"…I hate salsa."

"You what?"

"There. I said it," Roman admitted as he threw his hands up. "I hate salsa, alright? It tastes like… chunky barf. It's not pleasant, and I only go with it for your sake whenever we make nachos in the dorm. Hot cheese is way better and I've just been suffering through it to stick it to Barty. No other reason."

Kali stared in disbelief, silent for a moment as she and her partner walked slowly along the beach.

"…I feel like I don't even know you."

"Hey, you said full honesty," Roman snapped back. "And I've been pro-salsa for your benefit, so you should be happy!"

"My entire worldview is built upon a lie," Kali mused as she bonked the side of her head into Roman's shoulder. "I don't know if this is gonna work out…"

"…you're kidding, right?" Roman asked, feeling stupid for even entertaining the thought. "Please say you're kidding."

"Of course I am," Kali emphasized. "Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"No, but… after being this nervous about where we're at for this long? Maybe I'm a little stupid right now."

"And that's part of why I'm so into you," Kali mused. "I like stupid men."

"Then consider me your personal dumbass."

Kali removed her head from Roman and cracked her neck as a subtle vibration pulsed through her pocket. With an annoyed exhale through her nose, she drew her scroll and read the message. Roman noticed that her expression soured immediately and threw his arm around the faunus.

"What's goin' on?"

"…Adam wants me to go with him to the local museum," Kali let on. "He said something about their trip earlier, but it all got lost and muddled in Raven's whole situation that's now going on. Apparently, the people running the place want to talk to me about faunus rights and history, and they've got some artifacts to show us."

"…then why do you look so pissed?" Roman asked. "Isn't that exactly the sort of shit you'd be down for? Sounds like the kind of thing you'd usually be interested in."

"Normally, yeah," Kali admitted as she tore her eyes from the screen and looked up at Roman. "But if we're doing honesty right now? I'm tired, Roman. We're on vacation. I don't… I don't really want to go."

"So don't."

The pair came to a stop, the beach house in sight far down the shore. Kali couldn't help but let her eyes be drawn to the building where her friends were waiting. There was a hefty dose of guilt in her heart alongside an urge to just turn around and walk in the opposite direction. All she could do was look Roman's way as she tried to grapple with both.

"…Roman, I feel like I have to…"

"Yeah? Well maybe you shouldn't," Roman proposed with a shrug. "Since when are you the grand arbiter of the faunus, Kal? Sure, it'd probably be cool to see whatever they've got down at the museum, but it's not like you owe these people your presence. If it's that important, they can wait until you feel ready."

"Maybe, but I do owe Adam," Kali considered with a flick of an ear. "As a friend, a teammate, and a fellow faunus. I really should be involved in anything that has to do with our people…"

"And you have been," Roman reminded. "Look at what you and Willow have been trying to do with Arcturus and how much you two have been spinning your wheels. It makes perfect sense why you'd be tired of it all."

Kali let out a noise of disgust as she kicked up a bit of sand.

"Yeah, you're right about that. The S.D.C. finally making moves for faunus rights had basically nothing to do with me. It was for Willow… and I don't think the others understand why that pisses me off so much. Is it so wrong that I just want to spend the day with you? Why does it feel wrong?"

"Because that's just how you are," Roman guessed. "Always wanting to do the right thing, prop people up, get involved, lead the charge… you deserve rest just as much as everyone else. There's nothing wrong with telling Adam to shove it for a day and getting involved later. Just because he's immediately invested in this whole situation doesn't mean you have to be."

"And what if that affects how he feels about me?" Kali asked. "And you? They know we're together right now. Wouldn't take much detective work to figure out what's going on here."

"Then that sounds like his problem," Roman reinforced. "He'll get over it. He's hanging out with Willow right now, and if he can get over that, he can get over you standing him up for a day or two. I'm not saying don't go- I'm saying don't feel like you have to go right now."

"Yeah," Kali agreed, slowly shaking her head. "Yeah, I think… maybe that's the move. And if Adam can't wait, that says more about him than me."

"Exactly," Roman said as he moved to sit in the sand. "Where the hell has he been when it came to negotiating with you and Willow up in Atlas?"

"…Roman, he murdered people escaping from the S.D.C. mines."

"…oh. Right."

Kali let out a sigh as she took out her scroll once again and navigated to Adam's profile. With a weighty thud, she plopped down in the sand next to Roman and began to let her fingers dance across the keyboard.

"I feel like I'm about to make a huge mess of things when I should just suck it up and play along…"

"And I feel like if you don't take some time for yourself, you're going to fucking snap," Roman protested. "Listen, I can't make the decision for you… but I can remind you of what you've already said. We make each other worse in a fun way, right? What's the harm in just indulging yourself every once in a while?"

"…isn't the guilt from what you did with Cerise the entire reason we're having this conversation right now?" Kali asked as she deleted what she had written onscreen. "Not exactly a great argument for blowing Adam off…"

"Isn't it?" Roman asked. "If I hadn't fucked around, made an ass of myself, and had a breakdown, there's no way in hell I would've pushed for us to finally get moving on a relationship. Everything's just… it's all arbitrary, ain't it? Every choice can lead to a million other things, and there's no fuckin' way we can predict any of the outcomes, so… why agonize over it? Do what feels right in the moment and hope for the best. Big opportunities can come from total shit, and huge disappointments sometimes happen even after doing everything right. Gaming the system just stresses everyone out and makes them bitter when nothing works out the way they wanted it. So… just do what you think you should do as things come up. That's the best we can do, right?"

