Fight Fire with Fire

Evening came when Adam arrived at the town.

It was a quaint place. Buildings were built right into the mountain itself, countless stairs were winding up and down, all leading to the main hub built deep into the valley. Even over the tall walls that protected its inhabitants, he could see some of the homes built high above the main road. Nothing would certainly get them on those narrow stairways.

Passing a few stalls, he casually browsed their wares. Flowers, fruit, accessories, so many colours and smells drifted on the gentle spring breeze. With a sniff, he felt his stomach growl loudly in want. Hours of walking after the fight on the SDC train had left him exhausted and starving.

Though, no money put a serious obstacle in the way. Running with the White Fang had given him all he needed to survive. On his own, he would have to find something to eat and somewhere to sleep by himself.

Walking down the main road, he was surprised to see people still out of their homes. Life outside the kingdoms was usually not so active. Not with Grimm threatening to come and tear down everything in their way. Though, as he kept walking, he noticed that most people were keeping some distance away from him.

Stares and whispers that he could barely hear, he tried to ignore them all. Those piercing eyes. All of them focused on one particular thing, and it wasn't the pitch black, curved bull horns that jutted out of his forehead. It was his scar.

He wanted to cover it up. His mask was in his bag, hidden away under what little he had left, but putting it on amid so many humans was a terrible decision. Those masks connected him to the White Fang, and with the White Fang committing so many crimes against the humans, openly supporting them was not a wise decision. A huge part of him wanted to be open with what he was, but that guilt and shame pulled him back. He didn't want anyone seeing the darkest reminder permanently burnt into his face.

With a deep sigh, he slunk away from the main concentration of people, taking a smaller street that neared the towering mountain that the town was based on.

Very few bothered him there. The sun starting to dip behind the mountains cast wide shadows upon the settlement, and the light from the lanterns lining the main streets vanished the further he moved away from them. Dark alleys hiding away all sorts of things. Able to see perfectly fine, he moved through with quiet steps, listening to distant chatter and sounds of people.

Besides an odd alley cat running through some trash cans, he was completely alone. That was the last thing he wanted.

Blake could be anywhere. If she didn't want to be found, Adam knew that he would not be able to find her. Not being able to talk to her, to warn her and make sure she was safe, it tore at him like something he couldn't even begin to describe.

The worst feeling was knowing that he wouldn't be able to tell her how sorry he was. Being out there, on her own, just like him, he couldn't help but imagine a lost girl sleeping rough and alone, believing that she was completely alone.

Don't ever talk to me words stuck with him. She left hating him, a lost cause who wasn't even the brother she knew from before.

Still, he was nothing if not stubborn. Even if he didn't find Blake, he had to try, and with that stubbornness pushing him forward, he passed through the streets and alleyways in search of the missing teenager.

The sun finally disappeared behind the horizon completely. Light gave way tonight, and the broken moon shone brightly above, bathing the alleyways and streets in its pale white glow. To anyone walking by on their way home, the dark shadows of the back streets hid away all, but a faint shadow creeping about could be spotted if one looked hard enough. Using the darkness to move about unseen, Adam kept his search up.

Every stone and corner was checked, every single hiding place he could find was searched thoroughly. Anything that Blake could slip away into.

And each time he walked away empty-handed. Each failed search tore away at his confidence, piece by piece. Despite his efforts to hold out hope, he wasn't so naive as to believe he would succeed simply because he believed hard enough that he would. One particular spot hidden in the corner of a couple of houses seemed promising.

Nearing it, he moved a piece of cardboard. "Blake? You there?"

Suddenly, a flash of black ran in between his legs yowling. Shocked by the loud noise, he stumbled back, bumping into the wall with a yell. With heart-pounding, he looked at what startled him.

A small cat. Skin and bones, it was pressed up against the wood and stone wall of the home, hissing and spitting with teeth bared. Watching this creature growling at him, terrified of this towering thing that disturbed its home, Adam glanced down at the alleyway he came up from. The only way out.

Looking back, he shuffled along the wall slowly and carefully. The sight of the opening calmed the feral cat down. No longer hissing wildly, its wide yellow eyes watched him moving, glancing over at the escape route he gave when Adam finally snapped. "Go on, get outta here."

It didn't wait around for him to tell it twice. Quickly, it sprinted off into the shadows, disappearing from Adam's sight.

"Yeah. I didn't think you'd be here anyway." He muttered to himself.

