Aaaaaand were back! I had alot of stuff going on in my life these past months but I finally was able to finish this chapter. It's a longer one so hopefully it makes up for my absence!

-Mei

--

"What do you think of this one?"

Adam rubbed his temples, frowning,

"It's a tree. They're all fucking trees."

Opal's cheeks puffed out as she frowned,

"It can't just be any tree it has to be the right one!" She grumbled, giving him a pointed look, "When was the last time you even celebrated a holiday, Mr. Grinch?"

The faunus cringed, shaking his head,

"One; never call me that again. And two; why the fuck does it matter?"

She grabbed him by the sleeve, dragging him through the forest,

"Because it's fun! You'll like it! Promise."

Opal turned on her heel, quirking a brow,

"Not everything in life has to be serious, you know."

He rolled his eyes, quietly shaking his head. This was ridiculous, but what wasn't these days. While it was nice to be domestic for a change, something felt… off. His arrogant side had been burning inside of him more and more lately; and he was ignoring it. He was blatantly ignoring the part of him he had clung to so desperately his entire life.

"Adam!"

Adam blinked, pulling himself back to reality. He looked at her blankly, brows raising,

"What?"

She angrily puffed out her cheeks, frowning,

"Pay attention! We have to be back in time to decorate and make dinner!"

The faunus frowned, quirking a brow,

"Why exactly? Winter's Veil isn't for days."

He watched her posture go a bit rigid, immediately putting him on edge,

"Why, do we need to be back?"

Opal scratched the back of her head, leaning on the axe she had been carrying,

"Well… A close family friend is going to be having dinner with us tonight!" She laughed awkwardly, smiling.

"What?"

Seeing his immediate change in mood, she quickly put her hands up, motioning sporadically,

"It's okay! It's okay!- He knows! He's practically my second father, and he wouldn't do anything to put either of us in danger."

Adam felt a chill run up his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up. There went his small sense of security. One human was one thing, but two? Opal rested the axe against one of the trees, putting her hands on his shoulders,

"I know it's scary, but trust me. Not everyone is out to get you." She smiled at him, poking his cheek.

While he usually would smack her hand away, he quietly looked to the side, blowing air out his nose,

"...Just pick a fucking tree already."

Opal grinned at that, picking up her axe again, slinging it over her shoulder,

"That's the spirit! Now what do you think of this one…"

--

"Why did you pick this one!?"

"You were rushing me! I picked one like you told me to!"

The two dragged the tree down the walkway, Adam's boots occasional slipping on the slick cobblestones. Of course she did. She had to pick the big ass tree.

"Let me get the door hold on-"

"Is this even going to fit through the door?" He snapped, growling.

Opal turned around, pointing at him,

"We'll make it fit! Failure is not an option!" She swung the door open, grabbing the top of the tree, "I'm no quitter and neither are you!"

Adam let out a disgruntled noise, shoving the prickly object through the narrow door. After uncomfortable prickling and shoving, the two finally managed to get the large tree into the living room. The faunus slumped down against the wall, blowing hair out of his face. He heard Opal's body 'thump' to the floor, her arms spreading out,

"We did iiiiit!" She let out a noise, sitting up, "Now we get to stand it up and decorate! Oh wow I haven't decorated a tree in years."

Opal stood up, dragging Adam off the floor,

"I know you haven't decorated a tree in forever- oh I can use you to put the star on."

He gave her a disgruntled look, rolling his eyes. She smirked, quirking a brow,

"If you keep that face I'll tinsel your horns- don't doubt me."

She made her way to the staircase, the sound of boxes being shifted and knickknacks clattering coming from the doorway,

"Speak of, your horns have grown quite a bit, haven't they?"

Adam raised a brow, reaching up to touch his horns. They had grown quite a bit actually. He ran his thumb over the slight curve on the end, humming.

"A bit, yes."

He watched her head peek out from behind the door jam, hair flopping over her head,

"Also why do you dye your hair? I'm just curious; though you don't have to answer if you don't want."

"That's-"

"None of my business, okay okay." She chirped back, yanking the box out from under the stairs, "For the record, I think you look good as a brunette."

