There's some cute fanart for this story released by MysteryWhiteFlame that I will put as the cover for this week only to let people see it. You can get a close up by searching for their DA profile.

Cover Art: MysteryWhiteFlame

Chapter 28

Adam dropped to one knee by a downed Atlas soldier and placed two fingers against their neck. He shook his head and Yang swore angrily, dashing past him into the CCT, terrified of what might happen to Ruby. Weiss followed, but Adam took a moment to loot the man's assault rifle before chasing after them, jamming an arm into the closing elevator door to stop it and let himself inside.

"What's that for?" Yang asked.

"Not all of us are any use unarmed." Adam tossed it and Weiss caught the bulky weapon against her chest, smearing her white dress with grime. "You know how to use one of these?"

"I know how to use a gun, Adam."

"Have you ever used an assault rifle?"

"Yes. I know how to handle it."

Good. He didn't want her blind firing into them if this turned bad, not when there was no telling how hurt Ruby was. I'd give anything to have Wilt and Blush right now but summoning my locker would take time. They'd have to rely on Yang for this, their teammate being almost as dangerous unarmed as usual.

Gunfire from above told him their enemy wasn't – or that Ruby had found time for Crescent Rose. He hoped it was the latter as his partner was still awful without a weapon. Yang stomped her foot angrily on the floor of the elevator, eyes glinting red and hair lighting up. Adam placed a hand over Weiss' chest and drew her away from the door, letting Yang have first exit and first crack at their foe. Getting in her way now would be a bad idea.

The elevator dinged and the door opened.

"Rarghhh!" Yang roared, spilling out.

Adam and Weiss followed, taking in the CCT as best they could. Terminals and screens were shattered and overturned, tables ruined and dust and smoke everywhere. The outer windows had been shattered from the previous blast and most of the glass had been pushed outwards. A blur of red shot from one table to another, sliding under it as a black shaft thunked into the wood. Was that an arrow?

"Ruby!"

Yang cleared the desk Ruby was using as cover and backhanded another black arrow out the air. Her skirt flew up, giving Adam more a view than he imagined she wanted before she came crashing down in front of the black-haired archer in the mask.

The only reason he didn't run to help was because he was sure Yang had it handled. An archer closed in on wasn't going to be able to defend themselves, and Yang was no slouch when it came to melee. It came as a surprise then when the archer dropped her bow, which dissipated into dust, and summoned two shorter swords out of absolutely nowhere, blocking Yang's fist with the flat of one and cutting her ribs with the other. Aura protected Yang but her dress tore in the centre, exposing skin.

"Shit." Adam swore, charging in. "Weiss, get to Ruby!"

Adam's shiny shoes smacked down on the same desk Yang had, launching himself up and over without having to worry about arrows. The woman was giving ground, trading blows with Yang and scoring a few back, chipping away at Yang's aura.

That was a sound strategy in a one versus one, but it wasn't useful against a team. If Yang wasn't beaten quickly, she'd be reinforced. The black-haired woman learned that when Adam came in from behind, approaching cautiously. He wasn't as adept in hand to hand, especially not against an armed opponent. All he really needed to do was play distraction, however.

"Tch." The woman clicked her tongue and rushed Yang, aiming to take down one claw of the pincer rather than be trapped. Sweeping Yang's arms away, she kicked up and off her chest, using Yang as a springboard to launch herself up and over Adam. Rather than take two swords to the back, Adam threw himself forward to regroup.

The attack never came.

"Adam Taurus," she said, hissing his name. "Of all the people I thought might get in my way. You've chosen your allies poorly."

Adam's eyes narrowed. Excellent night vision did not mean excellent vision in smoky interiors, nor the ability to stare through a mask. "Do I know you?"

"No." The woman's yellow eyes narrowed behind her mask. "But you will."

Her eyes looked past him and she ducked to the right, sprinting away while throwing both her swords at Yang and him. Adam side-stepped his while Yang batted her own out the air, both vanishing into dust as the woman hurled herself out the broken window, spreading her arms wide and disappearing into the nearby trees.

Yang made to give chase, only for Adam to catch her shoulder. "It could be a trap. Besides, you're in heels. You'll never catch her over grass."

"Ugh." Yang looked down and acknowledged his point with a sigh, letting him pull her away. None of them were equipped to chase someone right now. "You're right. Hey Rubes." she called. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Ow."

