Wrapping the white bandages around the boy's arm, it was hard to keep her temper from boiling over. Biting her lip, she tried to pretend her bloodlust was under control. Only a coward would harm a child. Not even her small army would target children. Or at least she didn't think so. Maybe she needed to ensure that fact. It'd be better if it was turned into an order just to be sure they understood that she didn't want them to target kids. At least to ensure that none of her people hurt anyone under the age of fifteen.

It'd be a bit hypocritical to give any age over fifteen as the cut-off. Especially considering she'd started her own career at the same age. Then again, she wasn't really the best example of a normal teenager. After all her own instincts leaned a little bit more toward murder. Part of her was wondering if her urge to kill was from her mother or father. It didn't really matter. She'd never accuse her parents of being the reason for her less-than-civil attitude.

Given that her instincts had calmed enough for her to admit Adam's room was a safe haven. She was able to relax at least enough not to turn the city into her own personal hunting ground. That didn't change her desire to shed blood. Tossing away the roll of bandages, she held out her hand for the red sweater Adam held. It would be more than long enough to be a dress on the kid especially given how tiny the kid was.

Placing it in her hand, the man grabbed the back of his chair. There was only so much that he could do in this situation. This wasn't the time for him to go off on his own and kill everyone in his path, nor was it the time for him to lose control. With Ruby tittering on the edge, he had to keep his cool or risk everything they were beginning to build falling down around them like misplaced dominos.

Eyeing the forced smile on her face, he tightened his grip before pulling it closer to the two. It was better to get questioning the kid over with. The sharp glance Ruby sent in his direction caused him to raise an eyebrow. Her protectiveness was showing. Sitting down as she helped the kid into the sweater, he took a deep breath. His reaper was adorable.

"So kid got any parents," he asked. Given how the boy tensed, that wasn't the correct approach.

"...no."

"What about the man you were with," he asked like he hadn't given Viper leave to torture the man until they got answers.

Ruby shifted. Her knees pressed against the hardwood floor as she dug her nails into her dress. It was necessary to question Jay. She'd known that from the moment that they reached Adam's base, but that didn't change how much she hated it. Biting back a complaint when the kid flinched, she took in a deep breath. Attacking Adam wasn't going to help, they needed to know where and who was taking the kids.

"They said we were getting adopted," Jay said. His ears pressed flat against his head when the woman looked up. Her eyes weren't like theirs. She hadn't hurt him, yet they hadn't hurt him at first either. Then again none of them had been women.

Whoever did this was going to die. Her eyes sharpened as she struggled to push her bloodlust back down. She was going to hunt them down one by one until their blood painted the streets. They'd suffer as she sliced them into tiny little pieces. Not a single person would survive. Maybe she'd even put their heads on spikes as a warning. Lips forming a serene smile, she barely noticed the glance Adam sent in her direction.

"Do you remember where they took you," Adam asked. It was easier to focus on the kid than his lover's raging bloodlust. She wasn't going to save any of the kidnappers for him, was she?

Jay shivered with memories that kept him from breathing. A dark room with only a single wide window. Harley shoving blankets over his body as the older boy stood guard over them. Cold hands dragging him away from the others and tossing him onto a small stage. Raised voices calling out numbers he didn't understand as he stood there shaking. A pair of glowing green eyes dared him to say anything.

The room was spinning. Hugging his body, he dug his nails into the red fabric. His throat burned. These people might've saved him, but that didn't mean he was safe. The instant that man showed up, they'd be nothing but bodies on the ground. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to fight back the tears that threatened to run down his face. If he said something those eyes were going to find him again. He'd be right back in that room.

Flinching when arms wrapped around him, it was hard to focus. A gentle hand was drifting through his hair. Sweet whispers tickled his ears. Closing his eyes, he rested his cheek against the woman's shoulder. She was warm. Harley was going to call him an idiot.

