Wake up, lazy butt!" Adam's eye snapped open at the sound of the voice. The bull Faunus groaned, blinking as he adjusted to the brighter light seeping in through the window of Beacon's ballroom. Ordinarily, he would have been up before even the sun was, but his stay at the police station two nights ago had left him tired, so he had slept later than usual. Grumbling, Adam sat up, ready to glare at whoever had woke him up, only to see that the girl responsible was on the opposite side of the room, dancing around a young man who looked just about as appreciative. "It's morning! It's morning! It's morning! It's morning!" the ginger girl cheered in a sing-song voice. The bull Faunus shook his head, sending a silent condolence towards her brother, or however those two were related. Then he stood up, stretched, and moved on to the locker room.
Adam did not spend much time in the shower, only washing the essentials and his hair, before drying off and getting dressed. Fortunately, the locker room had private stalls for its bathers, which allowed him to remove his eye patch and let the warm water soothe his entire face, without any concerns of prying eyes seeing him. After throwing his clothes back on, the bull Faunus left the locker room, aware of the same duo he had seen earlier standing in front of the mirrors, the girl continuing to yammer on while the boy brushed his teeth. Adam did his best to block her out, electing to head back to fetch his belongings and roll up his sleeping bag for the faculty, before heading to breakfast.
Jeez, was she really still going? Even sitting on the other side of the cafeteria, he could still here the ginger-haired girl continuing her spiel, rambling about something even with a pancake hanging out of her mouth, which she slurped down in one bite, something that made the bull Faunus do a double take. He had no idea how the pink-eyed boy was able to put up with her incessant chatter, but that level of patience was applaudable. Adam almost certainly would have told her to get lost by now. Heck, he was already sorely tempted to, and he was nowhere even near her. Deciding the best course of action would be to simply remove himself from the situation, the bull Faunus swallowed down the rest of his orange juice, then headed back into the locker room to retrieve his weapon.
"Locker 636, eh?" he murmured, looking down at the piece of paper he had been given to Ms. Goodwitch the night prior. His mouth scrunched up into a frown, though, as he noticed the little memo the teacher had written beneath it, suggesting he move his belongings three rows down. "Why would I do that? They're all the same size, and it's not like I brought that many items with me ," he grumbled, as he saw who was currently sharing the same locker section as him, "I can understand why she thought I should move..." Case in point, currently the Schnee was standing in front of his locker, engaged in a conversation with a red-haired girl wearing a bronze circlet and armor that he recognized, but couldn't be bothered to recall the name of.
"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you would like to be on?" Weiss Schnee asked Pyrrha Nikos, doing her absolute best not to just blurt out her request to be on the Invincible Girl's team right then and there. "I am sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"
"Hmm... I'm not quite sure," the red-haired girl admitted. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may." Oh, was that so? Then this was her chance to present her offer in a natural way, and the heiress took it gladly.
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together," she suggested. Pyrrha smiled politely.
"Well, that sounds grand!"
"Great!" Weiss smiled sincerely, then turned around so that she could sneer and scheme without letting the other girl see.This will be perfect!she thought to herself.The smartest girl in class combined with the STRONGEST girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We will be popular! We will be celebrities! We will get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us now!
"You know what else is great, Schnee? Not blocking my locker," a voice growled. Startled, the heiress whirled around to spy the bull Faunus from the other day standing before her, obscuring Pyrrha from view. "The name's Adam. This is my locker. Now move it, will you?"
"You again?" Weiss hissed irritably. Pyrrha, always happy to meet a new person, quickly rushed out from behind Adam to stand at the heiress's side.
"Nice to meet you, Adam!" she smiled cheerfully.
"Yeah, yeah," the bull Faunus grunted, waving her aside so he could open up his locker, never breaking eye contact with Weiss. "So, Schnee, I couldn't help but notice you had nothing but immediate disdain for me the other day." His eye narrowed menacingly. "It's because I'm a Faunus, I take it."
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" the heiress groaned.
"Don't worry, I understand," Adam sneered. "We wouldn't want a rich young heiress like yourself to be seen affiliating with a mangy animal like me, right?" His voice was dripping with venom, and his tone was quickly making both Weiss and Pyrrha nervous. "How about we just do ourselves a favor, and try to avoid being paired up on a team together?" Unable to stand it any longer, Pyrrha spoke up, attempting to alleviate the bull Faunus's foul mood.
"Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so-"
"You don't say?" Adam grumbled, turning to face her. "In that case, maybe I should partner up withyou. That would at least reduce the chance of the two ofusending up as partners," he suggested, pointing a gloved thumb back at Weiss. Horrified at this prospect, the heiress quickly moved between the two redheads, pushing them further apart.
"Adam, is it? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" Weiss demanded heatedly.
"Not really, though she certainly looks familiar," the bull Faunus said with a shrug.
"Thisis Pyrrha," the heiress stated, introducing the girl to him.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved.
"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" Weiss continued, as if this should be an impressive feat. When Adam said nothing, she began to grow irritated. "She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row! A new record!" Still nothing. Weiss waved her arms in frustration. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"
"Yeah, that was pretty cool," Pyrrha said with a nod, confirming all of the heiress's statements. "Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."
"So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to askherto be on your team?" Weiss finished, glaring at the bull Faunus.
"Bold of you to assume I care about any of these achievements," Adam replied. "In this academy, we're all equal in the eyes of the professors. Why should I be amazed at the skill other students have? I was asked to come here so I could hone my own." Not quite the truth, but a believable alibi. Weiss looked flabbergasted, but Pyrrha was actually smiling happily.
"I think that's a very smart way to look at this academy!" the red-haired girl declared, beaming.
"Well, that makes one of you," the bull Faunus murmured, watching in mild amusement as Weiss practically boiled with anger.
"Am I really hearing this?!" the heiress demanded. "Pyrrha, you should not be encouraging this man's obnoxious behavior!"
"Like you're one to talk, Schnee," Adam shot back. "I know your family. You're all smiles and manners on the outside, but you've got a devious and vile personality within." The bull Faunus sneered. "Go on- call me an unmannered fleabag. It won't be the first time I've heard it."
"Why you... Of all the... I would never- UGH!" Weiss stamped a foot, and spun away from Adam furiously. "I do not know what you have against my family, but you really are acting like an unmannered FLEABAG!"
"Weiss!" Pyrrha gasped. She turned towards the bull Faunus apologetically. "I'm sorry!" she whispered, hoping to ease any anger.
"And there it is," Adam smirked triumphantly. "Feel better, Schnee? I'm sure you were just dying to let that out." Before the heiress could respond, a loud chime signaled the use of the school's intercom, as Ms. Goodwitch's voice echoed throughout the room.
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately," the teacher's voice instructed. With a huff, Weiss threw open her locker, and pulled out what appeared to be a rapier, before storming away. Pyrrha opened hers as well, pulling out a spear and preparing to follow after the heiress.
"It was nice meeting you!" the redhead called over her shoulder, giving Adam a friendly smile. The bull Faunus waved her off, then took his sheathed sword from his own locker, clipping the scabbard to his belt.
"Whatever..." Adam closed his locker door, and turned to leave, only to find Ruby and Yang approaching him.
"Jeez, you sure don't pull any punches do you?" Yang asked, looking at him in mild amazement. "I know the Schnee family's renowned for their pale skin, but that girl was almost as red as Ruby's cape!"
"I suppose I did needlessly antagonize her, if only a little," the bull Faunus admitted. "To be fair, though, I have a more personal vendetta against her precious little company."
"I see..." the blonde girl hummed thoughtfully, before giving him a sly grin. "But is Weiss herself the cause for all your edgy brooding?" Adam looked like he was about to refute Yang's question. At that moment, however, Ruby began to tug on her older sister's sleeve.
"We can argue about this later!" she declared. "Come on, you two, let's get going!" And so, as Yang found herself being dragged out of the locker room by her younger sister, Adam followed the two sisters, excited to finally have some action.
The future students of Beacon quickly congregated at the academy's cliffs, which overlooked a large sea of green trees, and were arranged to stand in a long line of silver tiles near the edge. In front of them stood Headmaster Ozpin, who was calmly sipping from a mug of hot chocolate as he waited for everyone to settle, and Ms. Goodwitch, who was holding a tablet that she was constantly checking. As soon as he was sure everyone was accounted for, Ozpin began to speak.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," the Headmaster announced.
"Now, I am sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams,'" Ms. Goodwitch interjected. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates today."
