Gonna be having some rather pointed conversations with an AC company this weekend. Two years ago, I had them come out to clean my ducts and they upsold me on a UV light to clear out some lingering mold. Fast forward to this week and my AC died suddenly. Repair guy came and found the transformer had blown and replaced it. Went out again that night. Turns out the previous company wired the UV light directly into the main transformer instead of isolating the circuit. Worse, they put it in a dumb spot that made no sense (isn't even hitting the coil) and instead it's blasting my wiring in the unit, which isn't rated for UV exposure. So now I'm in talks with a bunch of their managers to figure out how they're gonna make me happy. Spoilers: it'll be a decently large price tag.
On the bright side, I have cold air again and can stop sweating on everything!
Adam hadn't had much of a plan for joining the White Fang. He figured he'd just show up, talk with the Albain brothers a bit, and convince them he was interested. They'd wine and dine him. Convince him to join while subtly pushing their own worldview, then welcome him in with open arms. Maybe there'd be some forms to sign or some sort of welcoming ceremony.
A sudden fight with a prominent member hadn't even made the list.
"Is she serious?"
The looks he received from both Kaito and the Albain brothers hardly reassured him. All three men looked resigned - almost apologetic - as those watching drew closer. So this was really happening then. He'd barely had a chance to reunite with Thorn - no, this blade would need a new name - and already he'd be stuck fighting. It wasn't even for a good reason this time. No one's life was on the line for had just walked up and challenged him for no good reason.
It should've been a freeing thought. For once, failure didn't mean death - for him or someone close to him. This wasn't some vicious Grimm or bloodthirsty guard. It was just a friendly spar. Well, more friendly than his other opponents. The only thing at risk was his pride.
"Are you ready?" Sienna asked as the Albain brothers backed away. Blake did the same on Adam's side.
Was he? He had a weapon and his aura, not to mention plenty of rest over the last few days. Physically, he was fine. But did he really want to fight this woman? He could always say no. Unless she decided to attack him out of spite, there was nothing saying he actually had to fight. If they really wanted to win him to their side, he doubted she'd ambush him like that, which meant the choice was his.
Ghira wanted him to join them, though. Sienna, Corsac, and Fennec were the three people Adam needed to get close to. Was this some sort of test, then? They might open up more if they saw him as willing to fight like them. A quick spar might earn him the opening he needed. They'd be more willing to listen to him if he had their respect.
Fighting to prevent future violence. The irony was laughable. "What are the rules?"
The right question, it seemed. Sienna smirked as she answered, "Single combat. We'll go until aura breaks or yield." Ghira's complaints of their violence had gotten to him. A fight to the death wouldn't be a very good recruiting tool. "Any questions?"
"Can I have a few minutes to prepare?" Adam held his sword up. "New weapon and all."
Sienna nodded. "Certainly. Take all the time you need."
Adam's sword felt familiar, but distantly. How long had it been since he'd held Thorn? Since he'd fought with it? Before Orostachys. He'd killed that man in the warehouse, but he wouldn't call that a fight. More turning the tables on a criminal. The guy hadn't even realized they were fighting until it was too late.
His last actual fight had been against that bandit. The memory of Raven made him shudder, especially how she'd decapitated his opponent in the end. Still, that had been so long ago. He'd have to relearn fast. Sienna told him to take however long he needed, but she probably didn't mean all day. A few swings helped jog his memory a bit, but he'd stalled for more than just practice.
"Anything I should know about her?" Adam quietly asked, glancing at Kaito. Unlike everyone else, the older faunus hadn't joined the circling onlookers yet.
"A good teacher would never betray one of his students so easily," Kaito said.
"Fair enough."
"But I never said I was good. Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing her knocked down a few pegs," Kaito added with a wry grin. "Sienna's an aggressive fighter. Focuses on speed and agility to overwhelm her opponents. She's probably the strongest fighter here, and she knows it."
"Arrogance?" Could he use that against her somehow?
Kaito shook his head. "Perceptiveness. She's worked hard to get where she is. Don't underestimate her."
"You done giving away all my secrets, old man?" Sienna called out.
Kaito only smiled back. "Young people today are so impatient," he replied before lowering his voice as he turned to leave. "Good luck."
