The troll is back and imitating me and others in the reviews, this time trying to make it look like I'd attack my own reviewers because obviously that's a thing I'd randomly do from a guest account. Ignore the nonsense.

Chapter 9

"It always amazes me just how depraved people can be."

Adam hummed, paradoxically enjoying the feeling of a fingernail tracing around the letters `SDC` branded into his face. The scars were hard and itchy, and the touch was gentle, fingertip soft and cold. Perhaps it was just nice to be able to air it at all. Aside from mornings in the shower, it was always wrapped tightly behind several layers of white bandage.

"How depraved humans can be," he countered, cracking his bloody eye open. After so long seeing through one, it took time to focus with both. His vision had never been impaired by his injury, but opening the eye always felt difficult. The lid might have been damaged by the branding, or maybe the nerves behind it. The act was akin to peeling skin back that wanted to stick shut, and his eye always felt dry and scratchy on contact with open air.

The fox faunus leaning over him smiled indulgently. Brown hair and eyes, smooth skin and bright pink lips curled up into a perpetual and almost sarcastic smile. Her sharp ears perked up from her hair, while a bushy brown tail with a white tip swung lazily behind. He'd been surprised to find Beacon's chief, and sole, medical of staff was a faunus. No faunus teachers, however. He couldn't tell if it was the only choice or a case of ticking boxes.

The finger slid from his scar to his nose and tapped once. Adam hissed, flinching.

"Now, now," she warned. "Humans don't have the monopoly on depravity. You know that."

"I must have forgotten how many humans we branded like cattle…"

"I'll admit, I've never seen nor heard of things like this. I'd say it's cruel but that would be an understatement, wouldn't it?" Her thumb brushed some of his red hair away and she leaned in, humming as doctors did as she stretched the skin around the brand to inspect it. "It's healed well, I suppose. That's a miracle itself since I doubt the SDC gave you any medical attention. I really would like to meet the person who did this."

"Want to compare notes?" he grunted.

Her big brown eyes blinked once before crinkling, a happy smile appearing on her face. "Oh yes. We'd compare notes and then I could try it on them to see if I'd mastered the technique. It looks hard though, so I might have to brand them a few times just to be sure."

Adam laughed. The sound was a little nasal and raw thanks to his nose. "Sorry. They died."

"Oh dear. Was it violent?"

"Natural causes."

"Is that the sword to the throat kind of natural causes or something else?"

"The latter, sadly. By the time I was strong enough to enact my revenge, the bastard had passed on." His teeth gritted as he scrunched his eyes shut. "Surrounded by his friends and family, I'm told. There was even a nice little obituary in the paper talking about how he was a kind man who always cared about the happiness of those around him. Real pillar of the community." The familiar bile rose in his throat, threatening to overwhelm him. "I wasn't the only one he branded either. He liked to do that; said it worked as a reminder to those thinking of acting out-"

The cool hand on his cheek silenced him. What was he doing, spilling his life story to some random faunus? Cutting off with a click of his teeth, he leaned his head back and released an angry breath. It must have been his broken nose. The rush of adrenaline slipping away mingling with the anxiety that always came when you were sat on a doctor's bed. It made even the quietest of people turn into babbling idiots.

"How is my nose?" he prompted. "I didn't come to have my scar checked."

"Broken."

He snorted. It was a bad idea as blood sprayed out over his chest. It also ached like nothing else. Lurching up, he would have pushed out of bed if not for a hand on his chest guiding him back down. He glared at the grinning doctor balefully. "Gah. T-That was your fault."

"Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. You're the one who laughed at it." A white cloth dabbed at his nose and chin. Her finger and thumb pinched his nose gently and tilted his head back. "It's a clean break and you came quickly enough that I can set it straight without too much trouble. You wouldn't believe how many muscle brained idiots decide to only come here after it's healed crooked. I have some bridging tape to hold it in place. Think of it as a thicker and tighter plaster. It'll make sure your nose is kept still. Luckily, it hasn't set, so I won't have to break and reset it."

"That's a relief. Though a plaster will act like a neon sign for my teammates. Is there any chance of something less obvious?"

"I'm afraid not. And believe me, a plaster is the least of your worries in that regard. The bridge of your nose is swollen, and your face is bright red." So, it was going to show. Great. He hadn't expected to get away without the others figuring out what happened, but a man could dream. "How is your team?" she asked. "Are you getting on with them?"

"Did Goodwitch tell you to ask me that?"

