Adam stared at the collection of rods and canvas laying upon the rocks beneath him, frustration written all over his face. The faunus had seen diagrams of disassembled tents before- studied them, even- but the seemingly random arrangement of objects somehow looked entirely foreign to him. He had no idea why he had agreed to set up the structure, especially considering that it wasn't even his tent… yet there he stood all the same, feeling incredibly stupid as he listened to Alice working on setting up a fire pit some distance away. Suddenly, the noises stopped, only to be replaced by boots on stone rapidly approaching from behind.

"Start with that piece on your left," Alice instructed as she loomed over Adam's shoulder. "The long one. Never set up a tent before?"

"Sorry," Adam muttered, beginning to follow the instructions while refusing to look at the Ace. "Just… once or twice. The others on my team usually handle it while I clear the surrounding area whenever we're out on assignment together. Not a great excuse, I know…"

"Chin up, mate," Alice reassured. "Crosspiece next- one of the long ones. We've all got our own specialized skills in the field, and you've had less training and experience with the life of a hunter than most. No time to learn like the present."

"I guess," Adam considered, not feeling particularly great as he slotted the base of one side of the tent together. "Still, must look pretty pathetic from where you're standing, being a special agent and all…"

"Nah, pathetic would be stomping off with a seasoned tomb raider to go and 'help her get supplies' when she clearly could've done it herself, just because the alternative is having to talk to someone from another nation," Alice said icily.

Adam paused before beginning to assemble the other side of the base in much the same way as the first.

"…there's no way Porella could've gotten everything we need back down here alone. We came through a hole in the ceiling of a cave over water…"

"Funny, that. She said she could," Alice reminded. "Also seems shitty to leave you stranded with me, considering you've got just as much an axe to grind with Solitas as your friend. Probably more than her, honestly…"

"Velvet's not all bad," Adam said defensively as Alice walked into his line of sight and began to help with the assembly. "She's just…"

"Immature?" Alice tried, making eye contact. "Seems it. Weird that you two hit it off, from what little I've seen. She must give good head."

It took Adam a moment to consult his mental index of terms he had once heard Kali say and be chastised by one of the others for him to figure out what Alice was talking about. At least, he thought he knew what she was talking about.

"We're not…" Adam started, looking away and focusing hard on the assembly. "We haven't done anything like that. We just started being a couple, if we even are. This is just… a temporary thing. I'm leaving Vacuo soon anyway, so…"

"So, get moving, if it's temporary," Alice advised. "'Don't stick your dick in crazy' doesn't apply if you're on vacation, so you get a pass. Have your fun, get it out of your system, and avoid winding up with someone that hateful and jaded."

"Are you not just as judgmental?" Adam dared to ask. "You seem all too ready to go for the throat on someone you just met."

"My judgments come with experience, kid," Alice said, her voice lacking any sort of malice or signs of showing offense. "People your age… they get set in stone real quick, and it tends to stick for a long while. It's not hard to radicalize a Vacuan teen. It's not hard to radicalize an Atlesian one, either, just in a different direction. I'm not saying Velvet's a lost cause, a bad person- any of that shit. Just that you should watch yourself around her and make sure you keep a cool head. People like that tend to sweep others up in their chaos, and there's only so much you can get done while untethered. Trust me on that."

Adam paused a moment to consider the words and assist with getting the grounded frame assembled. He worked together with Alice for a moment as they snapped the sides into place, forming a large square shape of heavy-duty metal.

"…why do you care?" Adam asked, unable to contain his curiosity. "And how do you know I'm not already 'radicalized' by your definition?"

"Probably because I would've punched me in the face at your age if I'd grown up a slave down in the mines. Might've done worse, honestly. Simple as," Alice answered with a shrug. "I know what someone fed up with 'the system' looks like, Adam. That's the wonder of mirrors, alongside making it easier to put on makeup."

"Then why d-"

"I grew up," Alice answered before Adam could finish. The woman stood up and dusted off her hands by clapping them together before moving to retrieve more components of the tent. "Decided to fuck the system by becoming part of it and making it better from the inside. Those that stay entirely on the outside… sure. Their anger might burn hotter, but they're only going to burn themselves and those they get involved with. You can't fight something like the Schnees and their company without comparable influence of your own."

"…unless it's from the inside," Adam echoed thoughtfully. "Willow Schnee is one of my friends, actually. She's working with another one of them to try to start making changes within the dust company…"

"That right?" Alice asked, sounding almost impressed. "Now see, there's the girl you should be chasing. You really want to shake things up? Bed a Schnee. Hard to look past the issues going on down in the mines when the heiress' boyfriend crawled out of one."

"It… isn't that simple," Adam warned. "We're not like that, and she has her eyes on another in our group. I wouldn't betray him like that, even if I could…"

"Oh, the drama," Alice said mockingly as she began work on the curving walls of the frame. "Are they fucking? No? Then there's still an open door. Teenage relationships, Adam… seems like the world at the time, means absolutely nothing by the time you hit your mid-twenties for the vast majority."