Leaning against the wall, he took a brief break from searching. With the way the moon hovered high above, he knew that hours had passed since he began his search. He must have searched through so much of the town. Yet all his efforts seemed to have been a waste of time and energy. Blake was nowhere to be found, and as he stared at the lights radiating from the town's nearby train station, he sighed deeply to himself.

"I'm sorry, Blake." He glanced up at the stars. "I wish you knew that."

Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor with legs propped up, resting his arms on his knees with a tired sigh. Exhaustion had started to take its hold. He couldn't even remember when he had gotten a proper night's sleep. The energy that kept him going was vanishing quickly, leaving him feeling heavy and sluggish.

With his head tilted back, Adam watched the stars up above. Bright, twinkling lights that seemed so far away, tiny compared to the massive half-moon that engulfed so much of the skies. He could recall the night skies back in Menagerie. Electric street lights that were commonplace in the other kingdoms were practically nonexistent in the Faunus-only island, their streets and homes lit up with lanterns that projected warm glow throughout the main city.

It meant that the skies back home were so much more vibrant. Entire galaxies were visible from the family home, Adam remembering his adopted mother bringing him and Blake out to stargaze when they were younger. Deep purples, blues and stark whites were pictured in his mind so vividly despite it being years since he had even seen Menagerie.

In a way, he could almost picture those same galaxies in the sky. It made him miss home even more.

A dark shadow flying past the moon stopped any reminiscing of Menagerie.

At first, Adam thought he was imagining things. Exhaustion was making him see what was not there. That had to be the reason, he was certain, but then the figure returned. It was difficult to see with the moon behind them, the light blinding Adam as he squinted.

It was familiar. Then giant wings sprouted out to full length, dwarfing the body and tripling its silhouette. There, it clicked in his mind. Iya was on the search.

Heart-stopping, he threw himself against the wall opposite him, pressed up as much as he could in hopes of staying out of her line of sight. Up in the skies, she had a bird's eye view of all the streets and alleyways in the town. Including where he was hiding. If she found him, he knew the results would not be pretty.

Glancing around him frantically, he stopped on the trash cans that the cat was hiding behind before. A thin tarp draped over it, it looked like the perfect hiding spot from Iya, and without a second thought, he slipped into the space as fast as he could.

It was certainly cramped. Bundled up with his knees pressed into his chest, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, his breathing so loud he feared that his searcher would hear it from up above. Pressing a hand over his mouth, his nostrils flared with each breath he took. He couldn't make any noise.

From where he sat, he froze when heavy footsteps echoed from the alleyway ahead of him. Whoever was making them was no mouse, and knowing that Iya was in town on the search for him and Blake, Adam feared that the one near where he was hiding was Kaanchana's, own right-hand man.

Finally, a figure appeared in the darkness. Despite his night vision, he had difficulty making out any details on the approaching person, only able to make out his towering stature and broad shoulders. It had to be Banesaw.

Fingernails dug into his skin. Stinging pain radiating from where he was scratching himself, he couldn't even breathe as the figure closed into where he was hiding. Their upper body was blocked from his view by the tarp and the trash cans. However, the sight of those walking boots wandering just in front of his hiding spot had Adam pulling himself in as much as he could. His heart was beating so fast, blood pounding over his ears, and his chest ached with his throat closing in.

Watching them, he managed to take a shaky breath as they moved out of view. Unable to see them anymore, he strained to try and hear their movements, following those heavy thuds with each step the person took.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the boots returned, and the tarp was pulled off from the top of his hiding spot.

Immediately, he grabbed hold of his sword and moved to strike. Even if he was against such a powerful opponent, he was willing to at least give himself a fighting chance, rushing forward with his sword being pulled out of its sheath.

Before he could even get it completely out, however, the person pushed it back into its sheath. Giant hand holding it in, Adam felt another hand grab hold of the front of his tunic, swinging him around and slamming him into the wall. All the air left his lungs, leaving Adam a wheezing mess as a gruff voice snapped. "What're you doing skulking behind my house?"

Looking up, he saw that the man who had him pinned was not Banesaw.

He was considerably older. Dark brown hair peppered with white strands, wrinkled tanned skin, and deep-set, steel blue eyes staring straight into his own. Only dressed in a simple nightshirt and shorts, he didn't exactly seem like one who was so strong and skilled in combat, but looks could be deceiving as Adam found out.

Hand-tight around his throat, he winced as the man demanded. "You either tell me now, or you tell the police when I haul your ass to the station."

"I-I was just trying to find somewhere to sleep."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Seemed too jumpy for just trying to sleep. Where'd you get the weapon?"

"It's mine." Adam choked.