"That's what you get for kicking your shoes off to fight!" Weiss came out supporting Ruby's weight. Their team leader as favouring one foot over the other, but both were bare. Her heels were nowhere to be seen. Crescent Rose was trailing behind her, the weapon fully extended. "Is it glass in your foot? Do you need medical attention?"

"No. They're just sore."

"What happened here?" Yang asked.

"I saw the guards outside-"

Ruby's explanation was cut off by the elevator dinging again. The explosion couldn't have been missed, so it must have been their own reinforcements for once. They all turned to look as the doors opened. Three people came rushing out. Ozpin, Goodwitch and Ironwood. About time. The teachers should have been the first to the scene.

CRACK!

Adam's single eye widened, and he barely had time to throw his aura up before he was flung off his feet. His body spun in the air, twisting around the point of impact on his left shoulder before he struck the ground flat on his stomach and gasped for air. Pain lanced through his shoulder and down his arm, deadening the limb.

"General!" Goodwitch shrieked, pushing his extended weapon aside.

The man grunted angrily. "He was-"

"What the fuck!?" Yang's scream ripped through them both. Clutching his shoulder, Adam saw her plant both feet in front of him and cover him. Past her legs, he was witness to what would have been the amusing sight of Ruby levelling her sniper scythe on the general of Atlas' military. It would have been funnier if his lungs weren't struggling to draw in the right amount of oxygen. "We stopped this place being attacked!" Yang shouted. "Why are you shooting at us!?"

"You stopped-? But he-" Ironwood looked to Weiss supporting Ruby. "She is clearly injured."

"Not from Adam!" Ruby cried.

"Enough." Ozpin snapped. "James, put the gun down. Miss Xiao-Long, stand down. Are you okay, Mr Taurus? Did you get your aura up in time?"

"Y-Yes."

His voice came out croaky. It wasn't the first time he'd been shot at, he'd even been shot before and had it penetrate his aura, but he'd been so unprepared for it here that the pain felt ten times worse, like being punched in your stomach when you were clenching your muscles compared to being caught off-guard.

"Look at this mess!" Ironwood growled, not lowering his gun at all. As such, Yang didn't drop her guard. "The CCT has been attacked, two of my men are dead. He's clearly responsible and his teammates are covering for him!"

"He was not." Surprise-surprise, Goodwitch of all people was coming to his aid. "Mr Taurus was present at the dance until the explosion. I personally saw him and Miss Xiao-Long-" She cut off. "Well, I saw them together."

Goodwitch had been spying on them. Or him. He wanted to laugh at the momentary embarrassment on her end. So much for trust. He'd been monitored during the dance, as if she expected him to do something the moment she took her eyes off him.

Finally, Ironwood let his weapon fall. "Who did this then? An attack on the CCT reeks of the White Fang-"

"James!" Ozpin snapped again, cutting him off. "Not here and not in front of my students."

Not in front of them before Adam had a chance to reveal it. Adam nodded gratefully to the headmaster, though he wasn't sure Ozpin saw it. He pushed one hand down and tried to stand, only for Yang to pull him up and make him lean against her. It was only his left shoulder and arm that were deadened, but she obviously wasn't letting him move on his own.

"Let us retire to my office," Ozpin said. "I hate to put more stress on you all but I'm going to assume you had a chance to see the one responsible for this. We could use all the information we can get. I will summon Tsune to look at Mr Taurus and provide medical care. Let us get this all sorted out without any more accidents, hm?"

/-/

Ozpin's office was much too small a place for a full team, an Atlas squad of soldiers and a medical examination, and yet that was what was taking place, and for some reason Qrow Branwen had decided to tag along. Adam had the strangest feeling that was to be on his side, which was all sorts of strange.

What was just as strange was how much his teammates were staring at his topless body as Tsune dabbed at his badly bruised shoulder. He would have liked to say their stares were because of his chiselled abs or peerless huntsman physique, but those were commonplace in a huntsman academy. He knew full well why they stared, and it made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"This is going to leave a mark for a week at least." Tsune said. "A penetrating metal-capped round delivering all its force to a single point on the human body. You might as well have taken a jackhammer to yourself."

"I didn't take it to myself, did I?" Adam snapped. "I was shot."

"Couldn't you have dodged?"

Aggravating, annoying, idiotic doctor. Adam snarled and then yelped as she pushed down on the centre. "Hmm. I'd avoid using your shoulder for much if I were you. Glynda, I want him kept out of spars for the next three days at least."