"Thanks." He'd need it.
No amount of preparation could shake off all the rust, but he felt a little more confident after another few minutes. Sienna waited patiently through it all, unlike those gathered around them. Someone must've spread the news of their fight, as quite a few more people had gathered for the performance. Not just White Fang members, either. Adam spied a few families mixed in, children pushing through to see or riding atop their parents' shoulders for a better view. It felt like a wholesome version of the Branwen tribe.
Hopefully he'd win this fight too.
"Ready?" Sienna asked again once he stepped forward, putting some distance between himself and the edge of their audience.
Not really, but better than a few minutes ago. "As good as I'll get."
"Then let's begin."
Scarcely had the words left her lips before she charged in. Adam kept his eyes on her whip as she ran, spotting the moment she loosened her grip and let a few links dangle. He didn't know much about fighting with a weapon like that, but she couldn't just swing it like a blade. Not if she wanted to actually do any damage with it.
Turns out, she didn't. Adam was so busy watching her weapon that he forgot Jesse's lessons from so long ago. Sienna swept low, her foot crashing into Adam's shin as pain rocketed up his leg. He stumbled, catching himself a second later.
A second was all Sienna needed.
His face caught the heel of her boot as she continued her spin like some sort of demented breakdancer, pivoting on one hand. If her kick hurt, the unforgiving metal whip that followed was torture. The thin blade cut across his chest, knocking him back just before she brought that accursed foot straight down like a hammer to his skull, flipping away before his sword sliced through air. Even as she did, her chain twirled with the motion, tracing a thin line across his aura-protected face.
Two seconds. Two seconds was all it took for Sienna to deliver a brutal combination of blows and retreat, all without a single scratch. She stood across from him, grinning cockily as she twirled her chain in a tight circle beside her, waiting to see how he'd answer.
Kaito was right. She was good. Very good. None of her blows were exceptionally devastating, but she could deliver a half dozen smaller strikes in the time most people would only get one or two in. Worse, they all flowed together, leaving little chance to react between.
Which meant he needed to interrupt her momentum somehow. All that movement made her chain whip around at breakneck speeds, but it would be nearly harmless if he could stop her, even for a second.
Adam bolted forward, eager to get inside her guard and take control of the fight. If nothing else, he needed to actually land a blow before she could pick him apart again. Adam went for her left, putting her body between him and her weapon, only to see the circle break as she crisscrossed it in front of her, forming a mesmerizing barrier to his charge. He swung hard for the side, knowing her flexible weapon couldn't hold up to hardened steel.
She knew that too, stepping back as the blade barely grazed her arm. He hadn't expected an easy win, though. Instead, he reversed the swing, driving the end of his pommel directly into her face, then drawing the blade upward across her chest. Without aura, Adam would've turned Sienna into a biology lesson. Instead, the flaring of light against Sienna's skin kept her insides…well, inside.
People gasped. Others cheered. Adam was pretty sure he heard Blake yell "kick his butt!" as Sienna escaped his assault. The moment she was clear, Sienna swung forward, letting loose more of her chain to extend it well beyond his range in an instant. It wrapped around his sword just as she tugged it back, nearly disarming him. The sound of the chain sliding against the length of his blade had several people flinching, especially those with an extra set of ears atop their heads.
Back and forth they went. Adam's assumption that he could predict her weapon's movements proved wrong as she proved far more versatile than he could've imagined. She changed lengths constantly, adjusting on the fly even as she charged and retreated. She let it wrap around her arm, her body, even her neck at one point, constantly changing angles, direction, and speed in a dizzying display that made her movements nearly impossible to track. She never stopped. Never hesitated. Every moment was spent in motion, both her and her chain.
Adam did his best to keep up. The whirlwind of arms, legs, and chain harassed him at every turn. Unlike Sienna, he had to get in close to do any damage, meaning he had to keep charging in, even as she flitted about their arena in every direction. For every blow he landed, she made him pay with several of her own. They were both losing aura steadily - him in steady slivers and her in rarer chunks - but neither of them really seemed to have the advantage yet.