"So you were just creeping around, in the dark, and with a weapon. Forgive me if I'm not so inclined to believe you."

"Look, I ain't here to cause trouble." He was struggling to breathe. "Just let me go."

The man said nothing at that. Watching this teenager struggling against his grip, he finally relented and loosened his grip, backing off with Adam collapsing to his knees. Gasps for air were the only noises he could make. His throat killed, his lungs burned, and any panic he felt from before was replaced with sheer relief at being able to breathe once more.

Towering over him, Adam barely got his breathing under control when the man pointed out. "Pretty young to be living on the streets. Where's your parents?"

"I-"

"Look at me when you're talking, boy."

Rubbing his neck, he thought about refusing. Being talked down to like that had his blood boiling, but after the brief demonstration of how much he was outmatched, he bit back his scathing words and instead obeyed.

In the dim light of the moon, it was hard to make out every detail of his face, but he could see Adam's just fine. Even with his scar out for all to see, he couldn't see the repulsion or pity that he was so used to seeing. Scowling, he shot back bitterly. "I don't have any."

Surprisingly, the steel look to his eyes faded with the confession. Any sort of hardened aura surrounding the man ebbed away, with even his voice softening. "You been out here all by yourself?"

"What's it any business of yours, anyway?" Struggling to his feet, Adam was ready to barge past him with scathing words. "Just leave me alone."

Before he could get far, a hand grabbed hold of his shoulder. Rather than rough like before, it was a gentle touch, trying to keep Adam in place with coercion than the threat of violence. Even though he didn't know why he did stop, glancing back at the man with furrowed eyebrows.

Standing there with a frown, he sighed deeply. "I'd rather not let a kid sleep out in the streets tonight. It hasn't been safe this past couple of weeks."

"I can handle myself."

"Not with the people who've been lurking 'round here." The man rejected, guiding Adam in the direction he started to walk in. "I got a couch big enough for you. You can rest up for tonight, figure out what you're doing tomorrow."

For a moment, Adam wanted to vehemently reject the offer. He didn't know the man. He didn't trust him, and the longer he spent so close to the White Fang camp, the sooner he would be discovered. Knowing that Iya and Banesaw were in the town itself made him even more paranoid.

"Sorry, but I really should be going." He turned down, snatching his shoulder away from the man. "Besides, I don't need a human's pity."

Surprisingly, the man wasn't angry at his bitter statement. Letting his hand fall back to his side, he just chuckled softly. "Who said I was a human, boy?"

With that, he flexed his hand in front of Adam's face. The teenager was stunned to see claws coming through his fingertips. Thick, black nails that were longer than any human's, he didn't say anything as the man continued. "Come on. The wife's put leftovers in the fridge. You look like you could have a good meal right now."

He wasn't lying. Adam's stomach growled loudly again, no longer being settled when he pressed his hands into his abdomen uncomfortably. He was starving.

Frowning, he said nothing in response, just nodding silently and following after the man. Being led around the house, he peaked down the street the man lived on, noticing lights beaming brightly from the distance.

"What's that?"

Pausing at the bottom of the patio stairs, the man looked in the direction Adam was pointing, noticing the glowing building in the distance too. "That's the train station. We get most of our supplies by train."

Adam glanced back at him worryingly. "Train?"

"Yeah, got no roads and airships have nowhere to land. The train's all we got." With a grunt, he waved for Adam to follow him as he walked up to his patio stairs. "But that's not something you talk about outside someone's home. Let's get in."

Sneaking one last glance at the train station, Adam walked up the stairs and followed the man into his home.

Cramped. With the home needing some upkeep on the outside, the inside didn't seem any better. As soon as they walked through the door, Adam was greeted with many coats that were hanging on the hooks just by the entrance, nearly bowled into the wall as he tried to pass through the sea of fur and leather.

Shuffling against the wall, he found himself stumbling into the living room. Despite the plain wallpaper and dusty antiques decorating the mantlepiece, it was homely. The fire roaring from the fireplace bathed the room in a warm glow. Thick curtains kept the warmth in, the heavy fabric bunching up on the carpeted floor.

Slipping off his shoes, Adam glanced around for anywhere to put them, unable to find the shoe boxes he was so used to seeing. Gingerly, he left them in the corner of the room while the man pointed out. "You're a Mistrilian."

"What'd you mean?"

"All them folks don't go anywhere without taking their shoes off." He explained, rolling his shoulder with a grunt. "Every time I went over there on a mission, I couldn't go into any building without taking my boots off. Someone's home? Take off the shoes. An inn? Take off the shoes. Hate to be a cobbler over there."

