Willow brought a hand up to cover her mouth and suppress a mirthful giggle as she watched the blonde boy sitting across from her finish his story. The gesture really only muted the sound instead of stopping it, and it wasn't long before the Schnee heiress found herself beginning to tear up from her amusement. Summer joined the chorus of laughter as Qrow glared pointedly at Taiyang, arms crossed and scowling.

"Right. Hilarious, Tai," Qrow groused. "I didn't get much sleep last night, alright? I have my reasons."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who fell asleep in class and started snoring while Professor Scotch was lecturing," Taiyang reminded as his grin grew even wider. "Twice."

"I still don't understand how you got out of getting a detention," Summer mused as she swirled her plastic straw within her cup of soda. "Is Scotch really that easygoing?"

"It would seem so," Willow commented as she finally managed to get the image of Qrow drooling with his cheek pressed into the countertop during a lecture out of her head. "He seems both knowledgeable and personable, to me."

"Yeah, sure. Now if only he wasn't so boring when it comes to teaching," Qrow added as he crossed his arms. "I really thought I could hold on throughout the day, but his voice just put me under. I think I'm just going to bed after dinner, tonight. I've got nothing left in me."

Taiyang nodded slowly as his expression shifted to a far more serious one, and he folded his arms to mirror Qrow. "Honestly, I might get in on that idea. After yesterday, I think we all had a little trouble sleeping."

The three members of Team STRQ all kept their eyes off of Willow, and each expected an awkward silence to ensue. All three instead turned to face her as she spoke up near immediately, and all three found themselves surprised by her words as she lightly folded her hands in her lap.

"…would any of you be willing to tell me about him? Please?" Willow requested. "Not about yesterday, but about him. I haven't heard anything about Adam himself- just that I should stay away, and that he's angry with my family. Do the three of you consider him a friend? Given that he is not on your team, I think your outside perspective would be helpful to hear. It likely won't be long before I'm forced to approach him, to try to make amends."

Summer and Taiyang exchanged uneasy, wordless glances as the girl picked up her burger and took another bite. Taiyang cleared his throat and scratched his head as he tried to think about how to answer the question, but Qrow beat him to it.

"Yeah. He's a friend," Qrow began. "He and I have a lot in common, actually. It's not stuff I want to go into, but it's true. We've had a few little moments of understanding between us that I haven't really had with anyone else here, just yet. He's probably pissed at me right now, but that's for his own good. I like him, but he's gotta learn to try to see things from a perspective other than his own."

"I can agree with that," Taiyang followed up. "We haven't talked all that much, but he seems alright to me. I feel bad for him, actually, but he's making it really hard to even listen to him, with my semblance being what it is. I'll try to bite the bullet when we all get together, but I can't really promise anything."

"And Summer? Anything to add?" Willow inquired as she nodded toward the only other girl at the table.

Summer chewed her burger thoughtfully as she watched all eyes turn to her, and then swallowed hard. The girl set her food down onto her tray before leaning in and sucking loudly through her straw, only for Willow to wrinkle her nose in response to the unsophisticated noise. Finally, Summer leaned back with a satisfied sigh, and shrugged.

"Yeah, he seems alright."

"He seems alright," Qrow repeated with a dumbfounded look. "That's really all you have to say?"

"Sorta," Summer confirmed. "Listen, we all have our low moments, and his is partially justified. I did some thinking last night, and if he was on my team, we'd have to have a confrontation and talk this out, just so he didn't drag us all down. As it is right now, though, he's not, and that responsibility is gonna fall on Barty. I'll just be there to support them both, and offer a different perspective to Adam if he wants to hear it. I'm not going to just suddenly start hating him or something for blowing up once in front of us. Judging people like that is unfair. We've only seen a little bit of his life, and today, hopefully, he'll cool down a bit and we can all start to help a little. That's all."

"That's very," Willow paused as she tried to search for the right words, "…forgiving and impartial of you. I suppose it comes as no surprise, then, that you are a team leader."

