Heya, welcome to Slaves of Hope; a new fanfic of mine. I had to abandon my old account due to external issues. Now, I'd like to say several things first. This is a dystopian AU that came into my mind after a friend questioned an excellent case; What if Vale and Vacuo had never won the Great War? What if Mantle and Mistral had won instead? What'd happen? Will Remnant ever be the same?

To be honest, that quickly gave me a lot of ideas and I think it's a shame to let those ideas go away. So, this is a dystopia AU, just like in the Hunger Games trilogy. I took several inspirations from it, although not everything, so, this ain't a crossover.

While facing some difficulties, I will write the fic as close to the canon as possible, e.g; character deaths, pairings, scenes, and much more. Yes, it's not just a simple AU, it literally is an alternative universe of Remnant.

Even if the rating is T, I'll put a warning here; while I don't write graphical bloody gore and sexual stuff, there's still a little mention and suggestive scenes in this fic. My friends had recommended putting this fic at M rating, but I think I've watered down most of the intense stuff, so T should do. Just to be safe, there'll be warning before each chapter, regarding the individual chapter's content.

Special thanks to TheQuillan and Clementine Davidson for helping me with the ideas and even read the drafts of my writing, also for supporting me when I'm so down even to write a paragraph. You guys are the best.

Beta Reader: Clementine Davidson - Who also gave me this awesome fic title.

Rated T - for the mention of stripper job.

"This world is for the taking. You will never survive if you hesitate. So, accept being the lowest class and make due; beggars can't be choosers, after all."

Intro I:

Rose

1:06 AM.

From inside the white van with an ice cream logo painted on its side, Ruby Rose held total control of this mission. Sitting before several holo-screens, she was the brain and technical hacker for her team. Young, she might be, but with what-so-called-illegal job she and her partners in crime had been doing, she considered herself an adult already. Milk did help her growth. It was not a myth.

Her fingers danced on the keyboard, cracking the decryption code for the vault's security lock. It wasn't a big bank robbery, no, that one would put them in the headline for more than several weeks. Too much risk. Instead, they're targeting the rich people of Vale; those who live in the upper-class district. There were no local banks in this kingdom but one.

Unfortunately, it was said that contained every Lien the poorer residents managed to store after the choking tax. She and her team agreed wholeheartedly not to steal from them. While so, they were no Robin Hood; the tale of a hero who stole from the rich and gives to the poor. They rob for themselves, since well, it's an always easier job. With her intelligence, she learned everything about hacking since she was thirteen. Finding an associate was not a hard job; they were everywhere. What was hard is to get the dependable ones. Fortunately for her; she had connections from her sister.

Her mom wouldn't have approved what they were doing. Alas, she wasn't here.

Sure, this job was and will always be risky, but it was the only way for her to help her half-sister put food on the table. She didn't want to be a burden to her family after their father shut down and got fired from his job. The young girl understood what her sister had been doing to keep them going on in life. Yang Xiao Long; that was her name. And she had a less than respectable job as a nightclub stripper. Flashing every asset she had to the customers and letting them touch more than a polite manner would allow. That's the definition of her job.

Not even counting the times Ruby became suspicious of used test packs that suddenly appeared in their trash bin. She didn't want to know the possibilities, but one thing for sure; she wanted her sister to stop. Sure, Yang's job was daily and provided a constant stream of money compared to hers. It could take weeks before her leader does another robbery. What would they eat during waiting for that? It was always what Yang pointed out whenever she tried to talk to her.

She made a good point, though.

Still, it didn't stop the guilt from gnawing in Ruby's heart, seeing in what condition her sister always came home. Yang, being herself, always good at hiding her pain and suffering. She forced herself to become the family backbone ever since their father was put out of commission in his heartbreak. It was also luck that their uncle, Qrow, helped with financial problems. Nobody knew what he'd been doing; the usually drunken man never talked a lot. He only came by to drop money, asked how the girls were faring, and then gone in the morning. Of course, it helped a bit although, never enough.

Both Ruby and Yang loved him, almost like a second father. Unfortunately, he'd been gone for months without any words.

