Adam paused in his movements and closed his eye while dropping into a tense, combative stance. He kept his sword sheathed and angled behind himself, with his right hand hovering just over the handle of his katana. The boy took deep, steady breaths as he listened to the sounds of scattered leaves whirling on the wind nearby and the creaking of tree branches high above. Somewhere deeper in the Emerald Forest, the sound of a branch snapping caught Adam's attention, and he sank deeper into his stance. The sound was too light to have come from her, but he made a mental note of its relative location all the same. Adam had learned to wait for a clearer, more certain signal of life around him before he made his move, and in an uncertain amount of time, his patience paid off.
The telltale sign came in the form of a whistling noise from above and behind him, to his left. Adam opened his eye and spun around immediately, drawing his scarlet blade and holding it out before himself while leaving several inches still in the scabbard. Maria Calavera's descending swipe glanced off the blade, and as the woman landed, she sank to one knee and crouched into a spin. The older woman followed the motion through with a sweep of her other hand scythe, which Adam leapt over while remaining in place. In midair, the bull faunus drew his katana in full and lashed out with a downward blow, only for Professor Calavera to catch the blade in the curve of her own. She yanked the weapon toward herself, and Adam threw out a kick for her jaw. Professor Calavera ducked her head back out of the way, and Adam had just enough time to pull back his katana and sheathe it while spinning away from his mentor.
Trails of leaves kicked up as Adam and Professor Calavera charged forward at each other, clashing weapons in diagonal strikes. Adam played the part of the aggressor, watching carefully as Maria spun and parried each of his blows. With every strike, the metal of his katana grew hotter, and pink trails of aura began to seep upward into the air. As his semblance continued to increase in power, Professor Calavera hurled one of her scythes off to the side before depressing a hidden button upon the haft of the other. Adam smirked at the attempted trickery and spun to face the direction where the weapon had been thrown without hesitation. As quickly as he could, he sheathed his weapon and then ripped it from the scabbard as time seemed to slow.
The verdant leaves of the forest drained of color, and for the briefest moment, Professor Calavera seemed to move in slow motion in his peripheral vision. Just as Adam's sword cleared its sheath, time accelerated to normal speeds and his sword let out a metallic screech alongside the buzzing crackle of furious energy. A wide, red crescent wave flew from the blade and out into the forest, intercepting Professor Calavera's returning scythe in midair. All color returned to the world as the sizzling arc flew, and several trees were cleaved along its path. The blade beam carried the whirling scythe far into the woods and out of sight before Adam ran forward and put his back to the general direction in which it had flown. He kept his sword drawn and trained upon Professor Calavera, who gave him a hearty laugh.
"Putting it out of recall range? Inspired…" Professor Calavera mused as she slipped her remaining short scythe into a loop upon her belt. "Not at all a move that the Adam Taurus of September would have gone for…"
"That Adam is long gone," the faunus boasted as he kept his katana leveled at the woman's face. "What are you doing? This duel isn't over."
"Actually, it has to be," Professor Calavera replied as she approached the drawn sword, totally fearless. "After all, we both have class in ten minutes."
"But I was win-"
Before Adam could react, Professor Calavera batted the flat of his sword off balance and rushed forward. With a forceful palm to the center of his chest that sent the boy reeling, she seized his sword from his hand and pulled it toward herself before turning it upon him. As Adam stumbled backward, he brought his sheath around and fired a blast from the built-in shotgun, which Professor Calavera parried with a whirl of the stolen sword. With lightning reflexes, she leapt clear over Adam in an aerial and bashed him in the back of the head with the hilt of the katana, which sent the faunus onto his knees.
"Ow!"
"You were saying?" Professor Calavera asked with a cheeky grin. "Still so much to learn, Mr. Taurus… but you are improving. Your form is immaculate, especially in comparison to the start of the year."
"…you can thank Raven for that," Adam replied as he rose to stand, rubbing the back of his head. "We've been training together for months, now. She's a harsher instructor than even you."
"I believe it," Professor Calavera acknowledged as she handed Adam's sword back to him. "Been through a lot, that girl. Far more than you know."
Adam hesitated as he thought back to the night that she and Qrow had returned and told Team OKRA everything. Even though the Branwen twins had insisted that they had come entirely clean, he couldn't shake the feeling that pieces of the puzzle were still missing.
"…I can only imagine," Adam said cryptically. "Still, she and I… I understand her. Or at least, I think I do. I know that she understands me."
"Quite the assertion," Professor Calavera said with a smirk. "It sounds almost like y-"
"I don't," Adam denied immediately as he stepped aside for Professor Calavera to walk past him. "Or… I can't."
"What can't you do?" the woman asked as she walked deeper into the forest and held her scythe aloft.
Adam watched as its counterpart came whizzing through the trees, before Professor Calavera caught the weapon in her waiting hand.
"She… Raven has mutual feelings for… someone else," Adam said slowly. "A friend. I'm not about to turn it into a competition. He's more deserving."
Professor Calavera turned and gave Adam a curious look, one brow quirked high.
"…I was going to say it sounds like you've made a friend worth keeping, after you came to this school with none."
