Adam jumped slightly as he both saw and heard a dark blue scabbard hit the table in front of his open notebook. The plain, white-corded hilt of a katana poked out from one end, and he looked up from the unexpected weapon in confusion. His eye met a pair of others hidden behind welding goggles, and he pulled back from his position half-slumped over the table as Professor Calavera leaned in slowly.
"You've said not one word all class, young man," the dark-skinned woman stated matter-of-factly. "What's going on?"
Adam looked around at the other tables of students working on diagramming and measuring their weaponry, only to find them all ignoring the interaction. He cleared his throat and leaned back even farther to sit up properly. Despite knowing that he was alone with the professor in the corner of the room and that no one on Team STRQ or Team OKRA shared the class with him, he couldn't keep the embarrassed stammer from his voice as he returned his gaze down to the empty pages of his notebook.
"I… I-I have a lot on my mind. I haven't really spoken much to anyone, today," the boy replied in a tone full of misery. He swallowed hard and looked over the fairly plain weapon on the table before him once again, before shaking his head. "What's… what's this, Professor? I'm guessing you didn't drop it in front of me just to get my attention."
"No, but that is something I would do. It's your loaner, for the semester," Professor Calavera said coolly. Adam opened his mouth to protest, only for the older woman to raise a finger in an obvious call for silence. "And I'll hear none of that out of you, Mister Taurus. If we're deconstructing and completely retooling your old blade, you're taking one of my old ones with you on hunts, and to sparring class. I made it myself, years ago, so try not to let it get to the state your current katana is in. I'm quite fond of the old girl."
Adam let out a breath through his nose, and slowly reached out for the sword. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around the smooth, deep blue case, and drew the blade toward himself, only to jump once again as Professor Calavera's voice cut through the air like a serrated knife.
"Get on with it, and draw her. This isn't a tea ceremony, and class is almost over," she chided. Adam nodded quickly, and brought the blade to himself before standing up. He drew the katana from its sheath, only to find that the steel was polished to a mirrored sheen. The faunus could see his reflection staring back at him in an odd, distorted pattern within the blade. Despite the warped and refracted nature of the image, he could clearly see the dark circle beneath his visible eye. He could also see the unexpected twinge of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"There we go. I figured giving you something pointy might manage to cheer you up a bit. Just be sure to use it on the right people," the professor joked as she walked around the table and sat upon the empty stool next to Adam. She casually leaned forward, and folded her arms atop the surface of the table as Adam quickly sank the sword back into its sheath. "Now, what's wrong with you, today? You didn't seem too happy yesterday, either, but quite frankly, you look terrible. Trouble in the dorm, or with Mister Branwen?"
Adam visibly recoiled at the accurate prediction, and let out a nearly silent snort as he returned to his seat. He gently laid the gifted katana across his lap, and stared back into his notebook as Professor Calavera occupied his blind spot. Something about being unable to see her at all made it easier to talk, and the boy found himself pretending that he was speaking to his own conscience. Somehow, the equivalence struck him as fitting.
"…my team, and another have gotten to be friends. Team STRQ. Qrow's team," Adam began. "But something happened that's… dividing us. Already. Based on classes earlier this morning, it's actually less like dividing, and more like they're turning against me. Willow Schnee is here, at Beacon," he stated with an icy bite to his words. He turned just enough to look at Professor Calavera, and paused as he noticed her complete lack of reaction to what he considered shocking news.
"Yes, and?" the professor replied with a total absence of emotion in her voice. "She's in my sixth period class, along with the rest of your team. They all seem like decent people to me, Willow included. My only criticism of her thus far is that she sits at the corner table, alone, looking miserable and as though she believes no one understands her, despite the fact that she seems to be quite an interesting person." Professor Calavera paused for emphasis, and Adam's cheeks grew hot as he did a visual sweep of the weapons lab. Despite a silent prayer that the situation would somehow, magically be different, he found that he was indeed still befitting of the same description.
"Really?" Adam asked in what came out as more of a whispered snarl than a statement. "That's all that bothers you about her being here, knowing what you know about me, and the way the SDC treats faunus?"