Summer waved a hand in response, and picked up her burger once again. "Nah. I'm like, the worst leader ever. I had to run away and hide in the library to figure even something like that out, while the rest of my team was left to deal with their feelings on their own. That's not exactly a great strategy."

"Yes it is," Taiyang countered. "We all needed space, for different reasons, and you gave it to us. Wouldn't you have stuck around if you knew any one of us was really upset and needed support?"

"Of course," Summer replied immediately. "And I guess I see your point. But I also…" Summer trailed off, before slowly setting down her burger yet again. The girl raised a brow and swiveled in her seat as Raven, Roman, Kali, and Bartholomew approached the table, looking worried and upset to varying degrees.

"We have a bit of a problem, it would seem," Bartholomew said as he stopped right up against the table. "Adam just left his meeting with the headmaster, and then walked past the cafeteria windows holding a sword I've never seen before while looking murderous. Although none of you are members of OKRA, it would be greatly appreciated if you could help us locate him."

"Have you already tried calling him?" Willow asked with more than a little worry in her tone.

"No scroll," Roman said with a shrug as he flipped his fringe out of his eyes. "He's strapped for cash, and doesn't have one. Means we've gotta find him manually, and we should probably split up after following the direction he went."

"I'll go," Qrow volunteered as he stood up. "You two stay with Willow, while the rest of us are away. If we're not back by the time Team Synergy and Tactics starts, don't even go. This is more important, and Port doesn't take attendance anyway."

"Can do," Taiyang agreed.

"Keep us updated?" Summer requested. "And definitely let us know if you're in trouble. I think you've got the best shot of talking him down, out of the three of us. Assuming it comes to that."

"Given how pissed he looked, it just might," Kali replied as her cat ears flattened out. "Let's not waste any more time."

"Right," Raven agreed. "Willow, I'm sorry, but introductions will have to wait, between us. Soon, though."

"Oh, it's alright," Willow assured with a curt nod. "Please, go and tend to your friend. I can wait."

"Good, 'cause I'm not sure he, or whoever he's after, can," Roman said as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, people. Let's head out, split up, and find ourselves a raging bull."

Adam felt his breathing involuntarily stop as he stared at the glittering, hooked blade pointed in his direction. Slowly, he navigated a hand down to the hilt of the katana at his waist as he kept his eye on his opponent's weapon. As he felt his fingers wrap around the cord, he let out a shuddering breath, and found the sensation almost painful and unfamiliar.

"Professor, is this really a good idea? I haven't really done anything like this before. What if I accidentally hurt you?"

Professor Calavera merely shook her head, her expression one of deadly seriousness. "Then I'll deserve it, all things considered. Be more worried about hurting yourself. You have exactly five seconds to formulate a strategy, young man. This is for your own good."

Adam made an uncomfortable noise as he tightened his grip around his weapon. His mind raced as he considered his options, and he settled on breaking into a charge as soon as he worked up the nerve. Suddenly, movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and he swiveled his head slightly to see a yellowing leaf spinning softly in midair as it fell toward the ground. As the faunus boy returned his attention to Professor Calavera, he barely managed to get his sheathed blade up in time to block her quick lunging strike. The scythe hooked around the sword and wrenched it from his shaky, unprepared grip, before flinging it from his grasp and into the grass nearby.

"Focus!" the woman yelled as she spun her scythe and leaped into the air with the blade still whirling. "This fight is all that matters, until you strike me down!"

Adam barely managed to dive out of the way as the professor's blade sank into the earth where he had been standing a second before. The faunus skidded along the grass and began an immediate, frantic scramble to pick up his weapon as he looked over his shoulder. Professor Calavera tore her scythe from the ground and snapped the pair of them back into a staff as Adam reached out, patting the grass to fumble for his blade. Finally, he found it, and rolled onto his back to catch another hooking strike from above. Professor Calavera tried to pull the katana away from Adam again, but he steeled himself and used the momentum to launch upward into a messy, unpracticed kick for his opponent's face. The professor deftly weaved her upper body to the side and turned her scythe to force his momentum forward. Adam stumbled as he landed on his feet, and took several steps to rebalance himself.

