Roman Torchwick

()

()

Torchwick frowned, rubbed his eyes, and returned the book he'd been reading to its shelf. The village foreman, Edward, had mentioned something about Weiss having two souls, on the day they'd left to hunt Aibell, so Torchwick dared to hope that maybe the old faunus had some information about his condition. Alas, by now he had thumbed through every single book on the old oaken shelf, and it turned out his hope was misplaced. Ledgers, census reports, hunting guides, and dime novels, the foreman's collection of books was as robust as it was useless.

…and all of it was about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

"Well, thanks for killing twenty minutes for me, anyway." Torchwick said to no one. He trailed his fingertips across the spines of the musty old books one last time, before he lost interest in the bookshelf and wandered off. He meandered over to kneel before the room's fireplace, making sure the blaze had sufficient fuel, and let out a low, long groan of boredom.

This was such an 'elderly dude' bedroom. The bookshelf was the only source of entertainment in the entire puny space; set up as it was beside an oaken writing desk and an antique lamp. There was a tray on the desk that the soldiers below replaced daily, containing a glass pitcher filled with fragments of chipped ice, a small glass, and a bowl of assorted fruits. The adjacent wall housed a well-maintained fireplace, with a four-poster king bed positioned to absorb most of the heat it produced.

A hardwood floor, hardwood walls, every crack and every blemish thereon… this was a space Torchwick had become intimately familiar with in the past couple days, and it took all the self-control he could muster not to scream in frustration about this unofficial imprisonment.

When he was convinced the fire was going strong, he returned to his feet and approached the bed, sitting down at the foot of it and resting his elbows on his knees.

Weiss was there; still as she'd been for more than forty-eight hours. She lie centered on the mattress with her eyes shut tight. Her chest was rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm, and she wore a tranquil expression on her face. There was a white bandage wrapped carefully around her forehead, and an IV had been inserted into the vein of her arm—leading to a bag of saline fluid suspended from a metal hanger beside the bed.

Roman watched her sleep, his frown slowly transforming into a thoughtful smile. He was glad she was recovering, but by the gods did he wish she would hurry it up a little bit. Being trapped by their tether while she was stuck in bed had gotten old before the first day had passed, and it wasn't helped by the fact that he never slept. He was forced to pass the time by pawing through the old man's possessions or eavesdropping on the Atlesian medics who were supervising Weiss' recovery.

He never slept…

The thought reminded him of what Weiss had said about seeing his memories in her dreams and made him wonder if she was seeing more of them now. He tensed at this, his stomach twisting. His past was something he didn't even like remembering himself; the thought of the Ice Queen peeping through it invoked a feeling like insects crawling under his skin. The way she'd spoken back in the mine, it sounded like she saw complete memories, too—not like the still images and emotions he'd seen of her past.

Was it because sleep made their connection stronger? Torchwick thought about it for a while, but it was a hypothesis he had no ability to test, so he abandoned the question with a cavalier shrug. The situation was what it was. To be fair, she had no control over what she saw in her sleep… not that Torchwick was ever inclined to play fair.

He sat beside her, an hour passing before, for the first time since they'd returned from the mountain, Weiss finally stirred. She groaned, rocking her head from side to side as if trying to shake a bat out of her hair, and then slowly opened her eyelids. Pale blue eyes scanned the room for something she recognized, settling on Torchwick's face when she found it, and focusing on him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He said, flashing his most soothing smile. Weiss responded with a quizzical look, moving to try to lift her upper body from the mattress before grimacing in pain and letting herself collapse again. Torchwick jumped up at this, gripping her shoulders gently and helping her rise to a sitting position by stacking pillows between her back and the headboard.

"Easy, now! You were concussed pretty bad, and you've been out for almost three days. Not much point in rushing now." He scolded her, despite hoping they would have been able to rush, as well. There wasn't really a destination he cared about on the horizon… he just sincerely longed to be free of this house. "I'll bet your mouth is pretty dry, though. Want me to get you some ice chips or something?"

Weiss shook her head slowly, looking around the room.

"Where are we?" She asked. Her voice was raspy and weak. Torchwick moved from the bed to give her a clearer view of her surroundings.

"We're back at the old deer man's house. Remember that airship that rescued us from the birds? Their medical team has been watching over you ever since. I imagine they'll be in to check on you before long."

Weiss turned the corner of her lip down and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, nursing her forehead with her fingertips.