"Well, to be fair, I think her sapphire pendant looks a bit tacky atop such a plain, form-fitting dress as her combat outfit, but I'm hardly a paragon of fashion," Professor Calavera replied with a knowing smirk. Adam gave the woman a dangerous glare, and she merely waved it off with a mocking hand. "Let me be blunt with you- that girl didn't choose to be born a Schnee any more than you chose to be born with horns. Until I see her dragging faunus students off to the kitchens to wash dishes for no pay, tripping them in the hall before cackling in a cartoonishly evil way, or saying that you don't deserve an education, she has just as much of a right to be here as you do, and will get the same opportunities and treatment that I would offer anyone else. Is that not fair?"
Adam bristled as the words echoed within his head. Earlier that morning, he had gotten a similar lecture from Bartholomew. The leader of OKRA had spoken calmly and supported his statements with logic, even as Adam had pointed a finger directly into his face and yelled to the point that spittle had flown from his mouth and landed on Bartholomew's jacket. The boy's response was merely to brush it off with the back of his hand, and continue speaking about fairness. It wasn't long before Roman emerged from his morning trip to the bathroom for a shower, and offered a disappointing, noncommittal stance on the matter before insisting that Adam was still his 'brother'. Despite that reassurance, he stated that he wanted to act in the interest of fairness to both him, and Willow. Adam had left the room in a huff, and refused to speak to either of them as they tried to pursue.
Then, Period One came. The class had started with Adam sitting next to Kali and Raven, tense and annoyed. He hadn't spoken to his faunus companion all morning, on account of her overnight stay with Team STRQ. The conversation had begun with an apology from the girl, and for several moments, he thought that someone would finally be back on his side. Minutes later, after Raven had mediated the rest of their dialogue and the two girls had insisted that things could be resolved between all nine of the students peacefully and fairly, he found that he couldn't stand it anymore and went to sit on his own, on the other side of the room. Adam had missed the majority of Professor Port's lecture as he stewed in his own anger, before stomping off to History, where he sat as far away from the Winchester twins as he could manage.
The sound of the other students in the weapons lab beginning to pack their equipment and paperwork broke Adam from his reverie, and he found Professor Calavera standing on the opposite side of his table as she addressed the class at large.
"Hm… decent work today, class. I will say, there needs to be less discussing boys at Table Two, and more focus on safely handling ammunition cartridges. Let's be serious, here- you're almost all 18 years of age, and half of the boys here have arms that look like they're made of string beans. I see almost nothing to drool over within the student body, so get your heads back in the game, ladies," the professor chided as she folded her arms. "Store your weapons beneath the tables if you so choose, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Adam wondered briefly whether or not he fell into the 'string bean' category, before he, too, stood and closed his notebook. He considered following the procession of students out into the hall and heading for his appointment with the headmaster, but found himself unable to move as he looked at Professor Calavera's back. It was unclear how much time had passed since her question, but he was sure that no matter the answer, ignoring the woman who had treated him so well was what was eating at his insides. Adam waited until the last student left the workshop, and then cleared his throat.
"…Professor? Do you think I'm an asshole?"
Professor Calavera turned slowly, and slipped her hands into a pair of pockets on either side of her many-pocketed apron. She grinned widely and let out an amused, rich chuckle as she leaned back into a table across from Adam's.
"A real asshole would never ask that question, Mister Taurus. They would be too caught up in their own self-interest to even consider the possibility, so… no. No, I do not believe you're an asshole. Also- language."
"Sorry," Adam replied automatically. The statement earned yet another, louder laugh from the professor, and Adam pulled a face of discomfort in response.
"You honestly think I care? Keep it clean during class, but when we're done? Say what you want. You wouldn't be talking to me afterward if you didn't think I could handle it or didn't value my opinion, so I'd rather you didn't filter your thoughts and get caught up focusing more on your language than your feelings. Efficiency is key, young man," Professor Calavera instructed. She slipped her right hand from her pocket and brought it up to raise her tinted goggles up onto her forehead, before giving Adam an unreadable look.