Adam rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. He awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it slightly. Most people assumed he was naturally a redhead, and it wasn't exactly uncommon for people to have naturally two toned hair these days. The only people who really knew were-

A frown spread across his face, his body stiffening.

'Adam what did you do to your hair?' Kali blinked, covering her mouth.

Adam's hair was sticking out messily, it's usual brown dyed to a deep red. It was still a bit fluffy from what could only be the hairdryer. He ran his fingers through it, shrugging,

'What about it? I just felt like it.'

'I think it suits you.'

He glanced to the cat faunus sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes trained on the book in front of her. She glanced over the pages, quirking a brow,

'If there's something you don't like about yourself, why not change it?'

"Adam- Remnant to Adam, do you copy?"

He blinked, brows furrowing. A box was promptly jammed into his arms,

"Here's the decorations; they may be a little dusty though."

Adam let out a quiet grunt, heading over to the tree. Hopefully he could just sit and watch her do it; he could start dinner for…

The visitor, right. Fine, he'd decorate the damn tree. Putting the box down, Adam brushed the dust off of the top, opening it. It was full of generic Winter's Veil decorations, anything from snowmen and snowflakes to simple baubles. He let out a quiet grunt, shifting the ornaments around in the box.

To be honest, he was a bit lost. He hadn't done this in… years. Kali and Ghira had practically forced him to participate in the festivities, regardless of his original confusion and skittishness.

"Would it kill you to smile once in a while?"

"If only." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Keep rolling your eyes and they'll get stuck in the back of your head."

As sound of annoyance escaped him,Opal began rifling through the box. Adam decided it would be best to keep busy. He didn't feel like thinking about his past, or his present. He was quite a proactive person; always doing something, working on something. Maybe because he didn't like thinking about his real intentions.

"Can you pass me the tinsel?" Opal chirped, now perched on a stool, attempting to reach the top of the tree, "On second thought I need to borrow your height."

"I begrudgingly agreed to help you with this, not to be your ladder."

She puffed out her cheeks, frowning,

"Exactly, you agreed to help, but never specified what; so yes. You are my ladder."

Damn it. He grunted, pulling ribbon out of the box,

"Fine, whatever. Just get this over with," he glanced at her, frowning, "Get that smug look off your face."

"Well first of all, that's not tinsel- and you make it reaaaallly hard not to."

Opal pulled the sparkly tinsel from the box, shaking it at him,

"Now get to it! I'm going to go change; I also got something for you to wear as well."

"I have not agreed to even be there. I have no interest in meeting anyone."

She leaned on the door jam, frowning,

"You're in my house, you're having dinner with us. Plus I already pulled out the clothes so your wearing them."

Adam's eye twitched, a growl escaping him,

"And what makes you think I'll just do whatever you say?"

"The fact you helped me drag a tree across the forest and are currently elbow deep in tinsel. Suck it up and put on a dress shirt." She waved her hand, heading upstairs.

The faunus quietly fumed, tempted to snap the the gaudy string in half. He was not some dress up doll. As much as he wanted to coop up in his room, he knew it wasn't worth the headache. Looking back at the tree, he frowned, rustling the box. It was one night out of his life that he'd never get back; a waste, but not the end of the world.

At least he'd get a meal. Adam took little time 'decorating' the tree, not willing to put in even an ounce of effort. After spending a good five minutes untangling lights, the sound of creaking stairs pulled him out of his riveting experience. He was promptly hit in the face with a shirt, his eye twitching.

Opal put her hand on her hip, eyeing the tree,

"Really?"

"You said to decorate it, you never said it had to be done well."

"I swear it's hard to believe you're my age." She huffed, rolling her eyes.

The faunus shook out the shirt that had been tossed at him, eyeing it. It was very… Red. A lot louder than he would usually prefer, but it wasn't as if it mattered.

"Why do you have this anyways?"

"Clearly I just love collecting shirts that are three sizes too big for me," she deadpanned, crossing her arms, "I bought it for you, for this specific day; now put it on."

He let out a grumble, sneering at her. Stripping off the simple long sleeve he was wearing, he shrugged on the shirt, rolling his shoulders. Adam glanced at her, quirking a brow. It was jarring; seeing her in more… formalwear?

