Adam woke early; he had always been an early riser. He had showered and dressed before most of the other students were even awake, and was able to enjoy breakfast in relative silence. The staff, of course, had been awake even before he had risen to meet the day. They all gave him polite greetings, which he returned. They picked up on his desire for solitude and left it at that. He was sure it was a common occurrence on initiation day, which he was grateful for.

Adam had finished putting his tray and plates away as students were starting to filter in for their own meals. He heard bits of conversation here and there. Most of them were concerned with initiation and teams. He had no real plan of his own, even knowing what to expect. There were a few students he hadn't wanted to be paired with, but he was confident of his ability to avoid them. He left the cafeteria behind and walked toward the cliffs at a leisurely pace.

When he arrived, he found that no one else had come ahead of him, not even staff. He stood staring down into the forest, certain that Grimm could be found within. They had never bothered him; as a child he'd been insulated from the monsters by the city. By the time he had joined the White Fang, his training had already begun over a year prior to having to deal with any Grimm. He had been fighting them when it was necessary before he'd even reached his teen years.

The view was nice, but did nothing to prepare him. He took advantage of the lack of people to limber up and practice strikes while he waited. He applied a little less force than he would in actual combat. He didn't want to tire himself before the initiation had begun. He also refrained from using Blush to launch Wilt. He had a small supply of Dust shells, but needed to conserve them as much as possible. Students had access to many things at Beacon, but they were still responsible for acquiring their own munitions. Adam would likely have to find odd jobs to pay for things as the school year progressed.

Adam had started a series of rapid-draw, strike and re-sheath katas. When he pivoted to do a back slash, Wilt clanged against a cane – Professor Ozpin's cane, in fact. Adam took a shocked step back and sheathed the sword with a snap. How had he not heard the man?

"Professor Ozpin, I'm sorry, sir! I didn't hear you come up." He was genuinely flustered – he shouldn't have been so easy to sneak up on. Professor Ozpin had hooked the cane with his thumb and spread his other fingers in a gesture of calm. He held a mug in his other hand, and looked over his glasses with a mischievous grin.

"No harm done, Mister Taurus. I am a Huntsman, after all. What good would I be if I couldn't be stealthy?" Ah, was he a bit of a prankster? Adam wasn't sure whether to be impressed or afraid. No one else had arrived with him, at least. "That's excellent form, young man. You don't see many Single-Stroke practitioners these days." That was true enough. Blake's fighting style wasn't something he had been able to pick up. "Who did you learn it from?"

"Thank you, Headmaster. I had the honor to learn from Beryl Skrin." Ozpin's eyes narrowed at that revelation. For a moment, Adam worried that he'd given away too much. There were very few masters of the style, though, and he couldn't exactly lie about it. Ozpin gave him an unreadable look, as if choosing his next words carefully.

"I see. I wasn't aware that the old fox had taken any new students under her wing for quite some time." That had been true enough. Master Skrin had very few students, and she had been reluctant to take Adam on as one of her pupils. Blake commanded immense respect from the woman, however, and she had relented at Blake's insistence. "Were I you, young man, I would be careful with whom I shared that detail." He cocked his head sideways and took a casual sip from his mug. If he thought Adam was being dishonest, he said nothing. His expression, however, said volumes otherwise. 'You aren't fooling me, Mister Taurus.' He could practically hear the headmaster say it.

Adam gave a relieved sigh and nodded. It was a mistake he would not repeat. If the man wasn't determined to drag the truth out of him, then so much the better. Students began arriving along with Professor Goodwitch in a steady stream. Professor Ozpin gave him a nod and gestured to one of the launch pads with his mug. Adam took his cue and went to stand on the farthest pad to the left.

Once all the stragglers reached the cliffs and took their places, professor Ozpin spoke in brief.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Professor Goodwitch picked up where he left off.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Someone far down the line moaned quietly.

"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. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" Adam heard someone cry. He couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Ruby. He couldn't keep the wicked grin from his face. The poor thing, she didn't sound pleased at all.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way." That wasn't really a surprise to Adam. It wouldn't be a very good test of their skills if all they had to do was stroll through the woods. "Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." There were a few eager chuckles and one or two nervous gulps at this. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." Adam knew this was not actually true. Tukson had said that there were occasional injuries from these events, but there hadn't been a single death since the school's founding. Students that had to be rescued by staff were quietly shipped back home.