Adam couldn't hold back his immediate, muted gasp of surprise as he looked over Professor Calavera's eyes. The irises were a dazzling, pure silver that seemed to give off an entrancing, almost otherworldly glow. In a way, they reminded him of moonlight. There was also a kind, comforting quality to the way they sparkled, along with a serious, almost threatening edge. In another way, they reminded him of the steel of the blade she had gifted him. Adam found himself unable to think as Professor Calavera rolled her silver orbs, and the mixed, indecipherable expression upon her face changed to one of annoyance and disappointment. Despite the negative look about her, the thought that she was absolutely stunning despite her age wafted through Adam's mind in an unwelcome haze of confused attraction.
"Yes, yes, silver eyes. Get your gawking in now," Professor Calavera instructed. "This isn't the time to discuss stupid, ridiculous legends and hearsay about what they mean, or where they're from. I keep them covered for exactly that reason, and only uncovered them to let you see that I'm serious about what I'm saying. They don't make me any different from anyone with blue eyes, or yellow, or pink."
"Sorry, Professor," Adam stated as he forced himself to look somewhere, anywhere else in the room as he felt his cheeks grow hot. He settled upon the woman's pocketed apron, and found the temptation to raise his eyes back to her face nearly unbearable. The way that her features came together without the goggles gave her a beauty unlike any Adam had ever seen in a woman, despite the fact that she was just over double his age.
"On that note, back to the point- I think you're simply trying to figure out who you want to be. You feel conflicted about who you can trust, and in your mind, the name 'Schnee' is an immediate red flag. That's quite fair, I might add, given your circumstances," Professor Calavera offered as she walked over to stand at Adam's side. "But it's not fair to apply that same logic to an equally conflicted, scared little girl of your age, who made none of the decisions that ruined your life up to this point."
Adam made a heavy, ugly noise of disgust as the professor arrived at his side. "Fairness. That's all I've heard, all of last night and this morning, from everyone I've talked to about this. I hate that word, and I'm supposed to be meeting Professor Ozpin during lunch to talk about this situation. I know I'm just going to hear the same thing again," Adam lamented.
"I'd imagine that you will, yes," Professor Calavera offered as she returned her free hand back to her pocket. "Be ready for that to happen, and brace yourself accordingly. The reason you're hearing the same thing over and over again is likely because we're on to something, collectively. I know you know, in your heart, that burning bridges with your friends over this isn't the right move. No one is saying you have to hold hands with Miss Schnee and skip through the halls. You don't even need to talk to her, but you do need to understand that she isn't going anywhere, and you're just going to have to deal with that fact. Beacon is home to all who want to be here, after all."
Adam fell silent, and took his time in securing his new katana to his belt before gathering up his notebook and stuffing it into his backpack. He slung the bag up over one shoulder, and let out a massive sigh as he turned to face Professor Calavera with a disappointed look.
"…I know…"
"Mm-hmm," the professor replied as she cracked her neck to one side. "Now, run along. You've got places to be, and so do I. Make sure you smooth things over with your team, and whatever team you're rubbing shoulders with, potentially over dinner. It's important to keep your friends close."
"…and your enemies closer?" Adam tried with a frown.
Professor Calavera blinked, and blew a lock of dangling, jet-black hair from her face. "Well, no, not in this case. Keeping her the hell away from you is probably the safest decision for now, for both of you. She is cute, though, even you can't deny that. Who knows what the future could bring?"
Adam merely shook his head, and turned to head for the door. "Thank you, Professor Calavera. You've been… you've been really helpful to me, already."
"Adam!"
The faunus froze as he made it into the hall. The combination of the bite in Professor Calavera's voice, as well as her usage of his first name worked together to cause him to feel as though he had been caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. He slowly turned to look back at her, and found the professor pointing in the direction opposite of the one he had set out toward.
"Cafeteria first," she scolded as she returned her hands to her hips. "Oz can wait a few minutes, and you're going to make yourself sick, if you don't eat. When you're not on the clock, good friends and good food take priority over everything else, young man."
