Kali, 9:37 AM

They know everything. About Qrow and Raven, Salem, Summer being a Maiden, us working for Oz. It's real, REAL bad. Their friend Cerise knows too, and Oz is super pissed at us. We need you back here like yesterday.

I don't see how I'm going to be able to help at all.

Kali, 9:38 AM

And none of us see how we can navigate any of this at all. Get your ass back here and be a team player.

You should have come out here with me and been a team player.

Kali, 9:38 AM

Eat my entire ass. Everyone's stressed out and tension is high, alright? Going off on a little solo adventure with Velvet was a bad call in terms of timing, but there was no way you could've known. None of us are holding it against you, and we all miss you. We've just been worried, okay? Please come home.

Adam paused a moment, rereading the message a few times as he tried to focus through the noise of movement and desert wind all around him.

You guys miss me?

Kali, 9:39 AM

Yes, you melodramatic bitch. OKRA isn't the same without you. Get back here.

We're on our way. I'm not apologizing.

Kali, 9:40 AM

You don't have to. Fill us in on whatever you were doing when you get here.

"So, any idea what all this's about?" Velvet asked as she continued doing maintenance on her bike. The faunus had a set of wrenches and was making slight adjustments to her dunecrawler, sweat rolling down her face and neck. Adam found it attractive in a way he couldn't quite explain. "Or are we just flyin' blind, here?"

"Not a clue," Adam lied as he pocketed his scroll and adjusted his seating upon a rather smooth rock. It wasn't necessarily out of malice- he just had no idea how to explain any of it to her… nor did he think he understood any of it well enough to explain it. "All I know is that it's apparently really serious, and my team… misses me."

Velvet looked up and wiped some sweaty hair out of her forehead.

"…Adam, you've been gone a day. They can get over it. 'sides, they had every opportunity to come with us."

"Yeah, but…" Adam started, letting out a sigh as he began to play with his katana. He popped the blade out of the scabbard with his thumb before letting it fall back in and repeating the process, resulting in a soft clicking noise. "…I miss them, too. Maybe I could've been less of a dick about all this. I don't regret coming, but… you know. They're my friends. They've taken care of me. I think I've gotten too caught up in the excitement of something different and the idea of striking out on my own without people watching and worrying over everything I do."

Velvet heaved a sigh and tossed a wrench up onto the back of her bike, letting it clang harshly upon the metal as she fixed Adam with an annoyed look.

"Where the hell is this coming from, now? Half an hour ago, you were ready to stay in Vacuo full-time."

"I don't know," Adam admitted, keeping his eye on the sand. "Hearing from Kali again, I just… they really are my family, Velvet. When I get annoyed, I start to lose sight of the obvious."

Velvet rolled her eyes and hopped up side-saddle onto her bike. She folded her arms across her chest as one of her ears twitched in annoyance and she let out a huff.

"If a little attention from one girl is enough to make you change your mind so quickly…"

"…isn't that exactly what you've been trying to do to me?" Adam asked without missing a beat. Upon looking up, he found Velvet's expression had turned to one of anger. The sight didn't deter him at all. "Get me to change my mind by giving me some attention?"

"…are you serious right now?" Velvet asked. "You think I'm trying to manipulate you?"

"You think my team is trying to manipulate me?" Adam replied. "I don't… look, I don't think any of you are trying to string me along or do me harm or… whatever. But I do think things are getting too… too black and white. It's been interesting, and… I guess fun running off with you. I like you, Velvet. I wouldn't be here with you if I didn't. But I'm also unsure of what I want, how I feel… what I should be doing. I thought I knew. The high from just coming out here and exploration was great, but I d-"

"Adam," Velvet interrupted. "I'm going to say this nicely. If you just waffle back and forth, especially out here in Vacuo, you're never going to get anything done. You're never going to make progress, or grow as a person, or be satisfied with the trajectory of your life. When you're confronted with a challenge, you pick a direction, and you commit. Sure, change things up if it's not working, but this… all this worrying and obsession over what your team thinks and even what I think is counterproductive. We'll go back to the beach house, figure out whatever they're all on about, and then… take some time alone. Think about what it is that you want. Choose something, and commit. Got it?"

Addam let his weapon click closed a final time and gave Velvet a slow nod.

"…got it. Are we… still good?"

Velvet slipped forward off her dunecrawler and approached, uncrossing her arms before snaking her hands around Adam's sides. She leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips that lasted several seconds. By the time Velvet broke away, Adam hadn't even noticed that she had stolen his katana. Upon being bopped on the forehead with it, he nearly fell off his rock in surprise. Velvet merely shook her head at him and drew the blade out slightly, inspecting it.

"We're good… but again. You need to get your priorities straight. Otherwise, you might miss things…"

"Give that back," Adam said, reaching for the blade as Velvet took a step back and continued looking it over.

"This is quality steel… and the custom casing is a nice touch."