Admittedly, it all had gone pretty well; a routine in their simple life. While they couldn't afford a house, the family managed to rent a small cheap apartment in the city with their savings. It was something they were grateful of. Most of the poorest people had to struggle for survival near the outskirts of Vale, where it had a high risk of casualties during the Grimm attacks despite Atlesian knights and automatic turrets. Perhaps, it's because the government was too niggard to have an adequate number of defenders on the border. Yet, it taught the outsider people to kill their emotion and self-expression, because only with that they could avoid attracting the Grimm.

Smart choice; saving a lot of Lien and effectively get rid of the poor in an unnoticeable way.

They said it was important to press down your feelings and be like a rock. While the Grimm always preys on mankind, it seemed they prefer those with more negative emotions than stoic ones. Ruby hadn't seen the theory being put into action with her own eyes, but she decided not to tempt them. She couldn't even remember the last time she laughed freely. It seemed like years ago when her silver eyes gleamed in laughter. Nowadays, she could only do as much as a satisfied smile whenever her job got completed without a hitch.

Suddenly, her scroll vibrated.

Ruby shot up on her chair and began fumbling for the source in panic. She rarely got any calls during a mission; it could bring danger to her mission. Her boss didn't need to tell her how a scroll's radio signal could interrupt their jamming system, she already knew it. Not including that it was a distraction for her should she need to give an assistance or warning. However, as the silver-eyed girl successfully handled the scroll, she let out a sigh of relief upon reading the caller's ID.

Yang Xiao Long.

She tried to guess what caused her sister to call at this hour. Then, she winced after realizing her undoing. This must be about it. Inwardly, Ruby cursed her idiocy for not remembering to fill out the note. There was always a rule in their house, whenever someone left the house for long until night or next day, they had to leave a note telling the reason and expected time of returning. That way, everyone else could keep track of what's going on.

Even though she knew it only applies for Yang and her since their father was too disoriented to as much go to the kitchen. Ruby sighed. Nevermind that, she had to make this quick.

"Hi, Yang," she greeted.

"Hey, sis." Yang's voice looked exhausted. Still, she managed to crack a sarcasm, "Going out late again? I only got a blank memo here. Guess what; the ink disappeared magically?"

"Haha... uh, well," the silver-eyed girl chuckled weakly. "I may have-um, forgotten to write it."

The older sister sighed from next line. "Don't you get it? I thought you got caught in a trouble after school! Ruby, I've told you several times; tell me whenever you're doing another job."

"Look, Yang, I really am sorry!" Her breath quickened as a red blink flashed on the console, signaling an interruption of her hacking software by the security measure. She quickly prattled, "Sorry, Yang I won't do that again, but right now, I got emergency-gottagoseeyou!"

Click!

Her sister was not going to be happy about this. She could deal with that later. Right now, she had a job to do and a high-end encryption to decrypt. They must be waiting for the next one already. Time is of the essence; ten seconds late and they could miss an opportunity to escape from the authorities. Ruby knew the consequence of this job, but it paid well, so she didn't see any reason not to play with the risks. Just like Yang, only her sister took it to the next level.

"Red, Red?! Do you copy?!" A male's voice crackled out from her headset.

"Yes, Romeo, I copy!" she squeaked, still from the panic. Realizing it was no way an acceptable reply, she cleared her throat and replied calmer, "Yes, I got you. Is there any problem? I mean, the cameras didn't show any hostiles in your direction."

"Look, Little Red. We're the one out here risking our skins, not you. I'd appreciate if you help more by not throwing our lives away, so stay focus! You hear that?" he hissed.

Ruby grimaced. "Yes, understood, sir! Sorry!"

She could hear him harrumphing in displeasure and annoyance. Fortunately for her, he decided to let this one pass. The lecture could wait later after they finished the robbery. So instead, he spoke, "Look, we'll talk about that later. I wanna know; how much longer will it take? It's two minutes away from the deadline. We gotta get out of here ASAP."