"Better!" Professor Calavera praised as she watched the boy spin into a ready stance. Her grin widened as she watched him take panicked, uncertain breaths and begin to circle. "You will never win a duel without striking, but your strikes lack conviction! Stop flailing, and start fighting!"

"How am I supposed to know how to fight!?" the faunus cried desperately as he caught his breath. "I've had no training!"

"Then let this be the start of it! Now attack, before I do!" Professor Calavera taunted, while idly spinning her joined scythes behind herself.

Adam grit his teeth and let out a spirited cry as he rushed forward. He drew the unfamiliar katana with appreciable speed and made an attempt to rake the blade across the professor's chest, only for her to jump backward just enough to get clear of the blade's arc. The woman kept spinning her scythe behind herself as she danced backward into a graceful twirl, and then threw out her arm to let her rotating blade knock Adam's out of the way. The faunus stumbled and stepped rapidly to one side as he tried to rebalance from the force of the blow. He looked downward to try to keep track of his weapon and footing, only to catch a dark-skinned fist in the mouth as he looked back up at his opponent. The force of the blow sent Adam backwards onto his rear, and he let out a pained grunt as he brought up his free hand to cover his mouth.

"Never take your eyes off the target when actively engaged!" Professor Calavera scolded. "You have five senses, and one of yours is working at half efficiency! Use the others to check your surroundings and orient yourself! You cannot afford to look away, or you will die as you live now- nothing but a scared, uncoordinated, lesser animal!" she spat as she sank her weapon into the side of a tree behind herself.

A tense moment passed as Adam's breath caught in his chest. The words sank into his mind like a virus spreading through every brain cell, before he felt a sick sensation of disbelief wash over his entire body like a wave. His voice became an impassioned hiss as he let out a heavy breath through his nose and narrowed his eye.

"I am not an animal!" Adam yelled. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work! Don't start playing this game with me! I know you're not like them!"

"It's not going to work, is it?" the professor taunted as she brought her goggles up to cover her eyes. "Then why are you already breathing hard and looking like you're ready to start screaming? Get up and hit me, half-breed."

Adam growled and clenched a handful of dirt before slamming his fist into the ground. He launched himself up from the forest floor and ran forward into another wild swing. The boy put all of his strength into the upward diagonal cut, only for Professor Calavera to merely lean out of the way and weave behind a tree. Adam pursued around the giant oak and struck out once again, only for the woman to bat the blade aside with an open palm.

The katana fell from Adam's grip and sank blade-first into the grass, while Professor Calavera thrusted a palm into Adam's chest and pushed him backward. The faunus dug in his heels and wobbled slightly from the hit, before lunging forward with a haymaker of his own. The woman grabbed at the student's arm and pulled him along with his momentum, causing him to fall forward and back into the grass once again as he let out a string of curses.

"Language, Mister Taurus," Professor Calavera said coolly. "Lunch is over, and you're technically back in class right now. Get up, and stop being so pathetic. I told you to hit me."

"I am not pathetic!" Adam yelled as he pushed up from the grass once again, his uniform and face caked with dirt. He gripped his katana and tore it from the ground as his chest heaved, and he spit down into the grass below. "This isn't fair! You're a professional huntress!"

"And you're weak!" the professor countered. "You truly expect things to change because you point out an imbalance? This is all you have to give? It's no wonder you're getting stepped on, here. You're quick to bathe in anger, but you have no conviction. Channel your hatred and fear into something you can use, boy! Right now, it's only holding you back!"

"Hold back this!" Adam yelled as he made another attempt at a charge. The faunus gripped both hands on the hilt of the katana, and began to make more powerful, tighter cuts toward his foe. The professor again weaved and twisted around every single strike as she worked her way back through the trees, and Adam let out an enraged, almost feral yell as he gave chase.