"No. Glynda only ever complains about you." He was surprised by her candour, though maybe he shouldn't have been. Faunus tended to stick together whether they were White Fang or not. "I'm curious for myself. As a faunus."

Grunting, he laid back. All this talk was just to keep him distracted while she checked him over, but he indulged her either way. It kept his mind off the sound and feeling of the little bones in his nose crunching around.

"The team isn't as bad as I feared it might be. I still think it's reckless to put a Schnee on my team, whether that was an accident or some sick test. I'm able to keep my temper in check despite what Goodwitch might think, and Weiss is oblivious to my past. As for the others, they're sisters and annoying, but in a well-intentioned way. I don't think the younger is as ready for this as Ozpin seemingly thinks. She has confidence issues."

"Maybe the headmaster thinks you'll help her through them."

"If so, he's a fool and it's insulting to her. If Ruby cannot get over her issues herself, she won't grow."

"There's no harm in having the support of friends."

"I didn't say that. What I said was that if Ozpin believes I will fix her issues for her, he is wrong. Ruby may use be as support if she wishes it, but I will only be a crutch. Not a prosthetic. It's up to her to grow past her problems."

"But overall?"

"Not a disagreeable team. I've certainly seen worse."

"Well, well, I never thought I'd hear the day that the infamous Adam Taurus said that about a team of humans."

"Infamous? I wouldn't call myself that. I'm using my real name and even the Schnee hasn't noticed. Barely anyone has."

"The humans wouldn't," Tsune said. "Far be it for them to remember a faunus' name. We teach lessons on General Lagune and his failure at the battle of Fort Castle, but the name of the faunus commander isn't even documented. To say nothing of the fact it's remembered as a human's failure and not a faunus' success."

"As though if he'd not messed up, human victory was inevitable," Adam finished for her. It was a common theme across a lot of things. History, movies, books and more. It wasn't the faunus' victory but humanity's loss. It was as petty as it was insidious, and something so subtle even most faunus didn't notice. "Careful, doctor. Your sympathy to the White Fang is showi-" Her fingers pinched, and he gasped for air. "Ah!"

"I'll thank you not to test me, Adam," she said sweetly. "Remnant has race problems. There's no denying that. Not being blind to them doesn't mean I believe your way of doing things to be the right choice. I strongly disapprove of you and your people, at least on a political level. Of course, I'll be treating you like any other student so long as you're here." She released him and he panted, wincing at the pain. "I tend to provide an ear for faunus who have been mistreated, if they feel they can't go to other teachers. Believe me. I'm aware of how Beacon isn't as friendly to the faunus as we would wish it to be."

Adam was too busy nursing his nose to care. "Do you mistreat all your students like this?"

"Oh yes." Her grin widened. "You can ask any of them."

"Wonderful. And for what it's worth, this wasn't done by a racist."

"Oh?"

"Someone looking out for their faunus friend," he admitted. "Saw me arguing with her, jumped to the wrong conclusion. I should have had my aura up, but I was distracted and angry. I'm more annoyed at myself for the lapse to be honest. I'd have never let myself get distracted like that before. I'm going soft already."

"That doesn't really make it better." Sighing, she took the bloody cloth away and brought a small plastic box forward, pulling out a roll of plasters and setting it down on his chest. "Does the fact it was done to protect a faunus make you feel better?" she asked. "Knowing some humans care?"

"Not really." He closed his eyes so she could easier apply the adhesive. Her fingers brushed strands of hair away and he could feel her dragging his skin back, probably so the plaster didn't pull on his scar. "There's always been humans who weren't racist. That doesn't change much so long as it's the minority, and the one that did this isn't really changing anything."

"How so?"

"Punching everyone who bullies her friend doesn't stop them doing it. Just means they'll do it away from her or take it out harder on the victim. It's not even approaching the root of the problem. All she's doing is making it worse."

"And what is the root?"

"The racist bullies," he answered easily, feeling the cool adhesive applied. It was tight, just as she'd promised, but he could feel how it would keep his nose in place. "Unless they're permanently dealt with, knocking them around just makes them angrier. Even if it does get them off her friend's back, it won't stop them hurting other faunus."

"I hope you're not talking about murder."

"It fits," he said, "But it's not the only option. You could find a way to convince them to no longer be racist, find some blackmail to keep them away from her or even orchestrate their expulsion. There are plenty of options for dealing with them that would prevent those bullies going after her again. Punching them and walking away isn't one of them."