The problem was, he couldn't keep it up forever. The little nicks and scrapes, not to mention the constant running and attacking, threatened to wear him down. Sienna didn't share his problem. If anything, she'd gotten faster as the fight stretched on. Her blows became harder to avoid. Her own defense grew more resolute. Her dodges robbed his strikes of any real damage. On top of all that, she began to keep him at range more and more.
Blocking the bladed point of a whip was like fighting a large snake with a vendetta. Again and again it struck, snapping against his sword from every angle and forcing Adam on the defensive. The force behind those blows was terrifying. Something so fluid shouldn't have been able to stand up to his rigid sword, yet time and time again he found himself bracing against its vicious point. He had to find a way through her increasing pace.
Taking a page out of Sienna's book, Adam dove back. As long as her chain was, it still had a limit. Those behind him scattered, eager to be away from the fighting. They'd never set any boundaries, so he had plenty of room to play with. If he could just get a moment to figure out a plan, he could turn this around. She'd have to charge forward to reach him now, which might give him a chance to attack.
Or not. Sienna swung forward once more, despite him being beyond her reach. The sudden quirk of her vicious grin was the only warning he received before the whip cracked well in front of him. The tip,however, snapped free and hurtled for his chest in yet another twist to her increasingly infuriating weapon. He just had time to bat it away, wincing as it exploded only a second later.
Dust. Her bladed tips had dust in them! He'd thought so, but he hadn't expected them to be detachable bullets. How much range did this psychopath have?! Well, if long range wasn't the answer, he'd have to go for the tried and true method. All he had to do was cross an entire battlefield while dodging the constant blows of a nearly unpredictable weapon that could change at any given moment.
This was gonna suck.
Adam batted aside her latest swing and ran at her, hoping to cover as much ground as he could before her next strike. His charge didn't go unnoticed as she harried his advance every step of the way. He did his best to ward off the barrage of blows, swinging madly in every direction to meet the flurry of strikes aimed at him. Some sneaked through, but he pushed through the fresh pain with his eyes locked on his target as he drew ever closer. Sienna retreated little by little, buying as much time as she could even as her blows sped up with the shortened distance. It couldn't last forever, though. With a triumphant yell, Adam launched himself forward, preparing to crash down on Sienna's shoulder and tear her in two.
Sienna saw it. Of course she did. The moment he swung, that evil chain met his charge, wrapping around his weapon twice before she pulled hard, yanking his weapon away. She stumbled slightly, surprised how easily it broke free, but without his weapon he could only do so much. Adam might sneak in a punch or two before she could break away, but the moment she did, he'd have no defense against her onslaught. She'd as good as won, and she knew it.
Or so she thought. Sienna wasn't the only one with tricks up her sleeve.
"Gah!" Sienna yelled as his blade struck her side like a meteor, tossing her away as aura flashed angrily. She rolled with it, creating distance as she managed to swing her whip around, warding him away. Her eyes shot to the sword she'd launched to the side, only to see a different object lying there. "Clever."
Adam didn't answer, though a small part of him cheered at the praise. With how fast everything was moving, Adam couldn't really fault Sienna for missing the moment he'd sheathed his blade. Swinging a sword still stuck in its scabbard had felt wrong, but he'd made sure to keep it moving so she didn't have a chance to notice the shift until it was too late. All she'd done at the end was remove the blunter for him.
The misdirection served a double purpose, though. The momentary confusion broke her concentration. One glance. One word. One opening. Adam wouldn't let it go to waste.
He'd endured her hurricane of punishment too long. His aura still held, but it felt weakened. His legs ached after the protracted battle. He needed to bring it to an end quickly. Preferably one with him the victor. He surged forward with everything he had, blade low and prepared to strike. Sienna realized too late her biggest mistake.
Sienna trained in open arenas. She was used to having a large, empty space to work with. On top of that, Kaito had warned him how aggressive of a fighter she could be. He had a feeling she didn't retreat much. He, on the other hand, had trained anywhere and everywhere, but mainly in the forests. Jean and Jesse had taught him more than just how to swing a sword. They'd taught him to fight with every tool he had.
Including the environment.
Sienna's foot bumped against the wall behind her, halting her retreat. Adam saw the moment her predicament dawned on her - the moment her eyes widened in a mix of shock and horror. Good. Adam felt a renewed energy as he prepared to claim his victory. His arms roared with power. He felt a sudden surge as he swung, eyes burning as he saw nothing but red.
