Greetings everyone,

Welcome back to the twelfth chapter of "The Arcful Dodger".

Once again, thank you all so much for reading and leaving reviews and PMing me how I can improve as a writer. It is very much appreciated.

Don't forget to check out some of my other stories, one of which will be going on hiatus after one or two chapters while the other will be reaching it's conclusion so be sure to check them all out

1. The Knight The Wizard (A/N: Since Vol. 6 has come to a conclusion and as I'd rather plan chapters out through what happens in the show that that means that this story will be going on hiatus after one or two chapter and will then continue once Vol. 7 is officially released.)

2. Operation: Jaune's Dastardly Revenge (A/N: Same with the A/N above. This story is nearing it's conclusion so be sure to check it out beforehand. Oh, and to those who say it's a terrible story just because I happen to be an Arkos shipper... Piss off.)

3. The Master Huntsman

4. The Arcful Dodger

5. A Bright Future (A/N: This story will be released some time later on in the year.)

Make sure to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.

Till next time!

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Chapter Twelve

So, this was how his night was going to go?

Betrayed by the White Fang.

Having his heist and subsequent unveiling of Perry Winkle's misdeeds ruined by a pair a huntresses. But just any kind of huntresses but a pair of huntresses that were so green that everything they did practically screamed out "novice".

And the cherry on top of pile of shit that was his night was that one of the huntresses was a goddamn Schnee.

And where did all of this leave him, a devilish handsome rogue with a heart of gold? Right smack dab in the middle of all of it. So now, instead of revealing to the world just how much sick and twisted the so-called "man of the people" really was he was instead sandwiched between a pair of huntresses that viewed him as a criminal and potential associate, which technically he was, and a pair of bovine brothers that wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb.

Needless to say, this was NOT how Dodger envisioned this night going.

Silenced filled the ballroom as the huntresses and the White Fang glared at one another. Their fingers were twitching with anticipation as they stared at one another. And all the while, Dodger was there right in the middle of all of it with nothing but an electricfied Dust cane and a few blades dust throwing cards to his name.

Suddenly, Blood charged towards, his axe raised above his head for an overhead strike while Ford and the rest of the White Fang goons fired off into the crowd. Immediately, Perry Winkle's security force evacuated the attendees as some of them threw over the tables thus creating some cover for them all.

Ruby, seeing Blood's axe coming down upon her as quick to react as she pulled the trigger on her weapon, the force of the recoil then launching the girl upward, avoiding the strike. She then fired her weapon once more while in the air, sending her rocketing towards Blood with her scythe at thre ready. Their weapons clashed, causing sparks to fly as they glared at one another.

Weiss, meanwhile, was gracefully dodging the barrage of gunfire. And as she did so several white glyphs randomly appeared around the ballroom and with them came large spikes of ice. The rapier in her grasp glowed softly as she plunged the blade into the ground, creating a yellow glyph beneath her feet. And in And instance the snow-haired heiress vanished from Dodger's eyesight as he blocked a White Fang goon's melee. When he'd finally got sight of her she immediately vanish again. Suddenly, he remembered that the Schnees were well known for their incredibly rare Semblance.

Glyphs.

And once more, Dodger had to remind himself that the next time he'd met Roman he was going to throttle him for not unlocking his Aura.

But right now he didn't have the time to overthink exactly how he was planning on makin' Roman sorry. Because right now he was busy fighting off against wave and wave of White Fang goons. With a parry from his cane, Dodger triggered the hidden mechanism on the dust ball tip, causing it to launch from the top of the cane and collide with another masked goon, their Grimm mask cracked upon impact. There they stumbled from the attack thus leaving them open for Weiss to attack them with her weapon.

The two of the met up back to back, each of them throwing a glare towards the other but were so busy defending themselves from their attackers that neither one of them spoke. And despite clearly despising one another the two of them covered one another's backs as Dodger jabbed his cane into a melee attacker that was charging towards Weiss while she summoned a glyph that launched an ice spike at another that was shooting at them.

"Well, I dare say that this is NOT how I envisioned this night was going to go!" shouted Dodger as he parried another attack before using his dust ball to wrap around the goon's throat until the ball struck their masked face so hard that they flew backwards into a spin.

The sound of Weiss's "hmph" almost had him desiring her death. ALMOST. But he wouldn't do it, he was a thief. Not a killer.

"And exactly HOW did you envision this night going?" she demanded through a tone of sarcasm that had Dodger rolling his eyes behind his mask as they both covered one another from more attacks.

"Oh, nothing too out of the ordinary. Enjoy the party. Lift some pockets from some obnoxiously wealthy individuals. Reveal that the beloved "man of the people" was in reality a scumbag that enslaved kidnapped Faunus. And then perhaps finishing up the evening by saving said kidnapped Faunus." he said before realizing that the large group of White Fang was considerably larger than the last time he'd seen them. Thos damn Ox Brothers must've somehow convinced some of those malnourished Faunus to rebel alongside them. "Although, considering the sheer number of White Fang we're currently faced against, I feel as if it will be ourselves that will be needing saving instead." said Dodger as he launched his dust ball at another goon, their Grimm mask cracked as they fell onto their back.

"You lying thief! Mr. Winkle is an exquisite political figure that has always been fighting for the equal rights of the Faunus! I have personally known him ever since I was a child and in all the years I've known him he'd never been kind and charitable towards the Faunus!" shouted Weiss, deflecting another attack before slashing her attacker into submission.

"Typical Schnee." growled Dodger as he thrusted his cane into the gut of another goon before whipping the back of their head with his dust ball, knocking them unconscious. "You've lived amongst those who wear fake masks for so long that you've begun to believe in them! Perry Winkle is a corrupt politician that will stop at nothing to get what he wants!" he retaliated as he parried another attack before tossing a diamond card at them resulting in the attacker being encased in solid ice that Weiss then used as a wrecking ball via her glyphs, launching the ice block at Blood, who was still attacking her partner. The massive bovine Faunus was then launched through a nearby painting, knocking back several of his own allies.

"Uh, guys! Can both you PLEASE stop fighting and, you know, start fighting!" shouted Ruby, who was taking potshots at Ford, earning both of their ire as the two of them turned their attention onto Ruby.

"STAY OUT THIS!" they both shouted before glaring at one another just as Blood came charging back in, his axe raised above his head that he brought down with a crash. The force was enough to knock both Weiss and Dodger off to the sides.

As Dodger struggled to get back onto his feet, his eyes widened at the sight of Ford's gun barrel in his face.

"Should've known you and your idiotic brother were too bullheaded the moment I met you." Dodger complained, as he sweeper his leg beneath Ford's own, sending the crazed Faunus crashing to the ground.

Before the Faunus could even react, Dodger quickly delivered a swift kick to his jaw, breaking the digi-mask he'd been wearing. The mask fell from his face revealing that his entire jawline was completely missing from his face. Dodger recoiled in horror at the sight of it. And even as Ford rose back onto his feet, his mouth completely missing from sight, Dodger could just instinctively tell that the crazed jawless Faunus was smiling vindictively at him.

His words, if one could even call them such a thing, came out as a gurgling noise that was originating from where his mouth would've been. And it terrified Dodger to no end as he took a step back just in time to avoid Ford's knife.

Quickly, Dodger raised his cane to parry another swing, to which he retaliated by launching his Dust ball into Ford's missing mouth. But just as Ford was about to rip the ball from away from himself, Dodger swiftly activated the electrified Dust, sending waves upon waves of electricity directly into Ford's missing mouth. His body jolted from the voltage that was now running through his body until he eventually slumped to the ground as a mixture of blood and drool spilled from the hole in his face.

Dodger bit back the urge to paint the marble floor with his breakfast as he retracted the ball back into the top of his cane before turning his attention back on Ruby and Weiss, who were teaming up together to combat against the goliath that was Ox Blood. And so, with the skills he'd managed to cultivate throughout his years as a thief, Dodger, well, dodged the many erratic swings from the bovine madman. And with his cane, he parried the blow before using the created opening to deliver a thrust to his opponent's exposed body. With great swiftness, Dodger somehow managed to fend off the raging behemoth as he expertly evaded each of his wild swings. It wasn't until Dodger just barely managed to catch Blood's latest swing on his cane that he then sent flying across the ballroom. Luckily, he'd already launched his dust ball into the air, allowing it to anchor onto a nearby second floor railing, that then allowed him to land safely next to Ruby and Weiss, who'd finished dispatching the last of the remaining White Fange goons.

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby, as she reached down to pull the thief back onto his feet.

"Don't ask him that, you dolt!" shouted Weiss, causing Ruby to flinch. "He's a criminal. No better than these filthy Faunus from the White Fang!"

"I am fine, Ms. Rose." said Dodgr, smiling gently at the girl in red before turning his attention onto Weiss with a deep heated glare. "And I'd be wary if I were you SCHNEE, lest you find yourself the pot calling the kettle black."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" she accused as her eyelids narrowed.

"I believe you already know the answer to that, my dear." he said, ignoring her glare as she returned his attention to Blood, who was picking his brother up from the floor. Ruby recoiled at the sight of Ford's missing mouth as the two brother got back up from their feet. It was then that Dodger had a brilliant idea as he turned to face Ruby with a smirk before bowing his head ever so-slightly. "Ms. Rose, would you care to have a dance?" he asked with a smile as Ruby sputtered for an answer as her cheeks began to redden.

"Are you seriously flirting with my partner in the middle of an encounter?" asked Weiss, as she watched the interaction between the two.

"Please, as cutely adorable as Ms. Rose is, I'm afraid that I am a taken man." said Dodger, grimacing at the thought of what Neo would do to him if she ever thought he was flirting with someone for real. "I am merely requesting a final dance before we draw this evening to a close." he said, gesturing to Ford and Blood, who were already charging towards them with their weapons at the ready. "It seems that we're needed on the dance floor. Shall we show these two what it means to challenge the likes of us?" he asked with a smirk as Ruby cocked her weapon before nodding in agreement.

"And just what am I supposed to do? Watch from the sidelines?" demanded Weiss as Dodger rolled his eyes at her.

"Quite frankly my dear I don't give a rat's ass what you do. Just stay out of my way." he finished, causing her mouth to hang agape as he and her partner charged forward towards the Ox Brothers. Reaching out, Dodger latched onto Ruby's extended hand when suddenly the two of them became a red and yellow blur that raced off towards the Ox Brothers. The two of the split off from one another, each with their weapons at the ready as Ruby swung her scythe through Blood's axe shaft, slicing the weapon in two while Dodger was busy deflecting Ford's bullets with his dust ball whip. With a tip of his hat, Dodger vanish from sight as Ruby grabbed his hand, saving him from Ford's poor attempt at attacking him with his puny hunting knife. Once more the two became a rapidly moving blue of red and yellow as they raced around the bovine brothers before splitting apart just enough to allow Dodger a chance to leap above the two of them. And with a flick of his wrist the master thief chucked two bladed dust cards, one with a red heart symbol while the other had a green spade. The cards then embedded themselves into the floor between the two brothers when suddenly they were engulfed in a raging tornado made entirely out of fire. Dodger was then caught by Ruby, who then safely transported the two of them back onto solid ground where they then watched as the fire tornado played with the Ox Brothers as if they were nothing but toys to be played with when suddenly the tornado exploded into a wave of fire and wind. The blast was almost enough to knock both Ruby and Dodger back a few feet if not for Weiss, who quickly summoned forth a wall of ice to protect them.

"I swear you'd be lost without me." said Weiss, readying her weapon as the ice wall began to melt and both Ruby and Dodger rose back onto their feet.

Ruby smiled at her partner. "Thanks." she said before looking at Dodger. "Why are these guys even here anyways?"

"Well, I do not wish to lie to such a flower such as yourself, Ms. Rose, but I do believe that it may have something to do with the Faunus slave auction that our now-mysteriously-absent host, Mr. Winkle, was conducting." said Dodger as both Ford and Blood gathered their gear as Ruby gasped at the reveal.

"But that's wrong!" argued Ruby, causing Weiss to groan in annoyance.

"Why are you even believing a criminal like him!?" shouted Weiss, gripping her weapons handle till her knuckles began to whiten.

"Though I'd despise myself to admit it but you'd be wise to take the Schnee's words to heart, Ms. Rose. Though I may have originally been here to rescue the kidnapped Faunus I am afraid that I am still in fact a criminal." said Dodger as he raised his cane to deflect another bullet from Ford's pistol. "Though I will happily admit that playing the role of the hero certainly has its marks." said Dodger, somehow managing to keep his inner fanboy down as he readied himself beside Ruby and Weiss.

It was in that moment that the doors leading into the ballroom exploded open sending a dust cloud of smoke and debris into the room as several armed VPD officers swarmed the room with their weapons at the ready. Amongst the armed officers was yet another familiar face that Dodger had not seen since that night at Junior's club. It was Chief Shamus Noire. And if there was anything that Dodger knew about the hardboiled chief of the Vale Police Department is was that he despised Dodger's existence with a burning passion.

"Everyone freeze!" shouted Chief Noire, his strong and commanding voice was enough to cause both Weiss and Ruby to instantly place their weapons on the ground and raise their hands above their heads. Only Dodger and the Ox Brothers remained unmoved by the chief's commands, something that instantly caught the chief's steely gaze. "Well, what do we have here? The filthy mongrels from the White Fang AND the Arcful Dodger? Heh, Christmas must've came early this year."

"Ah, Chief Noire!" Dodger happily exclaimed with a twirl of his cane, making sure to keep his eyes locked onto the Chief's own. "I'm so glad you could grace us with your presence. And I must say you have apt for arriving at just the right time."

"Shut it, Dodger!" shouted Chief Noire as he raised his gun directly at Dodger's chest. "You and the rest of these filthy animals are all under arrest!"

But when the chief went to reach for Dodger just as Dodger was about to make his getaway suddenly Ruby stepped between them, shocking both Dodger and Weiss as the little girl in red glared at defiantly at the chief of police.

"Ruby, you dolt! What on earth do you think you're doing!?" shouted Weiss, as she stared at her own partner protecting an actual criminal.

"I'm saving Dodger from being arrested! He tried to stop the White Fang from hurting people! And he said that Winkle-guy was selling kidnapped Faunus! That means he's a good guy!" shouted Ruby as she extended her arms outward, acting as a fence to keep the Chief away from Dodger.

"Gah! Ruby, don't be stupid!" shouted Weiss. "He is a criminal! A thief and a liar that steals from hardworking people just because he can! It doesn't matter if he fought against the White Fang because he's still nothing but a criminal!"

"Listen to your friend there, girl." said Chief Noire as he lowered his gun to avoid hitting Ruby. Clealy, she, like many others had been tricked by Dodger's charismatic persona. It's what often kept him in most of the civilians' good graces. "This man will stop at nothing to get what he wants and he'll use whatever method he can to obtain it. Be smart about this and stand aside."

"No! I won't let you take him! He's a good guy! I know it!" shouted Ruby until she felt a hand on her left shoulder, causing her to turn her hand and see Dodger with a frown.

"Ms. Rose, while I am appreciative of your belief in me, I am afraid that the both of them are correct. Though I did fight alongside you against the White Fang, my doing so was not altruistic. But it does warm my heart to know that there are still people with pure and honest souls such as yourself out there. It's why it pains me so that I have to do this." said Dodger as he gripped Ruby's arm, pulling it behind her back, causing the girl to yelp in pain as her partner and several of the officers all raised their weapons and aimed them directly at Dodger.

"You bastard!" shouted Weiss, glaring at Dodger as he forcibly held Ruby as a hostage. "Let go of her this instance!"

"I'm afraid that is a request that I'll have to respectfully decline, Schnee." Dodger responded as he narrowed his eyes at her. "My Job is far from dealt with and as much as it pains me to have to use Ms. Rose as leverage, I'm afraid that I'm left with no other option."

"If you think we're letting you walk out here then you've got another thing coming, Dodger. Cause you're not going anywhere. Men, surround him!" shouted Chief Noire as he aimed his gun at Dodger but made sure to keep his finger off of the trigger as the rest his men quickly surrounded Dodger and Ruby while several others went for the Ox Brothers.

