M-11: The Next Step

"So, can you at least tell us where Adam's going next, before you start the next episode?" Ruby asked, watching as Abe entered the projector's booth.

"Well, alright. His next destination is Argus," Abe conceded. "But that's not in this episode. He's got some other things to take care of, first."

"Like what?" Ruby continued, as the lights began to dim.

"I think we're about to find out," Weiss told her.

The episode began with Adam sitting on another hospital cot, as Pietro Polendina took notes next to him. The Atlasian scientist took a stethoscope, and placed it up against the bull Faunus's bruised chest, listening through it.

"Heart rate: normal," Pietro commented, writing on a clipboard. He chuckled merrily. "Well, I'm pleased to announce your body has suffered no critical damage during your first test run of the pain-inhibiting suit. Now don't worry about the bruises, your Aura should cause those to fade in an hour or two."

"Thanks, Doc," Adam smiled, as he stood up, preparing to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing," the scientist added, placing something in Adam's hand. "I've upgraded your intercom. If you get into a pinch in combat, press the second button. Depending on which finger you use, the effect will be different." He winked at the bull Faunus. "Consider it a thank you gift for those combat logs you brought to me."

"Pleasure's all mine," Adam nodded. "See you around, Pietro."

"It is beyond weird seeing Adam get along with humans," Blake murmured. "Usually, the only humans Adam's come into contact with are either dead, or about to be."

"To be fair, though, most of the human's we've seen Adam in contact with are trying to kill him," Yang pointed out.

Adam exited Pietro's checkup room, where Ilia stood waiting for him. The chameleon Faunus was on her Scroll, speaking to someone, so she simply waved at him, then continued her conversation.

"Uh-huh... Sure! That sounds perfect! ... Yep... Okay, love you too! Bye~" she pocketed her phone, a small smile on her face.

"Who was that?" the bull Faunus asked, his mouth parted into a knowing grin.

"My fiancé," Ilia giggled. "Our wedding is in a few months, and she's been running every single little detail by me, just to make sure it's okay."

"Heh." Adam tilted his head. "I should probably call my own wife up soon, let her know I'm okay."

"You know, after all that violence, it's really nice to watch some wholesome conversations between friends," Sun grinned.

"Tell me about it," Velvet sighed in relief. "I needed a break from all the blood and guts flying all over the place."

"Seriously! Who is little Amitola marrying?!" Kali demanded, her eyes sparkling with curious glee.

"Hmm. I'll sure Cinder would appreciate that," Ilia agreed. "But, at the moment, Clover wants you in the hangar. Says he's got a surprise for you."

"Nice. I can only imagine what that is," Adam scoffed, following the chameleon Faunus down the hallway.

The scene changed to show a fully dressed Adam and Ilia making their way into an airship hangar. Rows of Bullheads filled the bulk of the large chamber, many of which were currently being repaired by Faunus mechanics. Standing near the entrance, waiting for the Faunus, was Clover Ebi.

"Well, Mr. Taurus, against my better judgement, I allowed Dr. Polendina to go through with that little science experiment you suggested to him," the Atlasian Specialist sighed. "Since this was your idea, though, the outcome is now your responsibility. Meet your new partner." Clover brought a pair of fingers to his mouth, and whistled sharply, causing a surrounding Faunus to cringe, her mouse ears flattening against her head. There was a moment's pause. Then, stepping out from behind a Bullhead came a familiar figure, its glowing red eyes flashing in recognition as it regarded the bull Faunus.

"We meet again, swordsman," a mechanized Beowulf greeted Adam, sitting down on its hind legs to study him more closely.

"What is that... creature?" Willow asked, her eyes wide as she gazed upon the robotic Grimm in shock.

"Hey, it's that guy!" Nora grinned. "I forgot his name, but he and Adam fought each other in an earlier episode, and it was AWESOME!"

"If my memory is accurate, I believe the identity of that entity was IF prototype LQ-84i," Penny recalled.

"You're looking good for a corpse," Adam smirked. "What was your name, again?"

"My previous identity was terminated along with my first body," the Beowolf stated. "I have been reprogrammed to assist you in eliminating the Atlas Titans. You may refer to me as Blade Wolf."

"Catchy," the bull Faunus hummed. "So, you'll be coming with me?"

"Affirmative. My memory banks contain the layout of all Atlas Titan headquarters I have previously been stationed at. I am adamant that will prove to be a most valuable asset for you."

"Your hunch is correct," Adam nodded. He looked at Clover. "Speaking of which, where am I heading next, anyway?"