"I'd have thought you of all people would be all for violence."

"Violence with a cause," he said, grumbling an old argument. "Violence is only useful if it's done with an objective in mind. If by knocking some guy out she could magically make him stop being racist, that'd be violence for a purpose. If you kill a Schnee branding faunus, that's violence for a purpose. It removes the problem of that Schnee and their branding. All she's doing is riling them up and walking away. They're still here. They're still racist. They're even angrier. And for what? So she can bask in the satisfaction of having avenged her teammate? Pathetic."

"That's an interesting philosophy."

"It's the same for huntsmen, isn't it? A huntsman killing Grimm protecting a settlement is using violence for good. A huntsmen wandering off to kill Grimm in the middle of nowhere is wasting his time. They're wasting their gift. Sure, you can take your anger out on every Grimm you see, but it's not efficient. Better to use your skills where you can make a difference."

"Applied force then," she said, smiling once again. "I can see your point there and I do happen to agree that Miss Adel could stand to channel her anger in other ways."

Adam went still. "I didn't say it was her."

"You don't have to. Miss Scarlatina is the single biggest…" She sighed. "I don't want to say victim, but it fits here, it really does. Other faunus band together to defend themselves and give as good as they get. They have to or people walk all over them. Velvet shies away. I've lost count of how many times I had to patch her up in her first year, and time and time again she told me that she didn't want to make it worse by fighting back."

"I hate that attitude."

"It's learned behaviour. Miss Scarlatina grew up in the city, and the city teaches that faunus are best served being compliant and cooperative. I'd tell you not to blame her, but I imagine it won't make a bit of difference. There." Pulling back, she smiled. "You should be alright now. I'd advise not exercising today or tomorrow. I'll put a note in the system for Glynda's class and speak to her personally on the matter."

Saving him the annoyance of having to deal with her. It was as close an apology as Tsune could give, he supposed. Not that it was her place to apologise at all. "Thank you. What you said earlier, though. About me being famous…"

"Fishing for compliments?"

"Curious," he argued. "On whether I should expect people to know my past."

"The faunus will. Officially, your name was kept out of all but the earliest broadcasts. They didn't want to give the White Fang any fame by suggesting names and believed doing so with yours would only bolster your reputation. You were referred to as `commander of the White Fang` and nothing more."

"Tch. And unofficially?"

"There isn't a faunus in Beacon who won't recognise you. Be it from word of mouth, underground channels or even those sympathetic to your cause, your name and face are well-known. They will be watching you. Waiting. You're a powder keg ready to off and every faunus here knows it, and they also know how hard life will be for them when you do." Sighing sadly, the doctor shook her head. "They'll stay quiet, however. It's never been in our best interests to speak out."

Didn't he know it. Even if you were law-abiding, it was best to stay quiet and play along. Join the humans in decrying faunus who complained against the status quo, whether they did so peacefully or not. What was branding and slavery in the face of a good economy? Not much, apparently. As long as people got to go home with a good salary, they could ignore the injustice. It simply wasn't their problem.

Adam sat up and looked down at himself. Though his nose had stopped bleeding, the front of his shirt was dyed red. So much for getting out of this without Team RYST jumping on him. He wasn't sure if he was annoyed or not. In fact, what he really felt was more like amusement. It reminded him of some of the younger recruits fawning over the elders.

"Would you like a fresh shirt?"

"You have some?"

"I run an infirmary for huntsmen in training. I have a small budget for shirts and blouses in different sizes. All but necessary given how many people come here bloody." Tsune opened a cupboard to reveal rows of them. All white and all the school's uniform shirts. "Help yourself. You can take yours back in a bag to wash or give it to me to dispose of."

"Thank you again." He unbuttoned his shirt without care for the woman in the room. As a doctor, she'd seen more. His chest and back were scarred but not quite as pitted as one might have imagined. There was a nasty scar on the back of his hip and three small marks over his left shoulder where a Beowolf had caught him. None were overly large. Dropping the bloody shirt, he picked and changed into a fresh one. "If we're in the mood for sharing things, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Sitting down by her desk, she turned to look at him curiously. "Sure. Go ahead."

"I thought faunus were only supposed to have one faunus feature. You have two."

Tsune smiled and made a show of flipping her tail around her front and into her lap. She stroked it, sat on a stool by her desk. At the same time, her ears perked and flicked forward. "Are you suggesting one is fake? Which is it, a headband or…" She winked. "Is it a plug?"