"Done," the teacher said. "Anything else? Will he be okay?"

Tch. Was she going to pretend to care now? Adam rolled his eyes and struggled to pull his shirt back on. It wasn't easy with one hand, but Tsune helped in a rare show of mercy, peeling his sleeve up his limp arm for him and even buttoning it up. He let her put his jacket back on and then sat back, sighing and wishing he didn't have to deal with Yang, Ruby and Weiss staring at him so much.

"He should be fine. He's a touch cookie. Right, Adam?"

It was a show of how much he'd gotten to know the nutcase doctor that he practically threw himself aside, scraping his chair across the floor in time to avoid her merry slap onto his wounded shoulder. He glared furiously at her, scraping his way to Yang's side where he'd be safe. Tsune laughed awkwardly, as if she hadn't just been caught trying to exacerbate a patient's injury for her own amusement.

"That's good news," Ozpin said. "Onto business then. Team RYST have described this new assailant as best they were able. Black hair, yellow eyes and weaponry revolving around a summoned bow and two curved swords that you said turned into dust…?"

"Not commercial dust," Weiss said. "Regular dust, like motes of smoke or other detritus."

"It must be a Semblance." Ironwood said.

"I believe as much myself. You came upon her first, Miss Rose. Did you see what she wanted in the CCT?"

Ruby reluctantly tore her eyes away from Adam. "I saw her using one of the computers. I didn't see what she was doing. It wasn't a call, though. There were no voices."

"Whatever it was wasn't subtle either." Qrow pointed out. "Even if Ruby hadn't stumbled upon her, she attacked your guards outside."

"Indeed." Ozpin nodded. "It appears our mysterious guest did not care if we knew what she has done or not. It wouldn't have been difficult to sneak in at a later time, yet she intentionally chooses a moment where Beacon is at its most busy and when Atlas has already arrived. A curious choice."

"The dance would let her avoid the students," Glynda said.

"Yes, but coming a two months earlier to do this would have let her avoid the students and soldiers," Ozpin returned. "Why now, and not before term started? Better yet, why not on a normal weekday in the early hours of the morning when ninety-nine per cent of the people here would be asleep?"

"It's a message." Adam said. "She wanted you to know."

Team RYST looked confused but Ozpin smiled. "My thoughts exactly, Mr Taurus. While I'm sure she didn't intend to be discovered or attacked in the middle of her little operation, she left visible evidence of her presence, not only in the bodies but also this."

He turned his screen around, revealing a black chess piece in the centre of the screen. Adam wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean, so it must have had some significance to Ozpin or Beacon. The screen was turned back soon after.

"Most computer viruses work on the basis of being undetectable. That's the whole point. It's a little bizarre to install one that merrily declares its presence by mocking the user."

"I'll get my best men on clearing the CCT's systems." Ironwood said.

"That would be appreciated, thank you. Is there anything else you would like to say, James?" The invitation led to visible confusion on the man's face, which had Ruby and Weiss bristling and Yang verbally growling. Ozpin did not miss a beat. "An apology, James, for accidentally shooting one of my students."

The General's face darkened. "You must be joking."

"You fucking shot him!" Yang snapped, patience gone.

"Anyone in my position would have. He's-"

"A student at my school." Ozpin interrupted. "A young man who today showed valour alongside his teammates in defending Beacon's property and engaging an unknown enemy. You all have my thanks for that, Team RYST. Tonight, you have encapsulated what it means to be brave huntsmen and huntresses." He smiled brightly at them. "I am proud of you all."

Ruby grinned and Weiss preened, but Yang wasn't going to be won over by praise, and Adam knew the real message behind it. Yes, sure, redemption and all that. He was a little more focused on his shoulder right now. And on imagining Ironwood roasting over an open fire. If only he wasn't himself, he could release this story to the press and have Ironwood torn to shreds. He could just imagine the fallout of the General of Atlas shooting a Vale student.

The only problem was that the moment he did that, Ironwood would release information showing who Adam Taurus was, and then sentiment would turn against him. After all, who could blame the brave James Ironwood trying to put down a dangerous terrorist? The best he'd get was the apology Ozpin was trying to win him.

"I reacted instinctively." Ironwood ground out. "I was in error."

"Wow." Qrow snarked. "What an apology. Very contrite."

"I will have to ask you all to leave for now," Ozpin told them. "We are going to be discussing this for a while yet, but there's no reason for your night to be any more ruined than it already has been. I will apologise in James' place for what happened to you, Mr Taurus. If I had been quicker on the draw, you would not have been hit."