A far too familiar red. One that reminded him of a pair of dead guards.
Adam pulled back at the last moment, instincts screaming as he tried to stop. It gave Sienna just enough time to pull her chain tight in front of her to block. His last second shift had the tip of his blade crashing into her chain, rather than the center, but even then it sliced through her defense, shattering the outstretched links with pitiful ease as his deadly edge passed mere inches in front of her face.
To those watching, it was a climatic finale. To Sienna, she'd narrowly avoided a painful blow. But Adam…
"Enough!" Kaito declared with far more volume than heat. "Satisfied, Sienna?"
Sienna panted for a moment, looking down at her sundered weapon in confusion. After a moment, she dusted herself off and said, "It seems the stories were true. Well fought. The White Fang would be honored to have you join us." White Fang? Join? Oh, right. Adam had forgotten the whole point of their fight, too lost in the familiarity of what had just happened.
What had almost happened.
"Y-yeah," he stammered, eyes locked on the two halves of chain Sienna now held. "Sorry about that."
"No apologies needed," Sienna assured him. "These things happen. New weapons can be made easily enough, but talent like yours is hard to come by. What do you two think?"
"I think he would make a great addition to our family," Fennec offered as the two stepped forward in unison.
"I as well," Corsac said with a slight bow of his head. "Welcome to the White Fang, Brother Adam."
Several of the uniformed faunus cheered at the announcement. Kaito nodded once in acknowledgement while Blake just glared at him. Sienna made a show of standing alongside Adam and guiding him toward the building.
All the while, Adam couldn't stop staring at Sienna's broken weapon.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Becoming a member of the White Fang wasn't exactly what he'd expected. He'd signed a few forms that looked a lot like the ones from the SDC. As it turned out, he wasn't just a member of the White Fang - he was an employee. They had wages, insurance, benefits - all things you'd expect from a normal employee. They even paid taxes to Menagerie! The whole thing was so strangely…normal.
Sienna, Corsac, and Fennec spent the rest of the day talking about plans for the future and ways Adam could help. There was mention of caravan escorts and weapons training that Adam mostly nodded along to. They'd even offered him a room in the facility to stay in if he needed it.
Everything went by in a blur until he found himself back at the Belladonna house alone in the evening, only for Ghira to bombard him with questions after dinner. Blake must've ratted him out. Still, Ghira seemed pleased with the results and asked him to share everything he'd seen or heard that afternoon. He did his best to recall, but his mind was elsewhere.
It happened again. Once could be called a fluke. Twice coincidence. But three times? Three times was a pattern. "At least no one got hurt," he told himself that night after an hour of tossing and turning.
Not yet. The unwelcome whisper bubbled with laughter at his discomfort. Shame. A few inches more and you could've won that fight properly.
"I don't want to kill anyone," Adam complained, rolling over and pulling the pillow over both ears. It didn't really help when the voice was inside his head, though.
Why not? She challenged you to a fight. You could've ended her there and then. And just think how grateful Ghira and Kali would be if you got rid of their little Sienna problem.
Adam had a feeling Ghira didn't mean for him to murder Sienna when he'd asked for help. He flopped over on his back, knowing sleep wouldn't come easily tonight. "Killing isn't the answer."
Since when? The mocking laughter echoed all around the room. Face it, Adam. Most of your problems end that way. Gideon. Geryon. That criminal. The bandit.
"I didn't kill him," Adam quickly pointed out.
No, but someone did. Raven. She'd murdered the man right in front of him, and all because he'd failed to kill Adam. Come to think of it, hadn't he broken through the bandit's aura at the end? He'd carved straight through it and into the man's shoulder way too easily. Had this…had he been like this all the way back then, too?
"What's wrong with me?"
Nothing. Well, nothing more than usual. Adam could almost imagine Alyssa sitting across the room, smiling cruelly at him in the dark. He had to remind himself that she wasn't actually here. Probably just some clothes on a chair or a weird shadow from outside. Face it, Adam. You're a killer. Everywhere you go, death follows you.