"You went on missions?" A nod was his response. "What'd you do?"

Walking past a flower-patterned armchair, he paused with a hand resting on the back cushion. "Huntsman. Like to think I was a damn good one, too."

Ah. That explained a lot.

"Since you were asking, I wanna know something." Adam raised an eyebrow at that, watching the man settle down into the armchair, gesturing for the teenager to take a seat.

Sitting down on the longer couch to the man's left, he got comfortable with his hands resting on his lap. "Where'd you learn to fight with that?"

The man pointed down at Adam's sword. Eyes glancing down at the weapon, he kept his nerve as he answered cooly. "I grew up outside the Kingdoms. I had to learn if I wanted to survive."

"Well, you got a lotta learning to do." Adam's gaze turned heated at that, his frown deepening into a scowl. When he noticed the shift in expression, the man waved his hand nonchalantly. "Now, now, don't get so defensive. We all could do with learning from our flaws."

"I'm doing just fine."

"Really? 'Cause last I checked, you were this close to getting your neck snapped."

Tenderly touching the bruises forming around his neck, Adam looked away in annoyance. "You just caught me at a bad time."

"Sure."

With that, the man sighed, rubbing his grizzled chin. "You gonna tell me your name, or should I just call you Raccoon Boy?"

His name. Meeting his gaze, Adam had to think quickly, trying to keep his nerve as he answered with the first thing he could think of. "Mao."

"Mao. Right." For a moment, he feared that his lie had been caught out. Sitting there as stiff as a board, he tried to keep his gaze on the man, watching as he leaned forward and stretched out his hand. "Name's Phoibos."

Slowly, Adam's took his hand. One shake and he let go quickly, returning the hand to his lap while Phoibos settled back down into his chair.

Before he could continue the conversation, a new voice called out. "Darling, did you get rid of that raccoon?"

Both of the men looked over to the source of the sound.

Standing on the first step of the staircase, a woman was staring back at them. Long, brown hair curled tightly into a bun, two circlets framing her face, she was paler than the man or Adam. Deep amber gold eyes watched them, moving from Phoibos before settling on Adam. "Who's this?"

"Astra, this here's Mao. Our raccoon." He joked, gesturing to Adam with one hand. "He was hiding behind our trash cans."

"Oh, it's freezing out there!" She gasped, swiftly moving down the last steps and towards Adam.

Warm hands pressed against his bare cheeks, small scales were darker than her skin noticeable when he looked down at them. As he sat there in utter confusion, she recoiled them with a sharp intake of breath. "An alleyway is no place for a boy your age to sleep. I'll grab you a blanket."

"Mao's gonna be sleeping on the couch tonight." Phoibos pointed out.

"The couch? That old thing isn't fitting for the dog." Astra shot back, turning back to Adam with a soft tone. "I'll grab you some extra blankets."

"You… don't have to do all this for me." He tried to pipe up. "I can handle the couch."

"Nonsense! We treat our guests with the respect they deserve." She brushed off, dashing away into the back room of the house before Adam could get another word in.

Letting it go, he just sat there quietly while Phoibos got himself comfortable, digging into the pocket of his pyjama pants for something. It was awkward sitting there. Silent, Adam tried to occupy himself by looking around the living room.

Besides the dusty antiques and wall clock, there were a few framed photos hanging on the walls and propped on the small side table next to the couch. Taking a closer look, he saw Phoibos and Astra standing next to each other. They looked so young there. No longer able to see the grey hairs or wrinkled skin, they were dressed in thick fur coats with Phoibos sporting metal armour and leather arm guards, a heavy-looking shoulder pad strapped to his left shoulder.

Squinting, he tried to make out the background of the photo. Snow-covered buildings behind them, he was suddenly caught off guard by Astra's voice piping up. "Mao?"

Panicked, Adam jerked back upright. When he looked back over to where she was standing, he noticed the thick pile of blankets in her hands, glancing between them and her as she smiled warmly. "Your lucky day. I just did the laundry, so these are nice and toasty for you."

"The boy's a tough one. He doesn't need so much faffing."

"Shush." She scolded, passing the blankets to Adam before turning to something left on the coffee table. "You must be hungry after staying so long on the streets. I made you some dinner."

"Told you the leftovers would get used u-" Phoibos paused, looking over the armchair to get a better look at the plate of food she was passing over to Adam. "Did you use the pork out of the slow cooker?"

"There's still plenty for tomorrow."

"That's my dinner!"

"You've had enough!"