"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. Are there any questions?" Someone spoke up, but he cut them off. "Good! Now, take your positions!" Adam barely had time to crouch down and gather his aura before the pad launched him high into the air. The wind screamed by, causing his jacket and pant-legs to flutter and whip around. He had never fallen from quite this great a height, but as the trees raced by far below, he couldn't help feeling exhilarated. He reached the apex of his launch and began rushing down toward the canopy.

Adam spread out arms and legs to maximize his air resistance, but knew that it wouldn't be nearly sufficient enough to slow him down. Sure, he could hit the ground at full speed, but that would tax his aura and leave him very little for the rest of the mission. He started gauging where his descent would take him and found what he was looking for. The Emerald Forest was a mix of deciduous and conifer trees. There was a pine tree to the right of his trajectory, so he folded his arms and legs together, twisting to angle himself toward it head-first.

As it got closer, he stretched out his arms and pushed aura into them. He braced himself for impact; it wouldn't be fun, but it would get him to the ground a lot easier than the hero dirt slam that some preferred. His hand slapped into the tree several feet from the tip, sending a shock of impact up to both shoulders, but his fingers clamped around the bough. He spun around as it sagged, and when the tension was near to breaking he let it slide through his gloves.

The momentum carried Adam forward to an oak branch, where he planted his feet. His weight bore down on the branch, and it gave an ominous crack when it dipped, so he leapt to another nearby branch. He flipped and spun so it hooked him behind the knees, and twirled around it one full turn. He went weightless for a moment, and reached down to grab it. The ground was still a good thirty feet down, so he kicked out with his legs and hopped down from branch to branch until he was close enough to touch down.

He stood up and assessed his surroundings, and made sure that his weapon was secured to his back. He grimaced at the sticky sap staining his gloves, and knelt to scrub them in the dirt and grass at his feet. After he was satisfied that his hands wouldn't stick to everything he touched, he got his bearings and began moving north. He heard gunfire directly overhead as he crept through the foliage, and the blasts were accompanied by crazed feminine laughter as a gold blur sailed through the sky. That would be Yang. Given his other options, she probably wasn't even close to the worst, so he set out in her general direction. He could always watch her for a little while – if she turned out to be a bad choice, he could avoid her and find someone else.

She wasn't making a good show of herself, calling out and shouting, no doubt looking for someone to pair up with – her sister, from the sound of it. He scratched at his nose while he followed her voice. He found her after several minutes, and ghosted through the trees on a parallel course. She stopped to investigate a rustle in the brush.

"Is someone there?" she asked. It hadn't been him. Blake would die of embarrassment if his woods craft skill had been so terrible. Yang pushed into the underbrush, following the noise. "Ruby, is that you?" There was a pause as she pushed back bushes. "Nnnnnope!" She rolled left as an Ursa growled and charged toward her. Adam stood back in the shadow of a large tree to watch how she handled herself. Yang came back up, and her bracelets transformed into shot-gauntlets. She back-flipped to avoid a second Ursa that came barreling in just before the first one lunged at her. She drew back her right arm and landed a solid explosive punch that sent the beast flying back several feet. It's partner made a similar move and she met it with an exploding uppercut, followed by a combination elbow-kick. Her style was interesting to watch – she used the rounds for added momentum.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?" Why was she talking to them? Was she not taking this seriously? The Ursa to her right reared up and roared, then took a wild swing at her. "You could just say no!" Adam couldn't believe it – here was a life-threatening situation, and she was bantering with the monsters. She dodged the first swipe and flipped back from the second and came up laughing. "Geez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a bahh." He watched as a single lock of her hair floated down to the ground. Uh oh. Never touch the hair. He might not know how to deal with girls most of the time, but even he knew that one.

"You… You MONSTERS!" Her eyes had changed to an angry red. She raised her arms and flung them down, literally exploding into action as she flew at the offending Grimm. She pummeled it with several bone crunching strikes, firing her gauntlets with each hit. The ferocity of it took Adam by surprise, and he moved to circle out of her path. The barrage of strikes sent the Ursa crashing through several trees. Yang wasn't through, and spun around to face the other creature. "What, you want some too?!" Adam had come up behind it, and struck hard enough to sever the spine when it stood on hind legs. The Ursa took a moment to fall, revealing him to Yang. She panted in disappointment as he sheathed his blade. He gave her a small grin. Oh yes, she would make a fine partner.

