Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.

Author's Notes: I remain amazed by the response this is getting. Thank you all very much for reading, I will try to live up to your expectations.


On her perch atop the tattoo shop's front counter, Cinder sighed. She sat on its edge with one leg resting over the other, her foot tapping against the front of the thick wooden desk, resting her head in her hand as she stared through the dim store's tall glass windows into the brightly lit interior of the florist across the street. Her eyes watched the distant tuft of reddish hair, visible above the high displays of flowers, that marked the store's sole occupant's position as it wandered from the left to the right, stopping at every separate rack of plants for a few seconds while the young girl watered her product, while in her other hand Cinder rubbed that morning's rose between her fingertips. She licked her lips.

Several days ago Cinder had discovered, to her great pleasure, that if she was sitting on the counter she was able to see directly into the florist, and now spent hours simply observing Ruby Rose go about her daily activities. She'd even started mentally recording the schedule – when the lights came on around eight Ruby would open the front door to let in some fresh air and brush away the fallen leaves from the ash tree by the street, then examine how the displays in the windows looked and make adjustments as necessary. Next she'd move some small sample vases outside to attract passersby, then begin watering the flowers, starting from the front and working her way back. No flower was ever missed or over-watered; all were equally well cared for. At exactly nine thirty Cinder would go to collect her usual rose and leave a more-than-adequate amount of money by the register, and by the time she was back inside the tattoo shop Ruby would have begun sweeping up any petals or leaves that had fallen overnight. At twelve thirty, if no one was in the store – and there rarely was – Ruby would take a brief lunch break, sitting outside underneath the ash tree while she ate. Afterwards, she'd wander the store and rearrange displays or work on new bouquets until the next watering at four thirty, and then finally at six thirty the lights would turn off and she'd leave for the night.

Cinder pitied the poor girl; having to work all alone, day in and day out, with no help and little excitement was enough to drive one insane.

The White Fang had, wisely, not made any further encroachments on the florist, save for sneaking in during the night and chiseling into the storefront the small three-clawed insignia that marked the shop as protected and friendly to Faunus. Cinder allowed them this one intrusion into her territory, as it meant less work for her as well as greater safety for the flower shop and the precious redhead within. She would not be so tolerant of active guards, which the Fang sometimes supplied to their businesses, or if Belladonna returned. If either event occurred, her response would be far more violent than a single foolish bear strung to a light post by the heels.

Returning her attention to the florist as the puff of red hair disappeared into the back room, Cinder leaned backwards and spread her hands behind her, never letting her gaze leave the store across the street. "Emerald," she said to her front manager, sitting just to her right in a rolling chair borrowed from one of the many empty back rooms, "what time is it?"

Emerald glanced up at the clock on the wall across from her. "Uh, almost half past noon, Boss. Why?"

Cinder sighed again. She'd barely moved for the last three hours, completely engrossed with watching her neighbor go about her routine. It wasn't as though she could spare that large an amount of time, as well. Last night the police had raided Junior's club, one of her largest distributors in the southeastern region of Vale, and made away with millions of liens worth of Dust and weaponry. She now had to reorganize her whole operation in the residential district in addition to coming up with the proper response. The police were always the trickiest to deal with, even more so than the Schnees, because they thrived on a suicidal sense of justice, and any advance they made bolstered their boldness and support. If she was too soft with her retribution she would appear weak to the masses, making them harder to control through fear. Too harsh, and she risked them rising against her, united by the thirst for vengeance. Precision had always been the key to the proper punishment.

"Emerald?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Call Roman. Tell him I need him for something."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Cinder slid from the counter and stretched, feeling her stiff muscles slowly relax after sitting still for hours, then began walking to her office in the back. The raid had truly come at an unfortunate time; she had planned a very special visit to the florist today, and was torn on how to spend her time. Although she trusted Roman would be able to handle the situation, he and his partner usually needed help with... direction. They had taken too long with that bookstore incident, and had forced her to act more harshly than intended. The end result had been a very tense discussion with Adam Taurus, and she did not desire her response to the police to go awry.

On the other hand, there was a beautiful redhead about to eat her lonely lunch outside, and the poor girl could use some company. Cinder laughed silently at herself – put like that, it wasn't much of a difficult decision at all. When she reached her office, she deposited the rose into the ever-filling glass vase on her desk, then grabbed the basket she had prepared that morning before Mercury had arrived to transport her to work. She let a smile creep across her face as she walked back to the front – she was very excited for lunch today.