It just went straight back to being awkward. With the hot plate on his lap, Adam watched the couple arguing back and front like a child, trying to hand back the plate with a quiet voice. "I'm good for no-"

"No, you're eating." Astra rejected, putting the plate back on his lap before turning back to her husband. "Where are your manners? Go and fetch the boy a drink."

Phoibos sat there, cigar in between his lips, and thought deeply for a moment. A brief suspicion crossed Adam's mind, sure that he would spark up another argument, but the heated stare Astra gave him had the middle-aged man sigh and get up to his feet without even a syllable uttered.

Him disappearing into the same backroom, Astra turned her attention back to Adam. Making sure he was eating before she sat down, she settled down beside him, quiet while he took the first bite of the pork.

That first bite made his hunger even worse. He didn't even realise it was that bad beforehand, unable to stop himself as he ravaged through the rest of the meal.

From beside him, he listened as Astra asked. "So, did you come from around here?"

A shake of his head. "Well, you must be from somewhere in Vale, then?"

"No."

"Mistral? Vacuo?" Another few shakes of his head. "Atlas?"

The last question had him pause. Even though he didn't say a word, she could tell from the troubled expression on his face that she hit close to home.

Brushing a stray curl from in front of her eyes, she quickly apologised. "Sorry. I was too nosy."

"Leave the boy alone, darlin'." Phoibos piped up, appearing from behind her with a glass of water in hand. "A man's entitled to his past."

Nodding solemnly, she got back to her feet and explained with a saddened smile. "We don't have any spare pillows left, but a couple of the couch cushions should do the job."

Adam nodded in response. He didn't look at her, rather focusing on the half-finished plate as Astra turned to her husband. "I'll be upstairs. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't." He promised, smiling when she kissed him on the cheek and headed back upstairs.

Listening to the light footsteps of the retiring woman, Adam kept quiet as Phoibos sat back down into his chair with a sigh. "Sorry about that. Astra has a habit of letting her mouth runoff from her."

"It's fine." The reply was too sharp.

Truth be told, the questioning left Adam annoyed and frustrated, unwilling to acknowledge the memories that were flooding back from the inane probing.

Any hunger that he felt before had disappeared. With one last look at the food, he simply placed it on the coffee table, ready to retire for the night when, with the sound of the upstairs door closing, Phoibos spoke up in a serious tone. "Now it's just us boys, I gotta be straight with you."

"What?" Adam snapped.

"I've been around the place a few times. Met a lotta people, and I want you to know this, Mao." He leaned against the arm of his chair, smoke curling upwards from the end of his lit cigar. "I met a lot of liars. Became a pretty good one myself. Out there, trust is one of the only things you got. You gotta question someone's honesty all the time, and if they get to questioning yours… you'll be in a lot of trouble."

He knew. Eyes darting around, Adam glanced away as he tried to lie again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't."

"Look, what'd you want me to say?"

"Let's start with your real name." He grunted, inhaling a great plume of smoke from the other side of his mouth. "I damn well know Mao ain't your name, and you look me in the eyes when you answer."

Blue met blue. His gut twisting with the sharp look in those eyes, Adam knew better than to continue trying to lie. "Adam."

There was a brief moment where Phoibos said nothing. Staring deep into Adam's eyes, he looked over every bit of his face, deep in thought while Adam kept his cool. Even with the nervous feeling swirling in his stomach, he didn't let any of it show, frowning deeply when the former Huntsman sighed. "I believe you."

He should've been relieved, but just after the confession, Phoibos continued the questioning. "So, where you from?"

"You don't need to know."

"When Knossos has been dealing with the White Fang these past weeks, I do." The mention of the White Fang had Adam bristling. "I ain't stupid. You seem like a good kid, but I gotta do what I need to do to protect my home."

"I'm not with the White Fang."

"A boy your age running around with a weapon, hiding away like some stray, and feels like he has to lie about his name? You're running from something alright."

His decisions came back with a vengeance. The guilt was crushing, leaving Adam unable to stop thinking about all his mistakes, and with the guilt came the anger. "I'm not running."

"So what are you doing?" Phoibos prodded. "Even if you aren't with the White Fang, something's telling me that you were."

"It's none of your business. My past is my own, remember? Or does that not apply to you?" Adam shot back, narrowing his eyes at the older man.

Give him his due, Phoibos didn't blow up as Adam expected. Rather, he was firm and patient, answering to his hostile jabs with calm retorts. "Fine. Just answer me this."

Fully taking his cigar out of his mouth, he held it between two of his fingers and asked.

