"Mm-hmm, no, that makes sense," Velvet said with a nod. She and Adam were walking side by side around the base of Shade Academy's steppe pyramid, the descending evening sun peeking at them from just over the horizon line. "I'm still not his babysitter, though. If he doesn't want to talk to them, that isn't my problem."

Adam strained to hear Ghira's words on the other side of the line, though his efforts were entirely futile. He could only make out a garbled, deep voice that gave away who Velvet was talking to, and nothing more. The gist of what was being said was clear and Adam was able to glean some context as to how his friends felt about the situation… but he was too annoyed and too focused upon the mission at hand to really care that they were upset with him.

"Tell him I'll answer texts when I get around to it," Adam advised.

Velvet simply ignored her traveling companion, instead beginning to speak again as Ghira's low rumble faded out.

"Right, well, of course I'll take care of him, and myself. We'll be fine. Just tell the professors I had a… family emergency. That usually shuts them up." There was a pause as Velvet listened in, rounding the corner of the pyramid as she did so. "Yeah. Big find, according to Porella. Well, assuming their monitoring equipment is working correctly, it could be a big find. Probably some grimm guarding whatever it is. That's why they wanted us to come along."

As if on cue, Adam drew Wilt from its sheath and looked at the blade's mirror sheen. He spent a moment checking over his distorted reflection in the steel before slamming it back into the casing. Velvet was far too good-looking for him and he knew it. She was also too old for him… but that wasn't a fact he was about to mention voluntarily.

"Of course they have their own hired muscle," Velvet said, sounding exasperated. "They can honestly probably handle themselves, too, but Adam and I will work for free for an opportunity like this. It's just basic business sense. Everything will go fine, I promise you. Stop worrying so much!"

"I'm getting tired of the constant concern," Adam said more to himself than Velvet. "Half the time it feels like they're afraid I'm going to do something that will end up a disaster…"

"Monologuing," Velvet said. "Yes, he's monologuing. Well, he might be talking to me, but I'm not really paying attention at the moment. No, it doesn't sound villainous…"

"I am not monologuing!" Adam seethed.

"Anyway. We're heading out, and I'll keep you updated. See you soon, probably with a good story or two."

Adam watched with a narrowed eye as Velvet stashed her scroll away. The rabbit-eared faunus gave him a neutral look, blinking in surprise as she noticed his unamused expression.

"…what?"

"What do you mean, what?" Adam asked. "You're treating this like a joke."

"And you're taking it too seriously," Velvet accused. "Settle down. This is a good opportunity, and we're taking it. That's all it is."

"It's not…" Adam started, realizing immediately just how whiny he sounded. With a quick clear of his throat, he tried again, doing his best to remain calm and deepen his voice a bit. "This isn't just about the opportunity. It's about proving a point."

"And what point would that be?" Velvet asked as the pair approached an opening on the side of the pyramid.

"Kali should be here, and honestly? At least one of the others could've given a shit about our situation and showed up. They don't get to see what we're going to see out in the sands because they chose to waste their time on other things."

"…wow. So, you're punishing your friends for daring to relax on their vacation. Very mature, Adam."

Adam tensed as Velvet led him to the edge of the massive gap in the base of Shade Academy. A long, rectangular opening spanned almost a fifth of the lowest tier of the pyramid. The gap had a heavy metallic door on some sort of mechanism rolled up at the top of the opening, which was nearly fifty feet up in the air. Within the wide opening was an incredibly spacious garage and loading bay that harshly contrasted the surroundings of the desert- particularly in the level of technology on display.

The acrid stench of electrical dust wafted from within the dark room, mixed with the heady fumes from oil and gunpowder. Dunecrawlers, personal aircraft, and treaded land vehicles unlike any Adam had seen before were parked all around the main floor in spaces with painted numbers beneath them. Wires and cables hung from the ceiling, some attached to large drills, spotlights, and other pieces of workshop equipment. Workbenches were lined up around the perimeter of the vehicle bay, as were rows of holographic displays with attached keyboards. More than anything else, the space gave Adam an overwhelming feeling of just how small he was… and Velvet's words didn't help, either.

"…this place is huge," Adam said, trying to play up how awestruck he was to deflect Velvet's observation. "You spend a lot of time here?"

"More than I'd like," Velvet answered as she wrinkled her nose. "You never quite get used to the fumes. They give me a headache after a while, but I guess that's just part of being a gearhead."

"Why not wear a mask?" Adam asked, genuinely curious as he followed Velvet into the space and past a line of terminals.

"Pff, who has time for something like that?" Velvet replied. "Besides, masks are uncomfortable. Sounds like a major pain in the ass. I'd rather just deal with the headache than remember to bring a mask every time and be itchy."

"…very mature, Velvet," Adam said, seizing the opportunity.

For a moment, he was actually nervous as Velvet shot him a glare over her shoulder. Within seconds, though, the scowl turned into a cheeky grin, and the faunus girl let out a mirthful laugh.

"Well played. Fuck you, but well played. C'mon. My crawler's not far."

Adam only nodded, following along as he allowed himself a small, victorious smirk.