"It's fine." It wasn't, but Adam wasn't about to let Ozpin take the fall for this. The headmaster had done enough to help him. "This isn't the first time I've taken a hit like this."

Ozpin smiled sadly. "I can tell."

Adam clammed up, unsure how to react to that. He let Yang tug him up and walked with his team to the elevator, ignoring how they had decided to form a human shield around him as if they were waiting to intercept more bullets. If he were being honest, he'd rather they made them stay or that Tsune order him to spend the night in the infirmary. It would have been an easier time than the interrogation he was sure was coming.

"That fucking ass!" Yang hissed the moment the elevator was moving. "I wanted to knock his block off!"

"General Ironwood?" Weiss asked.

"No. My Uncle. Of course I mean General Ironwood!"

"Alright. Alright." Weiss sighed. "I'll admit I was surprised as well. He just opened fire. I didn't even think to have my aura up. What if Adam hadn't kept his up?"

He hadn't. Like them, he let his aura fall the moment he saw it was the teachers responding. The battle over, he'd relaxed and let his guard down. It was only ingrained instinct that made him kick his aura up at the sound of a gunshot. That was something that couldn't be taught, only experienced.

"That round would have ripped right through him," Ruby said miserably. "It's designed to penetrate armour."

Really? An interesting choice for Ironwood to carry in a side arm. Adam tried to roll his shoulder and winced at the pain. Even moving his neck ached and he was beginning to develop a crick. "It's fine," he grumbled. "I'd have liked an apology as much as the next person, but he's obviously not going to give it."

"I should have decked him." Yang said.

"It would have gotten you in trouble."

"Would have been worth it."

"Maybe," he admitted.

"That girl," Ruby said. "She was really strong. I didn't have a chance against her on my own."

"You shouldn't have been on your own!" Adam didn't mean to snap but Ruby flinched back and looked down, hurt by his words. He wasn't about to take them back. "You're a team leader, Ruby. Our team leader. Running alone into danger isn't good leadership."

"He's right, sis." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair to comfort her. "You have teammates for a reason. We probably could have taken her four on one. Keep that in mind next time, okay?"

"R-Right. I'm sorry I just saw those people hurt and reacted…"

"React better." It was harsh of him, but Ruby had to learn, especially if she was going to throw herself into danger like this. "It's not just your life that rests on such decisions. Do not rush into danger like that again."

"R-Right. I-I'll do better."

"Hey Adam…" Yang said. "Was that your… you know… your ex?"

The question completely blindsided him. Was that Blake!? It was such a ridiculous question he didn't react for a moment. He supposed the black hair, slim build and yellow eyes could have made it seem like her. They wouldn't recognise Blake's voice, fighting style or semblance, and they also didn't know about Blake's ears.

"No. No, it wasn't. Too many differences."

"It's just that she knew you…"

"I know. I didn't recognise her but it's not impossible she's met me before. If so, I can't remember where."

Was she a faunus? There hadn't been any distinguishing features, but it wasn't impossible. If she was working for or with the White Fang, then she would know him through that. Otherwise, it could be anyone. He was a well-known figure to those involved with the Fang, so her knowing his name wasn't as unusual as Yang or Ruby thought it was.

If Adam held onto any hope they'd let him sleep once they got back to their dorm, it was ruined when Ruby locked the door behind them and the three girls stood in a semi-circle around his bed, hands on their hips. Too much to hope for, he supposed.

"So," Ruby said innocently. "How's your shoulder doing? Let's have a look."

"I think you got a good enough look back there."

"It's the other stuff I want to look at!" Yang said.

"Down girl. My eyes are up here."

"Ha ha." Yang's laugh was very sarcastic. "You're not getting out of this one. My dad has less scars than you and he's been a huntsman for twenty years. Were those bullet wounds I saw?"

"Your chest looks like someone took a chainsaw to it," Ruby said.

Weiss looked stricken with guilt. "Were those lines on your back from a whip?"

Adam sighed. He really hadn't wanted them to see that, hence the reason he changed in the bathroom. Yes, he was scarred. Badly. It didn't bother him in the sense of believing his body ugly, but they were hints to his past, and he didn't want to show those off to just anyone. It was like the scar over his eye; it was too personal.

"They're reminders I'm alive," he said. "That's all."

"Where did you get them all?"

"Training."