"Do you know anything about a train yesterday morning?"

Adam's face fell at that.

He didn't mean to be so open, quickly pushing the horror and guilt away as he stared off into the distance, fixating on his plate on the coffee table. Silence filled the space between them. So many thoughts went through his head, so many scenarios that could happen regardless of what he said. He had already been caught out in a lie once. Who was to say that Phoibos would catch him again?

But to admit what he had done, he couldn't. Not just because of what it cost him, but the weight of the lives he thought were necessary to take sat heavily on his shoulders. His revenge was not what he was expecting it to be.

Unable to meet his gaze, Adam decided on what to say. "I saw what happened."

"Did the White Fang do it?"

"...Yes. But it wasn't supposed to happen." It wasn't a complete lie, yet it still weighed heavily on Adam's tongue.

"So, you were there." A deep sigh when Adam nodded in response. "Gods. So, what? You still running with them?"

"No, I was telling the truth when I said I'm not with them anymore." He pressed, looking up at Phoibos as he took another puff of the cigar. "It wasn't just some petty vandalism. There were so many crates of agitated Dust, it's their fault the thing exploded. Not like any Faunus were hurt because of it-"

"Boy, that train heist has left the entire town defenceless!"

The sharp snap had Adam flinching involuntarily. Stunned, he sat there as Phoibos continued. "You think that 'cause it helped you, that it helped all the Faunus? There are so many Faunus here that the White Fang has actively fucked over because they decided to become full-on terrorists!"

"We were just striking back at the SDC."

"Look around you." Gesturing to the window, Phoibos scolded Adam firmly. "Do you see any SDC members suffering? Do you see Jacques Schnee boarding up his windows because he doesn't have the ammo needed to defend his family? Or how about his guards having to be let go because Atlas can't afford all the bullets and Dust needed?"

"...No."

"No. You don't, and do you know why?" He asked. "Because the White Fang no longer cares about equality. They wanted equality before by peaceful means and that didn't work, now they've gone to the complete end of the scale and are killing the people who hate us."

"Then maybe that's the way it has to be."

"I know you don't believe that."

Adam's eyes narrowed at that. Rage boiled his blood and, with his teeth bare, he snapped back harshly. "You don't know what I want! None of you does! How can you look at me and see a good person anymore?"

Keeping his gaze on him, Phoibos answered with no hesitation. "'Cause you left that life behind."

"That doesn't mean I suddenly think violence doesn't get what we deserve. I just think blowing up the train might not have been the best way." His voice softened on that last sentence. "I left the White Fang 'cause I had to."

"Listen to me." Phoibos started, waiting for Adam to look at him before continuing. "You want my advice? Getting away from the White Fang doesn't mean that their methods won't stick with you. It'll take a long time to find yourself, and it'll be hard… harder than anything you've ever done, but I think you have the strength to do so."

"You'd be the first one."

"I think I know the perfect place for you to try and atone for what you have done." That caught Adam's attention. "You're a pretty good fighter, or you at least have the potential to be one. Beacon Academy is the best place for you to start."

"The Academy? You want me to become a Huntsman?"

"It's a start to find a place for yourself in the world."

Adam scoffed at that. "I don't know if I'm morally righteous enough to be such a shining example of society."

"Heh. Well, you wouldn't be the first person to join with a dark past." Phoibos confessed. "I've known a lot of Adams in the world. Some managed to change themselves around for the better, others didn't. I can't tell you to go to Beacon and I can't tell you to change your ways…"

With a pause, he placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, and with a smile, he encouraged the teenage boy. "But I can at least allow you to do so."

Having someone openly put their faith in him shocked Adam. Hardly anyone in his life had done so, and sitting there, knowing that there was a practical stranger in front of him that wanted him to achieve, it pushed him to believe it himself. Maybe he wasn't beyond hope.

Nodding faintly, he looked away with a sigh. "Okay. I'll do it."

That pleased Phoibos greatly. Patting Adam on the back like a congratulatory father, he replied. "Good. Now, if you're gonna go to the capital, there's something you're gonna have to do."

Confused, Adam watched as Phoibos got up to his feet with a pained grunt. Wandering sorely over to something wedged right in the corner of the room, his back blocked out what he was fiddling with, mumbling to himself while all Adam could do was sit there and watch.

Finally, he got back to his feet with a relieved mutter. "Ah, knew we had some to spare."

Turning back to Adam, the thing in his hand was the first thing the teenager focused on. A thick, white bandage hanging from his loose grip.

