The elevator doors slid open with a gentle shff, revealing a circular office that Bartholomew hadn't seen for quite some time. The subtle ticking and shifting of various gears embedded within the walls, floor, and ceiling provided an ambient soundtrack as the boy made his way across the floor, his own footfalls joining the rhythm. The shifting and groaning of a chair soon interrupted the improvised melody, and Professor Ozpin smiled warmly at the sight of Team OKRA's leader as he turned around to face the teen.

"Ah, Bartholomew," Professor Ozpin said with a nod as he swept a hand over his desk in a welcoming gesture. "Please, have a seat."

"Of course," Bartholomew replied as he sank into the plushy chair positioned on the other side of the desk. "Might I ask what this is about?"

"You're not in trouble, if that's what you're afraid of," the headmaster reassured as he steepled his fingers in front of his chest while leaning back in his chair. "I've heard that you and yours are planning a well-deserved vacation to Vacuo, and I wanted to check in with you before you left. Consider this a… year-end review. The sort that I like to conduct with all team leaders."

"Oh?" Bartholomew questioned. "Summer hasn't mentioned anything of the sort."

"Hm," Professor Ozpin considered as he touched the tips of his fingers to the base of his chin. "Summer and I meet quite often, so I didn't think it necessary. The friendships established between your two teams will carry you far, Bartholomew. I'm pleased to see the eight of you, as well as Miss Schnee, forming bonds. You'll need friends like them more and more as time goes on. Trust can become a lamp like none other- a relic, if you will- that can guide you to places in life that would otherwise remain unseen."

For once, Bartholomew's calm, confident mask nearly shattered. His eyes widened behind his lenses and he quickly cleared his throat, balling a fist in front of his mouth to hide his sudden expression of worry.

"I'm… afraid I don't follow, Sir," Bartholomew tried.

"Then I'm sure that sometime soon, you will," Professor Ozpin insisted as he leaned forward in his chair. "Regardless, I'm more interested right now in the bonds between you and your own team. How do you feel about the rest of OKRA, honestly?"

"Lucky," Bartholomew answered immediately as he shifted in his seat. "Incredibly lucky. I've learned a great deal from all of them, and I've watched each of them grow as people and students over time, as well."

"Do elaborate," Professor Ozpin instructed as he picked up a journal and pen from the surface of his desk. "Miss Moonglove?"

Bartholomew chuckled softly to himself before gently pushing his glasses farther up his nose.

"Kali is… spirited. Surprisingly insightful. Passionate, committed, aggressive, and… unfortunately dealing with a lot. The amount of racism in Vale is far beyond what she expected, or perhaps, what she hoped for. She's coping, but struggling, especially with her dealings in Atlas. I've seen her hit some depressing lows this year, but she always bounces back. It's hard to tell which smiles she's faking, and which are genuine. We're all trying to help her along… especially Roman."

"Mister Torchwick. Perhaps the quietest of your three teammates, at least in terms of public incidents around the campus. There was friction there in the beginning, or so I've heard?" Professor Ozpin inquired.

"A bit, yes," Bartholomew admitted. "Roman is rather brash, but loyal to his friends. He, too, is suffering, mostly on account of his father. His weekend trips home have been incredibly taxing, and he arrives halfway through every Monday in a terrible mood and utterly exhausted. It seems that Atlas is a source of misery for my entire team…"

"…especially Mr. Taurus," the headmaster finished as he lifted his pen. "One of the two major reasons I called you here."

"Mm," Bartholomew intoned as he made himself more comfortable in his seat. "I believe I'm beginning to understand the purpose behind this meeting. I remember our conversation at the start of the year."

"I'm glad that you do," Professor Ozpin replied with a nod. "Adam Taurus is a bit of an oddity. An exception among students, for reasons far beyond his pair of horns. His circumstances for being here, my personal funding of his education, one of few faunus in your year, and a semblance that is… rather dangerous. Deadly in the wrong hands, especially while untrained. When I moved my classes to the Emerald Forest, I had the opportunity to begin observing him in action firsthand."

"And what are your thoughts?" Bartholomew asked as he inclined his head to one side.

"I think that I am very fortunate to have you and yours watching over him, as well as STRQ and Willow," Professor Ozpin began. "It's no secret that you and I made the decision to tinker with a time bomb, and the circumstances that defused him- for now- were incredibly fortuitous. He's a thoughtful individual, and one whose voice should be heard. How has he been behind closed doors?"

Bartholomew hesitated for a moment, running back through a collection of incidents that had occurred out of view of the public eye throughout the span of the year. Memories of various arguments within and outside of the team, the numerous times that Adam had almost left Beacon without warning, and a particular job for Jacques that Kali had informed him about long after the fact passed by in a flash. Though he hadn't personally seen the aftermath of that one assignment, he could clearly envision Adam covered in blood all too easily, as per Kali's description.

"He's…" Bartholomew began, only to stop himself. He made a noise of frustration and shook his head before rubbing his hand along his jawline. "Adam is trying. He's impulsive, fiery, and angry at the world… with good reason. He has integrated within our team effectively and contributed quite a bit to our dynamics… but it would be a lie to say that he exhibits the level of control over himself that you're hoping for. Oftentimes, he is no different from any other student. Others, some of the things he says… many of us have had to 'talk him down' more than once. The beginning of the year was particularly fraught with incidents, before he settled down a bit in the middle."

"And recently?" the older man asked with interest as he paused his writing to give Bartholomew a pointed look.

"…he's slipping," Bartholomew admitted as he looked away. "Raven has been working with him, as has Professor Calavera. Adam has taken to fighting quickly- he certainly outclasses me, after only a year of training. With that newfound confidence in his abilities has come a tendency to assert himself more, in ways that are… not always peaceful."