"Do you always try and embarrass your patients."

"Yes." Laughing, she let the coy smile go. "And to answer your question it is almost always the case that faunus have one feature, but in the same way that some people can be born different, be that disability or deformity, freaks among the faunus exist as well, though we're rare. I'm the only one with two features I've met as well."

Adam frowned. "I didn't call you a freak."

"I know." Her smile grew, and it grew faker. "It's what the humans who took me from my parents referred to me as. They thought my dual features made me quite exotic, and potentially quite valuable in ah… certain markets. They named me Kitsune to appeal to that kind of clientele." Giggling, she tilted her head to the side. "Or did you anyone would really call a fox faunus `fox` like that?"

The infirmary felt cold. Kitsune continued to smile but it didn't reach her eyes. Even so, she didn't look afraid or defeated. Quite the opposite. Adam sucked in a deep breath and let it go. Stories like this were ten lien a dozen. "And what happened to them?"

"They died. Natural causes."

"Old age?"

"Oh, no. More of the butter knife trapped in a throat variety." Giggling, she cupped her cheek like she was remembering an old lover. "That was a long time ago, though. I've matured. Nowadays I prefer to stick needles in children and watch them squirm. And even if I hadn't, I won't let a small number of bad eggs influence how I treat the rest of humanity. Enjoy your day, Adam, and do try to take it easy on those poor girls. If they swarm you, it's only because they're worried."

Chuckling, Adam buttoned his shirt up and turned away.

"I'll try my best. Thank you for your help, doctor."

/-/

"Adam!"

Ruby's face was a kaleidoscope. First, there was happiness on seeing him, then there was the moment where she saw his face and her eyes widened. He got to witness her throat jumping as her words of greeting got stuck, then the sudden inhale that puffed her chest out. Her eyes bulged wider still. Blood drained from her face turning it as pale as a Schnee. The moment seemed to last for forever, but nothing ever could. It gave way eventually.

"Adam!" Now, it was a shriek. Ruby hit him like a missile, all but straddling his chest as she pinned him back to the door. "What happened to you!?"

"I sneezed."

Ruby's jaw hung low. It was probably the sheer absurdity of the excuse that did it. That had been his intent and he took the moment of shock to slip out her grasp and around, moving quickly to his bed. It didn't let him escape the narrowed eyes of Weiss and Yang, however.

"That's a broken nose if I've ever seen one," Yang said.

"Why am I not surprised you know what that looks like?" Weiss griped. "And I'll bet it's because you dished them out, not because you experienced one."

"Well yeah, obviously. I thought we were going to spar," she accused. "I thought you were just getting rid of me when you texted to cancel, but this? Who did this?"

Adam laid back on his bed, arms above his head. "Who says it was a person? I might have tripped."

"You're about to trip right now," she warned. "Trip right into pissing me off if you don't tell me who did this, why, and where I can find them." Yang was up off her bed and looming over him. It might have been threatening to someone else, but he couldn't help but note she was in her tiny pyjama shorts and a tight tank top.

"It's not worth it."

"You want to let them get away with it?" Weiss asked. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Trust me, Schnee. I'm not letting anyone get away with anything." In a way, the damage he'd done was worse than trading blows. He wondered if Scarlatina would be thinking about this now. If nothing else, he'd make sure to meet her eyes tomorrow in the cafeteria. To Yang he said, "You don't need to get involved. I can handle this."

"What if I want to get involved?"

Her teeth were gritted, eyes flickering red. He'd seen her Semblance in action and knew it was a sign of her rage. He knew what that meant too, and it probably should have been a warm and fuzzy feeling to know she'd get this worked up over him. It was hard to feel anything when his nose felt like it was being constantly pinched tight, however.

Even so, he remembered Tsune's words, more of a request, and after hearing what she'd shared… Sighing, he bit back on the instinctive anger. It wasn't really aimed at Yang anyway – more Velvet and Coco – but it was just so easy to lash out at Yang for challenging him like this. Easy, but not right. If he wanted to argue violence was fine so long as it served a purpose, he should hold true to that here as well.

"Yang." He spoke with closed eyes, reigning in his temper. "I appreciate you trying to help. I really do. I'm not in the right state to talk about it now, though. My nose hurts. My face feels like it's on fire. The bandages itch." His lips twisted into a scowl. "I'm going to snap."

"Ah." Yang sounded defeated, deflated. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. We can do it in the morning."