"I ain't gonna ask how you got that scar. Frankly, it's none of my business." He started, handing it over to Adam with a word of warning. "But city folk are particularly nosy. If you wanna go around without everyone knowing all your dirty laundry, you can use this to cover it up."

Slowly, Adam took the bandage. With it in his hands, he just stared at it, saying nothing as Phoibos added. "I don't know what you'd wanna do. All I know is that if it were me, I'd wanna keep my past my own. But you do whatever you want."

There was no question in his mind what Adam wanted. The one day he was unable to wear his mask, having his brand on the show to all around him, filled him with a kind of a shame that was impossible to describe.

So, he wrapped the bandage around his damaged eye. The blurred vision and grey shapes he could make out before was just darkness. Still, it was no great loss.

Tying it tightly behind his head, he looked up at Phoibos as he grabbed the boy's chin, looking over the bandage with a hum. "You can still see some scarring, but overall it covers pretty much everything."

"That's good enough, then." He grumbled, pulling his face out of the man's grip.

Phoibos let him go. Standing right by the arm of the couch, he took the cigar out of his mouth and put it out in an ashtray on the coffee table. Adam sat there quietly as he grabbed the plate of half-eaten food, expecting him to take it away until he piped up. "You finished with this?"

Staring at the food, the hunger that vanished came back with a vengeance. Painful ripping in his stomach had Adam clutching at it tightly. Silently, he shook his head in response, never taking his eyes off the meal. With a grunt, Phoibos put the plate back down. "I'll leave it here, then."

With that, he put the plate back down, backing off as Adam moved to dig in some more. "Well, I'll leave you to get some rest. There's a train that'll take you to Beacon, but you'll wanna grab an early one if you wanna get there before night time."

"I don't exactly have money for a ticket." Adam pointed out.

"Don't worry about that." Phoibos brushed off, moving to go back upstairs to his room.

Before he could disappear, Adam stopped mid-bite and called out. "Hey…"

Seeing Phoibos pause and look at him from behind the bannister, he continued. "I gotta ask. Why are you doing so much to help me?"

He stopped. Arms leaning against the top of the bannister rail, he thought deeply for his answer. With the silence between them building, Adam was tempted to just tell Phoibos to forget it, but before he could even speak, the homeowner answered. "I guess I wanted to help someone who needed it again. Maybe one day, you'll pay forward the kindness that was shown to you."

And with that, he vanished upstairs.

Left alone, he turned his attention back to the plate sitting on his lap. Finishing up what little was left, he left the plate on the coffee table and got ready to settle down for the night.

The couch was certainly not the most comfortable thing Adam had slept on. Still, after years of sleeping rough in all kinds of weather, he was glad to have a makeshift bed and a roof over his head. Even if it was just for one night. With the blankets pulled over his shivering body, he tucked it under his chin, staring at the drape covered windows.

Sleep was impossible at that moment. Even though he was certain he had gotten away from Iya and Banesaw, there was a fear deep in the back of his mind that they were coles behind. He could keep running, but sooner or later, he'd be caught in their trap.

That gripping anxiety kept him up for most of the night. Every so often he slipped off into sleep, but every knock and bang had him jolting awake, hand grabbing his sword propped up against the couch. Heart beating wildly in his chest, he sat back down and tried to get back to sleep. Constantly he would do this, and as time moved on, he settled on staring at the ceiling instead.

Occasionally he could hear Phoibos snoring from the room above. How did Astra sleep with such a racket?

Soon, light shone through the crack between the window curtains. The day had finally come and exhausted from the lack of sleep, Adam gathered his stuff together for his journey to Beacon. It wasn't long before he was joined by Astra and Phoibos.

It was almost funny seeing this couple prepping a teenage boy they found hiding behind their trash cans. Guiding him through the town towards the train station, he kept close to them, glancing around his surroundings suspiciously. Iya wouldn't risk being caught in daylight. Banesaw wouldn't let her get caught in daylight.

But that didn't help his paranoia. Not only was he terrified of being caught, the thought of finding Blake never left.

"Can I ask you guys something?" He piped up, waiting until the couple were looking at him before asking. "Yesterday… did either of you two happen to see a girl around here? Black hair, cat ears, was wearing a black and white shirt?"

"A girl? Hmm." Astra thought for a moment.

Adam waited with bated breath for her answer. "No, hon'. I didn't see anyone like that when I was out."

"Why'd you ask? You lost someone?" Phoibos questioned.

Walking behind them, Adam looked down at the floor, kicking a stone along while he mumbled. "You could say that."

