I'm writing these chapters in bulk by arc. So, by the time you read this, chapter 5 is sitting there…waiting to be read and enjoyed. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I thought about splitting this chapter up into 2, but I've decided to keep it in its long entirety. Buckle up, it's a long one!
"You sure you don't need any help setting this thing up?" Lie Ren asked looking back at Ruby, who was in the backseat of the car Nora, and he owned. Nora was currently driving to the location of one of the few large estates that surrounded Patch. This mansion in particular was inspired by 18th century gothic architecture. The owner of the house was unknown, but Ruby knew that her client, Cinder Fall, apparently lived there. The woman gave off a mysterious vibe, but Ruby decided that she liked her. The guy who she was with seemed like a goof, and that Emerald girl made Ruby feel feelings she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since Blake left almost a year ago.
"Nah, all you gotta do is help me bring the stuff inside, and then you and Nora can go back to the kids."
She could see Nora's face redden at the mention of children.
"What, it's not like you guys have any… unless," Ruby gasped. "Nora are you-?"
"Ruby! Unless you want to get into a serious car accident, I wouldn't recommend finishing that thought." Ren warned. A shade of pink dusting his own cheeks as he tried to aim a glare at the woman in the backseat. Ruby simply offered a little smirk in return.
Ren turned around and huffed. "I'm not worried about if you can get the parts inside on your own or not." He started.
"So, what are you worried about?" Ruby asked.
"C'mon Ruby, really," Nora chimed in as they came up on the dirt path leading to the large mansion. "Big scary looking mansion on the outskirts of the city hidden inside a lush green forest probably housed by people who we've never seen around town, and you aren't thinking that they're VAMPIRES?"
"I, uh…no?"
Ren dropped his head into the palm of his right hand.
"Nora is right. Not about the vampire stuff, but these people might be unsavory."
"Ren, I've made tons of house calls before this."
"I know you have, but that doesn't mean that you were never once in danger. Someone could've done something to you. Now of all times, I'm getting a bad feeling about this job."
"I appreciate your concern," Ruby sat forward and patted the young man's shoulder.
"I'll be fine, trust me. If it makes you feel any better, one of the girls living here seems to really like me. Like REALLY like me."
Nora, and Ren shared a quick glance. The obvious implication of someone liking Ruby meant bringing up Blake. The couple in the front seats seemed to freeze. The words on the tip of their tongues, but both were too afraid to say anything that might send Ruby spiraling. They just got her back. If they lost her again, it might be for good.
"H-how…" Nora finally spoke. "How does that make you feel?"
Ruby sat back in her chair, aiming her eyes into the car ceiling, clearly thinking.
"Blake leaving still hurts me deeply." She admitted. She closed her eyes as her mind took her back to the day she lost Blake, and herself. Her eyes opening just as quickly as the pain from that day sent a jolt through her.
"B-but I'm trying to get over it. She said she didn't have time for love, and I have to respect that. I was also angry at myself for wanting her to stay despite the incredibly noble task she was called for. It wasn't just Blake rejecting me, it was my selfishness that left me in that state for so many months. I felt like everyone slowly gave up on me," She looked at Ren through the driver's mirror. His eyes locked onto her with no intent to stray. "I was wrong, so in seeing that, I want to get over Blake. Enough to be okay with simply being her friend. It hurts, but on the other side, it feels nice to be wanted by someone I think looks beautiful."
Silence filled the car as Nora slowed the vehicle down. The trio were now in front of the giant mansion. The sharpness of the gothic deign sends chills up Ren and Nora's spines.
"Wow." Nora said after a while. "Not wow at the mansion, I mean the mansion does deserve a wow, but what you said was very…"
"Understanding." Ren finished for her.
Ruby simply shrugged.
"It's not like I'm okay."
"We know," Ren glanced back at her through the mirror "But acknowledging your problem is a nice start. Better than staying stuck, right?"
Ruby's lips pursed for a second before nodding in agreement. "Anything's better than that."
She pulled out her phone and called Emerald.
"Yo." Was the greeting she heard through the phone.
"H-hey, Emerald. It's me, Ruby? I'm outside with the parts?"
Sweet laughter filled her ear. A nice, warm feeling in her stomach began to bubble up.
"Awesome! I'll be right there, cutie."
Ruby imagined the other woman giving her a quick wink with a teasing smile.