"Thank you."

"You okay, though?" she asked. "Not the pain and all, but what happened. You're not in any trouble, right? You'd tell us if you were?"

He managed a wan smile. "I'm not in any trouble." Not unless Velvet Scarlatina of all people decided to hunt him down. The thought alone was laughable. "And this isn't the worst injury I've ever had. And no, it wasn't caused by someone going after me for being faunus."

"Good. Well, not good but-"

"I get it." He sighed. "Thanks for worrying."

"Sheesh." Yang laughed suddenly. "You can't even say that without sounding like it's pulling teeth. Don't thank me if you're pissed off inside. Just makes it look like you think I'm an idiot who can't take a hint."

Adam smiled back with his eyes still closed. "Maybe you are."

"Ass." A fist hit his shoulder. It was overly gentle. "Glad you're okay. We're still having our fist-to-fist spar once you're recovered though. Maybe it'll help you out next time you `trip` and break your nose."

"Maybe it will."

"You two." Weiss shook her head and despaired. "Adam, if your bandages itch that much you can take them off. We're not going to judge you on any injury. Certainly not myself with this scar I have."

He cracked an eye open to see her tracing the thin line over her left eye. It was small and sharp, but still a scar that marred her otherwise smooth skin. It probably meant a lot more to her than it would have to him, and even more to Jacques Schnee, to have his daughter `damaged` in such a way.

"I'm fine." He sighed again. "And my scar is a little uglier than yours."

"Even so, we're mature enough not to say anything!"

"Leave it, Schnee. I'm not interested."

"I was trying to be nice!" Weiss huffed and turned away, cross-legged on her bed with an indignant expression. "And will you ever share what happened with us, or is that to be a mystery kept until death?"

"For your own sake, you should hope it's the latter."

"Ominous and edgy. That's our Adam." Yang strolled over to her bed and collapsed down on it. "I guess the whole blow to the head changing your personality thing is a myth. Shame. And here I was hoping it might turn you more likeable."

"If that were true," Weiss snarked, "I'd have smashed a plate over your head on day one."

"Oi! Whaaat!?"

Yang and Weiss dove into another one of their spats, but it felt forced. They were only doing it to distract themselves from him, and he supposed that was kind enough of them. He really would have snapped if Yang pushed, and maybe being frank about it was the best way. It could have easily turned ugly.

He heard a rustle next to him and turned over, blinking as he came literally face to face with Ruby, who was crouching on the floor beside his bed, fingers atop the mattress and face half hidden; eyes over it and mouth below. Adam blinked back with one eye, unsure why she was so close or what he'd done to have her looking like a wounded puppy.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"Are you angry at me?"

"No…" He blinked again. "Why would I be?"

"You're in a mood."

"I've got a broken nose. I feel like that's fairly good justification…"

"You're not angry at me then?"

"No." He let out a quiet and guilty sigh. Tsune's words had been as good as prophecy. "If I made it look that way, it's because I'm angry at the situation and lashing out. You and the rest of the team haven't done anything wrong."

"We're still partners?"

"Yes. Why would that have changed?"

"It shouldn't. Hasn't!" Ruby popped up, a little happier but still staring pointedly at his nose. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," he admitted, "But not as much as it did. You've never had a broken nose?"

"Mhmhm." Her head shook from side to side. "I broke my arm once and I've had a few concussions." A common injury for huntsmen and huntresses in training. "But I'm too quick for most people to hit."

"Lucky you."

"Hmm." Lowering her voice, she whispered. "Hey Adam?"

"Yes?"

"If you were in real trouble – and I'm not saying you are!" she hurried to add when his eye narrowed. "B-But if you were, if it were something you couldn't handle, you'd come to us, right? You'd let us help?"

In the event it was something he couldn't deal with then he sincerely doubted these three would be able to help. They were three years younger than him in most cases and five with Ruby, but he supposed specifics wasn't what she was after. Just a promise, whether that promise was empty or not. It reminded him of when faunus would make their White Fang family members promise to come back. They didn't always, but it helped them sleep easier. Ruby really was a young child in some ways.

"I'll come to you if I need it, Ruby. I promise."

/-/

Adam thought she was an idiot.

Sadly, Ruby was used to that. It wasn't always him – most of the time it was Yang – but she was used to people thinking she wasn't quite as observant as she could be. Just because she was younger than them too. It was so annoying! More annoying was Adam blowing off a broken nose, though, and Yang and Weiss just going along with it, especially when it was clear Adam had zero intention of coming clean on how it happened or asking them for help.