"Well, fate always has a funny way of working." Astra comforted. "You'll cross paths with her again. It'll just take as much time as it needs."

He didn't say anything about that. Falling silent, he didn't utter another word until they reached the train station.

It certainly wasn't as grand as the stations he saw in the main kingdoms. Streets lights running up to the main building, its wood and stone walls protected the train commuters from all kinds of weather. When they went inside, the giant glass skylights let in plenty of natural light that brightened up the whole station.

Pausing in the main hub of it, Adam turned back to Astra and Phoibos, about to speak when a wrapped box was shoved in his face.

Taking it from her, he stared down at the object with a stunned expression. It wasn't fancy or anything. Rather a small box wrapped tightly with a pale white ribbon, though the warmth radiating from it was certainly different from any usual parting gift.

"There's a hot meal for your dinner tonight," Astra explained, holding her hands in front of her. "It'll be a long train ride, so make sure to drink plenty of water. Beacon Academy should be taking in applicants for the upcoming school year, so if you just head to the school when you get to the city, someone there will help you through applying."

"Thank you." He replied gratefully.

"Oh, and one last thing." Digging into her coat pocket, she rummaged through while Adam stood there.

Sharing a confused look with Phoibos, the latter just shrugged with a smirk on his face, amused by his wife's antics as she piped up. "Here it is!"

Something was shoved into his hand. Surprised, Adam looked down to see the money.

"Wait, this is too much." He tried to politely reject, handing the money back. "I can't take your money too."

Despite his efforts, Astra pushed his hand back, curling his fingers around the money. "Oh, don't worry about it. It'll be enough for a one-way ticket to the capital."

"I… thank you." There was genuine gratitude in his voice.

With the money in hand, Adam left the couple to go and board the train rolling into the station. Luckily, he reached it in time, sitting down by the window as he peered through it. Amongst the few that weren't boarding the express to Beacon's capital, he could see Astra and Phoibos standing on the waiting platform.

As the train started pulling out, he could see them waving him off. With a small wave back, he watched as the scenery started to move, pulling out of the station and out of Knossos. He didn't know if he would see them again, but he was grateful for all the help they gave him. It wasn't something he would forget the Faunus couple for.

It was a long voyage. Countless miles of countryside passing by, Adam kept to himself in the corner of the carriage. All around him, he couldn't see any other Faunus sitting there, and the distrust he felt building up inside him worsened the closer he got to the capital. A place full of humans was never a place he would willingly go before.

Yet now he felt like it was one of the only places he could. Thousands and thousands of anonymous faces to blend into, he could disappear in the sea of people and not be found by the White Fang. Not only is there safety for him there, the large crowds and countless places to hide meant that Blake could have gone there too. She knew how to disappear if she wanted. If there was anywhere Adam had a chance of finding her, it had to be the City of Beacon.

So, tucked away in his seat, he waited the long hours as he inched closer and closer to his destination.

Over time, the sun travelled slowly across the skies. By the time afternoon had arrived, the tannoy speaker sparked to life.

"Attention, passengers." A male voice announced. "We will be soon approaching the City of Beacon. All passengers must stay in their seats until the train has come to a complete stop."

Murmurs could be heard amongst the passengers after the announcement ended. Silently, Adam peered out of his window, noticing something in the distance.

Whatever it was, they were approaching it fast.

Soon enough, he could see giant walls. Towering structures that no beast could hope to scale, there were small tunnels scattered across it, pitch blackness all that could be seen as trains passed through into the city. Tracks propped up above the ground, any lowly Grimm had no chance in attacking the trains if they could even get close enough.

Passing through one of those tunnels, darkness was all that could be seen from outside his window. With his reflection staring back, Adam gently fiddled with the bandage wrapped tightly around his eye, recalling the conversation with Phoibos last night.

His thoughts were interrupted when a bright light shone through the window suddenly. Temporarily blinded, he squinted as he peered outside, stunned at the sights just outside the train.

So many buildings. Sprawling as far as the eye could see, he couldn't shake the surprise at seeing so many people in one place, watching the small figures walking about the streets of the city. Stores, homes, offices, he could see it all from the elevated train tracks he was riding along.

And in the distance, he could see the heart of the city. Beacon Academy.

The school is on the cliffside. So detached from the rest of the city, he could only make out the silhouette of the highest tower, the monument that all people talk about when they mention the Academy. Professor Ozpin's office laid right at the top.

So that was where he had to go. Despite his desire to start searching for Blake immediately, he had to remind himself of what Astra told him to do. As soon as he did that, he could start his search.

He would find Blake again. He made sure of that.