"Right. I remember we were running down the mountain path, and then that ship saved us. Things get a little… hazy, after that."

"I bet! That was around the time you passed out. I turned around and suddenly you weren't responding anymore. Thanks for that, by the way, it was an incredibly fun scare. They sent a search party out for you, after the Grimm were gone. Getting their attention without you was a pain in the ass, but as you can see, we live to fight another day."

"I'm sorry for the trouble. You've been surprisingly reliable, Roman." She said, offering him a weak smile as she began to slowly stretch her body. Fair enough! Torchwick had to believe almost three days of sleep would make anyone stiff. "We're lucky the military finally came to aid the village."

"Right, so, about that." Torchwick scratched his chin, debating how much he should tell her when she'd only just woken up. He had a funny feeling she would enjoy the twist behind this rescue. "Well, you'll hear about it directly from the source before long. I can't wait to see your face."

She glared at him, but in her current state it was a fair bit more adorable than intimidating. He went back to the desk, picking up the platter and bringing it over to her bedside. The chipped ice was mostly water by now, so he filled the glass, held it by the base, and helped her to carefully drink from it before peeling an apple and cutting it into sections. She was in the process of hesitantly nibbling at the fruit when they finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

A pair of Atlesian soldiers opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, surprise visible on their faces as they saw Weiss propped up on the bed.

"Gracious! You're awake, hon. I'm so sorry we didn't hear you sooner." One of the soldiers said in a kindly, feminine voice. She was a middle-aged woman, with dark brown eyes, tanned skin, and black hair cut into a circular bob around her head. Deep lines framed the corners of her mouth, implying a life spent smiling.

When she saw the tray resting in Weiss' lap, the woman narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Did you have to go get that by yourself? I knew one of us should have stayed behind! Murphy, go check her vitals."

"R-right!" The man beside her seemed surprised to be called upon, but quickly hopped forward to oblige the command. He was younger than his companion, though not much taller, with pale skin and gray eyes that seemed sunken into his skull. His brown hair was cut and styled into a coif, which he ran his hand through absently as he worked.

Both of them were wearing the standard body armor of the Atlas military: A heavy metallic fabric that covered their arms, shoulders, and chests. Most of it was white, save for a green square of the material directly in front of their shoulders, which also had a small red 'x' printed inside it. That was… airship medical personnel? Torchwick felt like it was something he should still be able to recognize, but damned if he could, so he shrugged and stopped trying. Either way, neither of them really looked like they belonged in the military.

"Oh, no. I only just woke up, really." Weiss reassured them. She did her best to cooperate with Murphy as he came around the bed, prodding her arm as he gathered her pulse and blood pressure information and punched it into a device he produced from his pocket.

"Well, it's good news either way! Specialist Schnee will be delighted when she comes back." The woman gave Weiss a reassuring nod.

"'Specialist Schnee'? Winter is here?" Weiss' eyes lit up, and she pulled herself further up from the bed. Man, she really did love Winter, didn't she? That was incomprehensible to Roman… Winter Schnee was one of the more unpleasant people he'd ever interacted with in his life.

"She's why we're all here!" The medic said. "A few days ago, we got an incident report from the village foreman: 'Weiss Schnee went to exterminate Grimm from the mountains, never returned'. You've never seen someone as determined as she was when she heard that. She put all her weight behind having us swing through the mountain range on our way back to the capital."

"Sis…" The smile on Weiss' face grew wider at the news, and she looked toward Torchwick with happiness radiating from her expression. He gave a short laugh and returned the smile with a sigh.

"That's about the size of it, Ice Queen. In the end, it was nepotism that saved the day, not nobility." Torchwick said. "I guess they did come in the end, though. Regarding our little debate back in the mine, I'm not adverse to calling this episode a draw."

"Kindly refrain from passing off your fantasies as truth, Ensign Pembrooke!" Before Weiss could react to Torchwick's words, a new voice boomed in from the stairway below. It was a voice he knew very well, and he stifled a groan at the sound of it.

Winter Schnee was the next soldier to enter the bedroom, her face an expressionless mask of professionalism as she regarded the people gathered before her, though a hint of warmth found its way into her light blue eyes as she saw Weiss was awake.

"Reports of Grimm activity have been coming in from this region for months. We had to report to General Ironwood directly anyway, so resolving this incident along the way was only reasonable. We have a duty to our citizens, after all." Apparently, no one had ever warned Winter of the dangers of protesting too much.