The young girl blinked. Her eyes flitted back to the main screen where it showed her virus' halted progress. It seemed the security had multiple fallbacks and layers. It couldn't be breached with her original variant. To make it work, she had to modify her coding to inject higher level commands. In a shorter way, it needed a special touch. The girl cracked her knuckles, preparing to destroy the digital security. Two minutes; after that, they had to abort it or risk getting caught. Not a problem, she could do faster.

No pressure.

~-x-~

The ginger-haired man huffed after he released the button on his wireless earphone. On his side, a small woman with mismatched eyes watched him in boredom. She let out a silent yawn, ignoring her infuriated partner. Honestly, it was pretty amusing to see him in such a frenzy like this. No matter what could happen, she could and would save them both easily. However, he was worried about losing their important asset, that Ruby girl, to the cops. They could get away, but not her.

While she wouldn't admit it, that girl actually made a better hacker than her. Sure, she could break into simple security lock and made basic viruses that could gather information from their victims, but whenever it was getting harder, Ruby got the calls. Changing user permissions, or retrieving higher access key was beyond her. She suited herself better as her boss' assistant in the field, while their pet could work behind those boring screens filled with colorful lines of code.

Oh, sorry. Did she just call her a pet? Ah, poor naive girl. If it wasn't for her ingenuity, he would have disposed of her a long time ago when she found out they were the infamous mysterious thieves that had been stealing from many people for years. Back in that time, both of them were surprised when Ruby-with every ounce of her courage- asked to join their small group. She had no fighting skill, no. It was their goon's jobs. They almost laughed when she said she knew everything about their fancy works. Only after she showed the proofs, they instantly went silent.

She liked the silver-eyed girl. So, after a small persuasion, they took Ruby in to fulfill the role she had left. She didn't mind at all. It meant more thrill-filled time with her boss. After that, everything was history and now Ruby had become an in disposable tool for their operations. Losing her could be catalytic, and the multicolor-haired girl didn't want to do any paperwork to get her out. Nevermind that; she'll be dead already. Stealing was punishable up to death, depending on what you stole.

Judging from the expensive onyx Bishop statue they were about to whisk away, that sounded like it.

This large manor belonged to the Winchester family; a band of racist people with enough wealth to feed every single starving kids of the outsider's area. It was said that they owned a squad of Faunus slaves. What those were for wasn't their business. Now that the whole family had left for Vytal Gladiator Tournament, the house would be unoccupied for a long time. Enough for them to play around with, or rather, steal the expensive stuff. However, they were infiltrating the house just to get one expensive artifact and be gone before someone else noticed. By the looks, it seemed a lot harder than she expected, but not something they couldn't handle.

The dark room was glowing a dim green with her night-vision glasses. It could see people through the wall by tracing their body heat, although she had never gotten to use it. Ruby had everything scoured clean with her 3D scanner mini-drone. If any, they simply choose a safer path to avoid detection. Atlas tech were true wonders, but it was the silver-eyed girl who combined and made them work. Without her, they'd probably still stuck to their dangerous old way; melting the vault's door.

She took in the lavishly decorated surrounding. There were a lot of sofas, couches, and armchairs forming a crude circle; all of them had soft plush brown velveteen material. In the center was a low oval coffee table with black metal feet and dark glass covered by a small silk tablecloth. Despite having several bright lamps, the room still featured an old-style golden candle holder. She wondered how much would it fetch in the black market. And then, she remembered, they'd get caught before they could take it away after detaching it.

Needless to say, it appeared that they hosted tea parties pretty often here. Cute.

Meanwhile, the ginger-haired in a bowler hat cursed the heavens above. He only wanted a simple hit-and-run robbery; his favorite game plan. But that little Red certainly took her time decrypting the security code. Emerald eyes glared at his scroll that had been plugged to the lock for last three minutes. Sure, they still got enough time before reaching a dangerous deadline at 1:10, but he never liked close-calls. Most thieves were bold; they always took more than necessary risks.

Roman Torchwick was not like most thieves. He lied, cheated, stole, and so far, had survived for long. Why play with the cops if you can come out clean?

It was why those idiots got caught and sentenced off to Vacuo, he thought dryly.

