The halls of Shade Academy were incredibly different from those of Beacon in a way that Qrow was struggling to put into words in his mind. As the group meandered through the various passages deep beneath the steppe pyramid all he could think was how rough it all looked. Not necessarily rough as in unfinished, but rough in a way that reflected the personalities and overall culture of the Vacuans around him. The ceilings of the tunnels were high and wide, causing the group's footsteps to echo as they trod along. Electric lights inlaid with dust had been installed along the length of the hallway, lending the place the look and feel of a mineshaft. High above in the rocky ceiling, veins of natural dust sparkled in the artificial light, looking both eccentric and incredibly valuable. Qrow couldn't help but wonder just how much lien was buried in the walls… and how tempting procuring it would be to less than savory characters.

There was something impressive and reassuring about how natural the cavernous passages felt- the uneven ceilings and occasional stalactites overhead suggested that the tunnels were at largely natural. It was as though the Vacuans had found the passageways beneath the sand, simply built the pyramid over them, and accepted that the land knew what was best down below. The methodology was a stark contrast to the sprawling above-ground campus that made up Beacon Academy, and Qrow found that he almost preferred the environment down below… at least from an aesthetic standpoint.

"So… with Professor Calavera going along with Summer and Willow, what's the plan?" Qrow asked. "I mean, this place is fascinating, but we can't exactly head to the workshop and start asking about Glass without her…"

"The obvious," Ghira said. "We're heading to our dorm to wait things out. They'll meet us down there once they finish doing… whatever it is they're doing."

"Will they be able to find us?" Qrow questioned. He wasn't sure when, but somewhere along the descent he had completely lost track of how to get back up to the surface. "All of this looks impossible to memorize to me. Maybe that's just the city-dweller in me talking, but…"

"I'll go get them when they're ready," Fox offered. "That's not a joke, by the way- aura echolocation lets me 'see' not just the hall we're in, but those attached to it. Navigation down here is easier for me than the rest of BASS."

"Huh," Qrow said simply. "That's actually pretty cool. I do have to ask, though… what's the point of the giant pyramid itself? I get that it's a national treasure and a really impressive fixture, but it just seems so… empty on the inside. Are there actually rooms somewhere up there?"

"It's not quite as empty as you might think," Sage grumbled. "The professors, other than Gumo, all live up there around the perimeter of the structure. They're our first line of defense in the event of an attack and being up top gives them easy access to the outside of the pyramid. Besides, there are… weapons in the stonework on the outside."

"What kinds of weapons?" Qrow asked. "Dust cannons? Turrets?"

"Yes to both," Ghira answered. "Among… more interesting options. There's a reason Shade has never been successfully sieged."

"No offense, but how did all of this get built?" Qrow asked. "I mean… sure, Vacuo apparently has an incredible amount of natural resources buried beneath the sands, but… who built all of this? How? And why?"

"Isn't that the question," Ghira mused. "Even the history professors don't seem to know… or don't want to share. There are theories, rumors, even exhibits in the museum that your friend is headed to… but nothing totally concrete available to the public."

"If nothing else, at least it doesn't seem to matter much anymore," Sage said with a shrug. "Shade is here, we benefit, and the structure is sound. That's all that matters to me."

"Oh, come on," Fox taunted. "Don't you have any sense of wonder or intrigue?"

"No," Sage said flatly. "This is us."

The group stopped before an unremarkable and unlabeled metal door. The sound of softly plinking water rang out in the tunnel outside of the room, and there didn't appear to be another dormitory anywhere nearby. Ghira took a metal keyring out from within his pocket and unlocked the door before stepping inside and holding it open for the others. What Qrow saw upon entering was completely unlike anything he expected.

Inside of the dormitory was something that looked quite like the STRQ living space bar the natural rock walls and overall amount of space. The central room was nearly double the size of a Beacon dorm, and there was ample room to maneuver about or even train. There were four beds, a carpet, a rack of free weights, a couch facing a holographic television, and a hallway on either side leading to parts unknown. Overall, it looked less like a room and more like a network of rooms with one central chamber.

"…damn," Qrow offered, sounding impressed. "This is a lot of space. What's down the halls?"

"Bathrooms," Ghira answered, nodding to the left. He then gestured to the right. "Kitchen. Walking through either leads to a looping hallway with a quiet study, away from this room and beyond the far wall."

"Four rooms?" Qrow asked. "And your own bathrooms? Man, you guys are lucky. Other than having no windows."

"Unfortunately, we don't have a view of the sand and dirt around us," Sage acknowledged as he closed the door behind the group. "You share bathrooms with the other teams?"

"Yeah, we do," Qrow lamented as he began looking at the various posters affixed to the rock walls. "Sucks having to walk to and from there in a towel every morning, or stumble down the hall in the middle of the night."