It did, but that didn't make it his fault. Still, he'd felt that strange surge again and broken through Sienna's weapon like it was nothing. To most people, that wouldn't raise any red flags. A chain was hardly meant for melee fighting and they'd been going at it for a while. Must've been a weak link or something.
Except he knew better. Sienna had training. Lots of it. Anyone with that much aura control knew to project their aura over their weapon to keep it from breaking so easily, which meant he'd cut through metal and aura in one blow. Just like he'd broken through Geryon's aura. Or split Gideon in half.
None of it made sense! He wasn't strong enough to do that. No one was! Even Huntsmen with all their training would take a while to wear down aura, and it would visibly break rather than just cut out in an instant. You could even see it start to shimmer when it got weak. If even a Huntsman couldn't do something like that with all their training, fancy weapons, and Semblances, then how could he-
Wait.
Could it be? Had he…was this some kind of Semblance? He didn't know a lot about them, but they were basically superpowers that Huntsmen had to make them even more dangerous. It could be just about anything, from super speed to changing their own body. There were some weaker ones like sensing animals - no offense, Jean. So why couldn't there be even stronger ones?
Had he unlocked his Semblance? And if so, how could he tell? He didn't feel any different. Okay, he felt more tired than usual, but he'd also been in a really long spar and then forced to sit through a ton of meetings and crap all day, not to mention his lack of sleep so far. What if he'd found his Semblance - one that was so powerful it could break through aura in a single blow? That…that was…
Incredible! He'd always hoped he'd find his Semblance someday. A really cool, strong one that he could use to protect people. If it could smash through aura, imagine what it could do to a Grimm! Maybe even multiple Grimm at a time. He could be unstoppable!
He had to know more. No, first he had to sleep. Then, in the morning, he needed to track someone down who could help. Or maybe find a book. If this was something he could control, he needed to learn how, and he needed to learn fast. Preferably before he accidentally set it off again. He'd been able to stop it this time - well, not stop it, but at least recognize it and avoid carving Sienna's face open. That sounded like a step in the right direction.
But who to ask? Ghira? He seemed to know a lot, but the guy wasn't big on fighting. Adam wasn't sure he'd be any help. In fact, Adam didn't even know if the guy could fight. Blake might know a little, but even if she did, she probably wouldn't tell him. For whatever reason, she seemed to hate his guts. Sienna might know, but maybe telling the apparent leader of a violent faction of radicals that he might have the key to cutting down anyone with aura wouldn't be the best idea.
Then again, who said he had to tell her the specifics? What if he just asked her about unlocking and controlling Semblances? With all her training, she probably knew a lot. Heck, she probably had her own unlocked by now. Had she used it in their fight? If so, what was it?
No. Focus. He could think about that later. Figuring out his own Semblance took priority. If she could help him figure out the basics, then maybe he could learn to control it. He wouldn't know until he tried.
Sleep came easier with a plan in place. Tomorrow, he'd go talk to Sienna and figure out what these weird surges were. More importantly, he'd learn how to control them. And then, he'd be the greatest protector the White Fang had ever seen.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Apparently, Sienna wasn't as much of an expert as he'd hoped.
"I mean I don't know," Sienna shrugged, flipping through some reports as she sat behind the desk in her office. It wasn't nearly as big as Ghira's and had two more desks sharing the space, but Sienna's commanded the center of the far wall with her back toward the large window. "Why the sudden interest in Semblances?"
"I…" Adam debated for a moment but chose to err on the side of caution and not give her the specifics yet. "I think I may have unlocked mine recently, but I'm not sure."
"During our spar?"
"Y-yeah. Then." If he was right, he'd actually unlocked it a couple years ago and only just started to notice it, but she didn't need to know that.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Sienna said, much to Adam's confusion. "Semblances typically unlock in moments of heightened emotion. Normally during extreme stress. If it happened during our spar, then you must've really been pushing yourself to beat me."
"I didn't beat you." Not technically. He'd broken her weapon, but she could've still fought with the remaining bit. Or just kicked him to death. She'd proven more than capable at punishing him with her 'd have the advantage with his sword, of course, but that didn't guarantee a win.
"I appreciate your concern, but I can admit when I am beaten." Sienna looked up with a competitive gleam in her eye. "Rest assured I won't go so easy on you next time."