"So… you're saying nothing really matters," Kali echoed. "Nothing matters except what we're doing in the moment, and we should be doing whatever we think is the best move. As long as we don't go full chaos and have decent intentions behind our actions, it's all good."

Roman suddenly didn't feel quite so sure anymore. Something about the phrasing unsettled him, though he couldn't put his finger on just why.

"…yeah. Yeah, something like that? I think?"

Kali nodded, starting to feel a bit better about the situation as she nodded along.

"Then I'll just… do what I feel like I should right now, and we'll deal with whatever happens after. You'll be on my side no matter what, right?"

"I mean, as long as you're not dragging me to the museum or breaking it off or doing something insane," Roman offered. "I've got your back, Kal."

"Good to know," the faunus replied as she hit the Send button. "Here goes the neighborhood."


"…she's not coming," Adam seethed as he stared down at his scroll. "What the hell…"

"Seriously?" Velvet asked, her arms folded across her chest as one of her ears twitched in annoyance. "What happened to Kali being this big social justice icon and faunus advocate?"

"Perhaps her focus is currently elsewhere," Bartholomew suggested. "Though this is somewhat surprising… we are on vacation, and she's currently with Roman…"

Adam rubbed a palm on his forehead as he looked around the room to see if anyone other than Velvet was as incensed as he was. Bartholomew seemed entirely neutral, Raven's expression was unreadable, Taiyang was beginning to look a little sick, and the rest of his friends had already left for the city of Vacuo. It seemed that among his close friends, he was, in fact, alone.

"Well, maybe it shouldn't be," Adam rebuked as he began to feed Kali more details about what he had seen in the Oaks' workshop and the Land of Darkness display. "This all matters a lot. More than whatever's going on between those two."

"Adam…" Raven began, looking uncertain as she leaned into Taiyang's side while the two sat beside each other on the couch. "I did give Roman a little push to figure out his relationship with Kali, and so did Qrow. I'm pretty sure several others among us did as well, so… maybe something finally happened, and it went well. Maybe they just want some time to themselves We are on v-."

"Don't say vacation," Adam warned. "Just… don't. I'm not content to just lay around. I initially wasn't even sure I wanted to come here at all…"

"Everybody settle down," Taiyang called with a sigh. "First- you're making me sick. Second- I don't care if you don't want to hear it, Raves is right. Everyone should, ideally, be doing what they want to do out here, and so far all we've done is work and worry. Does it have to be today?"

"She's saying the same thing," Adam growled as he continued to text back and forth. "She'll go 'soon', but she and Roman are apparently now a couple and just want to do their own thing. How wonderful for them."

"Hey," Raven snapped. "That is good for them, and it'll save all of us stress in the long run. Don't be an asshole just because things are a little delayed. The Oaks aren't going to retract the offer if you all wait a day or two."

"…but they might leave," Velvet warned. "Those two go all around Remnant at the drop of a hat when new opportunities and leads on artifacts come up. They're just as much tomb raiders as they are curators. They're a Vacuan treasure, and passing up the opportunity to work with them is shortsighted… especially over something like this. Let's go, Adam. I'll go with you."

Velvet moved for the door without another word, and Adam watched her go before turning to look at Barty.

"…am I still invited?"

"…are you willing to stay back?" Adam asked. "No better time than now to make a move, while Velvet's alone."

Taiyang blinked in surprise and physically recoiled a bit at the suggestion as he tried to come to terms with what had been said.

"Whoa, whoa- you were actually serious about making an effort with Velvet? We all just figured you would forget about it…"

"And then you would bring it up with obnoxious timing later," Adam balked. "I said I would make an attempt, so I'm going to make an attempt. She's fired up and on my side, so why not now?"

"If that's your plan, then I'll remain here this time," Bartholomew offered. "Though I hope I'm not permanently cut out. I would like to do more at the museum before we leave…"

"Isn't this all a bit hypocritical?" Raven dared to ask. "You just got mad at Roman and Kali for being invested in each other, and now you're making this move?"

"Raven, it's alright," Bartholomew reassured. "Though… I don't want to infringe upon the two of you, either. I'm sure I could find something to occupy myself with in the tower outside…"

"Hey, it's not that…" Taiyang tried.

"Worry not," Bartholomew reassured. "I'll be fine. Let's all just do what we want. Adam- good luck, my friend."

"I'm not too concerned if it falls through," Adam said with a shrug. "But I also know to seize the moment when it's right in front of me. This is my best shot, so I'm taking it."

Raven watched carefully as her friend left the building, leaving her alone with Taiyang and Bartholomew.

"So… Tai, is he actually feeling anything for her at all?"

"I can't tell," Taiyang admitted. "If he is, it's not strong enough to feel from here…"


Author's Note:

What exactly is Adam playing at? Where is this all going? Find out… eventually.

-RD