"Of course, Ma'am. Of course." The ensign said, flashing a wink at Weiss.

Right… 'duty'. That's why you've stuck around this nowhere town for so long, and why you've checked in on your sister damn-near every hour since you found her? Torchwick smirked. To think people accused him of being roundabout with his feelings.

Once Winter had established her totally professional excuse, though, it seemed her pride was satisfied. She even allowed a small grin to break the stoicism of her face as she turned her attention toward Weiss.

"Still, I'm relieved to see you awake, Weiss." She said. "Your injuries were fairly minor, so you should be fine after a little rest."

Weiss seemed to see through her bravado as easily as everyone else, and her warm expression didn't waver a bit as her elder sister spoke.

"Winter, do you have some time? I've- I need to talk to you about a lot of stuff." When Weiss finally found her voice, this was what she said. Winter was one of the people she was setting out to see, after all.

Torchwick bristled, remembering one of the conditions she'd set on the day they teamed up. She wanted to consult her sister for advice about him, which was… lovely.

"We've remained here longer than we should have, already. We need to prepare to embark tonight," Winter sighed and shook her head, "but I can set aside a little time. Finish eating, let them make sure you're ready to be out of bed, and I'll come back when I've finished my work."

Weiss lit up like a firecracker, and Torchwick sighed.

Well, dammit. Guess this is happening

He wasn't really scared, or anything. By this point, Weiss didn't seem like she was still contemplating getting rid of him. Rather, the idea of being judged by someone like Winter Schnee infuriated him. Sitting around quietly while that hypocritical lapdog pretended she had any right to look down at him, well, it promised to be a chore.

Winter departed shortly after that, leaving the medical officers behind to finish their examination. Torchwick headed to the window while they worked, peering out to absently watch Weiss' sister walk purposefully down the narrow village road. The image of Winter from Weiss' memories flashed in his mind for just a moment, carrying with it the feelings Weiss had for her.

"She was your lifeline, huh?" He said to himself while glancing over at Weiss. "Geez. If Winter Schnee was the warmest person I'd known, growing up, I'd probably have issues, too."

()

[Document Manager keeps erasing my trasition breaks and attempts to add spacing... so consider this a transition break]
()

"Hmm…" Winter had closed her eyes a while ago, and a deep frown had begun to tug at the corner of her lip. She and Weiss were sitting across from one-another at the Village Elder's dining room table, a pot of freshly brewed tea set up between them. Weiss looked away at her sister's reaction, drawing her steaming teacup to her mouth and sipping silently.

"I realize how it sounds, but it's all true." Weiss said with a firm nod. She had told Winter everything that had transpired since Torchwick's arrival: about his stories of the stairway he woke up in, the events leading up to her flight from the manor, the village's request, meeting Aibell, and the ominous threat of Aibell's siblings.

Winter expressed some worry about the severity of Weiss' head injury at first, but otherwise listened in silence, waiting until she was certain her little sister was finished to make a sound. The older Schnee finally opened her icy blue eyes, scanning the room around them.

"So, is he here now?" Winter's tone was as cold as her stare.

"Y-yeah, he's right over there." Weiss pointed to the chair at the far side of the table, where Torchwick was seated. He had his arms crossed on the tabletop, resting his cheek against his forearm as he stared into space with a yawn. He planned to just let the sisters do their thing. If he listened, he'd get worked up and say something he shouldn't. "He's kind of stuck close to me all the time."

Winter turned her head toward him, and he felt a chill run down his spine even though she couldn't see him. If there was one thing he'd learned in his history with Winter, and even his recent history with Weiss, it was that the sheer, radiant contempt a Schnee woman was capable of exerting was one of the most fearsome energies in the universe.

"I see. Well, before anything else, Weiss, I suppose I should ask you a question." Winter said after a moment's contemplation. Torchwick breathed a sigh of relief as her attention left him, instead turning to the cup of tea beneath her, which she began to stir. "Any advice I give you aside, what do you want to do about him?"

"I…" Weiss considered the question, hesitating a moment as she looked up thoughtfully. After a moment she returned her gaze to her sister, trying her best to look determined.

"I know I have a long history with him. We both do, but still… if it's possible, I'd like to save him." She hesitated for a moment, a thoughtful smile on her face. "He's my friend."

