*clink*

A spoon hits the bottom of a large bowl, only a few milliseconds removed from being freed; being given the privilege to surrender to the always-on pull of gravity. The sound of its meeting with the porcelain bowl immediately underneath, however, has no time for such theatrics. It continues on in all directions, unashamed of bouncing into and off of anything that happens to cross its path. But on this particular day, in this particular place, something is new. Something very, very… interesting.

What could it be? Well, if we look where the sound waves are going, what do we see? Why, a porcelain bowl with a spoon inside it! Oh look, there's another one! And another! Why so many? This impromptu jamboree of empty bowls were put here for a reason. A very, very good reason indeed. At the center of this circle (well, really more of a squiggle that happens to close on itself) is the creator of bowls herself, the sole person responsible for this mess.

And she's not too happy.

Why? To answer that question, one has to look down onto the floor and notice the brothers-in-arms to the bowl: the ice cream container. How can they both coexist in the same place? Well, it's simple silly! Whenever the creator wants to have some ice cream, she goes off to the kitchen, gets a bowl, fills it up with that most delectable ice cream, and retreats back to her room, ready to enjoy the sweet treat. But sometimes, in the course of whittling down the amount of ice cream in a container, there happens to only be enough for one last ride. And this cookie is real sma-

HEY! Don't look at me like that! What, I wasn't supposed to call you a cookie?

The girl violently shakes her head, now staring holes into the various empty containers.

Well okay, this cream puff has more sprinkles up inside her brain than one may think. In her near-boundless wisdom, she skips the bowl entirely, instead opting to take the container straight to her room, saving precious time, energy, and dishwater while continuing her ice cream binge. She does these often, going through around 15 containers of ice cream a week. And today just so happens to be the beginning of a dry spell.

Dry spells suck. This is true for anyone, but especially for our poor, poor protagonist of this story. A doctor at a rehab center would be standing at awe if he/she knew the details of this addiction. It has only been a few seconds since the last drops of ice cream have flowed away from her taste buds, but already her brain yearns for more. Like a cat chasing after a red light pointer, her brain always looks for more ice cream. She checks her most recently used spoon to make sure there are no bits trying to hide themselves in the groove, and her multi-colored eyes droop when nothing is found. All the other spoons had been checked at the end of their dessert bouts, so she doesn't waste time on combing through those.

She's just about to launch a formal complaint with the resident grocery buyer about the lack of ice cream, but first is a quick trip to the chest freezer...

As our resident ice cream expert walks on toward the kitchen, her mind thinks back to a memory, one that seems like an eternity ago, but also one that, regardless of time, will never be forgotten…

Yesterday…

Known ringleader of the criminal underworld, Roman Torchwick, is currently reading a newspaper. This might seem like a silly activity, after all, the time spent coming through the black-and-white pages could arguably be better spent robbing stores, but there is a method to the madness. Sometimes a useful nugget can be found inside the coarsely-grained paper, a treasure that can be safely stored for later use. Like, let's say an open meeting among the Valean public concerning the White Fang? Those could be of interest. And these kinds of things usually don't just show up on the CCT systems…

This dig, however, is interrupted by someone looking to do a hunt of their own. In fact, she's going so fast she almost completely misses Roman's chiding voice.

"Neo! Where are you heading off too so fast?"

Her hands raise up in a flurry of activity, doing things that to an untrained eye look like random, unconnected movements. But Roman knows better. Much, much better.

"Ice cream! There's no more Ice cream!"

"No more?! I bought you twenty last week!"

"That was last week! They are all gone now!"

"They can't be! Check the freezer! Maybe there are some more."

An uncharacteristic silence falls between the two. After a few seconds of pure, 100% concentrated nothing, Roman realizes that something is amiss. With a heavy sigh, he sets the newspaper down and looks over to his right hand man. Well, woman, actually. A pout, not unlike one that would come from a puppy that was caught doing something bad, is all over her face. This would completely break the will of a normal human, even one such as esteemed Headmaster Ozpin himself would be severely tested by such a raw display of emotion. But Roman's seen too many of these in their shared time together.