"Keep an eye on the store, you two," Cinder said as she strolled through the tattoo shop towards the door, "and don't bother me." Both Mercury and Emerald gulped, then nodded.

Cinder shaded her eyes with her hand until she stepped out of the sun's harsh light into the cool, calm environment of the flower shop. She searched the open space for the person of her interest, but found nothing. Perhaps the girl had gone out to lunch today?

Her 'worries' were put to rest when she heard a quiet "Oh..." from behind her, and turned to find Ruby Rose halfway through taking off her apron. The heavy red fabric had caught the hem of her shirt, revealing a slender abdomen of shining white skin. Cinder licked her lips.

"Hey there, neighbor! Is there something quick I can help you with? I was about to have lunch." Ruby finished removing her apron and folded it in her hands before tucking it under her arm, looking up at Cinder with curious silver eyes.

"Actually, Ruby, that is precisely the reason I'm here," Cinder took a step towards Ruby and smiled, "It occurred to me the other day that we've never celebrated your grand opening..." She reached into the basket on her arm and pulled out a long-necked bottle of red wine and a pair of glasses, chuckling as she watched Ruby's eyes widen in surprise. "Would you perhaps have a table and chairs for us to use?"

Ruby blinked at her. "Uh, I-I, uhm, I've got a couple in the back. Gimme a sec!" She left hurriedly, taking long, fast steps across the store. Cinder leaned against the front counter and looked over the new arrangements Ruby had been busying herself with that morning until the redhead returned with two folding chairs and a small square table. "Uh, don't you want to invite Emerald and Mercury? Shouldn't they join us?" Ruby asked as she set up the seats, brushing clingy leaf scraps off their tops.

Cinder waved her hand. "Of course not, they are very busy," She placed the wine bottle and glasses on the table and took the seat with its back to the front door, putting the basket on the floor by her feet. "This is just for us."

As Cinder began pouring the drinks, Ruby asked, "Umm, are you hungry? We can split my sandwich if you want?" Cinder looked up and found her neighbor holding out a small sandwich wrapped in grease-stained paper.

She smiled and shook her head, returning her attention to pouring the wine. "No, thank you, Ruby. You needn't worry about me, this wine and your company will be plenty."

"Oh, okay. Is it alright if I eat then? I'm starving!"

"Please." Cinder crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, taking small sips of her wine as she watched Ruby devour her lunch. After a couple minutes, Ruby glanced up and wiped her face, setting her food on the table and reaching for her glass. "I've taken an interest in you, Ruby," Cinder said, making the young girl pause, "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Ruby blinked, flicked her eyes between Cinder and the wine, then picked up her glass. She took a quick sip and swirled the liquid around her mouth, then swallowed before saying, "Uh, there's not all that much to tell about me. What did you want to know?"

Cinder smiled broadly, leaning forward and resting her head on a cradle of her hands. "Everything." She stretched out her leg and gently touched Ruby's, just for a moment. When she felt Ruby jerk her legs away, she said, "Oh, sorry, that's a bad habit of mine."

"Oh no, don't worry about it!" Ruby laughed awkwardly and brushed her hair behind her ear. Cinder resisted the urge to lick her lips. "Anyway, I don't really know what to tell you. I'm just me! My whole life I've wanted to own a flower store just like my mom's, and now that I do it's like a dream come true, you know? Sure, it's been a long, difficult road – business school was not a ton of fun – but now that I'm here it's all been worth it!"

"I see." Cinder refilled her glass. "Tell me about your mother, Ruby."

Ruby took a deep breath and another sip of wine. She shrugged. "There's not a whole lot I can tell you about her, either. She passed away when I was very young, but I'll never forget the way she smelled. She always smelled exactly like a rose, probably because she worked in a florist all the time, and I remember that she was always smiling and telling me she loved me. Oh, she was a great cook too, and could paint and sing better than anyone I knew! I wanted to be just like her when I grew up..." Ruby put down her glass and let her hands rest on the table. "I miss her still. A lot..."

Cinder couldn't take her eyes off those sorrowful silver orbs, and felt her heart throb in her chest when she spotted glimmering tears begin to gather at their edges. She reached out and lay her hand across Ruby's, needing to stand slightly out of her chair to do so, and sighed inwardly at the softness and warmth of the young girl's skin. "Ruby," The florist looked up. Their mouths were very close; Cinder could almost taste the sweetness of those pink lips...

She wanted it.

"I-"

The bell on the top of the front door jingled, signaling the arrival of a visitor to the flower shop. Ruby gasped and stood from her chair, ripping her hand out from under Cinder's as she rushed to the front of the store. "A customer! Oh and I don't have my apron, shoot!"

