Okay, so I invited a conniving little psychopath to stay with me. Those damn eyes...

"Well..." I gestured to the small apartment I lived in. "It's not much, but it's home." Neo beamed, which surprised me. The place was a tiny wreck, and the kid acted like it was Christmas. What had her life been like?

'Are you sure I can stay?' Neo looked at me with a reproachful gaze. I crossed my arms, smiling.

"Hey, I owe you one." I assured her. "And you're not that bad." Neo smiled, sitting on the couch. Despite living on the street, she sat with the grace of an heiress, one leg crossed over the other. Then, Neo looked at me curiously.

'Wait... How do you know what I'm thinking?'

"Huh... I don't know. I guess that when you're in my line of work, you have to be able to read people."

'Oh.'

"So, Neo! We should probably get you cleaned up, get you some new clothes, and give you the real-kid experience. Tell me..." I couldn't help it! "Favorite ice-cream flavor?" Neo gave me a look, but I couldn't read it that well. Getting an idea, I took a notebook and handed it to her. "I assume that you can read and write?" Neo nodded and wrote a message. Damn, that kid had neat writing...

'I grew up on the streets. There really isn't ice-cream, there.'

"Oh..." I nodded. "Well, you're going to try every kind of ice-cream and candy in Remnant if it kills me."

'Why is it such a big deal?'

"Hey, if we're gonna be partners, I'll have to take care of you. Kids are a lot happier when they're clean and well-fed, and despite my dark sense of humor, even I hate the sight of depressed kids. I'm not having you moping around my apartment, young lady."

'Young lady? I'm only a few years younger than you... Wait, how do you even have an apartment?'

"Fake ID and a few lien slipped to the landlord." I replied. Neo looked up and beamed.

'Nice.' Okay, this kid was awesome. Not only was she perfect at mooching lien off suckers (including me, say nothing), but she fully endorsed all of my methods. This would be fun...

"Well, kid..." I held out a load of lien. "The master shall teach you how to fashion."

/\/\/\/\

A few hours later, Neo'd gotten cleaned up, and we'd started going around in search of clothing. I only gave her two rules: she'd have to be able to run in her outfit, and she'd have to look cool. Six stores later, I waited in the apartment as Neo changed into her new clothes.

"Why does it take girls so long to get ready?" Then, someone tapped my shoulder. I looked back to see... "Well, you clean up well, kid."

'Duh.' Neo smirked, placing a hand on her hip. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and gray boots with high heels. Under her jacket was a black corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck. I nodded in approval.

"Well, now that you look good, it's time to learn how to fight good... No offense, you were great in the alley, but there won't always be a convenient frying pan lying around every time I need you to pull a Deus Ex Machina. You need to unlock your aura, find your semblance, learn how to fight, and get a weapon."

'You're seriously trusting me with a sharp or fireable object?'

"Pretty much."

'Okay... You were right.' Neo smiled. 'We're going to get along quite well.' I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Remind me: who's the leader in this little gang?"

'Why do we need a leader?' Neo held out her hand. I looked at the ten year-old, my respect for her and astonishment growing with each passing moment. I smiled and shook her hand.

"It's settled then, kid..." I smirked. "Partners."