Adam found himself breaking out into a guilty smile as he turned on his heel.
"…thank you, Professor. I'll… keep that in mind."
Professor Calavera paused as she watched Adam head off in the direction of the cafeteria, and then lowered her welding goggles once again. She quickly headed toward her desk and scooped up her pair of short scythes, before exiting the lab and kicking the doorstop to allow the portal to close behind herself as she made her way toward the door leading to the stairs.
"Well, this blows all sorts of dick."
Raven rolled her eyes as she looked across the table at Roman, who was busy repeatedly softly stabbing his sandwich with a toothpick instead of eating it. The little green plastic frill at the edge of the stick bounced an obnoxious light into Raven's eyes as she watched, and she eventually looked back down to her salad to avoid the irritating glint.
"Truly, you are a wordsmith, Roman," she said sarcastically. "That being said- yes, it does, but Adam is meeting with Ozpin right now. There's nothing we can really do about this whole situation, until he returns."
"Yeah, but Roman's right," Kali cut in. She let her eyes wander clear across the room, to where Summer, Taiyang, and Qrow sat with Willow, deep in conversation. The heiress was covering her mouth with her hand as Taiyang was making some sort of animated gestures, apparently telling a story. "It feels awful splitting up like this and walking on eggshells. I just want things to be like lunch was, yesterday. Well… plus Adam and Qrow, and even Willow."
"Be that as it may," Bartholomew began, "we need to be careful, today. If Adam's meeting ends early, and we're sitting as a table of eight with Willow… I suspect things will become, as Roman would say, an absolute shitshow."
Kali nearly choked on her drink as she began to laugh, and Roman nodded his approval.
"Correct usage, and context. Bonus points for Barty. Nine more, and I'll give you a gold star."
Raven merely shook her head, and sighed as she stabbed down into her salad leaves. "I swear, the standard of humor between you two is like… preschool level."
"Nah, preschoolers don't know what sex is, and that's at least half of what we find funny," Kali retorted as she used a napkin to wipe errant droplets of soda from around her mouth.
"I'm not convinced that Roman knows what sex is, either," Bartholomew added with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Kali howled with laughter and Raven snorted in amusement as Roman flicked his toothpick across the table and into the wool of Bartholomew's sweater.
"Oh, fuck you, man! I've gotten more tail than the Vale City Zoo!" Roman tried as he looked away.
"Right," Raven replied in a deadpan tone. "Because that's the kind of statement someone comfortable with their romantic experiences would make. Honestly, I think you'd have more luck if you didn't try so hard. When's the last time you've been on an actual date?"
Roman glowered in Raven's direction, arms folded and seething. "Why is it that whenever there's a lull in conversation, I end up with a target on my back?"
"Mostly for the reactions you give," Bartholomew offered. "They tend to be full of histrionics, and it's rather entertaining. If it really bothers you so much, though, I can find a new target."
"Still waiting for an answer," Raven said as she set her fork down. "Seriously, Roman. Part of it is how you act around women. It's not like we haven't all noticed. Your eyes have been on my chest more than my face every time we've talked. Would it kill you to tone it down?"
"…you do have a nice rack," Kali said with a shrug as Roman huffed. Raven gave her a dangerous glare in return, and narrowed her eyes.
"You are not helping."
"Alright. You know what? Fine. Raven?" Roman asked with conviction. The girl's plait of hair bounced as she whipped her head back toward the boy, and her expression became neutral once again. "What are you doing later tonight?"
Raven blinked in surprise, and found that herself repeating the question several times in her head before answering.
"…nothing, as far as I'm aware. Why do you ask?"
"Then come out with me for dinner, instead of coming down here" Roman offered, his voice lacking its usual air of narcissism and bravado in favor of a softer, more honest tone. "We'll go someplace nice, and just talk for a bit. A simple, low-stress date to get to know each other better, and prove to you that I'm not a total asshole."
Kali's eyes grew wide as she looked back and forth between the two teens, and Bartholomew paused in silence with a cup halfway to his lips. No one at the table spoke for several seconds, until Raven opened her mouth and let out a long sigh.