Cinder remained motionless at the table, staring at the empty air where Ruby's lips had just been. Boiling rage bubbled in her belly; whoever had dared to interrupt their lunch when her plan was so close to fruition would not escape unscathed.

"Oh my goodness!" Ruby's exclamation shook her from her murderous thoughts, and Cinder cocked an ear to listen in on the conversation. "Why hello, officer, how can I help you today?"

"Well, miss," a strong female voice said with obvious embellishment, "we got a report about a suspicious person in the area. I thought I'd come... investigate."

Cinder clenched her teeth and started reaching for the knife hidden in her pocket. The police were certainly getting bold if they thought they could come to the florist – to her territory – and do as they pleased. If they had come to arrest her they would not find it an easy feat; there was a reason she was feared.

"Oh no!"

"Yup, and I think I just found them!"

Cinder pulled the knife out of her pocket and held it hidden by her leg, trying to listen to the policewoman's footsteps over the sound of her pounding heart. It was unfortunate Ruby would have to witness this other side of her, she'd have preferred it to stay a secret. She readjusted her grip on the knife and waited for the right moment to strike.

"Gotcha!"

Sudden and intense laughter made her risk a glance over her shoulder. Her jaw dropped when she found a tall blonde woman in a dress shirt, black tie, and slacks running her hands all over a screaming and writhing Ruby.

"Need to search you for contraband!"

"Aaugh! No! Yang, stop! That tickles! Stop!" The vicious assault continued for another minute until both women were out of breath from laughter, bent over their knees and panting. Cinder watched as they both straightened and hugged each other tight in a friendly embrace. "It's so good to see you, Yang!"

"You too, lil' sis!" They separated and the blonde looked around the store. "So this is your shop, huh? It's gorgeous, I love it! It looks just like the one we had in Patch!"

"Doesn't it? As soon as I saw the place I knew I had to have it! So, what brings you by? You've been so busy lately I hardly ever get to see you anymore!"

"Ha, yeah, sorry about that. We were getting real close to the final sting and I had to be there. But all that's over now, so I thought I'd swing by and see you at work!"

"Did everything go okay?"

"That's confidential, I can't tell you that! But yes, it all went off without a hitch! The biggest pull of my career!"

"That's great! Ooh, we should do something to celebrate!"

"Are ya busy? I brought some donuts with me!" Cinder heard the rustle of a plastic bag. "They're from Nora's, so you know they're the best."

"Perfect! I was just having lunch with- Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! There's someone here you should definitely meet!" Cinder pushed the knife back into her pocket as she heard the pair start walking towards her, smoothing down her shirt so it was completely hidden by the time Ruby appeared by her side. "Hey, Cinder, I want you to meet my sister! This is Yang!"

Cinder turned, forcing the sweetest, friendliest smile she could onto her face and holding out a hand. "I'm delighted to meet you, Yang." she shoved through gritted teeth.

The blonde, Yang, was frozen stiff with her hand half-raised to shake Cinder's and an expression of complete shock splayed across her features. A bag filled with pastries hung from her wrist, and clipped onto her pants was a shiny badge printed with the word 'Detective'. Cinder got a pleasurable rush from the flash of terror that washed through Yang's purple eyes, and gave the worried blonde a 'reassuring' wink. The action seemed to break the spell that held Yang in place, and she finally connected hands with Cinder for a hurried shake.

"Yang, this is Cinder! She's the owner of the tattoo shop across the street!"

Yang gulped. "Charmed."

"Yay! Let me go get a chair and you can join us for lunch!" Ruby skipped towards the back of the florist, leaving the two older women alone in the store.

Yang spoke first. "I-I, y-you're, you're the-"

Cinder sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Yes, I am. Did you sincerely not recognize where you were when you arrived? I expected better of one of Vale's finest. You are a lost, scared little girl in the wrong part of the forest..."

The purple eyes hardened. "If you hurt my sister I'll-"

She was silenced by a wave of Cinder's hand. "Please. Don't you think that if I wanted to hurt dear little Ruby I would have done so by now? She's been perfectly safe in my care while you've been too busy to protect her..."

Yang scowled, but Cinder was impressed that she had the levelheadedness to not attack despite looking very much like she desired to. "D-Doesn't she know? About you?"

