Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or DC Comics. Please support the official release.
A/N: This will be the final update for a while, gonna finally get started on Venomous Rose again with the planned arc. The War Games.
She could hear the steady thrums of the dust-fueled engines in the flying bulkhead. It would be quiet to anyone else besides her. It helped in easing her nerves a little, Ruby drummed her fingers on her suitcase. Not too long ago, she had graduated from Tomorrow Academy in Atlas. She wasn't the highest-ranking student. People are sure scary smart sometimes, I still think I did a decent job though. In her time at the academy, she had managed to earn a master's in mechanical engineering and a minor in software programming. It hadn't been easy, but luckily she worked hard and thanks to the different standards of Tomorrow Academy. She had managed to adapt well, and the teachers were great.
And now she was on a bulkhead after having traveled from one flying ship to the train in argus, and to mistral. True I could fly, but people are expecting me. Can't be too early, can't be too late. Ruby hummed as she continued to tap her suitcase and adjust her glasses. She was dressed in a formal deep red business suit, with a blue tie. She was wearing her blue contact lenses with her glasses, her hair was neatly combed and straightened, looking completely black thanks to a little application of light dust spray can. Back when she was a kid, her dad would sometimes dye her hair black. The only problem was it lasted long enough for a school day, but she wanted to carry out her plan of helping people. She needed a better method, so looking up fashion tips online, by following the blog of one Coco Adel. She learned how to use dust in fashion. With a little discreet experimentation, she had learned to make a nifty spray device that could turn her hair completely pitch black, and with another spray of dust to cancel it out, she could switch between the two hair colors.
"Urghhhh." Ruby looked at the person next to her. He looked sickly, he had blond hair and bright blue eyes. And was wearing a chest plate armor piece.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked him.
"No." He shook his head. "I hate traveling in transportation. Always get sick." He was shaking.
"Don't they have medicine for that?" Ruby asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"It's more nerves than anything. Couldn't get any medicine for that. Name's Jaune by the way. Jaune Arc. Short and sweet, the ladies love it." Jaune turned a shade greener.
"Heh, Ruby Xiaolong." She said with a slight blush at the flirt, it was cheesy and not all that convincing. But she appreciated it. "Well you know there is something I usually do to calm down when I get nervous. Which is a lot more than you think. I am not exactly good at talking to people." Ruby gulped, rubbing her hands together. She wasn't lying, she didn't really know how to socialize with people, and was often very awkward. It made making friends in Patch and Atlas very difficult.
"Well, you're talking to me so that's something." Jaune laughed a little before he got more queasy. "So that trick?" Jaune asked, trying not to vomit all over the nice girl with the cute glasses.
"Whenever I go on long trips. I usually think of all the things I am going to do once I touch down. Like weapon building or playing games or reading comics. Like the latest Society book." Ruby said with a smile.
"You read the society too?" Jaune said with a beaming smile, his complexion getting a little healthier. "Favorite?" He asked becoming invested.
"It might be a little silly, but I've always been partial to Wildcat. Yeah, he didn't have great powers like the rest. But I felt like he was amazing fighting alongside these giants you know." Ruby smiled brightly with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah, he's pretty awesome. I was more of a Garrick fan myself. But remember that time they teamed up in…" Jaune paused.
"Issue 347 or Issue 103?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Both!" Jaune replied back. "I mean the way they deconstructed that robot in 103." The two laughed, and then the dinging noise let them know that they had made it to their destination. "Huh, that worked. Thanks." Jaune stood up at the same time as Ruby.
"No problem." Ruby held out a hand, Jaune shook it. "Well good luck Jaune." She smiled.
"I am getting into Beacon." Jaune blurted out and then blushed retracting his hand. "You know becoming a brave huntsman, beating Grimm. Defending the kingdoms. Cool stuff right?" He asked, stammering out.
"Beacon? My sister is going there as well. Yang. She's blond with really long hair, you can't miss her." Ruby chuckled holding a hand to her mouth. "And yeah that's pretty cool." Ruby smiled.