Waking up early was easy when she barely got any sleep. Ruby climbed out of bed the very second Adam did, let him take the shower and then went in herself. Yang and Weiss were slower to wake up as usual, and twice as grudging to get out of bed and go outside where it was bitterly cold. It only took Adam suggesting they stay behind that finally did it. Weiss was too proud to let the implication stand, and Yang was worried in her own way. Ruby could recognise it.

Adam didn't do any training – doctor's orders, and Ruby was secretly happy and surprised he cared enough to follow them. He went for Pyrrha's sake, even if he couldn't spar with her. Today it was Weiss and Yang against Pyrrha, and she wiped the floor with the both of them. Viciously. Again, Ruby saw how it came after Pyrrha's eyes settled on Adam's face and her excited smile dropped like a Nevermore in Crescent Rose's sights.

Pyrrha didn't like what she saw. Ruby knew she had an ally.

"He won't say who did it," she told the redhead later, while Adam was giving his usual after-fight advice (more like brutal judgment) of Weiss and Yang's performance. "He came back last night with it after challenging Yang to a spar but not showing up."

"After lessons?" Pyrrha asked. "I saw him in the corridors when Yang left. I didn't even think to talk to him." She brought a hand up to her face as though his state was her own fault. "I know for a fact he didn't go my way, though. He must have been caught in the corridor with the lockers."

"I think it's because he's a faunus."

"It might be," Pyrrha acknowledged with an angry scowl. "Sentiment in Mistral is… well, I'd like to say it's better than most places, but I'm not sure if that's fact or idealism speaking. Most of the people I was close to wouldn't have cared, but I suppose those types stick together." Sighing, she shook her head. "You're going to try and find out what happened?"

"Yeah. I'm not letting this go."

"Good." Pyrrha brought out her scroll and they traded numbers. "I'll keep my eye out as well. Keep me posted. And can you tell your teammates sorry for me? I took my anger out on them when they really didn't deserve it."

Ruby giggled. "It's fine. I think Yang liked it. She's in a mood over this as well."

"And Weiss?"

"No idea. She's upset, obviously, but I'm not sure if she's upset on his behalf or because he won't share what happened with the team." Ruby sighed dramatically. "Weiss is weird. Adam is weird too, but he kind of makes sense. Argh, my whole team is stupid."

Pyrrha laughed. "It sounds like you're all getting along though. That's good."

"What about you?"

"Passable." Her smile was there, but not quite all there, weird as that sounded. "They're friendly and we don't fight, which I suppose is all you can ask for. I wouldn't say we're friends, but I think we have the potential to become it."

"We're friends, right?" Ruby asked.

"We are-? I mean, if you'll have me then yes, I'd like that!" Pyrrha beamed. "I suppose we do have a common interest in hunting down the one responsible for your partner's state." Her eyes roamed above Ruby to Adam. "I have to go. I will keep an eye out, though."

"Me too. Thanks, Pyrrha!"

With sparring over, Team RYST made their way to breakfast, Yang and Weiss sniping with one another over who had the best showing against Pyrrha. The rest of Beacon was up and about, and the cafeteria was busy when they arrived. Normally, Ruby would have gone and claimed a table, but she chose to stay by Adam and wait in the queue with a tray instead. It didn't take long for someone to prod at her partner.

"Well hey now." Cardin had been walking by with a tray of food, but he paused on seeing them, grinning as his teammates gathered behind. "You're looking different today, Taurus. Did you do something? New haircut? I can't quite place it."

"Not interested," Adam spat. "Take your flirting elsewhere."

A few people in the queue snorted, Ruby among them, and Cardin sneered back, rolling his eyes and leaving with his team. As far as bullying went, Cardin was about as successful with Adam as ever, which was to say not much at all. There's no way Cardin was the one to do this. Adam could take him.

Just as she wasn't blind to the way he tried to deflect attention, Ruby wasn't blind to the looks and muttered comments of some people that walked by. To be fair, they weren't being very subtle. They were doing just enough that it couldn't be explicitly said to be insulting Adam if they were dragged in front of a teacher, but only that. Complimenting his new look seemed to be a favourite. It took her a second to realise they were implying Adam looked better injured.