"Argus," the Specialist stated simply. "We've received intel about sightings of Grimm in the city's sewers. The Atlas Titans have a military base stationed there, and have been all too quick to dismiss these claims as paranoia."

"Given their utilization of Grimm as weaponry, I think it's fair to assume their assurance is a load of shit," Ilia grumbled.

"Well, she's not wrong," Qrow grunted, reaching for his flask.

"Indeed," Ironwood nodded. "It disgusts me that my onscreen counterpart allowed the Atlas Titans to even come into existence in the first place."

"There is one problem, however," Clover held up a hand. "Argus is a human-only settlement. If we send you in there, you'll stick out like a sore thumb. And after the incident in Kuchinashi, the Atlas Titans are only too eager to get their hands on the man who made their organization the laughing stock of Mistral."

"Assholes shouldn't even still be an active company, seeing how most of their clients seem to be terrorists," Adam pointed out.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe the loopholes lawyers can find," the Specialist shook his head. "But the fact still remains: as a Faunus in Argus, you will attract too much unwanted attention." Clover put a hand on the back of his head, his mouth tightening up as he considered his next words carefully. "Would it be at all possible for you, for you to perhaps... file down... your-"

"Out of the question," the bull Faunus stated flatly. "Would you be willing to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand just to sell a disguise?" When the Specialist didn't respond, Adam nodded. "Exactly. Asking me to remove my animal trait is asking me to give up my identity. And I've come too far to throw my heritage away."

After a couple seconds of silence, Blake reached up above her head, and began to remove her bow.

"Blake?" Pyrrha asked.

"Adam's right," the Faunus conceded. She finished untying her bow, removing it from her head, exposing her feline ears to the audience. "I don't agree with the White Fang's methods, and maybe I won't see peace between humans and Faunus in my lifetime. But I should still be proud of my heritage."

"That's my girl," Ghira smiled, cradling his wife's head against his shoulder.

"Awwww!" the rest of the audience cooed, some because of Blake's bravery, and the rest because of how cute her little ears were.

"B-Blake..." Adam whispered, before softly smiling. "Thank you."

"So what are you going to do, then?" Clover asked. "You've got to disguise yourself, somehow." Adam smirked.

"I know a guy."

The scene changed to show a large bed with a royal purple comforter in the middle of a elegant bedroom, complete with crimson colored curtains and a roaring fireplace on the other side of the room. Laying in the middle of the bed was a petite woman with pink and brown hair, with heterochromatic eyes, one pink, and one brown.

"Hey! That's the girl that helped Torchwick escape from us last week!" Ruby pointed, her cheeks puffed into a pout.

"Oh yeah, I remember her!" Yang nodded. "What was her name, again?"

"Neapolitan," Winter stated. "A career criminal and assassin, as well as an associate of one Roman Torchwick, like you said."

Neo's eyes lit up as a door opened, and a second figure entered the room. This one was a man, looking to be in his mid-twenties, who was undressed except for a pair of silk pajama pants. He had a pair of emerald eyes, and black hair with orange highlights. He smirked as he looked at Neo, holding a bottle of champagne in one hand. As he stood before her, a feline tail, orange with a white tip, flicked excitedly behind him.

"Another Faunus!" Sun grinned. "Totally dig the tail, by the way."

"I feel like I've seen this man before," Whitley commented. "Which is strange, because I know I haven't. Still, he looks like a famous actor, or musician. Someone along those kinds of careers."

Neo looked at the bottle of champagne, raised an eyebrow at the cat Faunus, who chuckled in response.

"I know, I forgot the glasses," he sighed. "But weren't we just going to share the bottle anyway?" The petite woman pursed her lips, causing him to raise his other hand to scratch the back of his head. "Unsanitary, you say? Well, some might say that." He winked at her. "I prefer to call it indirect kissing~" Neo put a finger to her mouth, a large smile spreading across her face as she considered it. Then, with the same finger, she beckoned to the cat Faunus seductively. "I thought you'd see things my way," he purred, beginning to head towards the bed. At that moment, however, a loud chime echoed throughout the room, causing both Neo and her lover to visibly deflate. "That'd be the door," the cat Faunus groaned. "Who could even be up at this hour?"

"Oof!" Mercury winced. "Adam just completely cockblocked that dude!"

"I know that feeling," Tai grumbled. "You have no idea how many times Yang or Ruby would start crying in the middle of the night for me or my spouse."

"Is no one else going to comment on how that guy was having an entire conversation with himself?" Emerald asked.