"What kind of training gets you shot!?" Yang snapped.

"The kind that takes place outside the schools. Not everyone gets a place in Signal or Sanctum. Some people apprentice under huntsmen or rough it out on their own, picking things up as they go."

"Is that what you did?"

"You could say that." The White Fang training camp was extreme for sure, throwing you against Atlas soldiers and Grimm alike. A lot of his injuries had come as a result of missions. Except for the whippings. Those came before. "It's not something you need to worry about. They're just scars."

"Someone shot you. They tried to kill you."

"And they didn't. That's the only thing that matters. Can we leave this?" he asked bluntly. "I'm scarred, I know. It's pitiful, I know."

"We didn't say that!" Weiss argued. "Damn it, Adam. We're asking because we're concerned. You are- I can't believe I have to say this, but you are our friend. Wouldn't you be concerned if one of us was hurt?"

"Of course I would, but I'm not going after the one responsible for that." He pointed to her scar. "And you shouldn't go after mine. Most of the people that gave me these are gone anyway."

"Can I see them again?" Yang asked.

"My scars or my abs?"

Yang grinned. "Yes."

"No." He ignored her sulky expression and stood, making his way to the bathroom. "I'm going to get changed and go to bed. You three should as well. If people are attacking Beacon, we need to train. Unless you want to add a few scars to your own bodies. Or worse."

"We'll train." Ruby said. "But you can't. Doctor's orders."

/-/

Late at night, Adam clenched his eyes shut and tried his best to ignore his much his scroll was vibrating. It was a valiant effort but ultimately futile. There came a point where it might as well have been an earthquake localised to his bedside table. One hand angrily snaked out from the covers and snatched it inside, two eyes, one pinker than the other, staring blearily at the screen.

Twenty messages from Yang. Of course.

"Are you awake?"

"Wake up."

"Hey."

"Wake."

"Up."

And then the most recent one, the one that made it vibrate in his hand.

"Hey. "

Yang. Ugh. He really didn't understand her sometimes, or maybe he was just pretending he didn't. The fact she was exactly two beds distance from him should have meant she could ask him to chat if she wanted to, and yet they were again communicating by virtue of late night, same room, text conversations.

"What is it?" he sent back.

"Are u angry about the scars? "

Adam sighed. "No," he replied. "I just didn't want to start a pity party about me."

"Why is it bad for us to care about you?"

"It's not. I just wanted to avoid it." That sounded a little harsh, even to him. He'd always been bad at communicating things, even Blake said so. He hadn't meant to come across gruff or unsympathetic. "It would have been embarrassing," he explained. "You would have wanted a story for every scar. It would have taken forever, and everyone would feel miserable after."

There was a moment of silence before a reply came. "Then you're not angry at me?"

"No."

"😊"

The stupid emojis. Adam was the kind of person who wouldn't be caught dead sending one, whereas Yang seemed to believe them an acceptable substitute for words. It didn't annoy him as much as he thought it should have. Maybe he was getting used to the stupidity.

"Serious talk." Yang's next message said. "Did someone whip you?"

Adam sighed. "Is it important?"

"It is to me! :("

"What if I told you it was sex games?"

Silence. Adam listened and heard the quick intake of breath, then angry tapping. "I didn't realise you were such a sub. Maybe I should buy some leather collars and chains."

Okay, he had to cut that off. "I was whipped," he wrote. "It was when I was younger. The person who did it was killed."

"By you?"

It didn't surprise him that Yang would ask that, nor that she'd think him capable of murdering someone. Maybe she wasn't as naïve as to his personality as he thought she was. "No," he answered. He would have if he'd been strong enough at the time, but his body had been as weak as a newborn after that session. "Someone else did."

"Who?"

Adam considered his reply carefully. "The White Fang."

It took a full minute for Yang to reply. He knew because he counted every second of it, wondering if she would put it together and what Tsune would think of this pathetic attempt to tell her the truth. She wouldn't be impressed, that was for sure.

"It was a race thing then? The guy whipped you because you were faunus?"

Sort of. He'd been whipped for talking back to a superior – insubordination to his betters in an SDC mining camp. The fact that he was a faunus hadn't caused the flogging, but the man responsible probably wouldn't have done it to a human child. It had been okay in that man's mind because he was just a faunus, because he was only an animal.

"Yes. WF killed him. Freed us."

Yang's response was immediate. "Good."