Next time? Ghira said she liked violence, but Adam assumed he'd meant against humans, not everyone in sight. By the sounds of it, they didn't have a lot of skilled fighters in the White Fang - probably why they were so desperate to impress him. If Sienna was always itching for a fight, how often would she come hunt him down for a spar? Was that even a bad thing, though? He needed practice, and Jean always said he'd learn more in a single spar than hours of practice. Maybe being her sparring buddy would be good for him. Or exhausting. Definitely one of those two.
He could worry about that later. Right now, he had to find out more about Semblances. His, specifically. Though maybe he could piece some things together from someone else's. "What about your Semblance?"
"Hoping to learn my secrets?" Adam couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "No offense, but I don't know you well enough for that."
"Is it really that big of a deal?" It was just a power. Who cared if everyone knew it? Especially if they were all on the same team.
Apparently, Sienna cared. "Think of it as a secret weapon. If the enemy doesn't know what it is, they can't plan for it."
"Does that mean I'm your enemy?"
Sienna didn't hesitate. "In the arena, yes. Outside of it…well, I hope it never comes to that. For both our sakes."
"It won't." Not if they were both fighting for the faunus.
Sienna buried her head in her reports once more. "If you want more information on Semblances, I suggest you talk to old Kaito."
"The trainer?"
"Trainer. Teacher. Thorn in my side. Whatever you want to call him." Evidently she wasn't his biggest fan. "Point is, he knows more about this kind of stuff than anyone else here. That's why he's in charge of combat lessons. He's probably outside training the Belladonna girl."
Blake. So she'd snuck off to the White Fang again this morning, had she? Not that Adam felt surprised. From how Ghira talked, Blake spent more time at the White Fang headquarters than she did at home. Teenage rebellion, Kali insisted. Adam couldn't say he related to that. Not in the traditional sense, at least. He hadn't snuck out at night, gotten a secret tattoo, or anything like that. Instead, he'd led an actual rebellion in his teens.
Finding Kaito wasn't hard. Convincing his little trainee to let Adam borrow him on the other hand…
"He's busy," Blake stubbornly declared when Adam asked to talk to Kaito.
"I'm never too busy to help someone learn," Kaito corrected. Blake scowled at Adam, somehow deciding that he was to blame.
"But you were training me," she whined. "It's not fair. I was here first. He can wait until after I'm done."
"I just want to ask him a question."
"Oh, a question?" Kaito straightened up, a certain eagerness in his voice. "Could it be that one of you young ones seeks to strengthen their mind rather than their body for a change?"
"Body, soul, and spirit, actually." It looked like Nondescript Winter Holiday came early for Kaito this year.
Too bad the little black-haired grinch was there to rain on the parade. "All of that can wait. THis is my training time, not yours."
"Let's see if those legs can run as fast as your mouth, young one." Kaito's words sure shut Blake up. "Get moving."
"How long?" Blake asked.
"Until I say you can stop." With a frustrated growl and a final glare at Adam, Blake took off at a jog. Kaito shook his head as she reached the edge of the training grounds and turned to start her circumnavigation of the area. She didn't look too happy at the situation. Adam had a feeling she'd blame him for it later. "The energy of the young is matched only by their stubbornness. So tell me, Brother Adam, what can I help you with today?"
"Please, call me Adam." The whole Brother thing felt way too formal. It also brought back memories long since buried.
"Only if you promise to call me Kaito."
"Not a fan of the fancy names?" Adam had a feeling the two of them would get along just fine.
"Too religious for my taste. Unlike a certain pair of actual brothers, I only work for the White Fang. I don't worship it." At least someone was making sense around here. "Quite the fight yesterday. Hope you realize you've just become Sienna's new sparring partner."
"I'm going to regret that, aren't I?"
"More than you realize." Yikes. Kaito certainly didn't pull any punches. Neither did Sienna. "So, you here for advice on how to get better?"
Yes. Wait, no. That could come later. "Actually, I-"
"Or maybe it has something to do with that Semblance of yours."
He knew? "How did you-"
"I've seen countless spars in my time. Everything from one-sided beatdowns to people that went the distance. Do you know what I've found the most interesting, though?"