"Alright." Was all Ruby said before she quickly ended the call and dropped her head in her hands.
"Ugh," she groaned.
"Smooth." Ren laughed as he got out of the car with Ruby to begin moving the computer parts to the main door.
Ruby said nothing, only aiming a not so threatening glare Ren's way. The man only continued laughing as they began to unload.
Nora stayed in the car. Stewing in her own feelings about Ruby finally being out and about again since March. Ruby clearly was a different person. She wasn't as bubbly and animated as she used to be, but that was okay. She would make sure that Ruby was going to be okay. Change affects people in many ways. Ruby seemed to be accepting that now, and it gave Nora hope. A smile quickly formed on her face as she sat back in her seat, satisfied to just have her friend back. Her positive feeling was soon replaced by an ominous one. She slowly sat up, gripping the steering wheel, eyes looking every which way to see where the feeling was coming from. Her vision landed on a figure standing near a window on the second floor of the left side of the mansion. The man's eyes were covered by a white cloth. His hair was short, but windswept. Brown with red streaks running through it in every which way. Two black horns sat on both sides of his head. Nora could make out a black, high collar double breasted jacket like the red one Ruby was currently wearing. Even though she could see his eyes, Nora knew the man was very clearly looking at her. The interaction sent a shiver through Nora's body. He looked very intimidating. He clearly wasn't a vampire, but he gave off dangerous energy. Nora quickly tore her eyes away from the man, but still felt his heavy gaze on her. She opted to seek out Ren, who's back was to her as he and Ruby were at the front door.
The door opened revealing, Emerald, and the pale man Ruby saw with her at the shop.
"You didn't say, you were bringing company." Emerald said as she looked at Ren with a frown.
"He's not gonna stay. I just needed some help moving parts is all."
"Well, I can take it from here. I'll show you where Cinder wants this set up. The name's Mercury by the way." Mercury took one of the two packaged boxes from Ruby and began to move. Ren looked at her, giving Ruby the second box before saying, "Call us if you need anything."
Emerald noted the concern in the man's voice and quickly butted in before Ruby could respond.
"Don't worry about a thing. She's in good hands." She could tell Ren didn't accept that, but a look from Ruby got him to.
"Alright," he said begrudgingly. He patted Ruby on the shoulder before moving backwards, his eyes never leaving Emerald's. He eventually turned around and made his way back to the car.
"Your boyfriend?"
"Oh God, no!" Ruby exclaimed fiercely shocking Emerald.
"He's just concerned. I've been going through some stuff lately, and he's been trying to make up for not being there for me the whole time. He's like an older brother if anything."
Emerald slowly nodded before closing the doors behind her, draping an arm over the brunette's shoulder, and leading her to the room where she would set up this PC.
"So, you're available?"
Ruby's face was as red as her last name would suggest.
"I'm not saying no."
Emerald's grin grew three sizes in that moment. She was feeling giddy but decided to present herself as the cool girl to Ruby's obviously more shy persona.
"You've got a nice place here." Ruby spoke aloud as she looked around. The fancy décor made Ruby's eyes light up. She was happy that she was able to see color again. This wouldn't be half as impressive if she couldn't even make out the colors. They were still dull, but enough to elicit a whistle form Ruby as she spotted the large winding staircase they began to climb.
Emerald quickly moved ahead of her as they climbed, giving Ruby a view that made Ruby feel like a pervert for staring. The tight white jeans Emerald wore did exactly what they were meant to do. Emerald could feel Ruby's eyes on her, she looked back to see the young woman trying to act like she wasn't ogling for too long.
"It's okay, I don't mind you staring."
"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be that kind of person, but you look really good."
Ruby couldn't see Emerald's face darkening from a blush at the genuine compliment. Ruby was awkward, but always forward. Emerald appreciated that.
"Thanks," She quickly coughed into her arm as they finished climbing the large staircase. "The room is all the way down the hall to the right. You'll see Mercury."
"Appreciate the directions." Ruby said before another thought came crashing into her mind. "Wanna accompany me as I build this thing? It's gonna take a few hours, and I don't really wanna be alone in such a large place."
"Ah, sure. I can make things interesting for us."
The two made their way down the hall.
"Perfect." Ruby said with a smile that made Emerald's stomach do backflips.