Adam blinked, and then swallowed hard.
"…oh. Well… everyone on my team, STRQ, and Willow Schnee are… they're friends. Close friends."
"How time changes nearly everything," Professor Calavera mused as she began to walk, beckoning for Adam to follow her toward the staircase on the side of the cliff. "And now you're planning to spend all summer with them?"
"I am," Adam confirmed. "Well… depending on how things go for Roman tonight…"
Roman took several deep breaths, trying to fight down the nausea swirling in the pit of his stomach. His efforts were fruitless, and if anything, made the sensations worse as he stood staring at the cherry wood doors with a golden N and T mounted upon the panels. He took his scroll out of his pocket only to find a message waiting for him. Curious, he swiped the screen to bring up the text, only to find a picture of Kali blowing him a kiss with a simple message below it.
You've got this.
"…I hope you're right," Roman muttered as he stuffed the device back into his pocket. "I get the feeling you're wrong, but… gods, just let me have this. Please. I'll do anything to just let this go smoothly…"
Roman pushed open the double doors with a grunt of effort and a weary sigh before walking into his father's office. At the far end of the long room was an ornate desk, behind which Nero Torchwick sat expectantly. The man was looking smart as always in a three-piece suit, his fire-red wavy hair perfectly slicked back. Scattered all around him on various shelves were books that Roman knew his father had never read by famous authors that would draw the eye of any onlookers, along with imported tchotchkes and small sculptures of all sorts. Nero's own paintings were hung up liberally around the room, and the entire study was lit by strategically placed candles to give the room a sophisticated air.
"The prodigal son returns," Nero said with a sneer as Roman approached.
"The only son," Roman reminded as he deposited himself into a seat on the other side of Nero's desk. "Responsible for running this place after you retire." Or die, the boy added in his mind.
"And yet, based on the call I received from Ozpin, preparing for such a thing doesn't seem to be all that high on your list of priorities this summer," Nero said calmly as he poured himself a glass of whiskey from a waiting bottle.
Roman leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming aggressive as he narrowed his eyes at his father.
"Well maybe, just once, I'd like t-"
"Shut up," Nero threatened as he gave his son a dangerous look and slammed the bottle back down onto the desk with more force than necessary. "Shut up, and listen carefully to what I'm about to say to you."
Roman drew in a sharp breath through his nose before clasping his hands and putting them in his lap as he leaned back in his seat.
"Yes, Sir…"
"Better," Nero praised as he, too, leaned back in his chair. "I want total honesty from you. What is it that you want? If you feed me any bullshit, I'll have you escorted out of this office."
Roman held his father's gaze for a moment, trying to decipher the man's intentions. He came up with nothing.
"…Willow Schnee is inviting my team and STRQ to her beach house in Vacuo. I want to go. That's all."
"Why?" Nero asked as he took a sip of whiskey.
"Because this year has been absolute hell going back and forth between Vale and Atlas, and I need an actual break. I need to get the hell away from this place and get out of this house. I hate it here, and if I'm going to continue studying to become a huntsman and dealing with your 'preparation', I need this. I'll snap, otherwise."
"If you continue your studies as a huntsman, indeed," Nero said threateningly. "And do you, or do you not still want to pursue that little cat-eared slut?"
Roman took another deep, steadying breath while clenching the armrests of his chair.
"…yeah, I do, but I've been holding back out of fear of what you might say or do if we became 'a thing.' I'm keeping her at arm's length, and I'm not happy about it."
"Then this all sounds rather simple to me," Nero said with an uncharacteristically even tone. "You have two choices. Go with your friends to Vacuo and take a vacation, or remain here, and continue your business training. You're an adult, Roman. You know what I'd like you to do, and you know exactly how I feel about the situation. You also know what comes with each decision… or at least, you should. If you choose to leave for Vacuo, then the upcoming year will be much more difficult for you due to the time lost that you could have spent here over the summer. It's that simple."
Roman blinked in surprise and shifted in his seat. Nero stared at him unblinking, and something about the situation struck Roman as very wrong.
"You're… you're just letting me choose?"
"I'm letting you choose," Nero reassured. "Just make sure that you're ready for what comes along with your choice."
"…then I'm heading to Vacuo," Roman said confidently as he stood from his seat. "We're leaving at the end of next week. I'll make it up to you once I get back, and over the next year at Beacon."
"Oh, I'm sure you will," Nero said cryptically before taking another sip. "Now, get out of my office, and pack your shit. Make sure you take anything you think you might need."
"Right," Roman said awkwardly as he began to back off. "I'll… yeah, I'll let you get back to whatever."
Nero watched through narrowed eyes as his son exited the office. As the door closed, his took out his scroll and dialed a quick succession of numbers before bringing the device up to his ear and waiting for the call to connect.
"Schnee Banking and Investments," a woman said over the line. "To whom am I speaking, and how may I help you today?"
"Nero Torchwick," the man answered. "I need to make some changes regarding a few accounts…"
Author's Note:
Roman makes it to the beach… but at what cost?
Next update the week of 12/14.
-RD