While she still had her corset on, her original blouse had been swapped for a more flowy, cream colored one. Baggy pants were traded for a deep olive green skirt, stopping just above her ankles.

"Adam?"

He blinked, eye twitching,

"What?"

Opal smirked, her hand on her hip,

"I know it's shocking that I'm indeed a woman; but you don't have to stare."

Adam let out a disgruntled noise, sneering,

"When you wear practically the same thing every day, I was surprised to see you in something different."

She rolled her eyes at him, roughly punching him in the arm. He was able to react this time, a red crackle dancing across the area she had struck. A smirk graced his lips, brow arching as he looked at her.

"Keep rolling your eyes like that and they'll get stuck in the back of your head," he mocked, raising a brow.

Opal puffed out her cheeks in frustration, as she always did. It felt good, getting his strength back. She stuck her tongue out, poking his cheek,

"Don't go getting cocky because you could predict a hit from me."

Adam half heartedly smacked her hand away, frowning. Opal raised a brow, waiting for his usual snarky comment or venom, but it never came. She hummed before dismissing the thought. Grabbing him by the shirt, she began fixing his buttons, frowning,

"Really? At least button your up more than half way; I swear."

He twitched, body going rigid. As simple as the act was, it was a familiar feeling. It made his stomach churn, chills running up his spine;

"No- Adam here, let me help you."

Ghira's fingers began adjusting the buttons on Adam's shirt, a large hand ruffling his brown hair.

"There; not so hard, see?"

The small faunus kept his eye trained on his feet, flinching as the man patted his back.

"You can speak you know; it's alright."

He glanced up at Ghira, brows knit. His small voice sounded as though it had been drug through gravel, his silence in the current months rearing its head.

"T-Thank… yo-you..."

Adam abruptly stood up, turning his back to her,

"I don't need you to dress me; piss off!" He snapped, adjusting his collar.

Opal's brows furrowed in concern, her hand reaching to touch his shoulder,

"Adam are you-"

The knocking on the door pulled the two out of their thoughts; though Adam looked more like a deer caught in headlights. He immediately move to head upstairs, only to be grabbed by Opal,

"Not so fast! You're staying!"

"Like hell I am!" He snapped, proceeding to hobble his way to the stairs.

The woman's socks slid across the wood floor as she held onto him, her rebuttals falling on deaf ears.

"I thought you weren't one to run away, boy."

A deep, amused voice came from the front door, freezing the faunus in place. Opal glanced over, a smile on her face,

"Riley! You're here!" She chirped, keeping an iron grip on Adam's arm.

Adam kept his head turned away, his body visibly twitching in her hold; his scar suddenly feeling painfully apparent on his face. Mask- he needed a mask-

He felt a large hand on his shoulder, his body instinctively moving to twist the others grip off of him. Unfortunately, his arm was kept in place, the large man looking down, at -him-.

"Ah yes, I've heard quite a bit about you!"

Riley stroked his beard with his other hand, letting out a hum,

"Quite good to meetcha' in person, boy."

Adam wasn't easily intimidated; he was more than ready to hold his head high and push his menace against any individual who challenged him. Banesaw had been one of the two most intimidating men he'd ever met, but he had no fear in giving orders to the man; and even so, he dwarfed in size to Riley.

"Just gonna stand there with your tongue tied, eh?"

Adam's voice was caught in his throat, his brain slowly processing the man's appearance. While the others size was what originally caught his attention, he quickly noticed the man's features. Scales littered Riley's forearm, the hand grasping his arm tipped with sharp black nails. He had a peppering of scales on his cheeks, though no where near as pronounced as those on his arms,

"You're…"

Opal crossed her arms, raising a brow,

"He's a faunus, yes. Just like you."

Riley looked a bit confused at first, before letting out a bellowing laugh,

"That's what was drivin' ya' away? Ha! Don't worry, kid. I ain't here to bitecha'," he let the other go, placing his hands on his sides; Adam could see where Opal got it from now.

"So Riley; -you- weren't supposed to be here until six."

He let out a bellowing laugh, shrugging,

"Ah c'mon! Couldn't wait to see my girl; n' I was eager t' meet your lil' guest here."