"Hey Emerald?"
"You can call me, Em." She blurted out. Ruby was a little startled but kept going.
"Okay, Em. I just want to say thanks."
"For what? I haven't done anything but shamelessly flirt with you."
"Yeah, that's what I mean."
Emerald cocked an eyebrow at Ruby's words.
"I… I used to like someone. I think I still do, but she never really gave me the time of day. She's a great person that it's so hard to give up thinking about her. We were great friends even with my obvious crush on her."
Emerald's face settled into a serious one. Her eyes slightly furrowed as she continued to listen to the woman walking alongside her.
"She left to help her father create a group fighting for Faunus equality."
Emerald's eyebrows lifted at that. This other lady really did seem like a great person. Emerald was never one to shy away from competition.
"I-I haven't been the same since then. I always felt like my purpose was to share my life with her, alongside all my other friends, but most of them had their own callings to chase after. I felt alone, but then you came along. I still have friends who support me, but you make me feel things I don't with them. It feels…nice." The two entered the room where Mercury currently was. He was eyeing the parts still in their respective little boxes inside the larger one.
"Well, I can't help but make sure a pretty woman feels wanted. You're different from the ones I used to run into. You seem more grounded."
Mercury noticed the two share a smile. He huffed with a smile of his own.
"Okay, Red. How the hell are you gonna put all of this together?"
"Well, if you want to stick around, I can show you. Building a computer in the age of technology is a very necessary skill." Ruby said as she took off her jacket.
Mercury pondered the offer before shrugging.
"Shit, I've got nothing else to do. Cinder wasn't wrong when she said you seem to be more capable than you seem at first glance."
Ruby felt her heart swell with some pride. These people saw something in her she herself did not see for months through her depression. She still had doubts about herself even now. She decided that Nora, and Ren were being unreasonable.
"Okay lady, and gent," Ruby paused as Emerald giggled, and Mercury rolled his eyes. A little smile on his own face was present. "I, the reliable Ruby Rose, shall teach you how to build a computer."
For the next few hours, the trio engaged in what Ruby would call a wonderful session of "Building a PC for dummies" Mercury especially seemed really into the process. His own gray eyes filling with understanding as Ruby fed his brain new information as she pieced everything together. Halfway through, Ruby felt the need to use the bathroom, and excused herself. Leaving Mercury and Emerald to examine her work. The mansion was massive. Luckily Emerald gave her directions before she left the room, and she soon found one of what she guessed had to be many bathrooms housed in the mansion. She was, once again, taken aback by the bathroom's design as she was to every part of the house she had seen before.
As Ruby finished washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. He expression turning form neutral to just a little downtrodden. The las few hours had been fun, but she still felt empty. Even through Mercury testing the depth of her knowledge to Emerald's quick little flirtatious quips, she still felt like something was missing. She had told Emerald earlier that the other woman made her feel wanted, but was that enough? Would Emerald's physical attraction to her turn into wanting to share a life with Ruby? She did say that Ruby was different from other girls she'd date, but Ruby knew now more than ever that anything could happen in life. She tried to shake the thoughts from her mind. She lightly smacked her face with both hands to bring herself back to present time. Her purpose was still unclear, so at least she could try to live in the moment instead of worrying about the future constantly. She couldn't help it though, but the first step is always the most important one.
She exited the bathroom and was frightened by the sight before her. A tall man, who looked to be in great physical condition with a white cloth tied around his eyes. She also noticed that he had black horns on either side of his head, signaling to her that he was a Faunus of some kind.
"Are you scared of me?"
Ruby took a moment to catch her breath and steady her heart rate. She felt like the question was a little stupid considering the position they were both in.
"S-sorry, it's not every day that a mysterious man suddenly appears in front of me."
"Hmph," the man sounded, but his face never turned from her.
"How do you feel about Faunus?" He asked bluntly. Ruby was taken aback by the sudden shift in topics but didn't wanna leave the man waiting too long.
"They're good people. They don't deserve to be treated unfairly. If we're gonna villainize a group because of the actions of a few, then humankind is pretty hypocritical."
He slowly lifted his head from the wall opposite of where the bathroom door was.
"Would you fight for Faunus even if it meant fighting your own kind?"
"I've taken on some bullies in my day."