"Was that line supposed to impress me?" Professor Calavera cooed as she made her way back to her weapon and ripped it from the tree. She separated the instrument back into short scythes and knocked away another strike as Adam's lip began to twitch. "You sound like a little boy, desperate for attention and reaching out for some unspoken, guaranteed force of justice to help you. You have no one. Look at how your friends stood together against you the second you tried to rely on them for support! Learn to stand on your own, and trust in yourself! You can't trust them, because they clearly don't care!"

"Shut up!" Adam roared, his face turning red with both effort and embarrassment as the woman effortlessly turned aside blow after blow. "Now you're just being an asshole! You already gave me advice, and I know you're not like the racist garbage here and in the rest of Vale! Stop!"

"Maybe so, but you're giving me every reason in the world to join their side right now," Professor Calavera seethed as she put more force into turning Adam's strikes aside. Finally, the faunus stumbled once again, and the woman spun one her scythes backward to slam the haft across Adam's face with enough force to cause a sickening crack to echo through the trees. Adam went down hard, and tasted flecks of dirt entering his mouth as he felt a heavy boot rest squarely between his shoulder blades. Professor Calavera leaned forward over Adam as her voice adopted a bitter, unfamiliar edge.

"All you've done thus far is bitch. We all know that not everyone has opportunities, and we all know that society is filled with inequality. That's just how it is, little boy. Some people need to get stepped on for the rest of us to live comfortably. One of those people just happens to be you. A little sniveling shit that runs to others to complain will never have what it takes to make any meaningful difference in this world. Even if you somehow manage to graduate from this academy, all of your efforts will be a complete waste, because you're too much of scared, whiny kid in over his head… unless you want to try to prove to me that you're not. Now, get up and show me you can do something about it, or lay there like a wounded animal. Either way, I'm not going to waste any more time on you and your constant moping," the professor finished as she lifted her boot and began to walk away, deeper into the trees.

Adam closed his eye as he listened to the crunch of leaves beneath Professor Calavera's boots while she walked. He took one last, deep breath before balling his fist into the dirt and using it to push himself upward to a standing position. As he opened his eye, a subtle, flickering veil of crimson energy sparkled across his vision, and all of the confusion, hatred, and bile that had felt as though it was permeating throughout his entire body seemed to snap to one central point in his chest. Wordlessly, Adam ran forward after the disappearing professor and lashed out with one more focused, powerful cut. The woman spun around at the last second to catch the blade with her own, and leaned into the clash of weapons as she stared at him through the opaque lenses of her goggles.

"There. Show me what you're actually capable of, Adam. Right now, I am every Schnee, every bully who has given you shit over the past two days, and every pedestrian that crosses the street to avoid you on the sidewalk just because of your horns. Every overseer, taskmaster, and official that has ever spit in your hair or beaten you is right here. Show me what you're going to do about it!"

Adam snorted and began to growl as he pushed Professor Calavera backward with as much force as he could muster. He said nothing as he instinctively reached down and grabbed for the sheath of his katana, before detaching it from his belt and holding it in his free hand. The faunus held the casing outward almost like a shield as he began to strafe around his enemy, and the professor did the same in the opposite direction.

"You constantly let emotion break you," Professor Calavera began as she disappeared momentarily behind the trunk of a massive tree, only to continue circling out from the other side. "You lash out in random bursts as you let it overflow past what you can handle. That's what a child does, Adam. That's called a tantrum. Anger needs to become your blade, and your katana needs to simply be a vehicle with which to deliver it. Let your experiences and emotions make you into a man, and you'll finally be able to do something productive."

The moment Professor Calavera stopped speaking, Adam began to close in, only for Professor Calavera's voice to pierce through him in an unexpected shrill.

"Defend!"

Without warning, the older woman became a whirling dervish of blades, spinning rapidly with hard, graceful strikes. Adam grit his teeth and turned his katana parallel to the ground as he gripped it with both hands as best he could while awkwardly holding the sheath with just his ring finger and pinky. He remained silent and focused as he caught each of the strikes and tried to turn them away with sloppy, unprofessional flicks of his sword. With each and every hit, the blade of the katana began to pulse a dull, darkened red, slowly intensifying in shade as he parried each blow.

