Adam was stopped as he reached the bottom of the elevator by Professor Goodwitch, her riding crop blocking his way forwards. "Mister Szarvak, care to explain to me what happened?" She took his disheveled appearance and shook her head, several buttons on his shirt were missing so it was barely held closed.

"I already explained to Professor Ozpin what happened." Adam grunted, not wanting to go over everything again with Professor Goodwitch.

Professor Goodwitch studied Adam with a piercing gaze, her expression inscrutable. "Your explanation to Professor Ozpin does not absolve you of the responsibility to explain yourself to all relevant authorities, including me. The safety and well-being of the students at Beacon Academy are my concern."

Adam met her gaze with a defiant stare, his jaw set in defiance. "I did what was necessary to protect my people, Professor Goodwitch. I will not apologize for that."

Glynda's stern demeanor softened slightly, though her eyes remained sharp as ever. "I understand your desire to protect your fellow Faunus, Mr. Szarvak. But resorting to violence is not the solution."

Adam laughed, wholeheartedly and couldn't stop himself. "Professor, please, stop, I have had this exact conversation with Professor Ozpin just a couple minutes ago. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you will not change my mind. Violence may not be the perfect solution, but it is always a solution to any problem, and in this case it was the best option." Putting his hands out to the side. "There are so many negative rumors about me that it was beginning to start to splash onto my teammates and others, I have done what I had to, drawing the hate back onto myself to keep them out of the line of fire."

Glynda glared at him, his cavalier attitude frustrated her but attempting to retread the same route that Ozpin had done would do her no good besides upsetting her further. "I trust you have been given your punishment?"

"Yes, I am to report to Professor Oobleck and Port after classes for the next several weeks." Adam said with a small shrug, it wouldn't be the worst punishment he could think of, so far he had gotten along with Professor Port, and hadn't attended Professor Oobleck's class yet. "I am to do whatever they ask until they release me for the night."

Professor Goodwitch nodded as she contemplated the punishment he would serve, "Good, those two might be able to smooth out your rough edges. Your punishment is not to be taken lightly, Mister Szarvak," she chided sternly, her voice tinged with exasperation. "It is meant to serve as a reminder of the consequences of your actions and the importance of adhering to the rules of Beacon Academy."

A few seconds passed with neither speaking before Professor Goodwitch stepped to the side, "On your way, Mister Szarvak."

"Yes, Professor." Adam grunted and slipped past Professor Goodwitch and began to make his way towards his team's dorm room.

Adam paused at the door to the dorm, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he heard a door open behind him. Jaune was standing there coming out of his dorm room and froze.

"Uhh… hey Adam." Jaune said, nervous that Adam might attack him again like he had in the showers.

"Hi Jaune." Adam said, looking over his shoulder at him, "You-"

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Jaune." Adam turned away and opened the door to his dorm room, shocked to see the room empty. Shaking his head at the turn of good luck he went over to his drawers and took out a new set of clothes. He noticed that there was several new sets of clothing that he hadn't put in there, the fabrics were much nicer than anything he owned in this life. The sisters couldn't afford something like this, that left the Schnee girl.

Pulling one of the shirts out he saw a tag still on it, and the price was obscene, though he could not deny the feel of the shirt was very nice. The sisters couldn't afford something like this, that left the Schnee girl, this was probably her attempt to apologize for the rumors that would continue to spread about him. Though he had also dragged her earlier in the cafeteria, 'If I could collar a Schnee', there would be several more rumors about what he meant by this, and honestly he wouldn't be surprised if someone spread it to the journalists already spreading the rumors.

Then again, if her father was currently controlling the narrative such a statement might be buried to protect their family name. It wouldn't look good to have such a thing implied publicly, a cruel smile came to his lips for a moment at the thought of shaming the Schnee family in public. Then he thought of his teammate and the smile faltered, she wasn't what he had expected when he had met her on the first day. The gesture of filling up his dresser with new clothes was unexpected.

Adam pulled his pajamas off and was about to pull on his shirt when he heard the door knob begin to twist. Mentally he growled and swiftly through the shirt over his shoulders, forcing his arms into the sleeves. While he would feel some embarrassment about his team seeing him without pants, he would rather not share the brand with them yet, even if it wasn't his original one it is still a mark of shame and conflict.

"Adam?" Ruby's voice came from behind him as he worked to get his buttons done from the top to bottom.

"Yeah?" He asked without turning around.

"Are… are you going to quit school?"

Adam was stunned by this question and looked over his shoulder towards Ruby. "No, why would you think that?"

Ruby fidgeted with the hem of her cloak, her gaze avoiding Adam's as she struggled to articulate her thoughts. "It's just... with everything that happened today, I thought maybe you might... you know, decide that Beacon isn't the right place for you."