The man's facial features never changed. He remained as stoic as ever. He pushed himself off the wall and stalked over to Ruby. She was now in the shadow of the tall man. She would move, but if she was honest, the man scared her enough to make her freeze up.
"Bullies," He chuckled darkly. His deep voice made Ruby's body feel like it would collapse despite her efforts. She did not like the aura he gave off. "Bullies don't mean shit to me. Not when there are elites in power in this very city that have made it hard for Faunus to live comfortably, and not in fear."
"T-that's not true!"
The man gripped Ruby's face, squeezing her jaw. Ruby still couldn't move despite the panic she felt. Her heart beating flush against her chest as the man's iron grip on her jaw never eased up. She tried to pull his hand away, but to no avail.
"This town will know the wrath of scorned Faunus. You cannot end racism simply by fighting it. You must eliminate those who hold those beliefs. Take a look around next time you walk around town. You're privileged position of naivety angers me. If you want us to be equals, you'll achieve the goal by any means necessary. Sadly, I see that you don't have the resolve to do so. You're worthless to the cause."
That word. 'worthless" hearing it made Ruby's heart feel like it was being torn as it was beating against her chest. The pain caused her eyes to water as she began struggling against the large man's grip. The man chuckled at Ruby's pathetic attempts. He let her go, shoving her against the door frame where she slid down to her knees in a heap. She began trying to massage her jaw, failing to keep the tears back.
The man stood tall over her. He was unphased by the small woman's quiet cries.
"My name is Adam Taurus. Stay the hell out of my way, or I will kill you."
Ruby could not hear his footsteps moving away from her down the side of the hall opposite of where she came. She was too scared to move. The pain, intimidation, and insulting made those feelings that Ruby felt subject to for most of the year resurface quickly. The feelings of not being good enough. If she was maybe she wouldn't be in this situation right now. Maybe she would be out there, making a difference like the rest of her friends were. She returned to the bathroom to wash her face and give herself a look in the mirror. No damage was evident on her face, but her jaw felt sore from Adam's death grip. She wanted nothing more than to leave this place, but she needed to complete the job. She quickly exited the bathroom, shuffling past someone who she couldn't identify as she kept her head down, part of her hair covering her vision.
The woman was Cinder, who could tell that the young woman was troubled. She looked down the hall from where Ruby was coming from and quickened her pace.
"Is he here? Troublesome Faunus."
Ruby entered the room to see Emerald and Mercury arguing over something.
"No, dummy, the SSD is supposed to be slotted in here. You can screw it down on the underside of the HDD slot."
"Why not just put the SSD in the space where a DVD driver would go? The wires won't be so cluttered if you put it there."
"It would collect dust easily in there and get damaged easily if you accidently kick the thing."
"I'll kick you!"
"I'd like to see you try."
Ruby watched the two argue for a little while longer. The site reminding her of how Weiss, and Yang used to fight. Her mood picked up just a little bit at the memory. Her mind was clearly absent from the present. She went back to thinking about Adam and what he did to her.
The two friends stopped their arguing noticing the woman's far away look. Emerald quickly made her way over to Ruby. She cupped her face in her hands. The warm touch alerted Ruby to the present, looking into Emerald's red eyes.
"There we go. Are you okay?" Emerald asked as she began stroking the thumb of her left hand on the side of Ruby's face. The touch felt amazing to the brunette, and she slowly reached up to place her own hand on Emerald's.
"No," "She answered honestly. "A lot of bad memories came up, and I'm not feeling well, but I can finish setting up no problem."
Emerald suddenly had an idea.
"Why not stay for dinner? We can take you home after, or…you can stay with me for the night." Emerald's face turned a slight shade of red under her brown skin. Ruby felt a smile pulling at her lips, but it didn't go far.
"Yeah, I'd love to stay for dinner." Her answer was a subtle rejection of Emerald's advances, but the other woman didn't care much for it.
"Okay, cool. Let's finish this thing up, yeah?" Emerald led Ruby by the hand back over to the desk where the computer parts laid on.
The day slowly turned to night as Ruby, Mercury, and Emerald finished putting together, and testing the software to make sure everything would boot up properly. Mercury and Emerald high fived when the operating system finished loading up. Granting the computer access to the internet.
"Okay," Ruby let out a heavy sigh. "You guys can take it from here. Download whatever applications you need or want to put that sweet GPU and CPU to good use."