"That doesn't sound ideal," Fox agreed. "We have two bathrooms to ourselves. Velvet took one over, because… well, you know. Girl stuff. The three of us share the other."

"This place honestly reminds me a bit of Willow's living situation," Qrow remarked. "She's got a suite to herself in the faculty living quarters, since she isn't on a team. We uh… party there pretty often. Safest place on campus to get drunk."

"…the faculty building is the safest place on campus to drink?" Sage asked. "That sounds… ballsy. And stupid."

"Haven't gotten caught yet," Qrow said with a shrug. "Hey, what're these?"

Qrow gestured toward a set of black rectangular posters set up among the other band and Academy ones. They each had a matte surface and looked distinctly out of place… until Qrow suddenly realized what he must have been looking at just as Fox began to speak.

"Oh, you know, my favorite bands," the boy answered with a grin. "I like their visual aesthetic more than anything."

Ghira wiped a hand down his face, looking like he was simply done with the entire situation as he took several bills of lien out of his wallet and handed them to Fox.

"Every time. Every single time someone new comes to the dorm. I never should've taken that bet…"

To an extent, Adam understood the security guard's hesitance to let him and Velvet into the elevator leading to the Oaks' office. Two faunus with no written permission or apparent reason to be there were indeed suspicious, though he had figured either Porella or Basil would have informed their staff of what was going on. Apparently, there was no such luck, and the two teens were stuck outside of the elevator while the oblivious man in armor made a call on his hand radio.

"…one of them has horns and some kind of bandanna over his eye," the man said as he held the device to his ear. "And the other is a rabbit faunus. Right, I'll send them up."

Adam rolled his eye, his patience rapidly waning as the guard stepped aside.

"You're good."

"I know," Adam growled as he led Velvet into the elevator. The guard followed him in and swiped his I.D. in the reader below the buttons before exiting to stand back in the hall. "Waste of time…"

"Oh, relax," Velvet ordered as she punched the boy in the shoulder. "You don't have to act all tough around me, Adam. He was just doing his job."

"That's the thing- there was no guard last time," Adam said as he jabbed the button for the top floor. "Why would there be security here now, unless…"

"Unless?" Velvet asked as Adam stopped talking.

"…there's something new here suddenly worth protecting. I think I might know what it is."

"Or unless the guard that was supposed to be there last time was busy taking a piss when you went up to the office the other day," Velvet suggested. "If you ask me, it's weirder to have the place totally unguarded."

"There are still these I.D. readers," Adam gestured toward the device. "And I'm sure they can lock the office down on a whim. This is just another unnecessary layer that's slowing us down."

"Better safe than sorry," Velvet insisted. "Just calm down, alright? If they really do have something as valuable as you think up in the office, it makes sense. Why are you so tense right now?"

"Because this matters," Adam emphasized. "This whole Land of Darkness thing, where the faunus came from, our rights, and… some of the other things I saw up in that office matter, and the rest of the group doesn't seem to think it's as important as the other things going on right now. It's frustrating. I'm just annoyed. The others would've been safe if they came with us, Kali could have put her situation with Roman on hold, and I just feel like… everyone's priorities aren't where they should be."

"I'm sure they'll join you next time you come here," Velvet tried. "Look, I'm with you and think this is a huge missed opportunity, but… people are still fallible, Adam. Stop agonizing over their mistakes and focus on what's going on right this moment. We can't change how they think."

"I wish I could," Adam said. "And I can't just block everything out while so much is just wrong."

"Then let me help."

Adam turned to look at Velvet just in time to brace himself before her lips touched his. He wasn't quite ready for the impact or the sensation of her hands upon his hips. The boy's heart was hammering in his chest as he did his best to return the gesture. There was no enjoyment at all- just a whirlwind of panic over the idea that he was screwing it up and that he had no idea what to do with his hands. Kali and Roman always made it look so effortless, but he knew well enough not to copy where their hands usually ended up while kissing. With no other reference point, he simply left his arms down at his sides, feeling even more awkward and hoping he didn't appear insane for doing so.

"…are you alright?" Velvet asked after breaking away with a raised brow. "It's not that serious. Just trying to get you to calm down."

"I'm…" Adam tried to answer, his voice a bit higher than he intended. He cleared his throat, trying to fixate his eye on anything but Velvet. "I'm fine. That was… nice? New. I can do better."

The elevator let out a soft ding, which caused Adam's heart to leap into his throat. He looked toward the door in a panic, only vaguely aware that Velvet had taken his hand and started rubbing the back of it.

"Show me later. Come on, we've got business to take care of."

"Yeah, we do," Adam agreed as he followed Velvet toward the office.

It only occurred to Adam then that he wasn't in control of the situation. He didn't particularly like that idea… or how easily it had been wrested from him with a simple kiss.

Author's Note:

Adam is becoming self-aware. Probably. Maybe?

For the week of 9/4.

-RD