The man resisted the urge to pull out a stick of cigar. He could use some tobacco to relax. Unfortunately, he'd somehow lost his lighter. It was his favorite, and no matter how much his partner told him to let it go, he swore he would find it back. He couldn't possibly misplaced it. Someone must've stolen the lighter when he turned a blind eye. In meantime, a pack full of finest cigarette was no use without a fire. Damn it.

This operation couldn't go up in the smoke. He had been planning it months away between other schedules. Contrary to popular belief, a thief did have a schedule and timeline. They didn't just bust or sneak in randomly and steal everything in sight. Yes, it was easy to take, but it was difficult to cover your tracks. Most of the amateurs usually neglected that second part, unconsciously making a time bomb that would one day blow up in their face.

He smirked. Amateurs were always funny. They made several brief appearances on the newspaper, before being sent to Vacuoan Dust mines as slave labors. Once you got yourself sent there, you worth no more than the Faunus workers. It was a nightmare that haunted a criminal's life. Another reason why criminal activities were low at most places. Those who managed to pull it off and live under the radar, though, they were the best in illegal works.

Many people were too scared to do as much as something bordering the shady line. Really, he couldn't blame them. He could have opted to live a normal, stagnant poor life compared to this one. Unfortunately, he was a bold man. Mind you, this guy needed a nice outfit and flashy lifestyle. It would not do to stay like those uniform dummies. He and his small band of thugs preferred an action-filled one, thank you very much.

The authorities could eat his crap.

He checked the digital watch and scoffed. Okay, Red was going to get a big problem-or rather, the lack of payment- when they got out from this. Another twenty seconds and they'd have to bail out before the main hourly body heat scanner goes back online. The prize could wait, but the cops wouldn't. The man tipped his bowler hat and wondered, what was she doing that caused this big delay? He'd need to reschedule everything-

Ping!

The LED indicator went green, signaling the access request was accepted. He smiled widely as the thick metal door let out a small sigh of escaping air. His gloved hands grabbed the handle and pull it on, opening a way to their prize. It sure was cold and chilly inside the vault, but he didn't give a damn about it for now. The priceless artifact probably required a controlled storage temperature. Meh, whatever. Mental note to himself; he was going to need a substitute fridge for safe keeping.

His smile turned into a lazy smirk. It's about time.

"Alright, Red. We're going in."

Silently, the multi-colored girl stepped into the vault. Her partner in crime followed shortly afterward. Using the night-vision glasses, they wasted no time making their way through the minefield of laser-based movement detectors-now deactivated thanks to Ruby's meddling.

Said girl was smiling to herself in her mobile headquarters. Another job finished. They just need to get out, which was easier than getting in, to be honest. And then, they'd be home-free. She should buy Yang something, just apologize for... well, everything.

However, it seemed fate wasn't willing to make the night any easier for the three of them. A notification popped up on the corner of her screen, alerting incoming people. At this moment, everyone else that wasn't them is considered hostile. Silver eyes narrowed as three red dots appeared on the hologram map. They were heading towards the duo at a fast walking speed. Apparently, someone had noticed the disturbance they made and decided to go check it by themselves.

"Why, hello there, Precious," the man in bowler hat crooned as he beheld their goal; the dark-colored artifact.

His partner rolled her eyes at his childish words. However, one second later, she tensed. The air changed as if somebody had gotten to their position.

They're not alone.

The girl scanned around their surroundings, which was a just thick metal wall with various laser detector stations stuck on its surface. Whoever they were, those enemies were still far away, although she was sure they're closing in fast. She was about to notify him when his earphone crackled, "Romeo, three incoming. Get out of there!"

As expected, that instantly soured his mood. Still, the man acknowledged her warning with a grumble, "Just when I thought this would be the easiest heist we've ever done."

He snatched the small statue -their prize- quickly. Beside him, the multicolor-haired girl ever helpfully opened their briefcase. Within a few seconds, the statue was placed firmly inside the brown briefcase, before he shut it with a soft click. Auto-lock is always handy. Signaling it's time to go, the girl motioned her hand to urge him on. They're really close to the danger. He nodded in agreement, and the two of them dashed out.