Riley looked at the other faunus, quirking a bushy brow at him,

"You've got quite the reputation, y'know."

Adam couldn't let himself be intimidated. He couldn't let the man get to him; his emotions had been getting much more bold as of late, and he would not have it. Pulling his anxiousness back, he gave the other faunus a flat look, keeping quiet.

Opal punched his shoulder, the crackle of his aura scattering across the spot as he glared at her. He didn't care about the death glares he was getting. Like Riley said, he had a reputation, and any gods be damned would he let that slip away under a mod podge of pent up trauma.

"Could you atleast try to be a decent person for five minutes?" Opal grumbled, glaring back at him.

Adam sneered at her, turning his head away. He'd gotten too complacent over the months he'd been here; losing his edge. It didn't take long for Opal to be fed up with his abrupt change in attitude. She grabbed him by his ear, dragging him back to the table,

"Sit; if you go try to hide upstairs I will personally drag you back down here-" Turning on her heel she looked at Riley, smiling, "Riley! Why don't you two have a chat while I start dinner?"

Riley smiled awkwardly, scratching his head. Opal was always quite a fireball; just like her mother. Any reasonable person would be terrified of Adam Taurus, yet here she was, dragging him around as if he was an unruly child. As amusing as it was; it made him a bit uneasy. When she had first told him who she'd saved, he was one step from hysterical. Though after seeing his face, he couldn't help but feel for the boy. Unlike Opal, he could only assume the faunus had no one to turn to. Even if he may had been taken in and care of; wounds tend to fester.

Letting out a sigh, he sat down across from Adam, crossing his arms. It looked like Riley wasn't the only one wondering how to approach the situation. The faunus kept his head turned to the side, avoiding eye contact.

"So- You're from Mantle, eh?" He asked casually, testing the waters.

Adam gave him an uninterested look, sticking to his brooding,

"What gave it away?"

"Calm down, kid. I don't think you're in the position t' be all snappy, eh?" Riley cocked his head, stroking his beard.

The other sneered, looking to the side. Opal frowned, quietly pulling vegetables out of the fridge. She'd hoped seeing Riley would put him more at ease, but he seemed to have only reverted back to his old ways.

The two sat in silence, the sound of Opal's cooking filling the space; sounds of chopping and pots clinking. Riley finally got up, heading into the small kitchen,

'Doll, y'know I support you but this is…'

She cut him off, kicking his leg,

'He's just uneasy, quiet.'

He rubbed his temples, glancing back at the younger faunus. He hadn't exactly instilled confidence like Opal had hoped the visit would achieve; quite the opposite actually. Riley was more skeptical than ever, and Adam was misbehaving just to prove some point to himself.

Opal slid the vegetables into the nearby pot, placing the lid on top. She chatted with Riley for a while, occasionally glancing to Adam every now and then.

"-'nd then she tried to change her order after it was finished!"

Opal covered her mouth, stifling a laugh,

"What?! Did she expect you to un-emboss it? How did she think it worked!"

Riley threw his arms up, rolling his eyes,

"Hell if I know, doll! Damn I swear, Atlas natives are somethin' else. Hard to believe folks from Mantle are on the same continent."

She nodded,

"I… I feel for them; with all that's happened. Hopefully they can simply move forward and past all that's happened."

Adam glanced to her, brows furrowing. Opal had no television, but she'd lent him her scroll on multiple occasions. News of Atlas and Mantle practically flatlined after a certain point; however that didn't stop information from slipping through the cracks.

Opal practically banned him from looking at the news afterwards. He rubbed his temples, glaring at the mug on the table. She'd defused him effectively, much to his dismay. Their argument was short and sweet, her logic poking holes in his murderous intent:

"I should have slaughtered that pig years ago! Him and that entitled family of his!" Adam snapped, snarling at the recent news.

Opal snatched the scroll away from him, a stern look on her face,

"That's enough! I'm not happy about it either but there are other ways to deal with these things!"

Adam got up from his spot on the couch, growling at her,

"Tell that to all of the dead in Mantle!"

"And more death is the last thing we need! What do you think you could do? Walk into Atlas and take his head off? What would that solve?"

