', but it doesn't mesh with his personality or have anything there to help him transition to this thought. It's even worse because we don't know about Nolan's involvement in defending Beacon. Did he actually run away? Did he get tossed aside? Did he abandon his teammates? It feels like there's a line missing.
When Nolan explains that he's not going to waste his second chance and make his life count, Sun admits he likes the message, but wants to see Nolan actually do it first. Sun decides that he really doesn't like this group, he doesn't see it as helping or moving past their trauma, he see's it as a lot of empty sentiments while being forced to speak in a convoluted and careful manner. As such, he decides that this is not for him and leave. In a vacuum, this is actually interesting and pretty good bit of character building for Sun, and it's completely understandable. Some people process their trauma differently and Sun has a good point on why this doesn't work for him.
Of course, it's dragged down because this is yet another example of why Sun sucks in the story's eye. Coco immediately says that Sun just isn't 'ready' for this, with the description making it clear this is a thinly veiled 'You're a pussy/dick.' comment. He simply says that it's not for him and that he's pretty sure they wouldn't like anything he has to say, only to be stopped by Velvet pleading for him to express himself in this 'safe space' and that they'll all understand because they're like family.'
Sun explains that, while he understands why this group was started, he thinks it's a mistake. Everyone glares at him, Nolan mocks him for 'only being here ten minutes and already figuring us out' and Neptune says that he wants to hear Sun's reasoning. First, this is a big reason why other Vacuo students are so distrustful of them, this is a group of people clinging to something long gone and refusing to move on. Velvet tries to tell him that they'be been through something that no one else can understand, which Sun rightfully points out is arrogant bullshit. Vacuo is full of constant tragedy and lost homes, but people stay because it is their home and they will never forget it even if they punish themselves with the shitty conditions.
Immediately, this switches to yelling at Sun for abandoning his team.
Scarlet stood. “You mean like you didn’t forget about us? Like you didn’t leave us the first chance you got to chase after someone you barely knew who didn’t want your help? You didn’t even stay in Vacuo for school —you chose Haven.” Scarlet flipped his bangs away from his face and glared at Sun. “You wouldn’t know anything about loss, Sun. You never stay in one place long enough to learn.”
Sun leaves, annoyed that Scarlet was airing his team's dirty laundry like that and expresses how he doesn't fully understand why Scarlet was so pissed. In his mind, his team were fine with settling back in Haven for a while, they were safe, they were fine and so he decided to do something productive and go help Blake; which if he hadn't done, Haven might have ended up like Beacon. He does not regret going after Blake. Velvet follows him and explains that she understands it doesn't have to be Sun's thing, he'll find his own way to work through it all. Sun thinks that he has nothing to work through, he just has to move on, but says he'll see her on patrol later.
This chapter is annoying, from how it treats Sun's trauma and for how it presents this therapy circle. I know that Velvet shows understanding, but considering how much shit Sun gets flung at him, it's pretty damn shitty that Coco isn't getting called out on basically going "If you don't allow yourself to be forced to deal with your grief in this specific way, you're a pussy" which is a pretty shitty thing to say in this type of environment. Sun is presented as being bone headed, tone deaf and an overall asshole (again, he's a team leader who apparently knows his team so little that he can't understand why they'd be mad he left), but he makes a solid point in this scene. This arrogant notion of their group being these special victims who went through pain that nobody else could understand, something Coco made a point of in her speech last chapter. They're Huntsman, they fight Grimm on a regular basis and the last book revealed the common and traumatizing missions even students can get sent on. Your pain isn't special, among your profession it's probably pretty common.