Ruby glared at the girl who'd said that, a bleached blonde a year or two older with bright blue eyes and a pretty sneer. The girl noticed and laughed. "What's this, Taurus? Your attack chihuahua? Or is she your girlfriend?"

"Jealous?" Ruby accused.

"Not at all." Flicking her hair over one shoulder, she walked on by. "I'm not interested in animals."

Bitch. Ruby would have yelled it if she wasn't sure Yang would have words to say. Didn't stop her thinking it. Adam didn't even care, just turning back ahead to pick out some food once they reached the buffet. Why didn't he care? It bothered her that people thought they could talk about him like that, and she wasn't even the one being the target. Not even the smell of freshly baked bacon could get rid of it. Ruby heaped a relatively small breakfast out and followed Adam back to the table, calling out in alarm when someone stuck a foot out.

Adam stepped on it, driving his heel deep. The boy yelped and almost dropped off the chair himself, with Adam walking by with a muttered "sorry" that was about as insincere as Ruby's sympathy. Okay, so Adam wasn't letting them get away with it. That was good. He must have been playing for the teachers. It was the same in Signal. You could get away with a certain amount of meanness if you masked it as accidental. It wasn't fair, but teachers weren't everywhere and let you get away with stuff all the time.

"Excuse me," Ruby said, walking over the cringing student and accidentally bumping her knee into his back. "Oops. Sorry!" She darted away before he could call her out, catching up to Adam and taking the spot on the bench next to him and opposite Yang.

"Everything alright back there?" Yang asked.

"Hm." Adam set his tray down and picked up a knife and fork. "Someone had an accident. Nothing to worry about."

"Yep," Ruby agreed. "He's fine."

Yang didn't look convinced; she never had been good at lying to her. Ah well, not like Yang would be upset with her getting her own back. I swear, the faunus never had it this bad at Signal. Or did they and I never noticed because I wasn't friends with any? The fact she couldn't answer definitively bothered her more than she cared to admit. It felt like she was letting them down.

"Don't look," Yang teased, "But you might have an admirer, Adam."

"Hm?" He looked up but didn't react overmuch. "Black hair?"

"No. Brown." Ruby wondered why he looked so disappointed. "Faunus with long hair and-"

"Rabbit ears," he finished, almost sneering. "Where is she?"

"Behind and to the left. Four rows back, but-"

Adam turned before Yang could finish what she was saying, leaning back to stare straight at the girl. Ruby looked too, catching the widening of brown eyes as the rabbit faunus who had been bullied by Cardin the day before suddenly picked up her tray and walked quickly away, eyes on the floor.

"Aww," Yang groaned. "You scared her off. Come on, Adam, you don't stare down a girl who's looking at you. Probably embarrassed her."

"I doubt it." Scoffing, he turned back to his meal. He looked… satisfied. Pleased with himself. There was a smug tug to his lips she wasn't sure what to make of. "Forget about it. I'm not interested in her. I don't think she's worth the effort at all."

"Ouch. You know, she's not ugly."

"Not on the outside."

"Yikes." Yang winced for the sake of the other girl. "I almost dread to ask where I stand on this critical scale of yours. Don't tell me," she begged. "I don't think my fragile heart could handle the pain."

"Better than her," he grunted. "That goes for all of you."

"On second thought! Tell me more!"

"You would be like that," Weiss complained. Despite that, she wore a tiny smile and was sat just a little taller. "Though thank you, it's nice of you to say that, Adam."

"It wasn't-" Adam sighed. "Never mind. Even at your worst you at least believe in how you act. That makes you better than someone like her."

Weiss looked conflicted, like she was trying to figure out whether that was a compliment or if she should be offended. Ruby honestly had no idea. It sounded like it could be both, but given how Adam rarely complimented people, she took it as that.

"What's your ideal woman then?" Yang asked. "Asking for a friend."

"That question was far less awkward without adding that last bit…"

Yang grinned. "That's the Yang Xiao-Long promise. Awkwardness for all. Come on, I'm curious."

"I'm not looking. And no, I'm not just saying that to get you off my back." Adam put his knife and fork down and wiped his lips. "I just came out of a relationship. Not interested in stepping into another, but if I did, it would only be with someone who can be true to themselves. I hate people who spend their time sitting in ivory towers, or who ignore the consequences of their actions for the sake of maintaining the moral high ground."

"Is that an insult towards me?" Weiss had to ask.

"Not this time. You're wrong about many things, especially what your father does." He pushed on before Weiss could argue. "But you don't lie to yourself. You believe what you say. You're misinformed, not cruel. There's a difference there."