"Ha! I doubt it," Cinder leaned in close to the blonde, keeping her voice low as she said, "and no one is going to tell her, either. One word to her about me, and-" Cinder heard light footsteps coming from the back of the store, "Well, I'm sure you can guess." She gave Yang's cheek a couple gentle pats before stepping back and placing her hands on her hips.

Ruby slammed down a third folding chair with a grunt, wiping her brow as she stood up straight. "Woo! You guys would not believe how many vases I had to move to get to this thing. I'll have to organize that room one of these days! Anyway, let's- What's wrong, Yang?"

Cinder glanced from the redhead to the blonde, who was glaring angrily at the table with her fists clenched by her sides. Yang looked up, first at Ruby, then at Cinder. "I-" Cinder held a finger across her lips and winked. Yang sighed. "Nothing, Ruby. Just remembered I forgot to file an important paper back at work."

"Oh, okay. Let's eat! Those donuts smell delicious!"

"Actually, Ruby, I should probably go. File that paper and stuff. You know." Yang started walking towards the door.

"But-!" Ruby's expression fell, and she looked up at Cinder. Cinder smiled.

She lay a hand on the young girl's shoulder, "Your sister is busy, Ruby, but don't worry," Cinder watched the blonde stumble to a pause out of the corner of her eye, barely turning her head away from the florist, "I would be more than happy to stay and continue our conversation..." She could feel the policewoman eye the door, and smiled wider when she saw the shoulders fall as Yang made her decision.

Yang turned and said, "I suppose I've got a minute or two..."

Cinder kept standing and smiling as she watched Yang trudge back to the table and seat herself in the open chair. "Wonderful..." She took her own seat, close to Ruby and with an unobstructed view of the blonde.

A cheerful grin split across Ruby's face as she joined the two at the table. "Great! Let's eat!"

Cinder stood beside Ruby as the latter waved to the unmarked police car driving away from the florist, holding her hair away from her eyes as a warm, late-afternoon breeze carrying the smell of the car's exhaust brushed along the vacant street. She had enjoyed her lunch, despite having an unexpected visitor intrude on her precious moments with her young neighbor.

"Hey, Cinder," She glanced to her side, finding Ruby worriedly watching the retreating silhouette of the car, "did Yang seem... scared, to you?"

Touching a finger to her chin, Cinder pretended to ponder the question. "Not particularly, no..."

Ruby held her hands to her chest, wringing her fingers together. "Huh. Because... I don't know. She didn't seem like herself. It was like she was worried about something..." She breathed out in a long sigh, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "I hope everything is okay."

Cinder suppressed a chuckle – she could only imagine what had been setting the blonde on edge. Yet, it was still inconvenient to have Ruby's sister on the police force. All her plans for retribution would need to be amended to avoid killing or seriously injuring dear Detective Yang and hurting Ruby by extension, but those same provisions would give the blonde a massive amount of power within the city – if the Grimm wouldn't touch her, she could do nearly as she pleased. Oh, the life of a criminal mastermind was truly filled with difficult complications.

She put her arm around the small girl's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure it is, Ruby." She felt Ruby sigh against her and looked down.

The silver eyes were still locked to the horizon, staring after her sister. "Yeah. I guess I should get back to work." Ruby unhooked Cinder's hand and walked slowly back into the flower shop, leaving the older woman alone outside.

Cinder's hands clenched into fists. She'd realized she had made a mistake, goading Yang into staying for lunch. She'd stolen all of Ruby's attention away from Cinder, in addition to interrupting her when she was on the verge of triumph. Ruby almost seemed more distant than ever, due to that blonde's intrusion. Protection was instantly forgotten – Yang needed to pay. Nothing, no one, was allowed to be more important to Ruby than Cinder.

Scowling, she stormed across the street and shoved open the door, startling the pair of minions lounging idly about the tattoo shop's front. She was so angry she almost missed a third person, sitting silently in one of the chairs against the wall holding her parasol daintily across her knees, and promptly swung to address her. "Neo!" Cinder barked.

The diminutive woman looked up from her magazine, her typical smirk present across her face, and blinked curiously at the glaring crime boss.

"Where's Roman?"

A white-gloved finger pointed in the direction of her office.

"Good." Cinder stomped her way past the front counter, ignoring whatever overeager greeting Emerald tossed at her, and charged down the hallway. The door to her office was nearly torn from its hinges as she threw it open and shouted, "Roman!"

She found him, dressed in his usual white coat and black pants despite the warm weather, reclining in the chair reserved for her canvases, his red-banded hat pulled over his eyes and one of her roses held across his chest. At her entrance he lazily reached a finger up to tilt his hat enough to peek a sleep-reddened green eye out from underneath its brim. "Ah." The hat lowered back down. "Enjoy your lunch?" he asked jocosely, smirking.