"The weapons?" Adam guessed.
"The fighters after everything's said and done," Kaito said, shooting down Adam's theory. "I've seen winners cry and losers cheer. Long battles where both of them are just relieved it's over. Do you know what I saw yesterday?" Adam didn't answer. "Surprise and terror, but on the wrong faces."
"What do you mean?"
"Sienna looked shocked, and rightfully so. I know Sienna. For all her faults, she's never been one to do anything half-heartedly, especially when it comes to fighting. Her weapon's not overly complex, but she maintains it better than anyone else here. She knows her weapon better than anyone, but even I knew it shouldn't've broken so easily."
Adam gulped. "Yeah. About that…"
"That's quite a Semblance you've got, Adam Taurus." Kaito smiled as he looked down at the sheathed sword at Adam's side. "To sever aura and steel so easily. It is quite the gift. Quite the dangerous one."
Adam's thoughts exactly. "I don't think that was the first time."
"Probably not." Adam's surprise must've shown, so Kaito went on to explain, "Some Semblances are more obvious than others. Changes to the body. Control of the elements. Duplication. Others take time to discover, like Sienna's." Before Adam could ask, Kaito shook his head. "Not worth being dragged into a fight with her. The point is, each Semblance is unique, but we can piece together the basics if we try. So tell me what you know so far."
Adam shared everything he could remember. Kaito listened as Adam told him all he could remember. The fight with the bandit. Geryon. Gideon. Yesterday's fight with Sienna. Kaito never interrupted. Never questioned anything or tried to get anything more. He just nodded along with each detail.
By the time Adam finished, Blake looked a little winded as she rounded another corner and started slowing down. "I didn't tell you to go for a stroll, young one!" Blake yiped and broke into a run, much to Kaito's amusement. "Is that all?"
Is that all? That sure sounded like a lot to Adam. He'd been trying to process it since last night and still had next to nothing. "I-I think so." Kaito stroked his chin as he mulled over everything. "Whaddya think?"
"I think there's still a lot of possibilities," Kaito answered. "What do you think it is?"
"Me? I don't know." If he did, he wouldn't be here asking some old man to figure it out for him. Kaito ignored his dismissal, letting the awkward silence drag on between them until Adam gave in with a sigh. "Some kind of power amplifier?"
Kaito hummed. "Interesting choice of words. Not damage, strength, or attack. Power. Tell me, why power?"
Adam shrugged. "Just the first word I thought of. I guess those other ones work, too."
"No no no," Kaito hastily said, waving his hands in front of him. "Power. You said power."
"It's just a word."
"But it's your word," Kaito explained, clearing up absolutely nothing in the process. "A Semblance isn't just some ability you control. It's a part of you. It's linked to your aura - your soul. Your mind just needs time to catch up."
"You mean I'll just know it suddenly? What, like a divine inspiration or something?"
"Nothing quite so extraordinary…or convenient." Rats. So much for self-answering questions. "It's more of an instinct that helps guide you. Subtle hints that point you in the right direction, if you're willing to listen."
"I am," Adam promised a little too eagerly. "I mean…I want to know what this power is."
"Naturally. Hm…amplifier. Could just mean it's boosting your own strength. Sort of an exponential growth that'll grow with you." That sounded cool. If he could grow his Semblance even more, then there was no limit to what he could do. "But why power?"
"Maybe it can do more than attack?" But what else was there? "Like a speed boost, or jumping really high? Oh, maybe I'll leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
Kaito's deadpan told Adam the man wasn't amused. "Or it could mean a million other things, preferably ones not straight out of a comic book." What? A guy could hope. "It's a start, but we need to find out the specifics. And the limits."
Talk about a wet blanket. "Limits?"
"The more powerful the Semblance, the greater the strain on your aura. If your Semblance didn't have any limitations, you could kill yourself just by using it."
Okay. Maybe limits weren't such a bad thing. "Has that ever happened?"
"Not that I know of, but I'm sure it's possible. Think of it like a muscle." Kaito flexed his arm, showing off the lean muscle hidden within. "If you used it fully - hysterical strength, I think they call it - you could exceed your limits, but at risk to your own safety. The body naturally holds back to avoid any permanent damage. Aura does the same. The trick is to find what limits there are and learn to adapt to them."