"Stop!" a warning stopped them in track. "Put your hands up in the air!"

He thought; wonderful.

Apparently, they miscalculated the time the security officers would come. It didn't change the plan, though. He smirked. Oh, how he always loved the thrill. Ever slowly, he turned around to the hostiles. Beside him, his assistant did the same, albeit purposefully more sensual with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She's already anticipated this bump on the road. It seemed the securities had no idea who they were dealing with.

Or, they probably had, judging from the nervous expression on their faces. One of them disengaged the safety lock in his gun. It's the basic protocol to deal with burglars; disable or kill them on sight. It's also the reason why there was no giant prison in this kingdom to deal with criminals. They simply dump the body outside the border for the Grimm to feast on. Way more economical and simpler. However, it took more than a simple thief that dared to break into one of the most famous noble family house in Vale.

They were positive these two knew the risk and wanted to play with it.

The man in bowler hat decided to play along with them. His smirk was hidden in the gloomy situation. He slowly raised his hands up, purposefully even slowing further half-way. The securities took that as a cue to relax a little, but what a big mistake they made. The cane in his hand made out a soft pop as a crosshair glass came out from the muzzle end that's pointed to the unexpecting trio.

He grinned and pulled the trigger. "Boom, baby."

A highly concentrated Dust explosive shell shot out from the muzzle. It screamed a loud whistle while flying toward the guards. Several pairs of eyes widened at once. They could barely yell before the ground in front of them exploded in a fireball. The floor shattered and its broken pieces took flight, scattering to every direction. The explosion sent those guards flying backward; consciousness instantly leaving them. Several dull thumps followed afterward as the bodies hit the wall a few meters away behind them.

Only after studying his handiwork, he did notice the glare that was sent toward him from his little assistant. He cocked his head confusedly and asked, "Come on, what's the matter, Neo?"

The mute girl rolled her eyes and signed; 'Show off.'

"Well, I wouldn't have if-"

The alarm ran off. He cursed and quickly spurred into action. Internally, he should've expected they were sent to delay his escape. Now, the entire mansion was in a lockdown, meaning no one can enter and leave until the cops arrived. Fortunately, there was still someone he and Neo could depend on. He pressed the earpiece and yelled, "Red! Get us out of here quick!"

~-x-~

"Ah, ah! Yes! I got it!" Ruby panicked. "Hang on, the bullhead is already on the way to the meeting point. Just go there and I'll get you out of here!"

"Alright!"

Chaos ensued as the silver-eyed girl went furiously typing on the computer. She already got most of the access points in this manor, thanks to her drone. However, there was still stuff that she needed to look into. Apparently, the lockdown procedure involved thick, sliding metal doors that would immediately trap everyone inside and prevent anyone to enter. She just needed to find the code lines and tweak them so that the doors will return back to the default opened state. She loved calling it 'reset button'. What a funny name.

Her eyes scanned the terminal, swiftly zipping from left to right as she studied the lines of code. She scrolled several times and growled in frustration when finding none related to what she was looking for. They must've put it somewhere deeper underneath several layers of decoy and blocker for an extra security. Smart move, but it'd never hold her too long. She's simply an expert at this. The girl's thin lips pursed in annoyance, but she kept searching using her pre-made brute-force algorithm.

Soon, guys; she promised.

~-x-~

When they ran through the deserted hallway, Neo began to think of how many things they could improvise from this point. Her style was to sneak in and out, not to cause any useless chaos like this one. While sometimes the man on her side didn't mind getting involved in action-packed heists, she did. But just her luck, she had to play a part in this tag game. She should really get a raise after this done.

Her mismatched eyes flicked from one painting to another, hung on the wall. To say they were ugly was a lie, but she was still disgusted at watching those oh-so-called 'noble' faces. Furthermore after remembering how ignorant they were. They could laugh at superfluous dinner with tons of food, disregarding how everyone else outside this manor-including her, previously-only eat meager shit and starved to the death. They simply didn't care.