Professor Calavera paused her assault for a mere moment and jumped off to one side to once again embed one of her scythes into a nearby tree. She used her free hand to hurriedly wrench her googles up and over her head, before tossing them into the grass. Adam took the opportunity to close the distance and swing for the professor, the energy in his blade fizzling out and dissipating as she caught the strikes with her remaining scythe. Her silver eyes narrowed and her expression changed from one of forced malice to an unreadable, focused look.

"There! Focus, Adam!" she commanded as she retaliated with another blow of her own. The faunus clashed blades with Professor Calavera, and the metal of his sword began to shift colors once again as he ground the steel against the hooked blade of the older woman. "Focus your passions into your sword!"

"But how do I d-"

"No words!" Professor Calavera interrupted as she threw out another strike. The katana began to heat again as sparks flew from the clashing blades. "Find a way to focus and store it, young man! Don't let go of your feelings! Keep them close, and keep them ready!"

Adam furrowed his brows as he listened to the words, and did his best to keep up with his instructor as she intensified her assault. Several blows slipped through the faunus' defenses and crashed into his arms and chest, causing surges of bright red aura to flicker where otherwise severe wounds would have manifested. Adam took several steps back and refocused himself as Professor Calavera continued her advance. Suddenly, the garbled, swirling mess of her words and actions throughout the fight clicked within his mind, and he sheathed his katana before twisting to hold the weapon slightly behind himself.

Professor Calavera's intense and mysterious expression suddenly shifted to one of frenzied glee as she darted in and threw out another one-handed strike. Adam brought his blade forward and pulled it from the sheath only partially, exposing nearly two feet of blade to catch the blow before slamming the steel back into its sheath as it once again began to glow. Odd, looping wisps of energy started to trail up from the top of the sheath in spiraling patterns while lazily making their way skyward. Adam used all of his willpower to keep from looking down at the weapon as another slashing strike came his way, and he once again repeated the technique to catch and deflect the deadly blade.

"Just a bit more!" Professor Calavera encouraged as she continued to land predictable strikes. Adam felt a nervous tingle pulse through his arms as adrenaline coursed through his veins. With each blow, he felt more and more focused. Every time sparks flew from the clashing weapons, the process of predicting and catching his opponent's scythe seemed easier. Oddly, he found that his mind began to fixate more on her words than actions as the seemingly endless flurry of blows continued. Her mocking voice rang in his skull as he watched the blade grow hotter and the wisps of aura coming from the sheath become thicker.

Lesser.

Pathetic.

Whiny.

Animal.

With a sudden, impassioned yell, Adam began to draw his sword from his side and time seemed to slow to a crawl from his perspective. He watched as all color drained from the world around him, and the trees stood as giant, skyward shadows that seemed to extend all the way up into space. Falling leaves turned to flakes of ash as they continued to twirl downward, and Professor Calavera herself appeared to him as though she was merely a crouching silhouette against the blindingly white gaps between the trees. A force unlike any he had ever felt before surged through his arm as he guided the blade forward, and the friction against the inside of the sheath felt so intense that for a moment, he became worried that the sheer resistance would rip his arm from its socket. As the tip of the blade cleared the scabbard, time seemed to rapidly accelerate to its normal speed once again, and the blade ripped through the air in a lightning fast arc.

Adam watched in horror as all of his aura drained from his body and slipped into the blade, before flinging itself forward in a massive crescent of crackling energy. The sizzling arc twice the size of his body sailed forth for Professor Calavera, and she barely cleared the deadly beam by leaping up and over it at seemingly the last possible second. As she touched down on the forest floor once again, the energy wave ripped straight through the line of trees at high speed before fizzling out nearly fifty feet beyond the pair of duelists. All at once, the trees in the line of fire creaked, and then the upper portions of the gargantuan plants slid from their trunks and fell in a deafening crescendo. Adam instinctively dropped his sword and ducked to hold his head, while Professor Calavera turned to watch as the giants crashed down into the grass. The fallen trees left only a flurry of leaves flying up from the forest floor and an otherwise empty clearing where a dense patch of forest once stood.