"Come on, Neo. Go look in there for some more. I'm kinda busy right now.." His hand dangles a small corner of the newspaper up for her, in a desperate plea to have her leave for at least the time being. But Neo doesn't want to see it his way. The slightest hint of a tear wells up in her eyes, and at once, Roman's will is shattered, dropping onto the floor in millions of pieces, not unlike the happenings when Neo's semblance runs out.

"Alright, fine. I'll go help you look, ok? Just don't cry, please god don't cry…"

This stops those watery eyes dead in their tracks, and instantly Neo holds her hand out for him, wanting to make completely sure that he will not back out on this shared adventure. But Roman's not cruel enough to do that to her. He answers in kind, reaching out and lacing their hands together in a bond that is stronger than glue. And thank the gods above it is. As soon as this lock is established, Neo goes flying over to the freezer, taking him with her at breakneck speed, so fast that he flops around like a fish along the carpeting. Her left hand, the one not currently stuck to Roman, opens the freezer, and her eyes immediately start the search.

Neo scans through the freezer with wide eyes, going through on every single nook and cranny with more focus than a microscope. As she scans one side, Roman, despite all the reluctance in the world, begins to scan the other. Both find nothing for a while until Roman stumbles across a package of frozen peas, around 4/5 of the way to the right. It stands near the bottom, slumped over toward the back wall of the freezer. He catalogs it and moves his eyes along, but something in the back of his mind holds on to that slump. If the ice cream is gone, that should be the only thing in there… right? But then what could it possibly be slumping over?

Their eyes eventually meet in the middle of the freezer, each without a single container of ice cream to their name. Like synchronized swimmers, they both surface themselves out of the cavern, meeting each other's disappointed gaze. That sends Neo's brain into a spiral of sadness. The tears come back with a vengeance, threatening to spill out of their tear duct prison straight down into the floor of the freezer. The solution to this conundrum is right on the tip of his tongue, in fact he could have used this not two minutes ago to nip this entire thing in the bud. And now he's really regretting not doing just that…

All he has to do is say "Okay Neo, let's go buy some more." and he would be set. Neo would revert to some level of happiness, and he would have to go and buy some more ice cream. Not a massive inconvenience, as money is just an object for him right now, but it's still time taken away from his other ventures. The back of his mind jumps forward before he can say it, intercepting the earlier thought and replacing it with a new, more exciting one.

What if there was ice cream under the frozen peas?

If such a thing were to be true, Neo would be able to walk out happy right then and there. There would be no shopping trip, and he could have even more quiet, undisturbed time to himself. And he sure as hell likes the sound of that. Roman puts the plan into action, reaching his hand out for the bag of frozen vegetables. But unbeknownst to him, a race is underway between his currently outstretching hand, and the first droplet of sadness to come from the now extremely distressed Neo. Roman wants to- no, has to win this. For his sanity. He doesn't know if his poor little heart could stand the unthinkable happening. And thus, his hand lunges with almost inhuman speed, shoving the pea bag aside as if it was just some lowly scrap of paper, to grab what he really, really hopes is ice cream underneath. His mind is silently praying for that to be the reality.

Neo, meanwhile, is only holding together by a few measly strands. Every moment one of them snaps in two, and only the sweet, sweet taste of ice cream can patch them up. But that relief seems to be farther way than ever. Not only is there none in the freezer, but Roman doesn't want to go to the store! How dare he! How dare he deny her over something as precious to her as this! Those thoughts only accelerate the snapping, tipping her closer and closer toward a crying fit that would make the earlier pouting ensemble look like a fourth grader's rendition of "Hot Cross Buns" on a cheap recorder. No, this display that is about to happen would be a full-on symphony of sadness. But it looks like that's how it is going to be today. Her mind is just about to give up the fight and grab the conductor's stick, but her eyes report some intimately familiar colors coming in from the peripherals.

Is that… ice cream?

But there wasn't any?! She and Roman had scanned through the entire thing! She even saw his disappointment! There can't be anymore! But her eyes can't be deceiving her, right? Especially as it comes closer and closer, and the texture becomes clearer and clearer to her mind. It has to be true!