She unconsciously curled her hands in a suppressed rage. If it were up to her, she will be here when they came home. And well, what else she could do with the concealed blade in her parasol? She smiled sadistically, savoring the thought.

The loud slam several meters in front of them interrupted her thoughts. It seemed they were a little too late. A large barricade made of metal blocked their path. The fresh air was just a few turns behind it, where their rendezvous point would be. Once they got there, they'd be home-free. Unfortunately, they had to go through this first. On her left, Roman grumbled inaudibly, but judging from his calm expression, there seemed to be no problem.

After all, they had her on their side. So, they waited.

~-x-~

"Almost there... almost,"Ruby muttered.

Her eyes weren't blinking for the past twenty-five seconds, too engrossed watching and writing the command overwrite to free her associates. Her drone hovered low at the meeting point, while its jamming system worked to disable the security camera. No one needs to know what vehicle they used to escape. The virus had worked; it only took her less than a minute to figure out how to reverse the emergency doors back to normal. And now, she's putting the script into action.

public_dec root as admin

def inp = /

_cDef(i) ( { inp = i ? null : [?!d|?=w].replace(/disallow/gi, 'allow') } );

_cDef( admin );

And... gotcha! She ran the code.

The red warning turned green, signaling her command had been executed. Ruby had never been happier after seeing the capital 'OPEN' word. She pumped her fist excitedly. That was one job done. It was also why they trusted her in situations like this. Her skill had been tested several times, although she was proud to admit; this one was a new record and a peak in her career. No one else had ever tried testing themselves against security like she did.

Of course, like every professional should do, she also erased any trace of her virus in the system. Else, they could track it back to her. In place of her special variant of trojan malware, she put in an adware that advertises cute puppies. Admittedly, the girl swooned a little at their sight. She'd always wanted one, but her savings were never enough to buy her animal foods.

She chided herself; Forget it, Ruby.

Several moments later after the deletion completed, Ruby let out a relieved breath as the camera on her drone captured them waving and making theirs toward it. Roman wore a big grin on his face, while Neo only put a small smile. She panned the camera, watching as the duo dashed past the drone and into the open ramp of the bullhead that hovered down; their ride back home. The two turned to the camera and mock-saluted.

She smiled. Her left hand rose and copied the motion. It's a job well done.

~-x-~

Half-moon. Half-scattered.

The night's natural illumination seeped through the small hole into the room, providing a gloomy lighting. Through the flaked paint and some cracks on the wall, it's clear that this warehouse has been abandoned a long time ago. However, several people did find this place and decided it's still in good shape for the meeting of various less-than-legal transactions and less-than-respectable jobs. Take these four as an example. They surrounded a low stool, their dark figures cast several faint shadows on the cement floor. Cliché, just like their shady work.

"This one's for you."

The ginger-haired man patted down a stack of Liens on the table. Immediately, the pilot's burly hand greedily scooped them up while he flashed them a wicked yellowish toothy grin. After being dismissed, he left them right away, eager to use the dirty money for his entertainment. Ruby opted to twiddle with her red cape; the signature article of her red-black outfit. The girl watched silently as the door of their main headquarter slammed shut.

"This one's yours, Neo," said the ginger-haired man with a smile. "Although, you might need to stop getting ice cream. Seriously, it's unhealthy."

Said girl pouted and for the first time tonight, displaying a show of immaturity by shaking her head indignantly like a five years old toddler denied her toy. Apparently, the man had gotten used to her little antics, since he only shook his head in amusement. She continued pouting, but her hands flashed briefly as the money chips vanished into the air. Illusion; that's her semblance. Although it had been a while since Ruby was told about Neo's semblance by her boss, she still envied the smaller girl.

What wouldn't she give to have a cool ability like that?

Unfortunately, she's just Ruby Rose, a girl who didn't even have her Aura unlocked, yet. Only those who wished to join the military could get their Auras activated, or the noble and wealthy people of the upper-class district, since they're a bunch of pussies. They got every protection they needed; human guards, droids, Aura, and et cetera. Meanwhile, the poor people had to fend themselves using whatever they could scrap from the junks.

It was why the difference between them existed like a wide chasm.