He went to retort, only to be beaten to it,

"Have more chaos and grimm in the streets? Let people starve because they have no means of supporting their family? Adam do you ever think about how your actions will really affect everyone else!?"

Adam had no response. He didn't have a solution- he was just…

Angry. So much resentment, so much anger. He didn't think, he would have acted; and he hated that she was right. He would have made everything even worse. While she didn't go through what he did, she did hold the same amount of hate towards the family. The only difference was she thought of the people, while he just cared about inflicting more pain.

The clatter of utensils being placed on the table pulled him from his thoughts, a bowl being placed in front of him.

"Dinner is done." She mused, leaning in, "You can go upstairs after if you want, I won't keep you here."

Adam stared at her for a moment, before looking back to the bowl. He made a sound of recognition, prodding at his meal with a spoon. Opal made her way back to the couch, sitting down with Riley. They continued to chat, favoring more cheerful topics rather than the past events of Mantle and Atlas. More discussion of work, daily happenings; she'd occasionally bring up events that included Adam, but they had been far and inbetween.

In the end, he had chosen to retreat to the room upstairs, his mind in too many places to deal with the pressure of prying eyes. He'd even tried to sit down and meditate for a change, something he hadn't bothered doing since his broken ties with Kali and Ghira. For once, Adam was sick with his own mind. He swore he just wanted to scream at himself to shut up for once, and he would be more than happy to turn off his own senses.

He had been in a place where he was confident in his choices, in his thoughts, his beliefs. Now, he wasn't sure what he thought. It was hard to resent someone who had saved your life and cared for you over the months. His time here made him truly question his morals. Was he wrong? He was making a difference, wasn't he? It wasn't spite, it wasn't his thirst for revenge, he wanted to make things better- didn't he? The door creaked open, followed by a knock on the doorframe.

Adam opened his eyes, shifting in his spot on the floor. What time was it? How long had he been pondering? Though it wasn't as if it mattered; he hadn't been getting anywhere.

"If I remember correctly, I was told I'd be left alone." He murmured, looking over his shoulder.

Opal leaned against the doorframe, a brown paper package under her arm,

"Calm down, I'm not here to terrorise you; for now." She smirked, stepping into the room, "Riley went home, so I just wanted to let you know the living room is safe."

Adam nodded, letting out a breath. The sound of her entering the room wasn't subtle, not that she had been trying to hide her presence. The crinkling of paper got his attention, turning to look at the package that had been placed next to him. He looked at her curiously, brows furrowing.

"It's for you." She hummed, smiling.

Adam frowned, glancing back at the package,

"I don't need gifts from you. A childish tradition, no?"

Opal rolled her eyes, nudging the package against his leg,

"Just open it. I worked hard on it."

She made her way out of the room, glancing back at him,

"Hopefully it fits, I eyeballed most of it."

He looked down at the 'gift' after she left the room, quietly picking it up. Grumbling to himself, he tore open the paper. She'd likely tear him a new one if she came back and the package was untouched anyways. With just one glance, his heart skipped a beat.

It was distinctly his symbol, no doubt. The intricate twisting stems and rose were all embroidered.

"I worked hard on it."

There was no way she could commision someone to stitch this without raising suspicion, or even putting a target on her back. Had she really done this herself? Even himself, with how important the symbol was to him, didn't put this much time into crafting it. Pulling the article from the paper, he straightened it out.

It was undoubtedly a coat, made out of a thick leather. It was stark black like his past clothing, a large hood attached to the collar. Holes were placed in the hood, magnets connecting the slits so it could easily be pulled over his horns. His symbol was connected with snaps, making it removable for what he only assumed was for being in public.

Adam sat for a while, staring at it. He didn't know how to feel. Why was she doing this for him? Why bother to slave over something like this for him? He laid it on the large trunk that had been fashioned as a table against the wall before sitting down on the bed. Everything from the buckles and snaps had been carefully stitched and fastened. His symbol was practically perfect, every stitch of thread, every thorn placed just right. He drug his hand through his hair, resting his forehead against his palm.

His mind snapped bitterly at itself, fighting over his thoughts, his values; even his own morality. No amount of meditation or self reflection could pull him out of the hole he dug for himself. For the first time since his childhood, Adam really did feel lost.