"Oh! Here's one for ya Neo!"

And that's the nail in the coffin for the orchestra. The conductor's stick vanishes without a trace, as her thoughts get swiftly conquered by the allure of the ice cream container that now stands just mere inches from her face. At once, her hands lunge for their prey like a Grimm, snatching it right out of her savior's hands, and pushing up close to her body. That sad looks turns to one of pure glee, and the tear that was perilously close to breaking free is instead sucked back into its trap. And that trap is bolted shut now.

Signing a word of thanks doesn't even cross her mind as she nabs a spoon and bowl and flies out of the kitchen faster than a cheetah, with only a wind gust left where she had just been. Roman feels that wind and breaks out into a gigantic smile.

Thank god that was ice cream.

With that disaster avoided by the skin of his teeth, He slowly closes the freezer door, leaving the peas completely alone in the dark box of cold.

"Man that feels good…"

And he returns back to his newspaper, unaware of just how much happiness he has given to the woman that he nurtures like no tomorrow.

-end flashback-

That memory was so good, so powerful, it's almost enough to cure the sour mood all on its own. Almost. The one thing that would truly banish it to the depths of hell from where it came would be another container of the best food there could ever be on Remnant. But will she be able to get the release she craves so much? "Yes." is what her mind is telling her, as if it can just wish the ice cream into existence. But sadly, it can't. All it can do is wait for the hands to do their job, and open up this freezer and confirm that there is most definitely a container waiting for it right at the bottom, there to tantalize it with flavor, and to make this girl's hand leap down and grab this object with the force of a thousand-

It's not there. It's not there! Alright, just keep calm, Roman's right over there...

Roman, as Neo's thoughts dutifully confirm, is in fact in his usual chair, only a short distance away. The only difference is that the newspaper of yesterday is replaced with one of his many scrolls. But it takes up all of his focus just the same. That is, until Neo walks right in front of him, gently tapping him once on the shoulder.

"What is it, Neo?"

"There's no more ice cream!"

"Did you-"

"Yes! And the freezer is completely empty…" Already Neo is beginning to get sad just at the thought of not having any ice cream. Luckily, Roman's just lazing around this time. And he's gonna be proactive, nipping that sad feeling right in the bud before her tear ducts can even think of trying to open up.

"It's alright Neo. How about we go get some right now?" And with that, he lumbers out of the chair, preparing himself for what always occurs whenever he offers up going to the store… Not that he's complaining. The hug is actually one of the favorite parts of his day. No, scratch that, his #1 favorite part of any day. Not even a successful Dust store robbery can beat the bear hug that is about to swallow his lower body whole.

*oomph*

There it is. Roman hugs her back with as much strength as he can muster, though it is made difficult by the fact that Neo only goes up to his chest. Even so, it is all worth it just to see her happy face. He puts his hands up on her cheeks and moves her head slightly just to get a quick glimpse. And it is absolutely beaming up at him, her smile radiating pure joy out into the room. Truthfully, he wouldn't mind staying just like this for a while. Hell, he could even still use his scroll too! Really, there are no disadvantages here. But it is not to be.

"Alright Roman, let's go!" Suddenly, as quick as it came, the bear hug is over. Neo slowly begins to walk away, grabbing lightly onto his arm and unwinding it like a string away from his body. He lets her take it to the maximum, watching with a small, yet unyielding joy as his arm is stretched as far as it can go. The instant Neo meets some resistance, she turns her head to look straight at him. She doesn't need to sign to tell him what she wants to say.

"*sigh* I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

One bullhead ride later, they arrive at the front door of the grocery. Unlike yesterday, she is moving slowly enough to not revert Roman to being nothing more than a flopping fish, but it is still abundantly clear who is leading who. Luckily, most of the people around here know nothing of these two, but even if they did, Neo's semblance is hiding them both, with Neo donning an especially disarming look. Black hair, black outfit, it all just screams "childlike wonder". And those piercing green eyes not only serve as excellent pout assistants, they can also pierce into the soul of anyone who she deems as a threat. Roman, on the other hand, is disguised as a regular person, his signature orange hair drained of all brightness and confined to black. He still has his hat though. Neo wouldn't dare remove that. But only because it's a good identifier in case the two get separated! No other reason!

The two walk through the doors and in an instant, Neo has sniffed out her first, last, and only stop on this ride. Her pace quickens to almost a run as, after quickly grabbing a cart, Roman is stuck struggling to keep up with her despite his height (and thus, stride) advantage. Neo's face turns from determined to jovial as soon as the first bit of cool air hits her chest. They are very close now. Onlookers act surprised at the display as Neo zips down the main aisle way, zipping left at the second aisle down in the freezer area. Roman, who is used to this kind of thing, follows behind with the cart at a more leisurely pace. But, again, he's not complaining.

Neo arrives at her destination, and instantly her mind gets hooked on the ice cream of her dreams: Neo's Neo. It's absolutely perfect! Well, that's not actually true. There is one small little nitpick that makes both her eyes and mind twitch in annoyance…

The spelling. It says "Neapolitan ice cream". This is glossed over by just about everyone, including Torchwick, but for Neo, or, to use her full name, Neopolitan, it is a really, REALLY big deal. In fact, Neo had many times begged Roman to use his skills to "convince" the company to change that little spelling mistake. But each time, she was mercilessly denied, to which Roman said:

"I'm sorry Neo. But I can't change English."

Lies! All lies! Roman could totally do it! He just doesn't want to send himself or any of his little underlings out there. Neo even considered going out herself at one point, but wisely acquiesced after being reminded of just how many people she would be entangled with. Oh, and maybe a little bit of tri-colored bribery… but that's neither here nor there. What is here is the ice cream. Even through the packaging the smells intoxicate her brain, sending her into a wonderland of cold, sugary treats. She holds two in each hand, flipping them about out of boredom as she waits for the one person that matters most to arrive. And right on cue, there he is! He being Roman of course, who finally arrives with the all-important shopping cart, allowing Neo's mind to continue the daydream, instead of looping around and around at the first part.

She looks up at him with a small pout, waiting for the signal. Wait, signal? Yes, there is a signal between these two when dealing with the obtainment of ice cream. A simple ritual was established between the two (well, forced upon if you asked Neo) when at the store to buy. Neo would stand at attention and wait for a signal that showed how many ice creams could be bought at one time. Roman really didn't want to do this, but after an incident that resulted in over 60 ice creams being bought almost shorted his cash reserves, something had to be done. And the first time it was used, the pouting was fierce. Really fierce. For a brief moment, he was scared that Neo would have eschewed her Semblance and revealed the both of them, right in the middle of the store. Luckily, she didn't. But the pouting was still a real problem. With each trip, the pouting waned in intensity (making his life much easier), and thus we arrive to now, the 11th such outing with this rule.

Roman holds up both of his hands with all fingers splayed out, and then shows only one with the same splayed look. Fifteen.

Neo rushes to grab fifteen containers, making her start by throwing the four in her hands straight into the bottom of the cart without a single bit of care. Good things these containers aren't fragile… The number shortly begins to increase as she rifles through the shelves for five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten.

"Now I can finally read my scroll…"

And that's what Roman does, waiting for her to finish that adventure she's on. It's not like anything bad is gonna happen, right? Of course not. His feed shows an article about vulnerabilities found in locks made by Merlot Industries, and he taps it, beginning to read through and digesting it all for later.

Meanwhile, Neopolitan is currently simulating a gymnast, reaching her arms around inside the shelves at angles that look more than a little odd… But she doesn't seem to be feeling any effects from this, as she throws eleven and twelve in the cart with a nice, satisfying flick of the wrist. Her eyes dart around like a ninja, scanning this shelf for evidence of any more containers. But none are found. She digs in a little bit farther, her legs now dangling out just past the edge. A bystander notices this display and softly chuckles at the pair, but does not comment further. Not that Neo minds, as she's just found another ice cream! Pushing it back on the shelf, she searches around for the last two to complete her collection of allowed packaging for today. One is stuck behind a set of whipped cream, likely put there either by accident. Or maybe because it was saved from a horrifying fate of falling to the floor and shattering, the ice cream being splattered all across the floor, overrun by evil bacteria that would destroy its flavor and make it completely inedible! That might be just a bit of a stretch, but… shush, you. Let a girl dream.

No matter what version of events is true, the 14th container is ready to go, and it joins its brothers as the two on the shelf fall down into the cart, this time, thanks to the pileup, gently settling inside. But now, for the final ice cream. The 15th, one that would complete the fantasies of the ice cream girl, even if just for today. Neo gives the shelves another once over. But nothing is revealed. She pouts for a bit, but suddenly, an idea comes to her head. There is one more place she could look… In between the two freezer sections, there is a small corridor. It's very thin, just barely enough for her to sneak between them, but, if the stars align, the planets all appear in the sky at the same time, and a certain "Little Red" that bothers Torchwick so gets some comeuppance… maybe, just maybe, one could be hiding in there. But she needs time. Neo takes a quick look at Roman, who is completely absorbed in something on his scroll. Probably some article about classified information or whatnot. Nothing of concern to her. More importantly, she's got all the time in the world. She turns back toward the freezer, draws in a cold, vapory breath, and breaks in.

The first feeling her mind registers is: Cramped. The employees must have just stocked this shelf up recently, because there is a whole hell of a lot of items poking her right now. Neo surveys for a moment, and realizes the best move to avoid knocking things off is to get down on her hands and knees, sticking exclusively within the first shelf of items. There's nothing that pokes her down this low, as the first shelf on both sides is mostly either bags of french fries or some pitifully small TV Dinners, that most certainly do not compare to actual cooking, never mind Neo's Neo. As her frame begins to shrink down, another thing is noticed immediately: Cold. These freezers push all their cold at the bottom. It wasn't bad before, when she was on the outside and had the nice, 72° aisle temperature to act as a counterbalance, but down here, with the door closed, everything is absolutely freezing! (Actually, it is only 10 below zero, but who's counting) Her knees finally touch the icy floor. She desperately wants to recoil away and get out of here, anywhere warmer… but the ice cream is more important.

She skitters around the floor like a little mouse, her eyes searching for the tiniest whiff of an ice cream container so she can get out of here! Her mind digests the freezer's contents faster than she can blink, but it still just those damn bags! No! She looks over at the very far end, and something that seems to be glowing a faint blue catches her attention… She starts to crawl over to it, and her eyes begin to focus on the mysterious writings present on this container. It's Neo's Neo! There was a 15th container after all! Neo lunges like a grasshopper to grab this treat. She holds it in her hands like she would a baby, making sure not to disturb it for fear of mixing up the flavorings too fast. After a bit of cuddling, she holds it straight out and perfectly level, making doubly sure to not make any mistakes, before finally traversing the now (in her mind at least) almost microscopically short trip back to Roman.

Speaking of Roman…

"Heh. Typical Merlot. They never know how to make 'em right, now do they…" The article he has just finished scrolling through answers this rhetorical question with a big, fat, undeniable NO. This is in fact the fourth time that there has been an exposé on flaws within one of their products. First it was a hinge, then it was some locks, then something in a fingerprint scanner, and now their locks again… this company sure is a pile of crap. His mind is filled to the brim with new targets to exploit, the first one on his mind being a certain bookstore… Roman shakes his head. Focus! You're at a grocery! You've got all the time in the world to bolster your resources. Wait until getting back home. And he can't get back home until a certain someone is done clearing the shelves of ice cream… He looks over to where that person should be right now, only to find empty space staring back at him. He approaches the freezer to find the shelves completely bare of ice cream. Did she leave without telling him?

"Neo?"

Just then, a slightly-glowing container of ice cream slides down the shelf, making all kinds of racket as it hops between the bars before finally landing in the cart's top bucket. He looks momentarily confused, but the appearance of a very familiar ice cream goddess unscrambles his mind.

"Neo! What were you doing!"

"Getting ice cream, of course."

"B…" The more logical part of Roman's mind intercepts that next line, wisely taking over speaking duty for the time being. He doesn't attempt any more questioning.

"Whatever. I gotta get something real fast and then we'll go back to the house."

Neo, now as docile as a house cat, follows him along as they finally leave the ice cream den. The more childish part of her mind pokes at her, begging to stay there just for a little while longer, but it is easily silenced by the new thoughts of the future, where there is boundless enjoyment to be had eating spoonful after spoonful. The cool air gradually fades as the two turn into the main way, moving away from the freezers, past some bread and sauces, all the way over to the spice aisle. He begins to run through some identical-looking containers of his own, picking up only a scant few before putting them back, probably realizing that it was the wrong one. Neo's thankful that she doesn't have to deal with this level of challenge, as her ice cream comes in a special, unique container, as if it was made specifically to make life easy for one that might be addicted.

"Hmm." This slightly higher pitched sound coming from Roman grabs her attention away from ice cream once again, her eyes looking over to what his right hand is currently caressing. After about one rotation's worth, Roman puts it in the cart, and grabs another for good measure. She's just gotta know what he's getting, so she lightly pulls on Roman's slightly wrinkled shirt. It works wonders, as he turns around almost instantly to Neo, who begins signing away.

"What did you get?"

"Pumpkin Spice."

"Why?"

"Thought it would be a nice dessert topping."

...Well that's disappointing. Not that Roman is a terrible cook, that would be a bold-faced lie, but Neo was secretly hoping for something better, like something ice-cream related, or even something odd like putting it in a casserole or whatever. Oh well… Roman continues looking into the aisle, probably for some sugar or something, nothing that Neo's mind really latches onto. She returns to her idle pose, waiting for Roman to finish his little excursion, when a very familiar voice makes an unwanted entrance…

"It's down here! Down here!"

The scoundrel herself, Little Re- *cough* uh, Ruby Rose zips into the aisle, clearly lazer-focused on one specific item. Following behind her are seven other people who look around the same age, all in equally bright outfits. What is this, a Halloween party? They sure look like they are trying to-

"Rubes, slow down!"

That's Yang Xiao Long, the leader of the not-Little Reds. Clearly she has some relation to this b- er, "girl", as not only did she use a nickname, she's also the fastest of the remaining cosplayers. But not too far behind her, is the sisters-brothers-in-arms-legs of Beacon: The rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR. Neo, however, is focused on Ruby, as she is by far the most entertaining character of this little charade. She's filling her arms with a family-size pack of iced oatmeal cookies. As she watches her almost comically drool over them while walking back toward the group, an interesting thought blazes through her mind.

This is the girl that bested Roman?

It's a question everyone else probably asked themselves when that incident occurred, and indeed, if it wasn't for the pictures proving her win, she would have dismissed it as nothing more than a joke. But it is no joking matter. What does look to be a joking matter, though, is the interactions between the rest of the group. Neo's eyes flutter toward them to watch it all go down. Something she notices almost immediately is the black ribbon that circles around Yang's waist. That's probably a karate belt of some kind, which is a little unnerving… Whatever. Time to-

"What? Can a girl not wear her favorite lady's ribbon?"

Oh shit! Neo is a bit ashamed at being caught staring, but that pales in comparison to the theatrics going on right now. The rest of the group goes deathly silent save one, the faunus Blake Belladonna, who audibly gulps and starts turning red. This gives Neo a mild case of the chuckles, but gratefully it's not loud enough for anyone to hear. Said Belladonna starts loudly whispering in Yang's ear, and even though it's not quite loud enough to hear, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess at what she's complaining about. But Yang, in her infinite wisdom, takes that plea for subtlety and launches it out of this world.

"C'mon, live a little! It's not like anyone except me is gonna do anything to you!"