"…you know what, Roman? Sure. I'll give you a chance to turn this around, and prove me wrong. It could be interesting, and you and I don't really know each other well. See you at six?"
"Six works," Roman confirmed as he leaned back in his chair, his confident grin back in place.
"What… the hell just happened?" Kali questioned with a look of disbelief. "Are you two seriously going out on a date? Like… a date-date?"
"Kinda?" Roman said, unsure himself. He looked at Raven with a raised brow, and found the girl keeping her eyes on her salad as she gathered more leaves on her fork.
"…I mean… technically, yes? But I'm not expecting this to go anywhere serious. More just to clear the air, and get to know Roman," Raven clarified.
"Makes sense to me," Bartholomew said. "After all, it can't be too serious of a date when Taiyang is still single."
Raven fixed Bartholomew with the most venomous look she could manage as Kali once again let out a peal of laughter.
"I thought you were supposed to be one of the good ones," she spat as she pointed an accusatory, leaf-coated fork at the green-haired boy. Her cheeks began to tint red, and Kali only began to laugh harder.
"And that's where you assumed incorrectly," Bartholomew replied with a cheeky grin.
"Hey, wait, everybody shut up," Roman instructed. The trio all turned to look at him as he spun in his seat, and pointed toward the large wall of windows near the table. "Isn't that Adam? That can't be good."
Adam Taurus continued to walk along the line of hedges around the gardens, katana drawn as he increased his speed. Slowly, he picked up the pace from a power walk to a jog, and then to a full-on run as he passed by the windows of the cafeteria. He didn't bother to look sideways and see if other students were staring, and he didn't particularly care. The boy kept his mind and eye on his destination as the trees of the Emerald Forest came into view, far below at the base of the nearby cliff.
The faunus made his way over to the edge, and looked down into the tree line. He narrowed his eye as he looked for grimm, only to find nothing interesting in the vicinity. Wordlessly, he stalked along the edge of the cliff, until he came to a blue metallic railing leading to a switchback staircase up against the rock wall. Without hesitation, he began to quickly descend the steps as snippets of his conversation with Professor Ozpin played out in his mind. The dialogue had gone exactly as he thought it would, but the advice and responses he received angered him in a way that he hadn't anticipated.
How could the man have been so calm about the Winchester twins and Willow, when Adam had worked himself into such a frenzy? Bits and pieces of the conversation seemed almost blank to him, as he had focused only on his anger, rather than what the headmaster had said. Somehow, he found that Professor Calavera had an effect on him that Professor Ozpin did not. Somehow, he knew from that moment on that he could no longer go to the headmaster for advice. Somehow, he could hear her voice more clearly than his, as he reached the forest floor.
"Looking to take out your anger on something more robust than a training dummy?"
Adam's heart leapt into his throat at the sound, and he whirled in place as he shakily leveled his blade at the voice. He watched in awe as Professor Calavera descended the last several feet of the cliff wall, gripping one of her short scythes as the blade tore a thin, dark line through the rock. With one smooth motion, she kicked off the side of the cliff and tore her weapon from the stone, before launching into the air and falling the final ten feet to land in the grass. The woman stuck the landing, and whirled her weapons to snap together into a sort of short, dual-bladed staff behind herself.
"I didn't… how did you… when d-"
"Followed you. Obviously," Professor Calavera stated. Around her shop uniform, she wore an unfamiliar gray cloak, with a pointy hood dangling behind her head. Her welding goggles were down around her neck. "I don't teach again for another two hours. The perks of being a senior staff member, and being able to choose your own schedule," she informed with a smirk.
"I can't deal with people right now," Adam explained as he began to walk into the trees. "I'm just so…"
"Pissed off?" Professor Calavera offered as she moved to follow the teen with purposeful steps. "I get it. You've now had almost a full 24 hours of hearing what you don't want to hear, and even if you're starting to realize that we're all just looking out for you, I'm sure it isn't pleasant. You're looking for catharsis."
"For… what? Is that a type of grimm?" Adam asked as he looked over his shoulder.