"Snowflake…" Despite himself, Torchwick stopped staring into space and looked over at her, wide-eyed.

'Friend'? He was surprised by how much it shook him to hear her say that. The intention from the start had been to win her favor while he needed her, so having her consider him a friend was always part of the plan. Still, between the memory sharing and the life-or-death struggles, things had managed to get so much more… complicated between them than he'd expected.

Were they friends, now? At the very least it was true that he couldn't bring himself to hate her anymore. She was naïve, stubborn, and seemed to harbor a near-suicidal impulse to help others, but he didn't even really hate those things about her, anymore. Those traits were still frustrating as hell, though.

Winter closed her eyes again and exhaled sharply. She released her grip on her teaspoon, bringing her hand to her face and pressing two fingers against her cheek.

"Weiss, let me tell you a story. A parable that suits this situation." She blinked, looking from her sister to the place where Torchwick sat, and back again.

"A poor farmer was patrolling his field one winter morning, when he happened upon a viper curled up in the frost. The farmer realized that it must have failed to burrow before the cold came, and it was slowly freezing to death. Feeling pity for the serpent, he lifted it from the ground and let it rest within his coat, hoping his body heat might save it.

"His efforts bore fruit, and the warmth of his breast revived the viper. However, no sooner did it rouse, than it reared back, striking the man and digging its fangs into his neck. The farmer fell to the ground, and death began to take him. As he watched the serpent slither off, he smiled, and with his dying breath lamented, 'I am justly served for showing compassion to so vile a creature.'"

Winter sighed as she finished, finally taking a long sip of her tea. Weiss looked down at the table and frowned thoughtfully. Torchwick had a hard time imagining that her sister's opinion on the matter was surprising... so hard a time, in fact, that he wasn't sure why she wanted to tell Winter about him, at all. Seeing that Weiss wasn't speaking, her sister continued.

"If that story was too indirect, I have many more I can tell: Aggravated assault, armed robbery, grand larceny, terrorism… perhaps you'd like to hear about the murder?" Winter cast her chin upward, looking down at the place where Torchwick was sitting with a vengeful sneer.

"Roman Torchwick is not your friend, Weiss. I don't blame you for falling for his lies, of course. You're young, and he has a very charming demeanor, but it's a façade. A silver tongue to conceal a black heart. He hasn't been protecting you; he's only been protecting himself. The instant those two things cease to be the same, he'll betray you."

Torchwick felt bile rise in his throat and had to bite his lip to maintain his silence. This was the kind of crap he was trying to brace for! Not the part where he was confronted with his crimes, that was fine. He'd done a lot of terrible things in his life and would likely do many more if he regained his body. His sins were mere facts, which he felt neither pride nor shame about.

It was that look in Winter's eyes that he couldn't abide. Weiss and her friends judged him too, and he gods-damned hated that, but at least it was judgement born of ignorance. They were naïve brats who genuinely thought the world worked like a fairy tale. Wrong, but honest.

Winter, though? Where the hell did she get off looking down at him like that? He pressed his tongue against his teeth, his thoughts bitterly deflecting her accusations.

Aggravated assault? Oh, I'm sure you've been dispatched to suppress a civilian protest by now. You know exactly how the military handles a difference of opinion, especially if the 'animals' are the source of it… and that's just how you treat your own citizens!

Armed robbery? Grand Larceny? When you lot hit every single town outside the capital, 'requisitioning' so many supplies that the farmers are eternally a single bad harvest away from starvation?

…and terrorism? Murder!? Torchwick didn't even bother to finish that thought any further, resisting the urge to start cackling at the sheer nerve of Winter's accusation.

He'd stolen money. He'd stolen dust. He'd swindled nice old ladies out of their savings and picked the pockets of people even poorer than he was. That was all peanuts compared to the military, though. What they stole couldn't even be fit into the same ballpark. They marched out in lockstep and stole the freedom of all they encountered, crushing human dignity beneath their boots to project the power of their masters.

Roman victimized individuals, but Winter was helping the evil fossils above her to victimize civilization itself! Winter Schnee was a collared, groomed show dog, casting judgement upon a starving stray. The notion filled Torchwick with such a pure, unfiltered rage that he could almost feel the miasma of it radiating out of him.

He realized that Weiss was looking at him, and started to panic a little as he noticed the concerned frown she was giving him. He'd forgotten how easily their emotions could infect each other when they got strong!