"What? Ohhh..." Adam heard Ruby groan. The bull Faunus was not feeling that much better about the idea. While he had been assigned people to work with during his time in the White Fang, they were usually people he was at least acquainted with beforehand. The only person he really knew at Beacon so far was Blake, and he had the feeling she probably did not want to be on a team with him, anyway.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin continued. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Adam nodded. That made sense. So why did the way he phrased that sound so ominous? "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"WHAAAAT?!" Ruby shrieked in horror, causing the bull Faunus to wince. Further down the line, he saw the ginger girl turned towards the pink-eyed boy excitedly.
"See? I told you!" she whispered.
"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin instructed. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Some of the students shuffled nervously at this statement. To her right, Ruby could see Adam nodding, like he had expected this revelation. "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately," the Headmaster finished his explanation. "Are there any questions?" Nobody raised a hand. "Good! Now, take your positions." One by one, the students prepared themselves. Nora crouched down onto her tile, while Ren pulled out his blades pistols. Yang raised her fists, Ruby tightened up her body, and Adam's hands went down to his swords. "Oh, and Mr. Taurus, a moment if you please," Ozpin turned his attention towards the bull Faunus.
"What is it?" Adam sighed, watching out of the corner of his eye as the first silver tile forced itself upwards with a large spring, lobbing Weiss Schnee into the air.
"Ms. Goodwitch wanted me to remind you that you will indeed be monitored during this test, just in case you were getting any ideas," the Headmaster explained quietly, as more students, including Pyrrha, were launched off the cliffs.
"Oh, for the love of... is this because of the Schnee? Is her opinion really that low of me?!" Adam demanded in a hushed whisper. As he said this, Nora smiled widely as her own tile was suddenly forced upwards, throwing her up towards the sky. Ren, maintaining his ever-stoic expression, was quickly sent hurtling after her.
"Well, there have been several other ample opportunities for you to enact violence against the Schnee so far," Ozpin admitted. Close by, Yang turned to Ruby and winked, before putting on a pair of aviators, just before her tile was shoved upwards.
"Woo-hoooooooo!" she whooped as she soared into the air, her little sister following after her a second later.
"Don't worry, Ozpin. You said you wanted to give me a second chance, so I don't intend to cause any problems for you," the bull Faunus assured the Headmaster. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Adam's tile sprang up from under him, and he was gone. Ozpin watched the bodies of his potential students disappear into the wild blue yonder, then took another sip from his mug. This year's initiation was going to be quite the spectacle. He could feel it.
Adam sliced his way through the Emerald Forest's canopy, Wilt easily cutting through the leafy branches below him. He still took a few scrapes and scratches from other twigs he had been unable to clear away, but not enough for him to be concerned about. Hitting the ground at his current velocity would do much more damage than that. Case in point, as the bull Faunus dropped into the forest understory, he jammed his blade into a particularly thick nearby tree trunk, using his sword as a makeshift brake to slow his descent to the ground below. His legs buckled as they made contact with the forest floor, his Aura flashing briefly, but that was to be expected. He did not have a Scroll on him -the Vale Police Department had confiscated his for evidence, and Ozpin had yet to supply him with a new one- so he could not check how much of it he had lost already, though he reasoned he still had about four-fifths of it left, give or take.
Adam grunted as he pulled Wilt out of the tree, sliding it back into Blush. Then he sighed as he reached up to readjust his eyepatch, which had been pulled askew during his fall. As the course leather rubbed up against his face, the bull Faunus let out a pained hiss. This face covering was not working for him. The only reason he was wearing it besides a medicinal patch or gauze was because those would make him look like he had a fresh injury, which would undoubtedly cause a lot more people to ask him questions, then he would have to come up with an alibi, and that was just way too tiring to think about.
As Adam began to make his way through the trees, he was aware of the red eyes watching him through the mist and shadows the forest cast. No doubt his little stint of frustration towards his eyepatch had produced enough negativity to whet a few nearby Grimm's appetites. Sure enough, the long, bony snout of a Beowolf slowly peaked its way out of a shrub next to the bull Faunus, a low growl echoing from its throat as it stalked towards him. Then a second wolf Grimm revealed itself from its hiding place, and then another, and other. Soon, Adam found himself surrounded by five Beowolves, their bright yellow eyes looking upon him with hunger, drool leaking out of their fang-filled maws. In response, the bull Faunus smirked, his hands sliding down towards his sheathed sword, holding Blush tightly in his left, and Wilt's grip in his right.