"…no. Release, we'll call it," Professor Calavera deadpanned. "That being said, no first years are cleared to be out in the Emerald Forest alone until they pass a combat exam with Professor Goodwitch, at the end of the first semester."
"So, you're here to stop me," Adam spat. "There are grimm out here, right?"
"There are," the woman confirmed. "And no, I'm not out here to stop you. I'm here to offer you an alternative."
Adam paused, before taking another step forward. "An alternative. Is your alternative 'go to the gym and sit around for Team Synergy and Tactics, while you're feeling like you currently have more team synergy with these trees than your actual team?' Because if it is, I'm not taking the offer."
"No," Professor Calavera said as she rolled her eyes. "Young man, are you fully aware of how aura works, and how to budget it? Have you unlocked your semblance, yet? Have you even seen a grimm in person?"
Adam turned to fully face his professor, and opened his mouth.
"Outside of Professor Port's day one lecture," Professor Calavera clarified. Adam abruptly closed his mouth once again, and looked away, ashamed.
"No, no, and… also no," Adam admitted. He grumbled something inaudible to himself, and let out a heated breath through his nose. "So, what? Why are you really here?"
"We'll get to that in a moment," Professor Calavera replied as she walked toward a tree, and embedded the wickedly curved blade of one end of her scythe-staff into the bark. She leaned back on the massive oak and folded her arms, before crossing her legs and fixing Adam with a contemplative look. "All living things have aura, even though it's negligible in basic animals and plants. It's a sort of… passive energy, for both protection, and offensive capability. Some people believe that it is a manifestation of the bearer's soul. Others think it's simply a byproduct of being alive, but they don't offer much explanation beyond that."
"I am not that clueless, Professor," Adam seethed through grit teeth. "I know that much. I also know how to keep it up and active without focusing on doing so. I've been in fights."
"With weapons? Where both parties were trading blows?" Professor Calavera asked, her tone free of judgment. The faunus boy slowly shook his head, and the woman nodded. "Then there's more you need to know. Aura may be convenient, but like most things, it has strengths, and glaring weaknesses. A blunt weapon is easy for aura to absorb and deflect, as the damage tends to spread across a rather sizeable area. That being said, you'll still feel the impact and pain from the blow, despite being mostly protected from the bruising and broken bones, unless it's a really big hit. That's why getting punched in the face, even with aura up, is less than pleasant, even if it generally doesn't leave a mark."
Adam furrowed his brows as he listened, and nodded along as he tried to keep up with the explanation.
"I… see. And… other weapons? Blades? Bullets?"
"Blades are a pain, because of the slashing motions that come with them. A few good slashes across a wide enough area will rip a hole in your aura, and closing said holes can take time, if you're not used to dealing with them. The best way to learn is honestly to get hit, as aura more or less has a mind of its own, and will 'teach' itself, if you let it. Think of it almost like a much sturdier blanket. Hit a blanket draped over someone with a hammer, and the blanket will be fine. Swing a sword into the same blanket-covered person, and they'll soon be without any defense," Professor Calavera explained. "As for bullets… it's just like the thrust of a straight sword, only much worse. Small holes in aura will naturally close, and quite quickly, but some projectiles will punch straight through against someone without experience. Aura can be focused at the point of impact to deal with thrusts and bullets, but it takes training, and time."
Adam felt a sudden hint of anxiety creeping through his chest as Professor Calavera pushed off the tree, and wrenched her scythe out of the wood.
"I understand. But… why are you telling me all of this? Isn't information like that something we'll be learning in classes?"
Professor Calavera shook her head, and separated her scythes back into a pair. "Two reasons. First of all, no, you won't be learning such things at Beacon, as it's assumed you were taught them at a primary school before coming to a secondary combat academy. And secondly," the woman began as she spun one of her short scythes and then pointed it toward Adam, "I'm getting you ready for my proposed alternative. Raise your weapon, Mister Taurus. You're about to fight me."
Author's Note:
For anyone wondering about ages in this story- the first year students are all 18 or 19, and Maria is currently 39. That may seem oddly specific. That's because it is.
-RD