Adam finished buttoning his shirt, he grabbed out a pair of pants still with the tag on them and began to pull them on, his expression softening at the concern in her voice. "Ruby, I'm not going anywhere. Despite everything, Beacon is where I belong, at least for now."

Ruby looked up, her silver eyes searching Adam's for reassurance. "But what about the rumors? And the fights? It's not fair that you have to deal with all of that. We can help you!"

Adam sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly under the weight of his burdens. "Life isn't fair, Ruby. But that doesn't mean we give up. We keep fighting, no matter how tough things get. And as for the rumors... Well, people will talk," Adam held up a fist over his shoulder as he leaned down to slip his pants on, "And I will shut them up one by one."

"But you can't just do this all by yourself, you are our teammate," she protested, one hand gripping the opposite elbow.

"Ruby?" Adam slipped his second leg into his pants and pulled them up, using his left hand to adjust everything, slightly annoyed at how well fitted the clothes were.

"Yeah Adam?"

Adam straightened up, the weight of Ruby's concern weighing heavily on his shoulders. "I know I can't do this alone, Ruby. And I don't expect you or anyone else to bear the burden with me. But having you by my side means more to me than you know." The innocent support given by Ruby was almost as heartening as the trust given by Emberlyn, Adam secretly wondered if she was actually a Faunus as most Humans annoyed him by simply breathing still, not as much as before but the itch was still there.

Ruby's eyes softened, her lips curving into a small smile. "Of course, Adam. We're a team, after all."

Adam nodded, "And because of that," he turned around to look her in the eye, "Trust me to handle this, do not get involved when I'm handling things publicly."

"Adam that isn't fair!" Ruby protested, if she just sat back while her teammate was in trouble how could she call herself team leader.

Adam laughed, giving a shrug as he walked over and ruffled her hair. "Life isn't fair, didn't I just tell you that. I need to make sure Capri and Aries know as well, you mind passing the message on to Yang and Schnee?"

"No need," Yang's voice came as the door pushed open revealing Yang and Weiss standing on the other side in the hall, "We were listening, you don't have to do this alone."

"Of course you were." Adam sighed at the revelation that they had an audience. "I appreciate your support, but due to the circumstances I must do this alone, at least publicly. If I don't this may affect not just you three, but my siblings and friends too."

Weiss smirked slightly before laughing a bit. "You? You have friends?"

"Yes, an innocent girl, her name is Emberlyn Flamell, I stayed with her last night, you two talked with her before we went to bed?" Adam said not sure where they were going with this but it seemed his words were taken to have a deeper meaning, Ruby blushed, Yang's mouth dropped open, and Weiss looked like she was about to explode.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Weiss practically shouted, her face various shades of red. "You were in her room with her and her roommates, right?"

Adam shrugged, "She doesn't have roommates." This caused all three to gasp, Adam assumed for different reasons.

"She seemed really nice," Ruby said, recovering first, she was only shocked to find out someone had a whole room to themselves.

"Yes, she's very nice, maybe too nice to be honest," Adam's mind flashed back to Em starting to undress in front of him without a care in the world.

"Are you dating her?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No… why is this turning into an interrogation suddenly?"

"Because you ditched us yesterday, spent time with an unknown girl, and then got into a fight this afternoon in nothing but your dirty pajamas?" Yang said with a mischievous laugh. "So, spill. Was it good?"

"Excuse me?" Adam and Weiss spoke at the same time, both seemingly offended at the implication.

Ruby however just looked at Yang confused. "Was what good?"

Adam raised an eyebrow at Yang's question, a mixture of disbelief and amusement flickering across his face. "Yang, that's none of your business," he replied, his tone tinged with exasperation. "And for the record, nothing happened between me and Emberlyn. We just talked then went to sleep."

Yang smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Sure, sure, just talking and 'sleeping'," she teased, doing air quotes as she finished the sentence, earning an eye roll from Weiss and surprisingly a giggle from Ruby.

"Do you even know what she's talking about?" Weiss snipped at Ruby who was still giggling.

"I-uh… yes!" Ruby's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she tried to stifle her giggles, her eyes darting between Weiss and Yang. "I, uh, maybe have an idea," she admitted sheepishly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Weiss rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Honestly, Yang, sometimes I wonder how we ended up with such an oblivious team leader," she teased, her tone laced with amusement.

Yang grinned, leaning against the doorframe with an air of satisfaction. "Hey, it's not easy being the brains, brawn and the beauty of this team," she quipped, earning a playful shove from Weiss.

Adam chuckled at the playful banter, appreciating the momentary distraction from the weight of recent events. "Well, if you're so curious about my personal life, perhaps you should focus on more important matters," he suggested with a smirk, glancing at the new set of clothes in his hands. "Like the fact that someone decided to gift me an entire wardrobe."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, her earlier embarrassment momentarily forgotten. "Oh, do share. Who's the generous benefactor trying to win your favor with expensive clothing?"