She had asked once. When she requested these two to help to unlock her Aura, they simply laughed(Neo didn't let out any sound, though) and waved her off. What was her place; daring to ask such a thing? Having your Aura unlocked was a very useful and dangerous thing to possess, which was why no one in the government had ever mentioned it. They're afraid if people know how to use their Aura, there'll be breakouts and restlessness stirring in the entire kingdom. Aura could strengthen and change them into more than mere humans, after all.

The theory was proven; having an unlocked Aura will bring the authority to your doorstep. She had witnessed how her neighbor and history teacher, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, was whisked away in the dead of night to God-knows-where. No one heard anything about him ever since. Rumors spread like a wildfire, sneaking from whispers through windows, he had found out a way to activate someone's Aura. She wished she'd gone to him before it happened.

Now, finding someone who could do that sounded like a dream so far beyond her.

She's jolted back to reality when a collection of thumps shook her out of the futile thoughts. The man flicked the Lien chips one by one onto the table, his lips smirking with a lit cigar slipped between them. Ruby eyed the money cautiously, while her brain counted them up. Her boss was a man of untrustable past with his credibility as a liar and thief, but he always paid his henchmen fair and well. Those whose skills were crucial in their operations got paid the highest, including her. However, after the small incident tonight, she didn't dare to hope.

Silver eyes widened when she finished summing the number up. Why did he give her so much?

"Umm... isn't this too much?"

"Oh?" The man glanced at her, then motioned to himself and the multicolor-haired girl. "Well, I never made any mistakes in counting, Red. If you mind, then I'm sure Neo would love an extra cash. She's going to stuff our fridge full, you know."

Neo rolled her eyes in amusement as her partner's words succeeded turning the genius hacker into a stammering fool. The girl's arms flailed around in panic, as expected. Poor lad, if being treated like this could send her into a frenzy, one could guess what would happen if she's unleashed outside. Compared to common thugs and mafias, the duo was somewhat kinder. You couldn't just take control with force. There was stuff that needs special treatment and play of words in order to get them off their way.

"No, no! I mean, I appreciate this so much, thank you!" the girl stuttered while she quickly swiped the desk clean before anyone decided to claim the chips. She'd get the money rather than complain unnecessarily. He wasn't someone she'd want to argue with.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Off you go, Red," he dismissed their red-hooded hacker uncaringly. "Don't you think it's already past the curfew?"

Ruby blew him a cherry. "It's always been past my curfew, Roman!"

After making sure everything was secure, she walked out from the warehouse after bidding a farewell and goodnight to them both. Roman, no matter how annoying he could be sometimes, had always been like an older brother to her. The same applied for Neo who had helped giving Ruby an access to join their small group. They were her siblings-at-arms. While she wouldn't admit, Ruby actually loved them. Besides Yang, Uncle Qrow, and their dad, she had no one else.

~-x-~

A blond man sat still on the couch. His hands held an old cracked photograph. It captured the scene when there was four of them. Four people. Two of which who'd became women he loved the most before disappearing one by one. Another was a young man with crimson eyes and shitty attitude as most people would claim, Qrow. That guy was a natural asshole to everyone, but he's his brother-in-law and the best uncle his girls could get. Then, there's himself, looked so young and have the aura of a troublemaker around him.

Ah, what wouldn't he give to return in these old days?

Back then, they were simply students studying in hope to pave a brighter future than their parents. So innocent and naive to what the world had in store. Unfortunately, it was too late by the time they realized that. Only the rich those could survive. The poor were fated to perish in many ways; the Grimm, hunger, plague, and disease. It's the law of life here. Raven denied that and chose to leave to nowhere and gather people who had the same worldview with her.

They'd fight and oppose everyone else. The strong survive and the weak die.

Admittedly, every normal people would agree on the first fact, but they will at least try to help the weaklings. But not with her tribe, they tolerate nothing. There would be no place for you in there if you weren't strong enough. Many times, he's tempted to join them, but Qrow held him firm. The crimson-eyed man told him; No matter what, it's still wrong. Tainting your hands every day with innocents' blood was something atrocious when you could've tried to eliminate the root of this problem; the tyrant leader of Remnant's united kingdoms.