Adam's breathing quickened into a panicked staccato as he finally straightened himself to a standing position and surveyed the carnage. He wiped a shaking hand across his sweaty forehead, and desperately gulped air.

"Wh… w-what did I just… h-how did…?"

Professor Calavera kept her eyes on the falling leaves as they returned to the earth, and casually pressed a button on the haft of her scythe. The eyes within the decorative skull at the base of the blade glowed an eerie purple, and its missing twin sailed through the trees behind them and into her other, waiting hand.

"That, young man, is apparently your semblance. You've been in so much anguish lately that I had a feeling I could draw it out of you, if I tweaked you a little. Glad to see that I was correct," Professor Calavera said confidently as she began to dust off her shoulders and apron of dirt and leaves.

Adam looked over at his instructor with a nervous sense of incredulity. "But… you almost… I could've…"

"My semblance is a passive one- supernatural reflexes. I was more than prepared," Professor Calavera clarified as she finally turned to face Adam once again. "That being said, do not use that thing against anyone on campus. Considering what it did to that entire line of trees on your first attempt, I have a feeling it would have no trouble annihilating an aura and ripping through flesh and bone in a single blow. Once you practice and master it, even more so. Speaking of, your aura seems to be depleted, does it not?"

Adam momentarily closed his eye, and tried to reach out to the usual warm, comforting feeling of lightly buzzing energy around his person, only to find nothing of the sort present.

"I… y-yes, it seems to be drained, completely. It's usually like… like breathing," he tried to explain. "I can't feel it unless I'm thinking about it, but when I do, I can't stop feeling it. Right now, I can't feel anything at all."

"Then keep that cost in mind, and use it only when absolutely necessary. It could take minutes for your aura to rejuvenate. It could take half an hour. Who knows?" Professor Calavera warned. The woman turned once again and walked to one of the newly created stumps, before taking a seat upon it and gesturing for Adam to do the same. The faunus picked up his katana from the grass and slowly made his way over to a waiting stump across form her, before sitting heavily and trying to catch his breath.

"…I will. I promise."

"Are you feeling alright? Did you eat, like I told you to?" Professor Calavera inquired as she narrowed her eyes.

Adam had the decency to look away as he swallowed hard, and lightly shook his head. "No. I couldn't. I was… too angry."

"Stubborn ass," Professor Calavera remarked. "Of all the things I said to you during that little duel, that one, at least, is absolutely true. You need to learn to control your emotions, rather than letting them control you. That will be the difference between success and failure for you in every fight, every conversation, and every encounter you have here at Beacon and beyond. Drill that into your head now, for your own good."

Adam slowed raised his eye to look over his professor with uncertainty. "And the rest of it… you didn't really mean any of that, did you? You were just trying to draw out my semblance, by making me enraged… right?"

Professor Calavera rolled her eyes, and let out a gargantuan sigh. "If you really can't figure that out on your own, then I actually will stop supporting you. Don't be stupid, Adam."

Adam let out a small laugh, and rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks tinted a soft pink. "…yeah. Sorry for asking. I'll try to be less… stupid."

"I certainly hope so," Professor Calavera said with a smug smirk.

"Holy shit!" a familiar voice interrupted. Adam and Professor Calavera both looked back toward the cliff, only to see Roman running at full speed before doubling over and holding his knees as he looked at the pair. Raven, Bartholomew, Kali, and Qrow caught up to the boy in short order, each holding their weapons and looking varying levels of both ready for a fight and worried. "That was you!?"

Author's Note:

And so, in Arboretum canon, Adam's semblance became forever known as the Whiny Bitch Beam.

-RD