Week 1: A Point of Reference

"... And that's when I realized, with absolutely no uncertainty, that Perry was the son of the White Fang's last great leader."

Roman nodded to himself as he finished off the story, looking completely serious as he closed his eyes in contemplation. There was a moment of silence, neither person making a sound as Red and Torchwick continued their trek through the quiet town of Pensee.

And, being a master of communication via silence, Roman knew full well what to expect.

As soon as he opened his eyes, the rogue found himself face to face with a pouting child, her cheeks puffed in annoyance. Honestly, the suited criminal wasn't entirely convinced that it was genuine annoyance either, since the whole effort of puffing out your cheek was something you'd probably skip if you were actually irritated by something. Yet, Red stood there with her arms crossed, glaring up at him as she lived up to her role of short-sighted brat.

"Alright, alright." The thief waved his hand dismissively, his voice tinged with a familiar sense of condescension and nonchalance as he turned his glance away from the hooded girl. "Since you've been so well behaved throughout this entire story, you get the privilege of asking one question."

The air twitched.

Okay, that might've been an odd description if you were anyone else besides Roman Torchwick. However, it spoke volumes for the classy criminal in question, as he was quite capable of picking up such obscure nuances. His business dealings with Cinder's underlings, as well as his bored interactions with Neo, both provided him ample opportunity to experience subtle changes in atmosphere, and noticing these oddities were second nature to him.

Granted, Red wasn't trying to kill him or anything, so it wasn't quite the same experience as an annoyed Neo. With that said, Roman wasn't complaining; senseless violence on his person was the last thing the criminal missed about Remnant. Well, second last, since Cinder was still probably in Remnant. And if it wasn't for the fact that he had unfinished business back in Vale, Roman would've been content to stick around here.

...Okay, maybe not. Even the criminal would admit that Remnant had things that he missed, which he would likely never find in this messed up world. You know, things like competent minions and job satisfaction? Both of those things were really hard to come by in a world like this, since it lacked sensible people. Seriously.

"Is... Is anything you said actually true?"

It was a cold day in Vacuo if Red of all people was the most sensible thing that Roman could find. Part of him was still surprised by the fact that the Beacon brat was able to pick up on his sarcasm in the first place, since she seemed to be pretty naive as far as huntresses-in-training went. Yet, here she was, questioning the tale he had fabricated out of thin air.

"What, don't you believe me?"

With that said, making up things was far more entertaining than retelling the actual story of how he arrived in the first place. Heck, that was a can of worms in and of itself, since Roman still wasn't quite sure of how he slipped out of General Ironwood's airborne holding cell. Not that he would admit it or anything. "I'll have you know that everything I said was true."

The kid almost scoffed at his statement, rolling her eyes before staring back at the criminal. "Really? So you really led White Fang on a military campaign against Atlas, after they blew up a train and led countless grimm into the city of Vale?"

"Of course. From the very depths of Mountain Glenn itself, after we cleared out the resident Grimm." To say that improvisation was one of Roman's strong points would be an understatement, and the criminal carried his words with practiced ease. "Like I said, that's when Perry—c'mon, you know Perry. Mask and glasses?—took off his glasses and used his semblance. Real piece of work, that was. Fire and lasers everywhere."

Red was not amused. That much was obvious, judging by the stare that she threw his way. Still, she was less annoyed and more... surprised? Incredulous? Something that wasn't actual annoyance, at any rate. The reaction he was getting was a far different than what Roman was normally used to, as the people usually focused less on the content of his words, and more on some sort of malicious action.

The beacon brat? She just seemed to take his words into stride. "And how did that cause you to end up here?"

"You tell me, kid." The shrug Roman gave did nothing to alleviate Red's mood, much to her chagrin. "One minute, I'm directing a group of animals to crush some of Atlas's tin cans with the bigger tins that we stole from them. And the next thing I know, I'm here."

"Don't call them that!"

Of course, that's what she called him out on. Sure, she was a goody-two-shoes, but Roman still expected some sort of response beyond mock-racist statements. Really, shouldn't she be questioning everything he said after the breach? Or was she actually smarter than she looked, and was just trying to gauge the subconscious nuances that his body gave off whenever he was fabricating a stor-

"And they'd never do anything like that!"

... Okay what?

Red's voice quickly stopped whatever thought process was going through Roman's mind, as the Criminal sent his own expression of disbelief to the little kid. He was met with a wide-eyed child, staring back at him with silver eyes, her gaze determined as she stood by her statement.

He had to ask. There was something about the way she said that spoke that bothered him, and Roman had to clarify something. After all, she wasn't saying what he thought she was saying, right? "What just what is it that they'd never do, exactly?"

"They'd never blow up a train, just to lead grimm into the city!" Just as she spoke those words, the beacon brat puffed out her chest, so damned sure of herself as she pointed a finger straight at the criminal. "Sure, they do some bad things, but they'd never go so far as to hurt everyone!"