"Hell yeah, Red! Cinder's gonna love this thing."
"I see your work is done?" They heard Cinder's voice by the door. The woman sauntered up to the trio, eyeing the set up they constructed for her. Three large monitors with one being a vertical monitor, the computer itself was also on top of the desk, but not too close to the monitors to give itself room to breathe. It was a large rig, sporting tons of fans, and other little mechanical gizmos that Cinder knew nothing about. She just knew that they worked and having this was essential to her plans.
"Yes ma'am." Ruby answered as she proudly looked over her work.
"This beautiful machine has the most up to date parts. You can multitask with many different programs without having to worry about bottlenecking. It's future proofed so you won't have to worry about new programs rendering the hardware obsolete. You can run a maintenance check on it at your own discretion, but I would leave that to Mercury and Em. Thought those two a good bit of how this thing works on the inside."
Cinder's eyebrows were raised slightly as she glanced over at the duo.
"Good job, you two. I knew the little one was capable, but you two prove yourselves well."
The duo became mumbling messes. Not used to Cinder giving them such high praise. She turned back to Ruby.
"I suppose that you'll be on your way now?"
"Actually, Em said I can stay for dinner. I-if that's alright with you."
Cinder chuckled. The sound was soothing to Ruby's ears. Unlike Adam's.
"I don't see why not. Mercury, you are to provide our guest with the finest variety of food. I will make sure she is paid handsomely on top of that."
Ruby sat back with a satisfied sigh. Who knew Mercury was a fantastic cook? She opened her eyes to see Emerald gawking at her.
"First of all, you eat like a starved wolf, and second, where does it all go?"
Ruby grinned sheepishly and patted her stomach.
"Fast metabolism."
Emerald huffed. "Wish I was that lucky. If I eat too much it goes straight to my thighs."
Ruby felt herself become bold in that moment. "That's not a problem. I like your thighs." She winked.
She could hear Cinder, and Mercury stifle a few snorts as Emerald struggled to respond to the compliment.
"T-thanks." She mumbled while looking away.
Mercury couldn't hold back his laughter. Emerald shot him a dangerous glare and moved to strangle him. Cinder stopped her and settled her back down into her seat gently before sitting back down and focusing back on Ruby.
"So, Ms. Rose,"
"You can call me Ruby. I'm not one for formalities."
"I see. Ruby. What is it that you do? Do you have other hobbies aside from your job?"
Ruby's expression went from content to slightly troubled. Her gaze landed on the table as she though about what she wanted to say.
"I don't have any hobbies. I mean, I used to, but… I've abandoned those interests."
Cinder became infinitely more interested in Ruby after hearing that. She kept a devious smile from showing, opting instead to lean in with her elbows on the table, and hands folded. Her gaze was as intense as ever.
"Why have you abandoned those interests, little rose?"
"I didn't want to!" Ruby's short outburst stunned Mercury and Emerald. Cinder remained steadfast in her position as Ruby collected herself before speaking again.
"I've let myself fall hard. A bunch of my friends are out there, realizing their goals. Me? I'm stuck! I fell into a hole, and I'm only now trying to dig myself out. I don't have any hobbies, any goals, or any purpose now."
After a period of silence between the group, Mercury spoke first. "Sounds rough, Red. We like you, so we hope you get whatever help you need."
"I noticed that you were carrying some baggage back when we first met at the shop. I think we can help you. Hell, you've already said that I have in some way." Cinder sat up straight in her chair at Emerald's words.
"Yes," She finally said drawing everybody's attention. "Ruby. Let us help you."
Ruby became uneasy. She knew Emerald and Mercury took a genuine liking to her and Cinder seemed to as well, but she still held an aura that made Ruby feel a little small under the woman's gaze.
"I-I dunno…"
"You said that you lack purpose, but to us, you're so young, and capable as you are."
"I know, Cinder, but I've been through a lot in the past year. I just don't feel like I have much to offer to anybody or anything."
Adam's words echoed in her thoughts. Every replay of "Worthless" stung Ruby's heart. Her demeanor visibly becoming more dismal. Emerald reached out to hold Ruby's hand in her own. They shared a look before Emerald turned pleading eyes to Cinder, and Mercury.
"I see. You're insecure about your abilities." Cinder stated factually instead of in a sympathetic way.