"That's enough," Ruby said. Holding the boy tightly, she dared Adam to argue.

Meeting her gaze, the man nodded. There were other ways of getting the information he needed. Ways that didn't involve upsetting his lover.

Shifting so that she was sitting on the bed with the child, she blinked when Adam stood. His shoulders were tense. Rubbing the boy's back, she looked away from him. What if she'd gone too far? Adam might like it when she challenged him, but this was his room. If she pushed him too far in his own territory, then he might throw her away. She needed to apologize.

"Here."

A dark red sweater was held in her direction. Flickering her gaze from him to the sweater, she forced her shoulders to relax. His eyes were calm. There wasn't even an ounce of distaste or annoyance. Instead, he offered her a soft smile. She'd never thought he'd make an expression like that. Taking the sweater from him, she allowed herself to relax only to freeze when he moved.

For only an instant every instinct in her body screamed to run away. Her heart froze in her chest even as her throat tightened. His lips pressed against her cheek before he was moving toward the bathroom in a single move. Staring blankly at the place where he'd been standing, the sweater slipped through her fingers to hit the floor. He mentioned something about a shower that barely reached her ears through the fog surrounding her mind.

Her fingers trembled as she raised them to press against her cheek.

(Qrow)

Ruby had gone on a date and returned with a child. Only the hand on his shoulder kept him from getting drunk enough to forget his own name. Instead of falling into the sweet release he wanted, he stared at the long hallway that led to Adam's room. Both his daughter and the faunus had decided to focus on the child while both their groups got to know each other. Honestly, he was far more willing to hide under the bar until morning. Sadly Roman had decided having known terrorists in his bar was crossing the line, personally, he felt the thief just wanted to keep his supply intact. So here he was sitting on Adam's couch trying to process the situation.

Glancing at where Raven was standing behind him, it was easy to notice the way her eyes tracked everyone in the room. Leaning forward, he tried to pretend he wasn't about to lose his mind. It was bad enough that Cinder and Viper had teamed up to get answers from the man Adam had dragged back. As a Huntsman, he should keep them from torturing a civilian, but as a father, he wanted to join them. Either way, he doubted the man would live much longer. There was also little doubt in his mind about who was going to finally finish him off.

He ran a hand through his hair before standing. If nothing was done now both groups would continue huddling in opposite corners waiting for their leaders to return. Clapping his hands to get everyone's attention he resisted the urge to chuckle when Oscar almost jolted out of his chair. Offering the boy a grin he raised an eyebrow at the huff he got in return. He turned his attention back to the gathered group in front of him. The room was a bit crowded.

"Let's start with formal introductions. I'm Qrow Branwen a Huntsman," he said. His attempt to break the ice did nothing but earn him frowned and rolled eyes. What he didn't expect was the bat faunus that almost lunged forward. If not for the grip on his collar the winged man would've managed to grab his shoulders.

"I'm Yuma! Are you Queen's dad," he asked.

Tilting his head in confusion, he nervously scratched his neck. The man meant Ruby, didn't he? It made far too much sense that his daughter had managed to catch the attention of Adam's team despite only meeting them once. Shifting away from the eager man, he sighed. He supposed there were worse things than Ruby having their attention. At least this meant they were less likely to start a war. Nodding slowly he leaned back as the man threw his hands in the air with a cheer. At least the introductions that followed were less chaotic.

Rolling his shoulders, he tossed a glance in Oscar's direction when the boy simply mumbled his name and waved. Apparently, the kid was still trying to be neutral, although he doubted that was going to last much longer. If not for how much Oscar clung to Ruby, he might've had a chance at clawing his way out from the abyss. At this point, the kid was just as screwed as the rest of them. From the frown on his face, Oscar was well aware of how deep he was sinking. He had no idea if the kid even cared.

"Any idea what our next moves going to be," Niko asked. The white-haired man was leaning against the wall eyeing the disaster in front of him with barely concealed amusement.