...Did I say launched out of this world? I meant thrown into a fire and completely burned. You know what else is burning? Blake's face right now. It is an embarrassingly bright shade of red, so much so that soon Little Red just might have some color competition…! Someone else seems to be thinking among the same lines, as he starts chuckling a little bit, only to get rudely interrupted by yet another voice.

"Jaune! Stop giggling and help me look for spices!"

This only continues to feed the chuckle fit going on in Neo's mind. She almost feels sorry for the guy, considering he was barely louder than she is right now. She watches on as Jaune reluctantly moves next to her, scanning through the spice rack not unlike Roman had done earlier. Her mind settles in as nothing happens for a while.

"Do you need that many spices?"

"Of course! Every ingredient has it's place!"

"I understand Snow Angel, but this many?!"

"Culinary arts can not be rushed, Arc! And stop calling me that!"

Jaune is about to retort when he is tapped on the shoulder by someone with a pink streak of hair on him, making a "zip it" motion with his left hand and mouth.

"Hah! First date with the ice-queen and you're already-" The blonde is then interrupted by a more forceful tap on her left shoulder, this one courtesy of another huntress standing behind her. Neo follows Yang's gaze upward to reveal another figure, this one donning a surplus of armor around her chest. As soon as Neo sees her face, she recognizes it instantly as the one and only, the four-time Mistral champion, Pyrrha Nikos. Instead of making a motion as Ren had done, Pyrrha chooses to merely flash a look of disappointment. There no way that's gonna work! She's just gonna brush it off and probably-

*bump* "I'm done Neo, let's leave."

Neo doesn't react, being too focused on the scene in front of her to do anything. They both watch as Yang, to the shock of nearly everyone around, backs down and reverts to silence.

"Watching them huh? Well, it's time to go. You don't want your ice cream melting, do ya?"

Immediately all previous thoughts are thrown out, replaced with the terrifying hypothetical of melted, useless ice cream that can not be consumed. Her eyes go pure white in fear for a second before she returns back to normal, beginning to walk away. But before either of them can fully leave, Torchwick somehow notices his nemesis among the group. What is said nemesis doing? Well…

"These are so good, aren't they!"

"Hell yeah they are! Still not nearly as good as Ren's pancakes!"

"Shut up about his pancakes and eat these with me!"

"Right away, Miss Rose!"

Ruby and Nora both grab the same cookie by pure chance. The probability of such a freak occurrence happening is not too remote, as about half of the 20 cookies have already been devoured by the pair, but it's still not an insignificant observation. They pull the cookie toward themselves, both sets of eyes going wide as their failure reverberates through their minds. But Nora's not gonna let either of them get taken down like that. She looks to Ruby and gently taps her just above her neck. Before she can even turn around, Nora is already sporting a very small smile. The two look each other straight in the eyes, with Nora quite clearly passing along a message. It is received by the rose, who smiles in turn. They're now both on the same wavelength, with the next action a shared dalliance that only this pair can fully appreciate…

*crack*

A fault line breaks the cookie in two, with both huntresses now pulling their pieces up to prepare for the inevitable munching. But sadly, not all can be perfect for these two, as someone is getting the short of the stick. Or more specifically, the short end of the cookie.

"Heh. Deserved. Finally, something falls in my favor today…"

He lets out one small chuckle as he looks at Little Red, seeing her disappointed face. Why? Well, let's just say someone got their comeuppance… In a twist so insane that it could be seen as a deliberate prank, the cookie split into two hilariously unequal pieces, with Nora getting the lion's share, and Ruby stuck with a piece that is barely the size of two fingernails. Before Torchwick can properly bask in this small victory, a very aggressive Neo drags his cart out of the aisle, through the main thoroughfare, and out the door.

"You know, I was following you."

"Looked to me like you were caught up with Little Red."

"I was just gathering information."

"Uh huh… sure. Now hurry up and get on. My ice cream better not melt or you're gonna be wishing that Little Red would be the one hurting you."

Don't sleep on Iced Oatmeal cookies. they are damned good. Anyways, this is my first work that I am porting over to FFN, so reviews are much appreciated. I really like hearing what people have to say. This is a two-parter, so tomorrow the second part will go up.