"And I think you're buying into hearsay about my father's company." Weiss, to her credit, managed to say it nicely for once. Maybe her and Adam were finally starting to get on. "I'll admit we've not got the best of reputations, but a lot of that is exaggerated."

"That's what you believe, Schnee."

"It is." Huffing, she crossed her arms. "And unless you can provide credible proof suggesting otherwise, it's what I'll continue to believe."

"Guys," Ruby moaned. "Again? Can we have one breakfast without talking about politics?"

"Adam started it!"

"I was talking about preferences in women," he argued. "How is that political?"

"I- well…" Weiss' face flushed pink. "Then Yang-"

"Naa-naa." Yang made a buzzer sound. "No way, girl. You're the one who wanted to pick out whether Adam was complimenting you or not." Leaning an elbow on the table, she grinned and said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were curious whether Adam likes you."

Both Weiss and Adam looked ill.

"Luckily, you know better! When I and my family are unjustly being attacked, I'm not going to-"

Potter crashed and milk exploded all over Ruby's face. Yelping, she reeled back, almost falling out her seat in panic. Yang yelled too, shock and alarm writ on her face as she pushed up onto her feet and hopped back from the damage with Weiss doing the same. Only Adam remained seated, eye closed and wet bangs hanging down over his face, dripping milk and scrambled egg.

"Sorry!" a girl called, looking just a little too satisfied to Ruby. She wiped it off a second later. Blonde hair and blue eyes. It's the one from before! Ruby's eyes widened. "I tripped over someone's foot. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"You did that on purpose!" Ruby shrieked, finger pointing.

Adam's hands slammed down on the table. The bench grated back. Lips drawn into a thin line and dripping with egg and ketchup, her partner stood, murder in his eyes.

/-/

His chest heaved. The bones in his hands creaked and popped as they clenched tightly into fists, fingernails digging into his palms. Milk and egg splatted down on his nose, dampening the bandage, and running down his chin. The smell of tomato ketchup clung to him, as did the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria. The humans watched on knowingly, or some of them did. Intellectually, he knew they weren't all like that, but here and now, in the moment, rational thought was nowhere to be found.

Ruby had called the woman out as lying. Her eyes were good. He hadn't recognised her at first but did now. Cass, or whatever her name was, had been the leader of those he'd interrupted harassing Scarlatina. Yet again, that girl's passivity had landed another faunus in trouble, this time him. More proof she wasn't making a bit of difference.

Cass looked up at him from the floor, nervous but not too nervous. She thought she could take him. It was written all over her face. He was a first year and she was older, meaning she fully believed she had the edge. This whip of a girl had no idea who she was fucking with.

The faunus, however, did.

It was their eyes Adam felt the hardest. Staring. Watching. Waiting. His eyes scanned the cafeteria and picked them out, all of them expectant of violence and bloodshed. All of them looking to him like he was a mad animal about to savage someone.

He picked out Blake among them too, sat beside her blond partner, him frowning in obvious sympathy but her alarmed. No, knowing. Blake looked like she'd expected this all along, like his mind was already made up. She'd already decided he'd attack this girl. Already decided what it was he'd do, just as all the faunus here had. Adam Taurus, the monster, would strike down this fool of a human.

"There isn't a faunus in Beacon who won't recognise you. They will be watching you. Waiting. You're a powder keg ready to off and every faunus here knows it, and they also know how hard life will be for them when you do."

Everyone was judging him. Everyone expected him to crack.

Gritting his teeth so hard it hurt, Adam raised a shaking hand to flick egg off his face and onto the girl's below. Not trusting himself to speak, he stalked away, brushing past her without throwing the punch she so desperately wanted him to.

The shock on Blake's face should have been satisfying to see. The pleasure of proving her wrong, of proving she wasn't the only one who could redeem themselves. It wasn't satisfying. It didn't do a thing to diminish his anger.

All it did was drive home how little she thought of him.

Yep. This seems like a perfectly good and not at all bastard spot to end the chapter.

Yet again, Adam arguably does the right thing, but for the wrong reasons. It's all about proving people wrong for him. He wants to prove Blake wrong, prove the faunus wrong, prove Weiss wrong. Prove Glynda wrong. But it's not satisfying him as much as he thinks it should. Ahh, the internal dilemma, Adam. The constant internal strife.

It's delicious.

Next Chapter: 30th June

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