"I could have taken him." He was sure of that. Her eyes had changed back to their usual lilac color.

"And steal all the fun? I don't think so, Yang."

"Yeah, I guess that's fair. We could make a contest of it!" He couldn't help but like her. She might have been overly cheerful last night, but right now she was really enjoying herself.

"Suits me. What's up with chit-chatting the critters, though?" She shrugged.

"I dunno - it just seems like the thing to do. Don't you?"

"No, I'm pretty sure you're just a weirdo," he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Come on, partner, let's head out." He waved and turned to find a path, then realized the direction they needed to move was the other way. He spun back around, but it was too late.

"I might be weird, but at least I have a better sense of direction." Her face was smug, but her eyes shone with merriment as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. He slapped a hand over his heart in mock injury, but then held it out for her to lead the way. Something told him this was going to be a thing with them. It wasn't at all what he'd expected in a partner – certainly nothing like being teamed up with Blake – but he could have done worse. It was kind of fun. He moved up to walk beside her.

"So where are ya' from?" she asked. He might as well get it over with, but he didn't stretch the truth quite as much.

"Kind of all over, but I spent most of my time growing up in Vacuo." She looked at him sideways, taking in his outfit.

"You sure don't dress like you're from there." He shrugged.

"It's cooler in Vale. You?" Maybe if he asked her enough questions, she wouldn't ask him as many. He had no trouble concealing who he was, but he felt a little bad lying to Yang. He wasn't sure why, though.

"I grew up on Patch – an island just off the coast. You got any family back home?" So much for not getting the third degree. He shook his head.

"None. I'm an orphan, and I moved around a lot."

"Oh. Sorry. I kinda know what that's like. It's not nice, orphan." He stopped in his tracks. She did too, and the look on her face was… Was she making an orphan joke? Her jaw hung open, and her eyebrows were up. He wheezed and shook his head.

"That's terrible, Yang."

"I know; it's like the fight we just had back there. Un-bear-able." He squeezed his eyes shut and waved a hand, as if to ward off more terrible puns.

"Oh my god, please stop." She wasn't going to stop, he could tell.

"I can't help it. Usually it happens when breakfast is so-waffle." He groaned and started walking again.

"Maybe they'll let us trade partners when we get back. That's assuming your puns don't kill us first." Yang mock gasped and slapped open palms against her cheeks.

"You wouldn't dare! You can't trade me in – I'm too adorable!" He curled up the corner of his mouth and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?" she quipped.

"Ask me tomorrow. I think we're here." The trees gave way to a clearing with ruins in the middle. Columns of stone partially surrounded a small, open-air amphitheater. A few of the pillars and capstones had fallen at some point, while others remained upright. As they neared the circle, Adam noticed shorter pedestals were spread near the edges. Some held small objects, while others held nothing. "Chess pieces?" Adam remarked.

"Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." Adam lifted an eyebrow. These were the 'relics'? As tests go, this was a fairly simple one. He hadn't known what to expect, but this seemed almost whimsical. He was surprised that others had gotten there before them.

"I suppose we should pick one." He looked around at the different pieces, trying to decide when Yang reached out to grab a knight.

"Hmm. How about a cute little pony?" She held it up. Adam smirked at her flippant attitude.

"Sure, why not?" They moved to join one another in the center.

"That wasn't so hard," Yang said. "I figured there would be more to it." So had he.

"I guess not. It's not like this was hard to find." They were interrupted by a distant, high pitched scream.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang shouted, spinning around. Something in the sky had caught his eye – a Nevermore was winging its way toward them. Something fell away from it, and he thought it might be a person. Who on earth would be stupid enough to hitch a ride on a Nevermore? "Adam, did you hear that? What should we do?" The idiot in question resolved into a screaming Ruby Rose, and he pointed up at her.

A/N - I needed to take Twelve Swords back to the drawing board for a bit; I didn't think some things through. Additional plotting was required. Hopefully I'll return to it soon. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed this little story. I know I had fun writing it. Thanks for reading, and be sure to let me know what you think with a review!