Before Ruby could respond, Cinder also shot up from her own seat, and quickly moved to exit the room.
"If you'll excuse me." She said quickly before leaving. As Cinder rounded the corner after leaving the dining room, she quickly turned around, sensing a presence briefly before the feeling went away just as quickly as it had made itself known to her. She did not manage to find Adam earlier after seeing Ruby's distressed state in the hallway. She was sure it was him. The radical bull Faunus had been a thorn in the side of her plans for a while now. Salem would not be pleased if he was not swiftly taken care of, but Cinder had a plan. A budding rose with no thorns of its own had graciously landed in her lap. She would take advantage of the opportunity as soon as possible. She turned around and continued to walk to her destination.
Mercury and Emerald shared a look. Ruby noticed and that uneasy feeling came back.
"Where's Cinder going?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, um…She's-she's-"
"She's going to offer you a proposal to join us." Mercury stated.
"J-join you guys? What is it that you do?"
"We're working for someone who's looking to run for mayor of this town. Ozpin can run for one more term, and he's good, but our candidate has a bigger, and better vision for Patch," He further explained. "You're a hometown girl, right?"
Ruby nodded.
"That's good to hear! I think your purpose is to help Patch become a better place!" Emerald said cheerfully, but Ruby herself was still unsure.
"I don't know. Can you tell her I'll get back to her on that? I had a good time, but I think I'm ready to go home."
Ruby stood up from her seat, but Emerald's hold on her hand turned into a vice grip.
"Ruby, please. I can't stand seeing you like this. We haven't known each other for long, but I really do want what's best for you."
"What's best for me?" Ruby thought as she looked at Emerald. She found herself getting lost in red eyes and she was not aware of Cinder behind her.
Ruby felt the older woman's voluptuous body press against her back. A hand driving her head into the table. Cinder's body was still pressed against her as she was bent over the table. The impact of her head against the wooden table was enough to make Ruby's vision blur considerably, and a ringing sound told her that she might be concussed. The endless ringing drowned out almost all sound. She could only make out extremely muffled noises. She groaned weakly from the pain as the hand against her head held strong.
"This poor, young woman is lacking the confidence to find herself in this world. We shall fix that with this." Cinder said as she pulled Ruby's hair to the side, exposing the back of her neck. She revealed a syringe with blue liquid in it, and injected the needle into Ruby's neck, causing her to scream in pain as she felt the warm liquid enter her blood stream. The pain was too much, and Ruby's already clouded vision turned black as she went limp. Cinder released her from her grip on the table but caught her before she fell to the floor.
"Confidence in oneself begins with their physical appearance," She paused to tuck a strand of hair behind the unconscious Ruby's ear, and cup her face in her hand almost lovingly. The scene made Emerald blush. She felt a hint of jealously at the display. "The little rose will blossom. Her thorns will become razor sharp, and we will train her to use them properly. We will make her one of our own to do our bidding and carry out our plans. For Salem."
In the shadows near the door to the dining room, Adam listened as Cinder laid out her plans for Ruby. The woman seemed to have a thing for wayward souls. He doubted that Ruby would have the resolve to stop him from tearing down Salem's growing group of terrorists, but after fighting Emerald, and Mercury numerous times, he learned not to underestimate his enemies. The second Ruby presented herself as a threat, she would be dealt with.
"We'll see what becomes of the new Ruby Rose."
Ooo, things are heating up just a little bit wouldn't you say? I'll let you take a guess at what becomes of Ruby. This chapter was a little difficult to write. I knew where I wanted to go with Ruby's character, but I didn't know if I wanted her to be so accepting of how she was and so willing to move on and change, but she's a smart lady, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad to have her at least acknowledge the negative feelings through her own assessments. Chapter 5 is also gonna be a long one. I won't give any major hints as to what happens, but this beginning arc reaches its end in the next one.
Bit of insight to the development of this story. I was going to center it around Ruby and Adam fighting to end racism in Patch through their own ways, but I decided to make that more of a side story like how it was in actual RWBY. I learned about what they did to Adam, and I hated how it seems like the whole racism thing had little to no presence in the overall plot. That won't be the case here.
I originally had Adam being a part of Cinder's group. Decided to make him a lone rogue fighting against them. I feel like that fits him more. The exact reason why will be made clear in a few chapters.
Stay tuned!