"I never said it was expensive," Adam raised the arm with the tag on it as he gestured toward the clothes. "But it looks like our esteemed Schnee heiress decided to make a contribution. If not her, then I'm not quite sure who would do so."

Weiss turned a bit pink and looked away scratching her neck just behind the ear nervously. "I-I did no such thing."

Adam raised an eyebrow at Weiss's reaction, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, really? Are you sure about that, Schnee?" he teased, his tone light but with a hint of amusement.

Adam sighed inwardly, this was something he didn't have in his first life, he had friends, of a sort, but most things after his escape from the SDC was rough and friends weren't quite as close. Even knowing Weiss had sold him out and Yang was the woman in another life that had ended his life. His eyes moved across all three girls and knew that he should hate them, but on another level he knew they weren't the same as those he had known.

Weiss shot him a glare, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. "Yes, I'm sure," she retorted, her voice tinged with irritation. "Why would I waste my time and resources on someone like you?"

"Someone like me is it?" Adam's smirk reappeared and widened at Weiss's defensive response, enjoying the opportunity to tease her, surprisingly it was more enjoyable than when she was truly angry. "Well, I suppose I'll have to take your word for it then," he replied, his tone dripping with mock sincerity.

"But if not you, then who else could it be? The mystery deepens." Yang chuckled at the exchange, enjoying and joining the banter. "Come on, Weiss, don't be shy. We all know you have a soft spot for our resident brooding Faunus," she teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Weiss huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I most certainly do not have a soft spot for him," she protested, though the slight quiver in her voice betrayed her failed attempt at nonchalance.

Adam chuckled, deciding to let Weiss off the hook. "Well, regardless of who the generous benefactor is, I appreciate the gesture," he said sincerely, his tone softening.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips twitched upward in a reluctant smile. "Just don't get used to it," she replied, her tone teasing but with a hint of warmth.

"Oh? Was that you admitting the truth?" Yang teased, moving away from Weiss as she tried to punch her in the arm. "Embarrassed? Is the Ice Queen melting under the heat of the hot brooding Faunus?"

Weiss scowled at Yang's teasing, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red. "Don't be ridiculous, Yang," she retorted, her voice laced with annoyance. "There's nothing to admit. I simply... I simply don't want more rumors spreading about our team, that's all."

Yang grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying Weiss's flustered reaction. "Sure, sure, Weiss. Whatever you say," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But I think we all know the truth, don't we?"

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but before she could respond, Ruby interjected with a bright smile. "Hey, let's not argue about this," she suggested, her voice gentle but firm. "We're a team, and that's what matters most. Besides, Adam, those clothes look great on you!"

"Thanks, Ruby," Adam replied, his tone sincere, Ruby was surprisingly very innocent for a Human girl wanting to become a Huntress. After a moment his face turned serious as he looked at his teammates. "Back to our serious conversation though, should anything happen, let me handle things. I have experience dealing with this kind of abuse."

"You going to trash the place again?" Yang asked, hands on her hips. "Because it isn't fair only you get to do that."

Adam laughed, that was what Yang wanted to focus on? "Not in the plans."

"And you just expect us to let them slander you, and us?" Weiss asked, arms crossed her face maintaining a composed facade though on the inside her heart was beating rapidly. Adam had known about what was happening, making him much more of a target than he should have become. "Even if they attack you?"

"Especially if they attack me," Adam said with a solemn nod. He regarded his teammates, a mixture of gratitude and concern flickering in his eyes. He appreciated their loyalty and support more than words could express, but he also understood the risks involved. "I know you all mean well," he began, his voice steady but tinged with resignation. "But this situation is different. It's not just about me anymore. It's about protecting all of you from the fallout of actions I'll be forced to take. I will be doing things, terrible things, and I may end up saying hurtful things about or to the three of you, I may end up physically harming people, I won't drag you into this. This is a burden I have practice bearing."

Ruby frowned, her silver eyes reflecting her confusion. "But Adam, we're not afraid. We can handle whatever comes our way, together."

Adam shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. "It's not about whether you can handle it or not, Ruby. It's about whether you should have to. I don't want any of you or anyone else that others think are close to me to get hurt, yes, even you Schnee."

The group grumbled out acceptance, the determination of Adam did not seem like it would crumble under their pressure so they could only accept what he asked of them. Even Ruby relented, she didn't want to let Adam face any issues by himself, but his insistence wouldn't stop. Adam gave a small smile when they finally finished their grumbling.

"Weakling, pathetic, we would suffer for Humans? They should suffer our wrath. They deserve nothing but contempt and the edge of our blade." The voice boomed in his head, nearly driving him to his knees, instead he stumbled a couple of steps and caught himself on the closest desk.

"Adam!" His teammates rushed to catch him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine… just hungry… I haven't eaten since yesterday evening." Adam lied through gritted teeth, holding his stomach even though his head was pounding.