"Right. Well, that's sorted," Summer declared as she pulled her top back on. "I need a shower, both from the heat and the gross jelly… gel… stuff."

"Ah yes, the jelly gel stuff," Willow echoed as she washed the very substance from her hands in the sole sink in the room. "You're so articulate."

"You know it," Summer confirmed as she shimmied her corset back into its proper place. "Okay. Now, what to do about Adam?"

"We wait," Willow said with full confidence as she turned to face Summer once again.

"We wait…?"

"We wait," Willow repeated.

"Fooooor…?" Summer asked, drawing out the word as she regarded her friend with total innocence.

"Just a moment," Willow answered as she sent off a text. "Less than, perhaps."

"Why are you being so secretive?" Summer whined as she hopped back up on the exam table, her legs dangling. "Tell me! I share all of my secrets with you!"

Willow held up a finger in response, and then a red portal manifested to Summer's left as if on cue. Within seconds, their friends had all entered the room and began to fan out, occupying the small, cramped space.

"Ghira just talked to Velvet," Qrow let on as he stepped through the portal. He was second to last to enter, not bothering to look behind himself as he crossed the threshold and locked eyes with Summer. "Adam's safe, but he's… being an asshole right now. Nobody's really sure why, but I'd bet it has something to do with the museum."

"Of course it does," Kali said, arms folded across her chest and ears flat against her skull. "It's because of Roman and I. I know it is. He's running off and doing his own thing because I didn't go with him, and this is going to turn into a whole big fight when he gets back. It's not like I don't care about the faunus! I've been working with Wil for months on trying to make headway in Atlas!"

"You have," Willow agreed with a sympathetic look. "And if that's what's going on, I'm sorry that Adam is behaving like this. It isn't your fault that you wanted to take some time to yourself instead of jumping at his command…"

"Fuck Adam," Roman offered as he moved to lean against one of the steel walls around them. "Getting real sick of his shit."

"Hey," Raven snapped, narrowing her eyes at Roman. "Adam's been fine lately. His 'shit' hasn't been a problem for a while now, and we don't need to make needless divisions between us over a temporary problem. Calm yourself."

"Please," Bartholomew added. "We mustn't let our tempers get the better of us. We all know how Adam behaves under pressure and when he gets heated… and we can't let that happen here. Especially not in public."

"He's still being a little bitch," Roman insisted. "And I have every right to say that."

"As the resident little bitch in the room, yes, you do," Raven retorted.

"Hey!" Taiyang called. "Everyone just…"

"…no, that was pretty good," Roman said with a grin. "Nice one, Raves."

"Thanks. I try."

"Still," Taiyang insisted, his voice tinged with desperation. "I'm getting a migraine over how anxious everyone is. We've got a lot to deal with right now that doesn't involve Adam, and things are piling up to the point of being unmanageable. We need to figure out how to tackle each problem one by one, do it calmly, and… also figure out how to explain to Professor Gumo why our entire squad just suddenly came down here to this… secret lab? Where the hell are we?"

"A staging room," Summer answered. "I think it's the same place he brought me when I first passed out. Speaking of problems, though… I'm definitely a Maiden. The Fall Maiden, from the sounds of it… whatever that means."

"No shit…" Qrow said, sounding awestruck. "Well that puts a whole new perspective on just about everything…"

"Your Relic is tied to Beacon, then," Bartholomew asserted. "Professor Ozpin will need to know immediately, so he can help you."

"And I probably shouldn't be near the Sword," Summer said warily. "I still don't know what any of this really means. Professor Gumo was extremely evasive once he saw my Maiden powers kick in, and he took off with Professor Calavera to do… something. I also saw something. I had a vision unlike any other I've ever seen, like I was really there."

"Please, do tell," Bartholomew insisted as the group gathered around Summer in a semicircle. "I've been doing some reading on legends associated with Maidens and Relics, so perhaps I could offer some answers."

"Maybe," Summer agreed before taking a deep breath. "Still, I… I'm really worried about this. All of this, especially the shadow war with Salem. If she finds out I'm a Maiden, we're all in danger."

Quite suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed around the room from behind the assembled teens. The group's collective attention fell on the source, and a chorus of gasps signaled that none of them had expected what they saw.

"Hey, before you guys go any further… what the hell are you talking about?" Fox asked, looking concerned and stiff. "Maidens, Relics, Salem… a war? What's going on?"

"Why are you…?" Qrow began, trailing off as his cheeks drained of color.

"…he came through the portal with us," Raven realized. "Oh… my gods…"

"Yeah, I…" Fox said awkwardly, looking guilty. "I thought Ghira, Sage, and Cerise were coming too, once you all started to leave our room. I guess I'm the only one that walked through? Was I not supposed to… hear any of this? It really sounds like I wasn't supposed to hear any of this."

The door to the examination room opened, causing nearly everyone to jump and whip their attention to the figure who entered. Professor Gumo walked into the room with purpose, looking rather surprised to see so many people.

"Miss Rose…?"

"…fuck," Roman said quietly. "Oh, this is bad."


Author's Note:

A comedy of errors can stop being funny very quickly.

For the week of 10/2.

-RD