There was a slight pause, silence filling the air as the rogue narrowed his eyes, his tone shifting completely as his attention fell squarely on the kid. Yet, Red's eyes stared back at him, not a trace of deceit or doubt in her silver gaze. She honestly believed her statement.

Roman picked his next words carefully, forcing himself to maintain the same mood he had showed throughout the entire conversation. Thankfully, his relaxed tone was almost reflexive at this point, his voice barely wavering as the man shunted his doubts back into the depths of his mind.

"And why do you say that, Red? Don't tell me you've forgotten about the Docks thing already. Or the highway incident?" The orange-haired criminal was being deliberately vague as he rattled off events that Red should've recalled, watching her expression with a professional gaze. Her reaction told him everything, as did the flash of doubt in her expression; she obviously knew what he was talking about.

Good.

The big question, however, was the next item on the agenda. Roman mentally twitched as he recalled the events that led up to his incarceration, partially because of the fact that Red's merry band of wanna-be heroes interfered, and partially because of the look that Cinder's brats had when it all collapsed. "... Or Mountain Glenn and the Breach?"

The cold pall of Dread filled the Criminal's chest when he spoke those last words, as Red's doubtful expression was quickly replaced by genuine confusion.

"... What Breach?"

Sufficed to say, Roman ignored the rest of his annoying companion's questions. Sure, that in itself probably threw a bunch of suspicion back onto the criminal, but the vigilante worries of a single student was the last of Roman's concerns.

Did he really need to say what his first concern was?

Roman brought a hand up to his forehead once more, no doubt the fourth or so time since they had left the adventurer's guild. However, he was nursing a genuine headache this time, as the criminal tried to recount his steps. Yet, no amount of recollection could provide any answers, as the majority of his memories involved interrogations made by Atlas's finest. Unfortunately, neither the frustrated glares of the esteemed General nor the irritated expression of Atlas's very own Ice Queen could provide Roman with any answers.

Well, no answers beyond a single immutable fact: The breach happened, and he was locked up for it.

So why was it that Red couldn't remember it at all? The event was still fresh in the public eye, especially since it occurred so close to the Vytal Festival, and despite the kid's failings, Roman doubted that the huntress-in-training was so mentally incapable that she'd forget something that big. Torchwick's gaze turned from cobblestone pathway back to the child in question.

"Finally! Are you done ignoring me?"

Roman paid no attention to the teenager's outrage, pushing them out of his mind as he came to a single conclusion. After all, with his mind focused solely on Red's reactions, the criminal couldn't ignore the fact that the Beacon brat before him was completely oblivious to the White Fang's latest operations. "What were you talking about? What happened at Mountain Glenn? What's the breach?"

"... Hey Red." The criminal's voice was serious, no longer carrying the teasing tone that it had for conversation's prior. It seemed that the girl picked up on this, as her posture gradually changed to a more serious tone. "Why don't you tell me the last thing you remember, huh?"

The hooded girl seemed to debate this question for a few moments, her gaze shifting away from Torchwick as she furrowed her brow in contemplative thought. Really, what's she confused about? Roman was the one who had to figure out this stupid mystery. All the brat had to do was answer his damned question, and then she could go back to whatever it was kids did these days.

"The last thing... I remember?" Why was she so confused about that question? Was it really a difficult thing to answer? "I already told you. The last thing I remembered was Beacon."

Roman bit back an irritated sigh. Of course it was. That's why he was asking in the first place. Still, it seemed like she didn't pick up on that little detail, so the crook had to clarify. "I mean, what's the last thing about Beacon that remember. Anything noteworthy? News, people, major events? Anything ringing a bell?"

"... Well... "

Finally, the girl's gears started turning. Still, Roman shouldn't be upset, since this little question-and-answer session was faster than most other interrogations he had participated in. Then again, he didn't exactly deal with children for information, beyond the occasional street urchin that could be bribed with a fistful of Lien. Not exactly interrogation.

"We were preparing for the School Dance. Blake was worried about something, but Yang seemed to talk her out of it. Oh! And there was this thing in combat class where Pyrrha..."

Of course this wasn't an interrogation. In interrogations, you end up with something useful. Instead, Roman had the misfortune of listening to a teenager recount her stupid high school events. College events? What category did a huntsman school fall into, exactly? Not that he was actually interested in that answer, either.

"...other students from the other academies."

Wait, what? Was that something actually useful that Red glossed over? After all, if he remembered correctly, Cinder's group had been using their student status as a cover. He had to confirm.

"Sorry, what was that? I stopped paying attention after you brought up your mutt."

A shrill voice was Red's response, as well as another pout. "Hey! Zwei's not a mutt! And how do you know about him, anyways? I didn't mention him until now, and you brought him up earlier when we were in the dungeon."

Well, that certainly confirmed one thing: Red was completely oblivious to the Breach. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have brought up her stupid fireball corgi. At least, not in that way. Still, Roman was the one asking the questions, and he made this abundantly clear by sending a tired glance to the kid. "Focus, Red. What's this about other students from other academies?"