Adam's thumb hovered over the send button of his next message, a simple "I joined the White Fang". It would be so easy, so simple, and unless Yang wanted to raise a stink, she couldn't react too badly to it. He hesitated, then deleted it.

"Is that all?" he sent.

"No! :-/ We didn't kiss."

Adam snorted under the covers. "Is that still bothering you?" he typed back. "Ruby was attacked, and I got shot. That ruined the mood a little. Don't you think?"

"Well yeah, I wasn't jumping you in front of Uncle Qrow. I dressed up, tho. I dolled up. You were in a suit. When am I going to get a chance like that again?"

Not anytime soon, that was for sure. "Sorry," he sent.

"You promised me a kiss "

He didn't remember promising her anything, but the little angry face made him chuckle under the covers. Talk about presumptive. Blake would have never been so indignant about not getting one, though he supposed that was what made Yang so different. So much more confident.

"You can take one whenever," he sent back. In the back of his head he was aware that might even come across flirtatious. He wasn't sure if that was an accident on his part or not.

What he didn't expect was for Yang's mattress to flex, or the sound of her bare feet on the carpet to reach his ears as she approached. His heart raced a little and he lay perfectly still, wondering if she wasn't just heading to the bathroom or teasing him. When a finger teased its way under his sheets and peeled them back to show her face, he knew she wasn't.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"You said I could take one whenever."

"I didn't mean-"

Yang's face ducked under the blankets and against his faster than he could react. He caught a rush of breath and then froze as warm lips pressed against his. His wide eyes met hers, though Yang's were closed as she kissed him. He blinked, shifted and leaned into her, closing his own.

When Yang pulled back, she was flushed a pretty shade of pink. He could see it perfectly in the dark, benefits of faunus vision, so he could make out her dishevelled hair, her cheeky smile and the bright purple of her eyes. Blake would have never done something as silly as this. She wouldn't have interrupted his sleep with silly texts, crept around their sleeping allies or kissed him with others nearby.

Yang would, and it had his blood rushing hotter than fire. When she leaned in again, tilting her face to the side, Adam closed his eyes and moved in to meet her.

"No." A voice from the next bed over moaned sleepily. "Don't you dare."

"Oh for…" Yang groaned. "What are you, Weiss, a radar system?"

"I'm a light sleeper," the heiress said, rolling over, "And I am not putting up with that happening next to me. You can both wait until morning and for somewhere further away from me. Thank you very much."

"Prude."

Yang darted in to kiss him a second time, winked and drew back. This time he was sure she did know about faunus night vision because the way she swayed her hips as she moved could not have been anything but intentional.

It wasn't until she was back under the covers and Weiss had gone back to sleep that he realised his face had been illuminated by the light from his scroll. That Yang had seen his grisly scar, the SDC brand, straight up, and that she hadn't hesitated to kiss him despite it. He smiled, touched two fingers to his lips and rolled onto his back.

Maybe there was something to her idea.

/-/

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Cinder ignored Emerald's fussing and probed her bruised ribs. That brute, Xiao-Long, had done a number on her even unarmed, and Cinder would be feeling it for a few hours yet. All in all, the mission had gone down as planned, even if being interrupted by a nosey brat hadn't been part of the plan.

"I told you to watch Adam Taurus. What happened?"

"We did watch him." Mercury said. "He went off when he heard the explosion, though. It's not like we could run in and stop him without exposing ourselves."

That almost sounded like an accusation that she had not been subtle enough. Cinder narrowed her eyes at Mercury but chose not to pursue it. Adam always had the potential to be a problem, even if it was clear he didn't recognise her. Their past meeting had been brief and uneventful, not to mention she had been dressed differently at the time. She'd thought that a sign he wouldn't interfere, but tonight proved otherwise.

He's not like Ozpin or the other idiots here. He isn't bound by rules and laws the same way they are, and he has the right mindset to cause problems, especially with the White Fang. That would be a problem, and according to Roman, he had already stepped in to sabotage them.

"I think it's time we got in touch with our friends in the White Fang," Cinder told her team. "I was content to let Adam lay low so long as he stayed out of our business, but if he wants to butt his nose into the White Fang's business, I think they should butt back. Emerald. Tell Roman to contact our allies and tell them where their dear `brother` has gone, and what he's been up to of late."

Man, writing emojis on this site is tough because of how they censor things. Like, one of them is actually showing AS a smiley face for me but the others aren't? Ah, whatever!

Next Chapter: 6th April

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur