Professor Ozpin kept his eyes closed as he held his forefinger and thumb on either side of his nose, up beneath his brow. The weary man drew a long breath through his nostrils, before letting a labored exhale out through his mouth. With what felt like the hundredth shake of his head since the meeting had begun, he finally opened his eyes once again and looked out at the odd pair sat on the other side of his desk with an expression of disbelief.

"And so, you thought it best to engage an untrained, first year student in a one-on-one duel in a restricted area, without approval or alerting another member of the staff?" Professor Ozpin questioned as he steepled his fingers together beneath his chin. "Am I understanding that clearly?"

"Crystal," Professor Calavera replied coolly. The woman had her welding goggles back on and concealing her eyes. She sat with her legs crossed as she leaned back into her chair and propped an elbow upon one of the arm rests, with her fist balled beneath her chin. In contrast, Adam Taurus sat rigidly next to her in his own chair, his hands folded in his lap as he kept his eye off both professors. "I unlocked his semblance, didn't I? It only took a bit of blatant racism, manipulation, and a few good whacks to the head to get it done. A worthy trade, if you ask me. Besides, I held back, to make sure he was safe the entire time."

Adam finally looked up and fixed his eye upon Professor Calavera as it widened in surprise at the statement.

"You… you were holding back?" the faunus asked, his voice full of obvious disbelief and a twinge of disappointment.

"Of course. You really think I'd go all out against new blood with no combat experience? They don't call me the Grimm Reaper for nothing, young man," Professor Calavera explained with an impish grin. Professor Ozpin's expression soured into an unimpressed frown in contrast, and another heavy breath left his nose.

"Be that as it may, Maria, we have systems in place for bringing students up to speed if they are lacking in combat training, and while they were effective with Mr. Taurus, I cannot condone your methods for any other student."

"And I don't expect you to," Professor Calavera countered. "This was a one-off thing, and if these supposed 'systems in place' involve one-on-one mentorship, then let me have the boy during his normal Free Sparring class until he's up to speed. Then, it's predictable, regulated, and you can't complain at me for teaching him."

"Is that actually an option?" Adam chimed in as he adjusted himself within his seat and gripped the arm rests with his hands. "I would absolutely be willing to work with Professor Calavera to improve… and her methods did help me, more than anything else has since I arrived. Please, don't be angry with her, Professor."

For the first time in the duration of the conversation, Professor Ozpin smiled fully, and allowed himself a small chuckle. The man dropped his hands onto the desk and folded his arms atop the surface as he leaned over them, his eyes locked on Adam's face.

"…angry? I am very much not angry, Mr. Taurus. Concerned would be a better word, but at the end of the day, I am simply happy that you feel comfortable around Professor Calavera, and seem to have found someone you know you can trust to help you when you need it. It would seem that her words and actions are doing more for you than I can, at the moment."

Adam's heart sank as he listened to the headmaster's words, and he shook his head emphatically as Professor Calavera stood into a stretch. "N-no, that isn't what I meant! I do value your methods and words, as well. I just feel like…"

"Professor Calavera understands you," Professor Ozpin finished for him. Adam visibly deflated and shrank back into his seat as the headmaster turned his attention to Professor Calavera's back. The woman made it all the way to the elevator before Professor Ozpin cleared his throat rather loudly, and his expression turned dour once again. "I suppose that means that this meeting is over as far as you're concerned, Maria?"

"I have nothing else to say. Not about Mr. Taurus, anyway," Professor Calavera replied as she raised the back of a hand. The elevator doors opened, and the woman promptly stepped inside before turning and raising her goggles to give the headmaster a piercing glare. "Soon, though, we need to decide what to do about Mr. Branwen."

"That we do," Professor Ozpin replied as he watched Adam turn in his seat to watch the elevator doors close. Without another word between the older occupants of the tower, Professor Calavera pressed a button within the elevator, and the cage descended out of sight. Adam slowly turned back to face the headmaster, and cleared his throat. The sensation felt harsh within his neck, and caused the boy to cough roughly into his hand as Professor Ozpin leaned back into his chair. His unreadable eyes disappeared behind his dark glasses as he shifted his posture and spoke once again.

"Tea? Your throat sounds quite dry, and it would do your body good after a fight."

"Please." Adam watched as Professor Ozpin stood and took his cane from its position leaning against the desk next to his hand. The headmaster began a slow, purposeful walk to the kitchenette setup on the side of the room. Upon arriving, the man went about slowly and carefully preparing the needed items as Adam agonized over whether or not to speak. After a tense internal battle, curiosity won out, and he spoke in a small, hesitant voice.

"…is… Qrow in trouble…?"

Adam jumped slightly as a spoon clinked within a cup from out of view, hidden by the headmaster's body. Professor Ozpin paused his preparations momentarily, before resuming the process of making tea.

"…not in trouble, no. In fact, it may very well be the opposite. Qrow Branwen, among a small, rather exclusive group of other students, has my attention. You are in that group as well, as I know you're thinking it over. That is really all I can say at the moment, at least, in terms of why Professor Calavera mentioned his name. Are the two of you friends?" the professor inquired as he lifted a steaming kettle from a burner.

"We are," Adam replied automatically. The boy paused as he mentally considered the notion, alongside Professor Calavera's words mere hours before. Fragmented sentiments and phrases from the woman danced through his mind and threatened to raise uncomfortable questions, and yet, he found that the idea of having a friend who understood him won out over all of the otherwise unpleasant thoughts. "We definitely are," he confirmed.

"I see," Professor Ozpin offered as he brought a black cup back over to the desk and set it before the waiting faunus. "Do you feel closer to him than your team, and the rest of STRQ? If not, who do you feel closest to among your peers, at the moment?"

Adam pondered the question as he picked up the cup and looked down into the brown liquid. The faunus caught sight of his reflection, and found himself unable to tear his eye away from the rippling doppelganger within the jittering liquid. Slowly, the mirrored faunus opened its mouth, and Adam found words leaving his own that he hadn't planned on speaking.

"Yes. At first, I thought that maybe Roman and I were closer than the rest, but now, he seems somewhat like he's willing to do or say whatever is convenient for him at the time. Qrow and I might disagree about Willow, but at least Qrow has a sense of conviction." The word echoed in his mind in Professor Calavera's voice, and he shook his head softly as he looked back up at Professor Ozpin. "I think that sense of determination and grit comes from feeling like he's alone. It's something I can relate to. Both of those things are."

Professor Ozpin steepled his fingers once again from his position back in his chair. He regarded the faunus boy with a curious look, and subtle frown.

"While all of those attributes can be good grounds for bonding and positive forces in general, they can also become a means to downfall if not properly managed," the headmaster warned. "You need to be careful about just how passionate you allow yourself to become over certain issues, and you need to be aware that a refusal to occasionally bend may well lead you to snap. Having another around you prone to the same tendencies may only exacerbate them, if you don't work to keep each other in check."

Adam grunted in response as he sipped his tea, before shifting in his seat.

"That's adult speak for 'you overreacted when we met earlier, and you need to grow up and get over Willow being here', isn't it?"

Professor Ozpin shook his head. "Not quite, no. It's not any sort of speak beyond literally what was said," the man corrected. "As for the notion of you needing to 'grow up', I would say you are actively growing up, right now. The issue isn't so much a need for growth, as it is being aware of the direction in which you choose to grow. OKRA, STRQ, Professor Calavera, JHRY, and even Willow Schnee are going to play an integral part in choosing your path from here. What they contribute is largely up to you."

"Team JHRY," Adam spat before taking another sip of his scalding tea. "I don't really know the other two, but the Winchester twins are not individuals I want shaping any part of me, and the same goes for Willow."

"That very statement is an admission of letting them prove to be examples of who and what you do not want to become, which is a part of figuring yourself out," Professor Ozpin pointed out. "It really can be that simple, if you let it be. For now, though, focus on those who influence you in a positive way. You're due some happiness, by my estimate."

"Once I figure out how to cash in on that debt, I'll let you know," Adam muttered before draining his cup and placing the ceramic vessel upon the desk. "Thanks for the advice, even if I'm not the best at listening, or following it all the time. I really do appreciate everything you've done for me, Professor."

"You're a teenager, Mr. Taurus. It's practically your job not to listen to authority, every now and then," Professor Ozpin mused. "Before you go, though, which class did you miss while waiting in the lobby downstairs, alongside Free Sparring?"

Adam wrinkled his nose as he stood from the chair, and opened his mouth only to be interrupted by the headmaster.

"Plant Sciences. I can already tell, just from your expression," the headmaster said with a sigh.

"…that obvious, is it?" Adam asked sheepishly as he brought up a hand to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Very much so, yes," the professor replied with a nod. "What do people your age have against plants? Are the gardens of Beacon not incredibly calming and pleasing to the eye? They couldn't be maintained properly without careful study. There's also the fact that some larger grimm, like goliaths, are most easily felled with plant-based poisons. It's essential knowledge for any serious huntsman, Mr. Taurus."

"I don't doubt it," Adam agreed as he slowly backed up toward the elevator and hit the button to summon the cage. "I'll do my best to keep an open mind, sir."

"See that you do," Professor Ozpin instructed. "And not just for plants."

Adam paused as he considered whether or not anything else needed to be said, and found himself thankful for the soft ding that echoed throughout the chamber and broke the silence as his transport arrived. Without another word, the faunus simply nodded and turned to walk into the elevator, before hitting the only available button on the waiting panel. After a brief pause, the doors slid shut and the machine began its descent.

The faunus boy let out a breath that he was unaware he had been holding as he leaned backward into the wall of the elevator. The soft hum of the sliding mechanisms served as a dull, monotone background noise while a cacophony of voices continued to pinball around the corners of Adam's mind. Throughout the duration of the ride, one distinct, unpleasant line continued to push aside the others despite Adam's attempt to forget about it.

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!

Without consciously deciding to do so, Adam began to drum his fingers against the wall beside himself. He knew that the majority of his interactions with other people had been positive since his time at Beacon began, and yet, the negative incidents stuck out far more at the forefront of his mind. Despite all of his efforts to banish the idea entirely, he couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't at least a grain of truth in much of what Professor Calavera had said during their duel.

Another soft ding announced Adam's arrival at the lobby below the headmaster's office, and he managed to take only a single step forward through the sliding doors of the elevator before his mind went entirely blank. Before him stood all of Team STRQ, Bartholomew, and Roman, and around his waist was the sensation of two arms tightly squeezing. Adam looked down to find a bird's eye view of a mess of short black hair and two matching cat ears pressed up against his chest.

"…are you okay?" Kali asked in a voice quite unlike her normal sassy lilt. Something about the almost motherly concern in the girl's voice prompted Adam to return her gesture, and softly wrap his arms around her upper chest.

"…I'd like to think I will be," he replied as he looked over his teammate's head at the gathering of other students. His eye naturally drifted over to Qrow, who was leaning up against one of the walls of the lobby with his arms folded and a foot braced against the plaster in what had become an incredibly familiar pose.

"You'd better be. Things might have gotten tense over the past day or so, but we do still care about you, you know," Qrow said. "Classes and meetings with Oz just seem to be getting in the way of allowing us to show it. That's why we skipped Free Sparring, and decided to wait for you here."

"Even if our viewpoints don't always align, what Qrow said is true," Raven added as she stepped forward, her arms folded in an echo of her brother's. "Everyone here likes you, Adam. We all have bad days."

"And we're all starving, by the way, so if we could continue this downstairs in the cafeteria…?" Summer added hopefully with a grin as she leaned forward.

"The starving part is true, but the downstairs won't be universal. After all, some of us have places to be," Roman said with a knowing look at Raven. The girl nodded softly, and moved to stand next to Roman as he cracked his neck. "But seriously, everything go okay up there? You did destroy a shitload of trees with your anger beam, or whatever."

Adam rolled his eye as Kali finally broke her death grip on him before taking a step back. "It's not an anger beam, and yes, I'm fine."

"It's kind of an anger beam," Kali argued as she touched her forefinger to her chin and tilted her head. "At least, the way you explained it to all of us back in the forest, it sure sounds like one. Now c'mon, I'm with Summer. Let's all get some food, minus the lovebirds."

"Lovebirds…?" Adam questioned as he looked between Roman and Raven, who were actively avoiding each other's eyes.

"We're going on dinner date," Raven said plainly. "To better get to know each other. That's all."

"And so am I, it would seem," Bartholomew interjected as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a soft smile as the rest of the assembled teens gave him a mixture of surprised and curious looks. The boy slipped the scroll in his hand back into his pocket with a soft smile, and then offered his friends a wave while heading for the door. "I'll see the rest of you later tonight."

"And that's what happened, as I understand it," Bartholomew finished. The boy kept his hands in his pockets as he walked, and kept his eyes on the cobblestone street stretching before himself. "Apparently the damage to the Emerald Forest near the cliff was significant enough to warrant some professors and upperclassmen doing a sweep of the area, as the noise drew more than a few curious grimm. That's why the class after Team Synergy and Tactics was canceled, and we had some rather welcome time off before Period Six."

Yatsuhashi let out a rather raucous laugh, and shook his head in disbelief. The giant of a boy smirked as he looked slightly downward at his far slimmer companion, only to find the corner of Bartholomew's mouth upturned as well.

"Quite a wild outcome. All that for the discovery of a semblance? If only all of our stories could be so exciting."

"Yours was rather mundane, then?" Bartholomew questioned. "I already told you how I discovered mine, and it wasn't particularly exciting, either."

"Mm," Yatsuhashi mused as the pair of teens turned a corner and proceeded farther down one of the streets of the city of Vale. For a moment, he was silent, and took the time to merely look over the various brick buildings that lined either side of the street. Displays of candies, dust, dresses, and paintings were set up within windows, along with signs advertising sales and deals of all sorts. As they passed beneath a street lamp, Yatsuhashi stopped walking and leaned up against the massive iron pole with his arms folded over his barreled chest. Bartholomew slowed and stood across from him, before running his thin fingers through his hair. Beneath the light, the scraggly strands looked leaf green.

"We don't need to talk about it, if you'd rather not. I understand," the bespectacled boy offered as he looked over his partner. Yatsuhashi wore his casual outfit- a plain, white buttoned, short-sleeved dress shirt, black jeans, a wallet chain, and a pair of brown loafers with a matching belt. His biceps seemed to almost burst from the bottoms of his sleeves, and Bartholomew found his eyes lingering on the muscles for a few seconds before they finally reached Yatsuhashi's face. The larger boy's expression was decidedly neutral, though his eyes held an uncharacteristic dullness compared to their usual sparkle of mirth.

"The ability to erase memory, even temporarily, is a little… scary, to be quite honest. Every time I've used it, I've felt awful afterward, and so… I don't. In fact, I can't remember the last time I did," he finished as his usual confident smile returned.

Bartholomew couldn't help but roll his eyes at the attempted injection of levity into the conversation. He blew a dangling strand of twisted hair from in front of his glasses, and lightly shook his head. "Imagine that."

"Mm-hmm. As for how I discovered the ability, it's nothing really significant. Talking about it at all simply surfaces b-"

"If you say 'bad memories' and start to grin once again, I'm leaving you beneath this lamp post," Bartholomew threatened with a mock glare. The effort soon turned into a smile as he watched Yatsuhashi do the same, and the pair of them laughed, one quite loudly, and the other softly, as they began to walk again side by side.

"In all seriousness, Barty, that's why I look the way I do. When I decided not to use my semblance any longer, I knew that I would be at a disadvantage, when compared to most huntsmen. So… I became fully invested in reaching my physical peak, and gaining muscle," Yatsuhashi explained. "It's served me well, so far, though I've been told that it looks a bit excessive for my age."

It was Bartholomew's turn to make a contemplative noise as he brought his eyes back to the path before them, and off his date. "I like your muscles."

Yatsuhashi quirked a brow, and chuckled softly as he followed Bartholomew up a small set of steps and into the lobby of a casual restaurant.

"I bet you do."

"…I like your muscles."

Raven quirked a brow, and snorted harshly as she self-consciously brought her hands across her body to rub at her bare biceps. Light from the candle in the center of the table danced off of her ruby red fingernails. She looked away from Roman, who had a look of embarrassment to rival her own plastered upon his face.

"I bet you do."

An incredibly awkward silence passed as Raven and Roman refused to look at each other across the table, before Raven finally brought her eyes over to rest on the boy's face.

"I think… I almost like it better when you're being a cocky ass than when you're trying to be nice. And speaking of my arms, aren't we a little underdressed for this place? I would have went out and gotten something formal, if you'd warned me."

"Do you actually care?" Roman asked as he looked up and met her eyes with one of his while the other was covered by his dangling fringe of orange hair.

Raven blinked once, her expression remaining entirely neutral as she did so. "No. No, I don't, but I thought you might. You're from Atlas, right? The Torchwick name is pretty notorious, in some circles."

It was Roman's turn to snort as he raised his arms in a full-body shrug. "Notorious, huh? You get notorious by stealing shit, or kidnapping, or whatever. Selling art isn't notorious. It's stupid, pretentious jerking off onto a canvas and peddling it to whatever gullible sap you manage to convince it's worth something."

For the first time since their departure, Raven smiled and gave Roman a nod of approval. "Well, at least we can agree on something, there. There are such better uses of time."

"Killing grimm, for instance," Roman offered.

"Killing grimm," Raven agreed. "So, you're really here at Beacon to take this seriously? You don't seem a hero-to-the-people type to me."

"And I'm not," Roman confessed as he leaned over the table and began eyeing the single-page, laminated menu. "I'm in it to make money, honey. Well, that, and to get the hell away from my old man. And stare at cute girls, but those last two aren't exclusive to being a huntsman. It helps, though."

"Does it," Raven said flatly as she looked over her own menu. "I will admit, you do have a certain charm."

Roman looked up from the list of available foods, and narrowed his eyes. "I do?"

"You do," Raven said without bothering to meet his gaze. "When you're being yourself, you do. That first attempt was so forced, awkward, and stilted that it made me realize I actually don't really have any problems with you, outside of being a typical male, sometimes."

"Typical male, huh?" Roman repeated. "For your information, I am perfectly capable of checking out your rack and ass without coveting either one. I know we're realistically never gonna fuck."

A man in a dress shirt, suit vest, and slacks paused at the side of the table, looking offended and taken aback by Roman's words. He looked back and forth between the pair of teens, and Raven shook her head before tilting it upward to meet the man's eyes.

"…he's right. We're never fucking. Not even a little bit."

The waiter cleared his throat and sniffed haughtily, before raising a small notepad higher in front of his face to avoid looking at foul-mouthed couple.

"I must ask that you refrain from such unpleasant language, while within our establishment. Repeated offenses after this warning will result in your ejection from the building," the man warned. "Have you made any appetizer selections?"

Roman nodded across the table at Raven, and she picked up her menu once again to confirm. "Stuffed mushrooms, please."

"Mozzarella sticks," Roman ordered as the waiter turned his attention to the boy. The older man left without a word, and Roman placed his crossed forearms onto the table as he leaned forward slightly to get closer to Raven. "Nice one, Raven. I didn't know you had the capacity to get vulgar in a place like this."

"And I didn't know you were enough of a gentleman to offer for me to order first," Raven countered. "I can be 'fun' when I want to be. I just usually don't let me hair down around my team, and especially not Qrow. Siblings… often make a habit of complicating things. Are you an only child?"

"You really think my old man would take the risk again after he ended up with me? I've been flying solo since I was a kid," Roman confirmed as he leaned back into his chair and lifted his water glass. He gently swirled the container to let the ice cubes rock around within it, before taking a small drink. "As for being a gentleman, I do have to play by the rules at home, you know. We're barely adults. If I get cut off, I'm beyond screwed. There goes Beacon, there goes any supposed notoriety, and there goes my future. I don't really have any talents besides getting into fights and winning most of them."

"You have a talent for making people laugh, smile, and swoon, I've noticed," Raven pointed out as she sipped her own water.

"But not you," Roman countered with a light shake of his head.

"You're not my type. I don't think I have a type," Raven insisted as she once again looked away.

"You may not have a type, but you do have a Tai."

Raven stiffened at the accusation, and snapped her eyes back to Roman. The boy wore a massive grin so well that it came off as just another accessory, along with his scarf and gold watch.