"I am focusing!" Her tone shifted from indignant to matter-of-fact, as little red riding hood quickly recounted her story once more. This time, Roman paid attention to the way she spoke about Cinder's two kids, as well as the sickeningly social attitude that Cinder herself seemed to adopt with her disguise. Honestly, Torchwick was tempted to ask if the brat had any recordings of his boss's cheery expressions, since that'd be an interesting thing to lord over her.

That temptation barely lasted for a second.

The important thing that he gleaned from Red's little retelling was that, according to her, Cinder had just arrived. Not only was that information out of date, it was months out of date. Once again, worry filled the criminal's mind as he tried to make sense of this information. Why exactly was Red's rendition of events so far behind? Did she honestly forget? Or did she never know in the first place?

Honestly, Roman was hoping that the kid simply forgot. After all... If she forgot, that could at least be explained away by this world's weird systems screwing with... Something. Heck, even his own memories were spotty at certain places, despite the fact that he remembered everything after his arrival with absolute clarity. So, was it just a memory issue?

Unfortunately, Roman was no fool, and he had to consider the second possibility as well. If Red never knew the events of the breach in the first place, and the drivel she was spouting was the last thing she could remember... What did that mean for him? If magic memory shenanigans was really a thing that this world was capable of, was there any guarantee that his own memories weren't at fault? As loathe as he was to admit it, it was just as likely for his thoughts to have been modified one way as it was to have been modified another.

The rogue paused for a moment, as his mind ran over that statement one last time. Was mysterious memory modification really the only theory? After all, there was one more answer, and it was far more mundane than anything related to thought manipulation.

What if there wasn't anything messing with their memories? What if Red simply forgot those events, through no outside influence? Sure, that might be a bit weird to say, especially given how important the Breach had been... But the kid was still a kid, as evidenced by her annoyance. What if she encountered something that might've forced her brain to close things off? Too traumatic and all that?

... Okay, even Roman scoffed at the idea. Repression's a thing and all that, but he seriously doubted that it was something this extensive. Really, why did he bring it up? Neo was the one who enjoyed all those stupid stories and outrageous settings, after al-

"Hey Roman?"

Once again, the brat interrupted his line of thought. Not that that was a bad thing, this time around; as much as he'd like to say otherwise, the thief knew that he was getting no where with his mental gymnastics. "What is it, Red?"

"Well... Uh... I think we're here. And I think you should stop."

That was an odd way to put it. Why did she-

And that's when Roman Torchwick ran into a lamppost.

"Ho ho ho! Nice to see you again, Mr. Torchwick. Something on your mind? Looks like you had your head up in the clouds."

There was no malice in Guildmaster's voice as the two stepped inside the Merchant's Guild. Of that, Roman was certain, since he went through the pained effort of scrutinizing the bearded man. Unfortunately, there was no reason to lash out at the Guildmaster, and Roman had to be civil for this transaction, so he couldn't even allow himself the comfort of sarcasm.

"Actually, I-"

"Hey! It's not nice to laugh at people like that!"

Of course. Leave it to Red to interrupt a business transaction. Before he could get two words in edgewise, Roman's bratty companion decided to make her presence known, her childish voice echoing through the room.

"Ha ha. My apologies Rece-" There was a pause, as the Guildmaster finally took notice of the Merchant Guild's second arrival. Roman didn't really blame him for the confusion, since the 12-year-old merchant's voice was just as brazenly annoying as Red's was. "Wait, you're not Miss Lemongrass. I don't believe we've met, miss..."

"I'm Ruby Rose." Huh. That's her name? Well, Roman didn't particularly care one way or another, and it wasn't like he was going to change the way he addressed her. Red suits the little brat just fine.

"And as I was saying, it's not nice to laugh at people like that! Roman was just thinking of something, and he wasn't paying attention to where he was going! It's not something to laugh at! It happens to plenty of people! I mean, it's happened to me before, too!"

Okay, the last thing Roman wanted was to have that in common with Red. Once again, the thief resisted the urge to bring his palm to his face, willing his patience into existence as he tried to gather his thoughts. After all, Roman was here for a reason, and the sooner he could get that out of the way, the better. He turned his attention back to the Guildmaster, who was obviously sensible enough to ignore the ramblings of a deranged brat like Red.

"Is that so? Well, I understand, since it's happened to me, too. And I live here, so I don't even have an excuse."

"Really? Well, as long as you know... Wait, you live here? What is this place, exactly?"

... The two were in their own stupid conversation. Of course.

Letting out a tired sigh, Roman settled his attention to the wares instead. If he wasn't able to conduct a proper business transaction, he'll just conduct a less-than-legal one instead. Not like anyone would notice, since the beacon brat was unaware of things at the best of times, and the Guildmaster seemed even duller than Junior's men. Leaving Red and the Guildmaster to their inane ramblings, Torchwick made his way to the back of the room.

After all, with so many items on display, it'd be remiss for the criminal to ignore them.