He offered her an insincere, apologetic smile and waved his hand, as if to dismiss her worry.

Deep breaths, Roman. Just let them do their thing. As he tried to follow his own advice, he turned his head away from them and closed his eyes, trying not to think too much on the words being exchange.

"Roman isn't an angel, but he's not evil, either. It's hard to explain why, but he wouldn't be able to lie to me very easily. We, uh… we share a lot." Weiss said earnestly. If there was a silver lining to letting Weiss play voyeur inside his head, it was that she no longer felt like she was taking him at his word. Torchwick couldn't help but feel that the memories she'd seen were a little skewed, and that seemed to make her underestimate exactly how dark he'd become in the years since his childhood, but that misconception only helped him, in this situation.

"You're an adult now, Weiss, I can't tell you what to do. You asked me for my advice, so I'm giving it to you: I'd prefer if you stopped associating with him. I worry he'll be a bad influence on you." Winter was less than convinced. "I've always feared you would have a weakness for bad boys."

Weiss groaned, her sister's remark seeming to bring back a bad memory. Despite himself, Torchwick turned back to look at them. Weiss on one side, Winter on the other, looking like they could be mirror images of each other, were it not for the years separating them. Weiss was leaning back in her seat now, cradling her teacup and looking over at her sister.

Heavy subject aside, this was the most happy and relaxed Torchwick had ever seen the little Ice Queen. Well, this was the first time he'd ever seen her interact with someone she was close to, besides ole' Waddlesworth, so maybe that wasn't strange. Still! Weiss had spent all her formative years looking up to her sister and trying to emulate her. It was no wonder they'd come to look so similar. She'd been a lonely little kid, and her sister was her only companion.

Was this how Neo saw me, this whole time?

The thought cut him like a knife, as most thoughts of Neo had, since he'd returned to life. Between his…'intimate' encounter with a Grimm, the weird circumstances of his return, and all the excitement of helping the Ice Queen escape her cage, he'd never really had the chance to stop and really comprehend the fact that his little partner was really dead. That he was living in a world that no longer had Neo in it.

Perhaps that was why he tried to stay so focused on his ambition to return to life, and spun all his memories of Neo into hatred toward Little Red for killing her. It was much easier for a man like Torchwick to use ambition and anger productively than it was for him to process such an intimate loss. Any time he allowed himself to directly think about Neo's death, an intense cavity of despair began to swell within his core.

That empty sorrow was so bottomless and black that if he let himself sink into it, he might never emerge again…

"This story about a stairway does concern me a little, I confess." Winter's voice stirred him from his thoughts, and he realized he'd missed a bit of their conversation when he'd gotten distracted. "If we were merely taking Torchwick at his word, I'd assume it was a lie to manipulate you, but I don't believe you're lying about the Grimm you encountered."

"She called herself the 'youngest daughter of the fabled'." Weiss confirmed with a resolute nod. "and the way she talked to Roman as she was dying… I think he's telling the truth."

"All the more reason to cease your association with him, Weiss." Winter said with a stern shake of her head, but she massaged her temples with her fingertips and continued, "Still, if his presence in this world represents a danger to their scheme, perhaps there is some merit in allowing him to remain connected to someone in Remnant. I just wish I could transfer that burden to someone a bit more… wise to the world."

Aw, you jealous of your sister? I'm flattered, but not really interested in changing dance partners. Torchwick finally felt calm enough to regain his persona of indifferent confidence. He wasn't sure if it was even possible to transfer himself to someone else at this point, but the thought made him grimace, regardless. With Neo gone, Weiss was, perhaps, the only person left in the world he found tolerable.

… Now that was a strange thought.

"I'll be fine. I won't be alone with him forever, we're on our way to find my friends. Oh, I wanted to ask about that, while you're here!"

Oh right… her friends. Torchwick groaned. Maybe getting stuck to the Lapdog wouldn't be the end of the world.

"I'll help however I can, though I can't promise much. It's possible they've been swept up in the conspiracy General Ironwood and Ozpin were discussing." Winter finished the cup of tea before her and set it down, closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. "This business with the talking Grimm doesn't line up with anything I've heard about that, either. How many schemes are hidden in the shadows of Remnant, I wonder?"

"Wait, what?" Weiss cocked her head. Did she not know about that, already? Torchwick found that surprising. He was about as low on the totem pole as it was possible to be in the Witch's little army of darkness, but even he had his suspicions about who the players involved were.

Winter shook her head.

"It's… not really something I should be discussing in public. I'm not certain I can wrap my head around what details I've heard, in the first place. I have a feeling you'll find out more about the Ozpin mess in your own time.

"However, Weiss, the world is on the precipice of something terrible. I've half a mind to take you into my custody and return you to the manor… at least we could protect you there. Since I can't bring myself to do that, I just had to see for myself that you understood the situation you were facing. If I had been just a little later in arriving here, you would have died! Next time, I may be too late."

"You don't have to worry about me so much!" Weiss protested, though the contented smile on her face seemed to imply that she appreciated the worry, all the same. "I'm not someone you have to think about protecting, anymore. I'm a huntress! I made a mistake this time, but I learned from it. Next time, I won't be alone."

The two locked eyes and shared an expression that Torchwick couldn't parse. He wasn't sure if they were arguing or if this was just a bonding moment for them. He didn't get long to ponder it before Winter broke the silence between them.

"I guess nothing remains to be said, then." She said in a tone of firm pride, her lips also threatening to pull into a smile. She pushed back her seat and began to rise. "I wanted to make sure my concerns were aired, but I never had any intention of commanding you. Believe me, Weiss, I understand how important it is for you to choose this path for yourself. We have the same Father, after all."

Torchwick could swear the temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees as the older Schnee daughter cut her eyes in his direction, somehow landing squarely upon him despite her inability to see him. He found himself looking away from her gaze like a mischievous schoolboy being eyed by his teacher.

"Torchwick." All love vanished from her voice as she called to him, leaving only the cold detachment he'd come to expect from her. "You may fool Weiss, but I see you for the snake you are. If you do anything that brings her to harm, I will hurt you. You will never need fear this stairway of yours again, nor the judgement of the gods, nor the fires of hell itself. I will find a way to reach you, and I will destroy you so utterly that not even a pillar of dust remains."

Torchwick exhaled through his nose and rolled his eyes. That was the second time he'd been cursed in as many days. He'd even been behaving himself this time!

I'm sorry, what was that, Winter? 'Gee, Roman! I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for single-handedly dragging my baby sister out of a hole and carrying her to safety! I sure am lucky that you're around, actually protecting her, while I'm too busy oppressing the innocent for my masters like a good dog.'? Hey, no problem! It's great to be appreciated!

Torchwick was done! While the sisters said their farewells, he leaned back in his chair and stretched. It wasn't as though he'd ever intended to hurt the little Ice Queen after he got his body back. Even back when the original plan was still on, he figured he'd just go his own way and enjoy the criminal life again.

Well, he did intend to strangle Little Red someday. Would Weiss consider it a betrayal if she helped him return to life and he went on to murder her best friend? Surely not!

…huh. Maybe he was a viper.

()

[Document Manager keeps erasing my trasition breaks and attempts to add spacing... so consider this a transition break]
()

Before evening had even started rolling in, they were already on the move. Weiss's first few steps were wobbly and uncertain, but by the time they'd covered half the distance to where they'd landed their airship, she was walking so normally you'd never know she was injured at all. There was an unmistakable pep in her stride as she shuffled through the snow a pace ahead of Torchwick, absently flicking through her scroll.

"I assume by your high spirits that you're feeling better. Get what you needed from the Ice Empress?" He asked. Aura really was an astoundingly convenient thing, wasn't it? She fell the height of a tall building and may as well have scraped her knees as a result. If anything, it seemed the biggest reason it took her a while to regain her legs was that she was weakened from sleeping for so long.

"I am, and I did, yes." Weiss replied, still wearing a fragment of the smile she'd departed their meeting with. "Wait, so Winter is the 'Empress' then? I suppose that's acceptable."

Well, that certainly wasn't his preferred nickname for Winter Schnee, but he didn't bother pointing that out. He didn't feel like sitting through the lecture Weiss would hurl at him if she heard him disrespecting her beloved older sister.

"You know me, Snowflake." Torchwick grinned. "If there's one sentiment everyone should associate with Roman Torchwick, it's 'respect for authority.' Where are we headed?"

Weiss' scroll flashed, and she returned it to her pocket before looking back at him.

"The destination hasn't changed. We're Mistral bound. Winter says the villagers had already repaired our craft by the time she got here."

"Sporting of them, considering they sent us out to die, and all." Torchwick didn't bother veiling the contempt in his voice, looking at the houses they passed. He hadn't seen a villager outside ever since the military arrived, but he could still feel suspicious eyes gazing out at Weiss from between blinds and under curtains. He could see why an insular group of faunus would make themselves scarce when the Atlesian military rolled into town, but it was still creepy. "…and your sister is really okay with just letting us go?"

"Well, she's not okay with letting you go," Weiss corrected, raising a finger in exclamation, "but what can she do about it? They can't exactly arrest you, right now."

"Invisibility, the ability to phase through objects, and legal immunity? Y'know, if I could somehow drink and smoke this whole ghost thing would be a pretty sweet setup."

"Just don't go scheming to use your superpowers for evil while I'm around! I didn't ask to be stuck to you, but since I am, I'm keeping an eye on you." Weiss crossed her arms and cast her gaze upward, her tone equal parts annoyed and playful. Torchwick couldn't help but notice that Weiss always seemed to enjoy scolding people. More evidence for his pet theory that she was only genuinely happy when she could also be a little annoyed by someone.

"You are so much more high maintenance than my last girlfriend, Ice Queen." He said with a shrug. Weiss stopped in her tracks for just a moment, letting out an audible squeak before picking up her pace.

"Oh, cut that out!" She exclaimed with a huff, balling her hands into fists in a display of anger that would have been much more convincing if her cheeks weren't such an adorable shade of pink. He gave an apologetic nod, and the pair of them continued down the street.

As they neared the clearing where they'd brought down their craft, an enormous silhouette in the snow gave them pause, though as they drew closer Torchwick realized he recognized them. He'd know the stout, joyless face of the old deer man anywhere.

"So. You're leaving." Edward's voice boomed. He stood like an unmoving oak tree as Weiss approached, with his muscular arms crossed and his feet planted firmly in the snow. He did a much better job of projecting calm authority than the Ice Queen usually did, that much was for sure.

"That's right." Weiss said in a cool tone, standing a little taller and hardening her expression as soon as she saw who was waiting for her.

This was the exciting part for Torchwick! Weiss generally wasn't shy about letting people know when they displeased her, and this guy just tried to kill her. She may have been bending over backwards to give the village the benefit of the doubt, but surely a bit of a tongue lashing wasn't out of the question, right?

Hearing her answer, the foreman nodded his head solemnly, an act that caused the ebony antlers on his head to gleam in the late afternoon sun. He turned toward his daughter, who was trembly behind him, and gave her a meaningful look.

"Erica?"

The young cervine faunus sighed and shuffled out from behind him. She had a black velvet bag, about the same size as her head, and she carried it by its drawstring top, holding it out to Weiss as she scampered up to her.

"I'm really sorry I tricked you, Weiss." The child's eyes flickered with tears as she pressed her gift against Weiss' stomach. "I really do like you a lot, but I had to…"

Weiss offered Erica a weak smile, kneeling to tussle the red hair between her small, stubby horns before pulling the bag open. An array of vials was packed inside, each filled with different types of dust. What she'd stolen the other day? Maybe, but it looked like way more than what Weiss had on her back then.

"A return of what's rightfully yours, and an offering for services rendered." The old faunus explained. "Unlike my daughter, you'll receive no apology from me. The lives of everyone in this village rest upon my shoulders, and I do not take that lightly."

Weiss drew the drawstring taut again, giving Erica a warm nod before she returned to her feet, her eyes locking with the elder. A tense silence filled the air as they both tried to out-stoic the other.

"That's fine. Hopefully, your lives will go back to normal now." When Weiss finally spoke. Torchwick gave an exasperated sigh, but wasn't really that surprised, anymore. Weiss almost never behaved the way he wanted her to.

The old faunus gave an amused snort and smiled down at her.

"The very same to you, then. You were an interesting woman, huntress with two souls." The two of them gave her a final nod and began to walk away, leaving Torchwick passively wondering where they'd even been staying since the military requisitioned their home.

"Are you really okay with letting it end like that? Really? Not even one expletive?" Only after the two faunus had begun to shrink into the distance did Torchwick finally lean down to whisper to his host. She laughed softly in reply.

"Roman, do you remember what the medics said this morning? About the report they received from the village?"