"And I have a feeling you like pussy even more than you let on, Roman," Raven said icily. Roman's smile faded as his cheeks blanched. He cleared his throat, and looked back down at his menu in total silence for nearly a full minute. Raven took a deep breath, and finished with a sigh before softening the edge in her voice. "It's written all over your face whenever she talks, and in the way your body language changes when she enters a room. The way you two play-fight, flirt, and banter, it's obvious, Roman. It's obvious that she likes you, too."

"…if you're saying that just to be nice, then don't bother," Roman warned. "Kal's a little different for me than the usual. I'm not looking for a one-and-done with her."

"Then start making that known soon, because Kali talks about precisely three things when she and I are together in class or the halls- food, fighting, and boys, and not necessarily in that order," Raven pointed out. "If you're serious about her, then get serious."

"Hey, maybe we can help each other out," Roman suggested as he once again folded his arms atop his menu and leaned back over the table. "You do have a thing for Tai, right? I'm asking legitimately, not to mess with you or use it as blackmail. I actually wanna know."

Raven brought a hand up to rub at her forehead. "Roman… if you actually want to get into this, genuinely, then the only answer I can really give you is that I'm not like you. I'm not like Kali, or apparently even Barty. Has it occurred to you that we've been here less than two weeks? That classes started yesterday? Yes, it's nice to get away from home, be independent, and have so many people looking for love or whatever else in one place, but that doesn't mean everyone is just automatically going to start hooking up. I'm not ready, and I don't know if I ever will be."

"And that's fine," Roman consoled. "Like I said, though- I'm not in asshole mode right now. Do you think there's something there? Potential, at least?"

Raven bit her bottom lip, and became uncomfortable with how easily she found her answer. "There's potential. I just want to get to know him, for now. Maybe a little bit more than I want to get to know the rest of you, but I'm not going to go all-in and commit to something that I know won't last."

"And why wouldn't it last?" Roman asked. He leaned back suddenly as their waiter returned and deposited the appetizer plates in front of him and his companion. Raven immediately stabbed a stuffed mushroom with her fork and brought it into her mouth. Roman kept his hands off his own food, and merely waited for Raven's eyes to return to him, and for her to finish chewing. She did so with an exasperated sigh, and pointed her fork across the table at the boy.

"…I have issues and obligations. Can we just leave it at that, please? I really don't want to talk about it, and as far as 'helping each other out' goes, I'm not going to try to butter up Kali for you, spy, or drop hints in either direction. But… I will make myself available, if you want to talk about how things are going. That's the best I can do without being unfair to her."

"That's more than good enough for me," Roman said with a nod. He bit into a mozzarella stick and pulled, letting a long, scalding string of cheese bridge the distance between his mouth and hand in an incredibly undignified display. With a quick motion, he twirled the strand around a finger before popping it into his mouth to avoid making a mess on the table, and Raven raised a brow.

"I think that's the most impressed I've ever been with you. Well done. And… I'm sorry if I come off as a bitch sometimes, Roman. You're alright. I just have an image to maintain," the girl confessed.

"It's cool, and I get it. Keep in mind, I have to wear a mask all day, whenever I'm at home. It sucks," Roman replied. "Want one?"

Raven eyed the lightly steaming mozzarella sticks on Roman's plate, and rolled her eyes. "Sure. Never had one before."

"Really? Where'd you grow up, anyhow?" Roman inquired as he offered a stick across the table. Raven speared one of her stuffed mushrooms and held it out upon a fork, only for Roman to lean forward and snatch it in his teeth. Raven smirked, and turned the unfamiliar food over within her fingers after accepting it from Roman's hand.

"…Mistral. Qrow and I were… really sheltered, you could say. But back to you, and Kali- why not plan something for this weekend? Take her somewhere, instead of wasting your dates on me?"

Roman's good humor immediately soured, and his face fell as he swallowed the mushroom. "Yeah, about that. I won't be here this weekend. I won't be at Beacon any weekend…"

Author's Note:

Believe it or not, I do have future plans for Yatsu. His inclusion here in the timeline is definitely a little odd, but he can't be on Sun's team for… reasons, and I also like the character a lot, so I'm adapting him into a different role.

Also, I hereby name the Bartholomew x Yatsu ship Caffeine Headache.

-RD