"What about you? Are you going to Beacon?" Jaune asked.
"No. I am going to be working as an intern at Star Labs." Ruby said a little shyly.
"Star Labs? Who are they?" Jaune asked, confused.
"They're relatively new. But I got recommended to them. So I am going there, and I hope I make a good impression. Working for a better future for all involved yay… with science." Ruby looked elsewhere, her anxiety starting to get the better of her.
"Well good luck to you too. Thanks, Ruby." Jaune waved goodbye to her and ran off when he noticed that his bus to the apartment he was meant to stay in until Beacon opened tomorrow was about to leave without him.
"Thanks." Ruby looked up at the sky, the sky was orange. Well, it was time to go to her job interview.
Star Labs
"So Ms. Xiaolong was it?" Ruby flinched a little at the deep voice of the head of Star Labs. Dr. Silas Stone looked at her with an intense gaze. "Your records from the Academy are impressive, and Pietro speaks highly of you." He put down the folder. "What I don't understand. Is based on your background. You come from a long line of Huntsman and Huntresses. Even if adopted into it, I do wonder why you decided to pick this career of all things." Silas held his hands together, examining the young girl.
Ruby fidgeted under his gaze but sighed as she collected herself. "Well… At first, I wanted to. Things changed though." She replied.
"Such as?" Silas asked, adjusting his glasses.
"I thought about why I wanted to be a huntress. I wanted to help people, do good. And then I wondered if I could do more as something else other than a huntress. And well I always had a love for tinkering with devices. Taking them apart, putting them back together, making some improvements and I wondered if I could have a job solely based on that. And then I saw an advertisement for the academy, and well it wasn't easy but I put in as much work as I could. So here I am now." Ruby felt like she was going to be shattered by his intense gaze, she tried to remain calm. But inwardly she was freaking out, and on the outside, anyone could see it.
"Well, Ms. Xiaolong. I must say that I would be glad to have you work here. It will be as an intern, however. Is that acceptable?" Silas asked, and Ruby nodded eagerly. "Very well, you can start today. I need someone to go pick up a package from Dust Till Dawn." Silas said typing in the computer. "By Tomorrow you will be an official employee, see you then." Ruby grabbed her suitcase which had held her papers and then left with a spring in her step.
I got the job! Yes! Ruby leaped for joy once she was out of the office. True I will be an intern and won't make a lot of money. But I got the job. She felt happy and wanted to go home right away to hug her dad. But she still had that assignment to carry out. Get the package from the store. Ruby walked along the streets, she could have run there faster than a bullet. But with her eyes, she could see the cameras at certain parts of the city. There were some blind spots, but she wasn't going to take a chance. Besides, she was supposed to see him tomorrow. So she was in no rush. The sky grew darker as she got closer to her destination, and she noticed a decreasing lack of cameras in the rural area, there were a few, but more than enough blind spots. She took note of that in case she never needed to use them.
She paused in such a blind spot when she heard a clicking noise not far. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late at night?" Ruby continued to listen in, and what sounded like a gun powering up reached her ears.
"Please take my lien.." The old man was shushed. And it was clear to Ruby, it was a robbery. She looked around, taking off her glasses, using all her senses to see if anyone was nearby that could help. But there was no one, it was just her around that could help. Ruby raced into an alleyway, opening up her suit and jacket revealing the S shield underneath. She was like a blur, as she stuffed her formal clothes into the suitcase, taking out the cape and boots from the hidden compartment inside it. Silver eyes shone brightly, her hair was more in line with her more preferred style and in its natural color, and she no longer had her glasses on. It was a total transformation, like day to night. Ruby closed the suitcase and activated the light dust contraption inside turning it invisible. As she set it to the ground.
Then it was up up and away. She stopped outside the store, it was a simple two-story building, rather old looking. The shopkeeper was kept at his desk with a gun pointed to his head. There were several men all wearing the same outfit and shades, save for one, with a bowler hat and a white coat. Ruby frowned as she thought of what to do, she first needed to get the old man in a safe position, and how to subdue everyone without damaging the store.