Muttering to himself, the cat Faunus threw on a velvet robe, storming his way through the many rooms of his house before pulling open the front door of his abode.  All the hostility in his face was quickly replaced with surprise, however, as he came face-to-face with a red-haired, blindfolded bull Faunus.

"Adam?"

"We need to talk."

The scene cut to show Adam and the cat Faunus sitting in a parlor, as Neo, dressed in a striped nightgown, brought in a platter of tea.

"This is some serious shit you've gotten yourself into, Adam," the cat Faunus said, shaking his head. He looked up at Neo as she handed him a steaming cup, then nodded at her. "Neo says you'd be better off swimming from Mistral to Menagerie than battling against the Atlas Titans."

"Nobody ever said I lived a simple life, Calico," the bull Faunus grunted.

"Calico, huh?" Qrow tested the name out loud. "Kinda classy, but in a mischievous way. Not bad for a cat Faunus."

"That's an understatement," Calico scoffed. When Adam began to speak again, the cat Faunus held up a hand. "You're heading to Argus, and you need a disguise. Since I live close by, and I'm an actor, you figured I could lend you something. Am I right?" There was a moment's pause.

"...It really bugs me when you read my mind, you know that right?" Adam grunted.

"My Semblance is just another one of my perks," Calico chuckled.

"Mind reading?" Ironwood murmured. "In the right hands, that Semblance would be a valuable tool. In the wrong hands, however..."

"I guess that explains how Calico knew what a Neo was saying," Ms. Goodwitch pointed out.

Neo looked at Calico with a smirk, tilting her head. The cat Faunus looked up at her, his tail flicking in interest. Then he nodded.

"Thanks for the reminder, my dear," he smiled, standing up to give her a peck on the cheek. "Head back to bed, I won't be long." Neo blew a kiss at him as she headed out of the parlor. Calico quickly stood, then picked up his cup of tea, taking a sip. "Neo was kind enough to remind me of a certain costume I was allowed to keep after my latest film came out," he told Adam. "You're more than welcome to borrow it." When the bull Faunus looked at him, unimpressed, his smile grew a bit more sinister. "On what condition, you ask? Simple: I want the movie rights."

"Are you seriously-"

"Implying that when this whole firestorm finds its way into the hands of the media that there will be a huge scandal that culminates in a documentary and several comedic spoofs about the events which transpired released by several famous movie producers that I happen to be in touch with?" Calico finished for him. "Of course I am! And you know as well as I do they'll try to downplay the importance of Faunus in said events." He winked at Adam. "So convince Ironwood that the rights to produce media about such events belong solely to me, and I'll help you out." The bull Faunus thought it over, watching as Calico's tail flicked back and forth. Then he sighed.

"I'll see what I can do." The cat Faunus smiled at his words, before putting down his empty tea cup.

"Let's get you your disguise," he smiled.

The scene cut to show Adam and Calico looking into closet. From the frown stretched across the bull Faunus's face, it was evident he wasn't impressed.

"You do realize the point of a disguise is to avoid unwanted attention, right?" he grunted. The cat Faunus shrugged.

"It's all I've got," he confessed. "But think about it: the Atlas Titans know everything about you. Or at least they THINK they do. Would anybody expect the Adam Taurus to cruise down the streets of Argus in attire such as that?" Adam stopped cold at this suggestion, as he began to turn the idea over heavily in his head. "Jeez Louise, I've never heard such a violent mental argument in my entire life," Calico laughed. "Still, if even YOU can't imagine yourself ever dressed up in such attire, think of just how much less likely the Titans would make the connection that it's you." After a couple more seconds of consideration, the bull Faunus groaned.

"Very well," he seethed. "I'll accept your disguise. But if you ever link this back to me, I will shove your tail down your throat." The cat Faunus laughed as he mockingly bowed to the bull Faunus.

"Happy to be of assistance to you." And with that, the episode ended.

It was Adam himself who eventually broke the silence that had fallen over the audience.

"Okay, should I be worried about what I'm going to be dressed as?" he demanded.

"I wouldn't be," Coco waved a hand. "Judging by his expensive attire, I'd say Calico is a huge fashionista himself. The outfit he supplied you might be flamboyant, but probably nothing scandalous."

"Whatever it is, get your Scrolls out, ladies!" Kali called out. "I have the feeling we'll what we're about to witness should be preserved for the rest of ours lives!" The bull Faunus sank into his seat as Ghira put his hand over his face.

"Kali, please..."