"…you're brave for admitting such a thing about a close friend," Professor Ozpin said in an even voice, his hand flying across the page of his journal. "That being said, I find it interesting that I've heard few reports of such incidents on campus… and I have eyes everywhere, Mr. Oobleck. Is there a reason that his 'slipping' has escaped my attention?"

Bartholomew drew a sharp breath in through his nose, unable to hide his nerves as his leg began to jitter up and down.

"We… some members of STRQ and OKRA have been… pursuing… mercenary work in the city of Vale," Bartholomew said slowly.

"I am aware," the headmaster said coolly as he continued writing.

"…you are?" Bartholomew questioned as he arched a brow.

"Summer told me," Professor Ozpin answered.

"…ah."

Bartholomew paused once again before clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, well, Adam has… he's been taking advantage of the 'off the books' nature of those jobs to… exert his frustrations free of prying eyes, as it were."

"I had a feeling that might be the case," Professor Ozpin said as he stopped writing very suddenly and then closed his notebook. "That is all I needed to hear."

"It is?" Bartholomew asked, a sinking feeling manifesting within his stomach. "What happens now…?"

"Oddly enough… the same thing that happened at the beginning of the school year," Professor Ozpin declared as he stood from his seat and rested his hands atop the surface of the desk. "I'm going to give you a choice… but I'm also going to ask you a pair of favors."

"…I believe Adam should remain at Beacon, and I want him to continue to be a member of my team," Bartholomew said without a second thought. "I, and several others, are willing to work through the rough patches and help mold him into the force for good that he could become."

"I'm glad to hear it," Professor Ozpin acknowledged with a nod. "And that was indeed the choice I was going to offer. I feel similarly… though we'll need to keep an eye on him in the coming year. As for the favors… I met with Adam, not long ago."

"Of course you did," Bartholomew replied with a smirk. "You play your pieces carefully."

"You have no idea," Professor Ozpin said cryptically. "He expressed interest in mentoring and protecting the incoming faunus within the new batch of students in the fall. He may potentially even mobilize a rights movement on campus, and in the city of Vale. I told him that he would have my full support."

"And he will have mine as well," Bartholomew stated as he rose from his chair. "I'll assist him, and make sure that nothing untoward occurs in either of those pursuits."

"Good, good," Professor Ozpin replied as he folded his hands behind himself. "You're rather skilled at reading my mind. Care to take a guess at the other favor?"

Bartholomew paused to consider the possibilities, only to shrug his shoulders and shake his head.

"I'm rather at a loss, actually."

Wordlessly, Professor Ozpin stooped low and disappeared behind the desk for a moment. Upon resurfacing into Bartholomew's line of sight, he placed a black suitcase with several locks upon the latch atop the desk with a heavy thud.

"…at some point during your vacation, I'd like you to bring this to Shade Academy, if you would," Professor Ozpin requested. "My turn to predict your question- it's a relic."

The feeling of unease in Bartholomew's stomach intensified, and he frantically removed his glasses to begin cleaning the lenses upon his shirt. He kept his gaze downward, doing his best to focus on his eyewear. Even so, he could feel the weight of the headmaster's eyes upon him.

"A… relic, Sir?" Bartholomew asked. "What sort of relic do you mean…?"

"What sort of relics exist?" Professor Ozpin returned, tilting his head to the side. "It's an ancient, incredibly valuable artifact. One that I believe belongs in Vacuo. I'll send word ahead- you need only bring the suitcase to the reception desk, and they'll take care of the rest."

"Of course," Bartholomew said as he slipped his glasses back onto his face and moved to grab the suitcase. He slid the container off the desk and quite nearly dropped it to the ground. The suitcase was far, far heavier than he was expecting, to the point where he almost needed two hands to lift it. "It's… rather heavy…"

"It is indeed. Is there anything else you wish to discuss before you leave?" Professor Ozpin asked. "Anything you wish to tell me, perhaps?"

"…a pleasant summer to you, Professor," Bartholomew offered with a curt nod.

"And to you as well," Professor Ozpin answered with a knowing smirk.

Bartholomew made a hasty retreat for the elevator down to the lobby, his head swimming with thoughts. Despite his efforts to do otherwise, he ended up staring down at the black suitcase with its myriad of locks. Something about the parcel filled him with discomfort, and he found himself unable to take his eyes off of it. The gentle ding of the elevator caused him to jump and look up, and a booming, familiar voice from just beyond it caused him to draw his shoulders up defensively.

"Barty!" Yatsuhashi called as his friend shuffled out of the elevator. "Everything went well, I hope?"

"Well enough," Bartholomew answered as the taller boy pulled him into a crushing hug. The two exchanged a brief kiss before Bartholomew moved to adjust his glasses yet again, feeling flustered. "How did you know I was here…?"

"Your team, of course," Yatsuhashi answered. "I dropped by the dorm to look for you, and they directed me here. Did you get all of your packing done?"

"I did, yes," Bartholomew answered as the two boys began to walk side by side. "Really, all that's left is to load our luggage onto the transport once it arrives."

"Well, I can certainly help with that," Yatsuhashi offered. "Is that all you have?"

Bartholomew looked at his boyfriend in confusion before realizing that Yatsuhashi's eyes were on the suitcase.

"Oh! No, no… this is… something that I just acquired. From the headmaster."

"Oh?" Yatsuhashi asked. "A gift?"

"If it's what I think it is," Bartholomew began, "it may be more of a curse, actually…"

Author's Note:

What exactly did happen in the six months between Volume 1 and Volume 2? Hm…

Next update the week of 1/25!

-RD