"Five to one, eh?" he commented, before chuckling. "You should've brought a couple more friends to make it even..."
The biggest wolf Grimm let out a loud snarl, before standing up on its hind legs, its front paws stretching out to slash with its jagged claws. This was the opening Adam was waiting for, as he quickly ducked down, then squeezed down on Blush's trigger. The bull Faunus kept his grip on Wilt as the sword was fired out of its scabbard, the blade crackling with flames as it left its sheathe at an accelerated rate, which he used to slice through the Beowolf's torso. The wolf Grimm toppled in half in front of him, crumbling to ash upon impact with the ground. Roaring, another Beowolf bounded towards Adam, but he simply shifted his body to better angle Blush at the charging wolf Grimm, and squeezed Blush's trigger a second time. This time, a bullet left his scabbard's throat, which zoomed into the Beowolf's open mouth and tore through the back of its skull, causing it to collapse and skid to a stop at the bull Faunus's feet. Hearing movement behind him, Adam spun his body out of the way, dodging a third wolf Grimm's lunge, before bringing his sword up into a downwards slice, lopping off the Beowolf's head. The remaining two wolf Grimm shared a brief look between themselves, then charged forward together, one remaining low on the ground as the other sprang into the air to pounce upon the bull Faunus. Smiling, Adam threw himself backwards, taking the opportunity to fire three more shots from Blush as the leaping Beowolf descended upon him. The bullets tore through the wolf Grimm's soft chest, causing it to yelp and tumble, landing on its back. The bull Faunus rolled up into a crouch, then pushed off his back foot to launch himself past the last Beowolf, dragging Wilt across the length of its sleek, black body, cutting a deep fatal gash. Adam stood, and sheathed his sword, watching in satisfaction as the bodies of the wolf Grimm disintegrated around him.
"Well, that was a nice warm-up," the bull Faunus said with a smile, before focusing back on the task at hand. I still need to find a partner, he reminded himself, moving on from the scene of his short skirmish. But who exactly am I supposed to partner with besides Blake that I'd be able to get along with? Well, I suppose there's always Ruby. She doesn't mind the fact I'm a Faunus, so there's that. I think she's a little too wet behind the ears to keep up with me, though. Adam brought a hand to his chin, stopping his stride to think over his other potentials. What about her sister? Yang didn't talk my ears off like she did, and she's certainly more mature, if only by a little. Then again, I have a feeling Ruby's probably going to be gunning for her anyway, the bull Faunus reasoned, chuckling lightly at that idea as he continued on his way. So who else does that leave? Blake, Ruby, Yang...
"Wait! Where are you going?!" At the sound of Ruby's voice, Adam stopped. It sounded like the girl had already found herself a partner. "We're supposed to be teammates..." Evidently, said partner did not feel the same way about her. The bull Faunus shook his head. Ruby might be young, but it would take a very rough individual to just shrug her off like that. Maybe Yang was tired of her little sister following her around? No, she did not strike him as that type of person. Then who else could it be? A second later, he got his answer, as a girl with white hair and a frosty expression emerged from the shrubbery, sighing in relief at her first glimpse of him, only to stop cold as she realized who was standing before her.
"Schnee," Adam greeted her calmly, though his expression gave away his desire to be literally anywhere else at the moment.
"Good day to you," Weiss huffed, turning around to head back into the forest, causing the bull Faunus to let out his own sigh of relief. As she disappeared into the mist and trees, he could hear her address Ruby about how they still were not friends, or some such petty nonsense, though from the sword of it, the younger girl just seemed happy that her partner came back, something the bull Faunus could not for the life of him understand.
"Best of luck to you, Ruby," he whispered, disturbed by the idea of being in her place, before preparing to resume his trek. "Now, it's high time I found a partner myself..."
"Adam?" a feminine voice said from behind. The bull Faunus turned around to find Pyrrha standing behind him. The redhead was looking at him intently, clutching what appeared to be a red short sword and circular shield with small half circles missing from the sides. He would have assumed she was wielding weaponry and wearing armor back from the Great War, had it not been for the fact her sword was obviously able to shift between forms, something that did not start coming about until near the end of the conflict. Taking his silence as an invitation to continue, Pyrrha spoke up again. "Have you... found a partner yet?" she asked. Adam glared at her with his visible eye for a moment, then allowed his face to relax.
"Better you than the Schnee," he decided, giving her a quick nod, which was answered by a warm smile.