"I worked on it all year," Adam said as Velvet drew the blade completely. "It's still a work in progress. Professor Calavera helped a lot. I owe her basically everything I know about weapons and combat..."

"From what I've heard and see now, she taught you well," Velvet complimented as she looked to the side. Porella and Basil were approaching from the campsite, where Alice had chosen to stay and look over the equipment. "Hello there."

"Hey," Porella answered as she watched Velvet sheathe and hand back the blade. "You two heading out now?"

"We are," Adam confirmed before Velvet could complicate things. "But I'll be back at some point. We'll be back?"

"We'll be back," Velvet confirmed. "Keep us in the loop if you find anything interesting, yeah? Or if you need some muscle down below…"

"We just might," Porella replied. "Initial scans of the area are suggesting a much, much larger network of tunnels than we thought down below. If my theory pans out, it connects to some chambers, pathways, and other geological features that have already been mapped out. We'll see what happens."

"I'll be heading down into the tunnels too," Basil let on. "We've got some apprentices that can handle the monitoring equipment topside. Of course, that means we need to head back to the museum tonight to work out a schedule…"

"Meaning you, and whatever other friends are interested in all of this should swing by," Porella advised. "We might not be back around for quite a while, after that."

"Noted," Velvet said with a nod. "We'll round up who we can and try to get on that schedule. Right?"

"…right," Adam agreed. "I think I can convince one or two of them, at least. Not everyone is happy just sitting around at a beach house."

"I think I'd go crazy," Porella admitted. "Well… we've got a bit of cleanup left to do here, so we'll see you shortly. Good luck out there."

"Thanks," Adam offered as he climbed atop Velvet's dunecrawler behind her. "See you soon."

The two faunus took off into the sands, leaving the Oaks behind. Porella took a moment to lean her head on Basil's shoulder and let out a weary sigh.

"…you remember being that confused and angsty all the time?"

"…I don't want to talk about it."

Summer held her breath as she waited for the call to connect. It had been ringing for almost a full minute before a voice came over the receiver, and the Maiden let out a sigh of relief.

"Rose?"

"Yeah, hi," Summer answered, waving the rest of her friends to gather closer to the scroll. "Professor, uh… are you staying at Shade? Or coming back to the beach house today? Or…"

"I'm making my way out of the Academy as we speak," Professor Calavera answered. "You did quite a number on Gumo's monitoring equipment. Took most of yesterday to fix it, and some of it is beyond saving."

"Sorry…" Summer said sheepishly. "I really didn't mean to cause trouble."

"And you didn't. Knowing you're a Maiden is much more important than preserving tech that can be replaced. I should be back at the house shortly. No new trouble going on, is there?"

"…about that," Summer replied hesitantly. "Professor Ozpin called, and we, uh… we made a mess of things."

There was a pause before Professor Calavera's voice flattened.

"What did you do."

"Uh… w-well, we sorta…"

"Stood up for ourselves," Kali jumped in. "We were kinda done taking his shit."

"Of course you did…" Professor Calavera answered, her resignation clear in her voice. "Is that why he won't answer my calls?"

"…what?" Qrow asked. "He won't even speak to you?"

"Apparently not," Professor Calavera confirmed. "I tried twice in the past hour and couldn't get through. Neither can Professor Gumo. He's up to something, alright. This is unlike him."

"Well, shit," Roman cursed. "What now? Send him an email?"

"I suppose I could," Professor Calavera considered. "May as well. I'll let you know if I hear anything, but don't expect miracles. How badly did you leave off?"

"It was pretty bad," Taiyang admitted. "Not our finest moment by any means. Adam's on his way back now, so… could you maybe help us out once you both get here? He still doesn't even know what's going on."

"Child, I barely know what's going on," Professor Calavera admitted. "It's honestly amazing to me how much more complicated things get the more you all get involved, but… at least it's never boring. Do me a favor- sit tight, keep everyone together, and try your best not to cause any more world-altering disasters, alright? I'd rather not see Professor Ozpin put more restrictions upon you over your apparent constant need to be doing something."

"So… what should we be doing, while we're doing nothing?" Raven asked, feeling rather stupid to even ask.

"…do I seriously need to teach you how to take a vacation, in addition to everything else? Get in the jacuzzi, work on your tan… at this point, day drink for all I care. Just stop taking things into your own hands and ruffling feathers. Relax."

"…the jacuzzi does sound good," Summer admitted.

"Wonderful. Happy for you. Be there soon."

The call disconnected, and Summer picked up her scroll from the table.

"…I don't think she's happy with us."

"We're not happy with us," Qrow grumbled. "I honestly feel dumber with every passing minute. We fucked up."

"We did," Raven agreed. "But if we're good at anything as a collective, it's bouncing back and fixing our mistakes."

"You know… you're not wrong," Roman considered. "We are the masters of turning shit into gold. Maybe this won't be so bad after all."

Author's Note:

It will.

-RD