"Then that applies to me, too," Adam pointed out. "Willow wouldn't even look at me."

"You could be the exception," Alice shrugged.

"Qrow is the exception," Adam spat. "He's a good man. He deserves to be happy."

"So don't we all," Alice grumbled. "Yet people don't tend to get what they deserve, mate. They get what they take. Don't be a doormat or a lapdog."

Adam simply watched as Alice continued assembling the tent at a much more efficient speed than he had been working. The sight frustrated him… as did her advice.

"…and what differentiates you from a lapdog?" Adam asked. "What great changes have you made, working for the top brass of Atlas?"

"Changed my salary a fair bit," Alice quipped. She could tell that Adam was glaring at her, though she didn't bother to look up and check for herself. "Other'n that, turned some of the others' opinions around on what is and isn't worth investigating. Made some processes more efficient from the inside. Nothing you'd see on the outside. That kind of change comes late, deep into a career from those that can afford to swing their dick around behind closed doors and make the threats that need to be made. I'm not there yet, but I will be one day."

"You sound confident. Too confident, for someone who hasn't accomplished much that matters," Adam said as he folded his arms over his chest. "That's a short list for someone who talks such a big game."

Finally, Alice did look up at the boy, and for once, she looked angry.

"…what part of Ace Ops do you not understand, kid?" Alice asked, her tone venomous. "You think this is the beginning of my career? You think you get out of a military academy and just fly up the ladder? Forcing change is hard, and I've got other accolades you wouldn't understand. Kills I can't even talk about, and assignments completed that won't be public for years to come. What's your plan for making long-term change? Or are you just going to become a merc for hire, taking down grimm here and there for odd folk only to go home, get piss drunk on your sofa, beat off, pass out, wake up, and do it all over again? That the life you want?"

"I… I don't know!" Adam said, sounding whinier than he had intended. "I'm figuring out who I can trust. Who I want to keep in my life long-term, and who is worth investing in. I'll… I can figure the rest out from there, once I know what I want to do!"

"…who's worth investing in," Alice repeated as she returned to work. "So, you see yourself becoming a leader…"

Adam blinked, breathing hard and feeling like he had been backed into a corner.

"I don't know," Adam admitted. "I guess… even if I don't know what I want to do specifically, I feel like… it'd be easier if I'm in control. I don't want to rely on others to enact my vision, once I figure it out. They'd just get it all wrong…"

"Keep in mind that you're only ever really in control of your own actions," Alice warned. "Subordinates won't always follow your orders if they don't agree with what you ask of them. I would know."

"Can't imagine why someone wouldn't listen to you," Adam said sarcastically as he turned away to look down the chamber. "Given the way you act so casually and cryptically…"

"Not much for paying attention, huh? I'm middle of the pack. I'm the one disobeying orders."

"Then maybe I'll report you to your superiors," Adam joked.

"Not a smart move, considering the orders I'm going against," Alice warned.

Adam felt a chill run down his spine as he furrowed his brows and turned back to face her.

"…and those would be…?"

"Classified," Alice said immediately. "The kind of classified I'll actually stick to, as well. All I'll say is that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell anyone you saw me here… or that you saw anything we might pick up down here. I'm willing to be friendly and help you along, but at the end of the day? This is just business, kid. Don't get any ideas."

Adam watched in silence as the rest of the tent came together. The dome-shaped shelter was a deep, Ace Ops blue and featured a golden insignia that the faunus guessed had to be associated with them. White accents were all around the fabric, preventing it from blending into the dark cavern too well.

"Just business. Fine. So, what's gonna happen whenever we find what you're looking for? Porella's going to want it if it's an artifact of some kind. Planning to kill us all deep underground, where no one will ever find our bodies?"

"Ooh, that's a good idea," Alice praised as she stood to her full height and once again dusted off her hands. "I'll write that one down, alongside the other ones I had."

"Hilarious. Stop dodging the question," Adam ordered. "What are you planning?"

"I'm planning to observe the three of you and make a decision on how this all ends later," Alice admitted as she made her way back to the fire pit. "But I am leaning in one particular direction. Look alive, and keep your mouth shut if you want me to stay on your side."

"What?" Adam asked, only to pick up on the sets of footsteps echoing down the tunnel behind himself. The faunus turned to see Porella and Velvet hauling several bags of gear and looking exhausted. "That was faster than I expected…"

"I've gotten parcels through trickier terrain," Porella said as she led the way to the encampment. "Besides, it wasn't all bad. Nice to have time for girl talk."

"…girl talk?" Adam asked, though he had the distinct feeling he didn't want to know.

"Yep. Mostly about you," Velvet informed as she set down her load and stretched. "Anything interesting happen while we were away?"

Adam could feel Alice looking at him, though he kept his eye on Velvet.

"…nothing. Nothing at all…"

Author's Note:

One more chapter until day's end.

-RD