The question gave him pause. They had said something about that, sure.

"Right, that 'Weiss Schnee had gone missing hunting a Grimm', or something? What about it?"

"We were only in the mine for a few hours, and the airship saved us that same night. Based on when the ship got there, the foreman would have to have sent the message immediately after I left, but the request made it sound like I'd been missing for a while."

"Snowflake, I recognize that you can be a sharp cookie when you want to be… but I'll be frank with you for a minute: I have no idea what you're trying to imply."

Weiss took a deep breath, and turned to face him. The sunlight falling from overhead spread across the snow all around them, reflecting behind her like a spotlight and illuminating her body. When she finished turning, and her light blue eyes gazed directly into his, that spotlight hugged the outline of her form, adding a halo of gold to the silver hue of her hair.

Torchwick was taken aback, despite himself. It wasn't something he thought about often, but the Ice Queen really was beautiful.

"I was pretty upset about it when I realized my dust was gone." She admitted, a hint of frustration edging into her voice. "Honestly, I did have some… choice words I wanted to share with them before we left, but when I heard about that report, I realized something about the foreman's plan.

"First, they sent me into the mine. If I died, they could claim I was a sacrifice for the village. That would still leave them with a Grimm extorting them, though, so they sent out yet another plea for help from the military, this time mentioning my name, since I'm a member of the Schnee family. Either the military comes to kill the Grimm, I kill the Grimm, or— worst case—they sacrifice a stranger and buy themselves more time. No matter what, the village is safe."

"Sure, I get that. I guess I should have been a bit more specific about what had me puzzled: why does any of this make you any more okay with the whole attempted murder thing, again?"

"Because when I thought about what he wanted to do, I saw some inconsistencies! Aibell arranged for them to send me to my death, but think about it- If they'd drugged me, disarmed me, and dropped me off in the mine, I would be dead and it would be obvious to Aibell they did as she asked. If they wanted to use my name to lure the military in to save them, they could still do it afterward. Instead, they stole my dust. Then they sent their SOS as soon as I left."

Well, that was true, Torchwick had to concede. Erica had quick little hands, so slipping drugs into her tea would have been easier and more direct than picking her pocket at the last minute.

"I think I see what you're getting at, now. It's unhealthy to give people that much benefit of the doubt, Snowflake." He said. "You know what, though? This was a good life experience for you, and we're still alive to talk about it. I'm gonna go ahead and call it a win, all things considered."

"They may have been willing to kill me, but I don't think they wanted to. My safety was never their priority, but they did as much as they could to make sure I survived, while still protecting the village." Weiss shrugged at his assessment of her worldview. "Remember what your dad said? 'People like to fight, but we always come together when it counts.'"

Torchwick narrowed his eyes, turning away from her so she couldn't see the grimace that had come unbidden to his lips. Of course he remembered! That was a day he'd never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"Don't go repeating everything you hear in my head, Ice Queen. You might pick up even more vulgar language." He said, a less personal version of what he'd actually been thinking: 'Don't talk like my old man, because I don't want you to follow in his footsteps.'

Torchwick's hollow smile had returned by the time he faced her again, with neither his face nor his eyes betraying any sort of conflict, for he'd long since mastered projecting confidence. Inside, however, hearing those words had stirred a strange feeling in him. His thoughts went back to his father… back in that small farm town he'd grown up in. His old man was always smiling. Always assuming the best in everyone.

And to what end? He bitterly thought.

He took a deep breath and moved beside Weiss, casting a sidelong glance toward her. Her eyes were focused squarely ahead, and her mouth was a flat, determined line. They returned to the airship and began the preparations to finally leave this mountain behind them. However, even long after they were airborne, that feeling didn't leave him.

What the hell was wrong with him, these days?

Author's Note: Sorry this week's chapter is late! Not only was it a 7500 word monster, but my work schedule shifted suddenly this week, leaving me with less time to write. More than that, it was a pretty hard chapter for me to write. Last week's chapter was the emotional climax of this story's first act, so this week's chapter was the denouement. This is an exciting milestone, in that it's literally the first time I've ever stuck with a story long enough to reach that point… but it also turned out a little more difficult than I thought it would be.

Anyway, I'm not here to complain! I'm glad so many people have enjoyed this story! Next week's chapter is a pretty special one, so I hope you keep enjoying! Be sure to share your feedback, and I'll do my best to keep writing until the end.