"Dodger, please don't do this." pleaded Ruby as she attempted to struggle against Dodger's grasp. "You're a good guy, I can tell."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rose." apologized Dodger as he did honestly feel guilty that he had resort to using Ruby as a hostage. "But as I've said before, my job is far from over and I can't allow myself to be put away until I've finished what he started."

"He? He who?" she asked as Dodger then raised his cane above his head as the dust ball began to glow bright white.

"Now as much fun as this evening has been I'm afraid that I'll have to bid everyone adieu," said Dodger as the dust ball flashed bright white, blinding everyone in the ballroom before the dust ball rocketed upwards to the ceiling. The wire then began to retract, pulling both Dodger and Ruby along with it until they both stood upon the roof of Perry Winkle's mansion. Several news crews and VPD swat cars stood just outside the mansion as a swarm of people crowded the entrance. Seeing that now he was out of harm's way, Dodger then released his hold on Ruby's arm thus allowing the little rose a chance to retaliate as she attempted to swing at Dodger.

But Dodger, having been trained by both Roman and Neo throughout most of his life, easily dodged the poor attempt as he sidestepped her, causing Ruby to begin stumbling forward. The sight alone nearly caused him to chuckle as it reminded him of how they'd met.

"I must say that, despite failing at my original mission, meeting such an interesting individual such as you was most certainly the highlight of my night, Ms. Rose." said Dodger, smiling as Ruby glared at him.

"Why did you do that!?" she shouted at him, causing him to raise his right eyebrow. "If you'd just explain to everyone what had happened then maybe they wouldn't see you like a criminal."

"Ms. Rose, its time you realized that I am not a hero nor while I ever be considered a hero." said Dodger as he slowly began making his way towards the edge of the roof as several droplets of rain began to fall. "I am a criminal. Though my mission is justified it doesn't mean that my actions are. And though the people I expose are the scum of the earth it doesn't mean that I don't walk amongst them... or, at the very least, used to."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ruby when she finally noticed that Dodger was now standing at the edge of the building. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"It sad to say but our evening must come to an end Ms. Rose." said Dodger as he took his hat off to bow towards Ruby before placing back on his head with a smile. "But before I depart I shall leave you with one final word of advice." said Dodger as he took another step closer towards the edge as Ruby's eyes widened at him, her arm outstretched as she attempted to reach out for him. "Keep a close eye on the one you call a friend for once a Schnee always a Schnee." said Dodger as he took another step off of the roof before falling towards the ground.

But when Ruby rushed towards the edge of the mansion to see where Dodger had fallen she found herself shocked to see that the gentleman thief was nowhere to be seen. Almost as if he'd vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, a massive spite of ice rose from the skylight, carrying Weiss and Chief Noire along with it. And Weiss, seeing that Ruby was standing alone on the roof, quickly rushed to her side, throwing her arms around her dolt of a partner's neck as she held her close.

"You stupid dolt! How could you just let him take you!? Do you realize how worried sick I was!? Gah, don't you ever do something like this ever again!" shouted Weiss as she held Ruby in her arms while Chief Noire scanned the surrounding area for any sign of Dodger.

"Where's Dodger?" He demanded, turning his gaze onto Ruby who in turned gained a frown.

"H-He got away..." she said as she lowered head, allowing the rain to pelt her hair as Chief Noire cursed before sheathing his weapon and reached for his communicator.

"This is Chief Noire. Dodger escaped. I repeat the Arcful Dodger has escaped. I want a sweep of the area for any signs effective immediately." commanded Chief Noire as he then turned his attention onto Weiss and Ruby. "And contact Ozpin.. tell him he's needed down at the station." said Chief Noire, taking one last glance at Weiss and Ruby before sighing and making his way towards the entrance to the stairs as the rain fall began to grow heavier and heavier.

And all the while a question plagued Ruby's mind as she starred at the spot where Dodger had just been.

What did he mean when he said she needed to keep an eye of Weiss? Did he and Weiss know each other? What was Dodger's ultimate goal? But most importantly, what would she do if they met one another again?