Qrow twitched. Honestly, at this point, he had no idea what to do. The logical, responsible, thing would be to move forward with the plan and hunt down the child thieves. However, nothing they did was going to speed up the process of getting information from their captive. It was better to stay in one place and wait for orders. That being said, he wasn't really ready for a heart-to-heart with Adam's team. At least not sober.

"Anyone want to get drunk?"

Raven twitched. Her hand came down to land on his shoulder.

"Hell yeah," Zack shouted.

Watching the man almost run to the kitchen, Qrow chuckled. At least someone was happy with his offer of getting too drunk to actually process the situation.

(Adam)

There was an angel on his bed.

He'd left for twenty minutes only to return to his lover and the fox child taking a nap. Not that he blamed them given the day they'd had. Laying on her back, Ruby had pulled the kid against her side in the clingiest way possible. Something that the kid obviously approved of given how tightly his arms were wrapped around her. His head was on her chest; something he envied the kid for. Ruby hadn't bothered to move them under the blankets either, instead, she'd simply shifted them to a spot where her head could rest on the pillows.

Her dress was tossed on the floor at the end of the bed. Running his eyes over her legs, he cast a short glance at his open dresser. She hadn't even bothered to close the drawer after stealing a pair of his boxers. His sweater was more of a dress on her than anything else. The fabric had dropped revealing the pale skin of her shoulder. Barely holding back a chuckle, he stalked toward them. It was easy to slip his scroll from his pocket and take a picture. Laying a gentle kiss on her forehead, he smirked when she tightened her grip on the kid.

Turning away before he got stuck staring for at least an hour, he moved toward the door. As much as he wanted to stay, there was still work to do. Slipping from the room, he ignored the chatter from his living room. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact both their groups were meeting for the first time. If nothing was on fire, then everything was fine. If no one was dead, then he didn't need to worry.

Opening the door to Viper's little paradise, he was once again glad for investing in soundproof rooms. A heavy scent of charred flesh and blood hit his nose, as he stepped into the room. Closing the door behind him, it was easy to ignore the strangled screaming of the human withering on the floor. Usually, Viper strapped them down to a chair. It was harder to ignore the bickering of the two responsible.

Cinder sat in the only chair in the room as if the entire world was her plaything. Her arms were crossed as she nudged the man with her foot. The action earned a screech. Unlike Viper who had blood on his sleeves, she was spotless. An amused smirk was painted on her face as if this was a typical afternoon. Viper on the other hand was leaning against the wall. His gaze was firmly fixed on his watch as he waited for the dose of poison to run its course.

"Physical pain isn't a good enough motivator," Cinder said. Her eyes were flickering between Viper and the man on the ground. There was a hint of satisfaction in her gaze that sent shivers down his spine.

For once he was happy the woman was on their side.

"Did you find out anything," he asked. He raised an eyebrow when they both turned to face him almost in unison.

"He bought the child-"

"Jay," he corrected. The glare he earned from Cinder was well worth it. With how attached Ruby was becoming to the child, she'd probably keep him.

"At a mansion in the upper district" Cinder said. Crossing her arms she rolled her eyes.

"Where?"

"He doesn't remember," Viper said. Glancing down at the human, he grimaced. "Apparently the exact location was wiped from his mind."

Of course, it was. There was no way that anything could ever be easy. It also meant that their kidnappers had someone with a mental semblance. Perhaps an ability to mess with people's memories. That was a dangerous semblance, especially considering they had no idea what other abilities their enemies had.

"What do you want to do with this thing," Viper asked. Nudging the human with his foot, he rolled his eyes when the man cried out in pain. Honestly, he'd used more venom on Ruby and she hadn't turned into a crybaby.

"Burn it."

Hi guys, how's everyone doing today?

Anyway next chapter will be focusing on Ruby and Adam joining their teams together. Also will be the start of the Rose family dinner.

stay safe and have a good day

- Shyla