Using her x-ray vision, she looked around. There were only two gun-type weapons among the criminals, the gun held at the owner's head was a simple plasma-based weapon, with a simple application of heat, she could cut a wire, rendering it useless. The other weapon was the bowler man's cane, mostly a dust-based weapon, she couldn't use heat ray vision on it without risking an explosive chain reaction, risky especially in a dust shop. But if she could freeze it. Alright Ruby, just deep breaths, straighten your shoulders, stand up taller, and just be the woman you want to be. Ruby exhaled as she entered the store, opening the door. Catching the attention of everyone, she made sure to smile even as her eyes darted to the gun, glowing a little under the low light, being unnoticeable unless someone was looking. The wires connected to the trigger were rendered useless. Okay gun down, the next move can't be too risky.
"It's a bit late for shopping don't you think?" She spoke up, her voice deeper than her usual one. She wasn't trying to be deep, it just happened that when she was in her usual nervous anxious manner she had a tendency to squeak as her sister would tease her about. Focusing her nerves she could make her voice less squeaky and more naturally deep.
"Bit late for Halloween don't you think?" The man in the coat joked back, looking at her costume. Ruby resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she had heard enough jokes to last a lifetime from Yang. But as far as she was concerned, she loved her costume dang it! "Why don't you run along Red? I and the boys are just hanging out with our old chum." The bowler hat man said with a smirk as he took out a cigar. The other goons began laughing at his joke.
"You know those aren't good for your health," Ruby said with a smile, and then she huffed and blew at him, faster than the mastermind could react, his cane was frozen though not completely, dust didn't react well to extreme temperatures unless they were specifically treated for it. She continued to blow at the others, encasing their weapons in ice, making them drop them from the intense cold, shattering them on impact on the floor. The thugs' weapons weren't dust-based, simple mech shift, low tech but reliable. "So." She said with a smile, putting her hands on her hips. "Any chance we could do this without fighting?" She asked earnestly.
"Get her." The boss said with venom in his voice, as he tried to shake the ice off his weapon. Ruby glanced behind herself as she propped the door open with a little ice on the hinge. The goons charged at her, but she smiled. She lifted a goon up and threw him through the open door, encasing him in a layer of ice that would thaw out in an hour, he hit the ground. The others paused in their running, but Ruby moved fast, bunding some together with the same icy breath trick, putting them outside next to their fallen comrades.
"Stay right there!" One of them shouted, the one with the gun. Pointed at the old man's head, he shivered. "This is what happens when you play hero!" The mastermind looked disgusted and moved at the man. There was a pulling of the trigger but nothing happened, the thug was confused. Then he was knocked out by the cane from the boss.
"Tch these idiots lack class." He looked back at Ruby, who was surprised at his action. "I am a thief Ms. Red. Not a stone-cold killer. You have some handy abilities, any chance you could join me? Name's Roman Torchwick by the by." He said with a wink. Ruby frowned crossing her arms. "Shame. I think I might have liked you." He pointed his cane in her direction, and then to his shock, she was in front of him instantly, yanking the cane out of his hand, and tossing him outside. Before he could do anything, his feet were encased in ice, and then she bent the handle of his weapon and then wrapped it around his arms and torso like a rope. "Just how strong are you?!" Roman couldn't believe his misfortune. Just when I thought I had her pegged. She moves fast, freezes things? And is stupidly strong. "You will pay for this Red!" He cursed at her as she set him down by the other thugs.
Ruby went back inside the store. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?" She asked the shopkeeper, the elderly man nodded. "That's good, you can call the cops if you wish. But is it okay if I help clean up the mess?" She asked him politely. The old man was stunned at the stranger's kindness but didn't refuse her. She picked up the shattered weapons on the ground and helped put the dust that the criminals had been stealing, back where it belonged.