"So…I can only get so much power."
"Gods spare me from the foolishness of youth," Kaito muttered, shaking his head at the sky. "It's not just a limit in power. It might be something else. A specific circumstance. A timeframe. Charging up. We'll have to figure out how to activate this power of yours, then push it to see how far it goes." Training. He could get behind that, especially if it would let him control whatever this was. "It might even only work on specific things. We know it can hit people and weapons, but maybe it negates aura and lets you focus on what's beneath. Or it could respond to the amount of aura your opponent has."
"More power for more aura?"
"Or the other way around." Either way, that sounded awesome. "Wait, so you're saying it might not work on someone without aura? How would we test something like that?" Attacking someone without aura would be dangerous. "Grimm?"
"Training dummies," Kaito said. "No need to risk it in actual combat, but yes, it might not work against Grimm, since they don't have aura like we do."
Crap. He hadn't considered that. What if it only worked under very specific circumstances? Then again, he'd used it three or four times already, and they didn't have much in common. Men and women. Human and faunus. Some were killing blows. Others weren't. One of them wasn't even a real fight. Just a spar.
"Good. I can see the wheels turning already," Kaito said as he watched Adam closely. "It's your Semblance, so no one will be better equipped to figure it out than you, but I'll help if I can."
"Thank you, Kaito."
"Think nothing of it, my boy. If anything, seeing Sienna lose makes it worth it." Neither of them seemed overly fond of one another. "Come back tomorrow and we'll see what we can figure out."
"You sure you'll remember everything?" Not to be rude, but he hadn't written anything down and, well, he was getting kind of old.
"You're not the only one with a Semblance." Kaito tapped the side of his head with two fingers.
"Photographic memory. I can recall every conversation I've had for the past five years."
"Must've been handy in school."
"It would have, if I'd ever attended one." Adam winced, but Kaito didn't look too upset. "I'll think on it tonight and share my thoughts tomorrow. We can begin your training then as well."
Extra training? He'd gone toe to toe with their best fighter. Kaito was busy teaching the basics to newbies like Blake. Adam was a bit more advanced than that. "You don't have to."
"Nonsense. I'm always happy to train someone willing to learn. Besides, I have some ideas for your sword style."
"My style?"
"You fight with a basic one-handed form, but I think you could do better. Tomorrow, I'll show you how a true master of the blade fights." Kaito nodded once before turning back to Blake, who quickened her pace a little just in time. "Don't think I didn't see that, young one! Five more laps, and then we'll see if you've learned your lesson."
Adam chuckled as he walked away, leaving Blake to the no doubt brutal training awaiting the young Belladonna. Kaito had given him a lot to think on, but more importantly, he'd promised to help him figure out how exactly to master his Semblance. If he wanted to offer advice on anything else, the least he could do is listen.
Maybe joining the White Fang wouldn't be so bad after all.
Adam won, but not by a lot and mainly because of his Semblance. After looking up Sienna's Semblance (mobile game detailed it, funnily enough), Adam killing her without a fight makes more sense. I'll mention it later on, but feel free to look it up if you want to see why.
Meanwhile, Adam is trying to figure his own Semblance out. I like to think people don't just instinctively know everything about their Semblance, but figuring out things like Qrow's bad luck would be nearly impossible without at least some hints, so I'm going with more of an instinctual hint to split the difference. Kaito will help him learn more, not to mention make some changes to his fighting style. Now to do a deep dive on Adam's actual sword style again for a refresher.
Funnily enough, I'd actually researched chain whip fighting before thanks to Honey from In RWBY's Shadow. Wanted to give her a unique weapon instead of copying an existing character. Got really excited after seeing some demonstration videos for chain whips and ran with it. Then the Adam short came out and showed off Sienna fighting. I think I screamed a little, especially since the same thing happened with Randi's Semblance being a close match to Maria's from canon. Still not entirely convinced RT isn't spying on my planning docs.
In only slightly more serious news, Nondescript Winter Holiday is a Chibi reference. I have no problem writing Christmas but decided to swap for the reference.
Next chapter: Adam learns more about his Semblance.