Jacques Schnee.

~-x-~

The door to their flat creaked open before Ruby stepped in gingerly, afraid of being caught red-handed. Actually, this had been a recurring instinct each time she went home from her late night jobs. While Yang always condoned her and knew it was for an extra number in their bank account, she still felt the elder girl wasn't pleased. Her sister cared a lot about them. Too much, that she took every matter into her hands. It ate her slowly from the inside.

Yawning widely due to her usual lack of sleep, Ruby locked the door several times with multiple locks. Then, she took in the view of their small living quarter while hanging her beloved cape. Aside from an old analog TV that's turned off and a small fridge, their room didn't feature any valuable stuff. To keep the clothing, they had large plastic drawers and two small buckets to put the dirty laundry into. Their living room also served a purpose as a kitchen with a small stove that's rarely used nowadays. Ruby and Yang preferred to order the food or buy them outside. Only at breakfast, they baked toast with jam-strawberry flavor was always her favorite.

While the flat itself wasn't so clean, she'd make sure to have at least a small room perfume to keep most of the awful stench away. It's the only thing they could call as a luxury. Since they didn't have a personal toilet, they're forced to make due with the community one which was sad to say, a far cry from adequate. Each day, many people used it in a queue and even with words, it's hard to describe what sickening stench the public room smelled-as terrible as it could reach through their door. She shoved the thought away and inhaled the aroma around here. It smelled of home. It'd always been.

Everything was still in order just as when she left, save for a few additional articles of revealing clothing scattered on the ironing desk, which belonged to Yang. Her blonde-haired sister was always too tired to do domestic works whenever she arrived home. It's up to Ruby and their dad to clean up the mess and dirt. If they're lucky, he'd have remembered to cook them a simple dinner. It's one of the best times before his trauma worsened.

Now, his days were always bad.

Ruby sighed tiredly and approached her dad. Not even as much as a 'hi' or 'where've you been?' came from him. He stayed silent all the time after shutting down, forcing the duo to take care of him with the only help from their uncle. She didn't know how long they can keep this up. Even with their jobs paying the whole expense, there's always a threat looming on the horizon. What if she got caught? What if Yang run into trouble? The possibilities were endless, especially since their jobs weren't safe and legal.

The girl leaned down and pecked her father on his cheek. Hollow blue eyes didn't even blink when she did. "Good night, Dad."

Already expecting the lack of response, Ruby said nothing else. She left him and strolled exhaustedly to her small room. Her hands sluggishly pushed the door to swing open. The room was never been the best she'd ever seen in her life, but it's pretty cozy despite the rock-hard mattress. Most people would complain of their aching backs in the morning, yet Ruby never did. She was always too burned out after jobs like this one to whine over petty things.

The small box underneath her bed was the secret place where she stored every single chip of her hard-earned Liens. It only used a small lock, but with the concealed position, it sure was very safe. The sound of the lock clicked in place was satisfying, but Ruby wasted no time. She deserved at least several hours of sleep, even though her body requested several days instead. After putting her scroll on the cracked surface of her nightstand, she set the old alarm clock to ring at seven. With a thin satisfied smile, the girl flopped onto her bed. She threw her black boots down with a thump, followed by her short leggings.

As her back touched the welcoming mattress, Ruby stared at the yellowish old ceiling, apart from its age and lamp glow. She chanted in her mind; steal, eat, live, repeat.

With a content sigh, the girl turned off the only illumination and shut her eyelids.

A faint familiar voice began singing;

Red like roses...

Fills my dream and brings me to the place you rest...

Even with the tears streaming out from her closed eyes, Ruby smiled in her sleep.

~-x-~

AN:

And that's Intro I. There'll be three more intros coming, but don't expect them to come out anytime soon. I'm being surged with many issues right now and I just want to get this out of my ideas box. However, I'll try to write whenever the opportunity arises.

Critics are welcome because I've always wanted to be a better writer than before. Feel free to ask questions regarding this AU.

Peace out,

~ Kvithr