Although his tone made her want to drive her knife through his eye socket, Cinder forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. An out-of-control temper would do no good – Roman was not afraid of her, although he'd like her to think he was. She tolerated his flippancy because he could get the results no one else could, and screaming or threats wouldn't speed them, only increase their cost. However, if he ever made a wrong move, she knew where to hit him so it hurt. And he knew it, too.

Once she felt suitably prepared to talk civilly, she answered his question. "I did. Thank you for coming."

Roman groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his face. "Yes, well, I wasn't surprised to get your call, after hearing about what happened yesterday..." He examined the rose in his hand, turning it side to side then holding it to his nose and sniffing. "Shame, that. I liked Junior." Roman held out the flower. "Where is this from? I don't remember them being in here, my last visit."

Cinder snatched the rose out of his fingers, giving him a quick glare before redepositing it carefully into the vase on her desk. "Across the street. The loveliest young lady works there-"

"Oh yes, I've heard of your, peculiar, attraction to a certain young woman," Roman stood, brushing his coat smooth, "There are some splendidly intriguing rumors flying 'round the underworld about you. Some are saying you've softened..."

Cinder's lips twisted. "Let me worry about that. I called you here to talk about Junior's," She settled into the chair by her desk, "Tell me what you know."

Roman reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a long cigar, holding it with his teeth while he retrieved a lighter from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb a glittering flame burst into life and the smell of smoke spread through the room as he cradled it to his mouth. "Was a big sting, you see," he mumbled between puffs, "Apparently they'd been watching the place for months, taking notes and listening in and all the other scheming things they do, until finally they had enough to take him down. Went down with big hullabaloo, I'm told. His boys made for the weapons in the back."

Cinder covered her eyes with her hands. Junior had been in charge of her biggest arsenal, equipped with automatic weapons, large-caliber handguns, and explosives. She could only imagine what had happened with those in the hands of the idiots Junior tended to employ. "Who was in charge of the hit?"

Tapping ash off the end of the cigar, Roman leaned against the door and took a long drag before answering. "New big-shot detective. Bold, talented, takes risks. They say she's a real bombshell."

Cinder's eyes opened, staring through her fingers at one of the roses in her vase that had started to wilt. A memory from her visit to the florist was itching in the back of her mind. "She?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And her name?"

"Xiao Long. She's tall, blonde, has a smile like sunshine and a right hook that'll knock you flat. First name is-"

"Yang."

The tone of her voice made Roman freeze, moving just his eyes to glance at her. "That's a scary look you've got, Boss." Cinder was glaring at the wilted rose, her lips fixed in a firm line and her jaw clenched tight. Her body was as motionless with tension as a tiger about to strike. Roman exhaled. "You know her?" Cinder nodded slowly. Roman whistled. "A sad day to be her, then."

"Roman."

"Mm?"

"Find her."

Roman stood at mock-attention, throwing her a quick salute. "Right away, Boss!" Holding the pose for a moment, he relaxed, returning his fingers to the cigar. "Then what?"

A petal broke from the sagging flower, drifting slowly downwards through the air. Cinder tracked it with her eyes until it rested gently on the top of her desk, then slowly slid the knife from her pocket and slammed the blade through the center of the petal with a loud 'thunk!'. "Knock her down a peg." She growled, shifting her angered gaze to Roman, "Remind her who has the real power in this city."

Roman grinned around the roll in his mouth, a small cloud of smoke pouring from behind his teeth. "Ooh, I love it when you give me something fun. Consider it done! Oh, Neo is going to just have a ball with this one..." He made for the door, pausing when his hand reached the handle. "One more thing, Boss,"

"Yes?"

"About that girl of yours – the pretty young thing – she has-"

"Stay away from her. You and Neo both. I don't want your cynical nature corrupting her."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Yours is any better? And I fancy myself a realist, not a cynic. Regardless, she's-"

"She's mine."

Smiling and shaking his head, Roman opened the door and stepped out of the office. "Of course, Boss."

When the door shut again and Cinder was left alone in the room, silent save for the soft music floating down from the speakers in the ceiling, she leaned forward and plucked one of the roses from the vase, holding it to her nose. She licked her lips. "She's mine...

...and mine alone."


Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I had a blast writing it. Please let me know what you thought - whether it was satisfactory or, as I fear, disappointing.

Thank you for reading!

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