The old man felt amazed, this young woman had come into his shop out of nowhere, rescued him, and his shop was intact to boot. Is she a huntress? "Who are you?" He asked the stranger in a red cape, and what looked like black tights, red boots, trunks and a silvery belt, and two emblems. One on the back of her cape that was completely silver, a diamond with a curved S, with floral engravings. And on her chest was the same symbol, but Red with a silver inner background. Before his mysterious savior could speak, clacking heels got their attention.
"A good question. Care to answer it, young lady?" The speaker was Glynda Goodwitch. The shopkeep gulped at her presence, the beautiful tall almost amazonian woman towered over them, dressed in a white blouse, knee-length black skirt, stockings, and had wire-rimmed glasses. A butterfly cape draped her shoulders, and she had a stern gaze.
"She saved me! Where were you when I was being robbed?!" The shopkeep spoke up annoyed at the renowned Huntress. Glynda looked at him with an icy glare, and though he was nervous. He thought of the mysterious hero and found the courage to keep speaking. "Well?" He asked her with his arms crossed.
"I was staking your shop. We've heard of Dust Robberies. The plan was to follow him and find out where his hideout was." Glynda said sharply.
"So I was bait?!" The shopkeeper felt livid.
"Hey," Ruby spoke up, holding her hands up. Both adults looked at her. "I think we can all agree the night is starting to drag on. So how about we all just calm down, he can call the cops. They can pick up Roman, question him. And maybe I and you could help him close up shop?" Ruby suggested. Glynda glared at her, for several tense seconds and then finally let out a sigh.
"Will the ice hold that long? And will they be okay?" Glynda said sternly but there was a little leeway in the cold demeanor.
"It should last an hour, and they will be fine. It's not too cold unless I make it that cold." Ruby smiled. The shopkeep nodded in approval.
"That works for me." He called the authorities. Thirty minutes later, after Ruby and Glynda helped him close up shop. He looked on as the criminals were hauled off, he almost couldn't believe the infamous Roman Torchwick had been subdued. He waved goodbye to the two women, as they stepped out of the store, Ruby was kind enough to shatter the light coat of ice on the bottom of the door with a light kick.
"Now then. You're going to tell me who you are. And why I haven't heard of you. What academy did you graduate from, and how can you semblance do so much?" Glynda did think for a moment that she could potentially be a new maiden, but if there was a new one, surely Ozpin would let them know. He keeps a very close eye on them.
Ruby was about to reply when her super-hearing picked up cries for help. "Sorry but I gotta go. Someone's in trouble. But I wouldn't mind talking again." Before Glynda could disapprovingly tell her she was going nowhere, Ruby soared into the sky much to Glynda's shock, as the flying mystery woman flew off at a speed greater than any flying contraptions.
"Wow...She's like a Superwoman." The shopkeep uttered while walking out of the store, dressed for his other part-time job. Glynda rolled her eyes at the word, it was too preposterous to believe. I will find out who you really are… One way or another.
High in the air, a bulkhead was in danger as it floated between Vale and Mistral. Warning lights were flaring, and people were screaming in terror. One of the engines had given out, and a wing had burst into flame. They would crash any moment, and to make matters worse. The fear and panic had attracted a swarm of flying Grimm, they pecked at the windows. In the middle class, a little boy by the name of Joe looked outside at the monsters and felt fear. Earlier today he had gotten on this green transport bulkhead, his parents were in a long-distance relationship. Travel by road was near impossible, and it was rare for air accidents to happen. But now it seemed unfair that this would be how it all ended for him. The red eyes of Nevermore's seemed to peer into his very soul. He wanted to close his eyes, finally accepting his fate. But then a bright flash of light made him keep his eyes open, and the other screaming passengers let out screams of surprise.
The light was silver in color as it tore through the Nevermores on the left, and then another beam of light cut the other Nevermore off. More beams of silvery light cleaved through the creatures of Grimm. Impossible… He couldn't believe his eyes, at the altitude they were up at. No one could possibly come in time to save them, they were good as dead so how. There! He saw a red blur fly past the Bulkhead, silver flashes of light appeared in the clouds as one by one the swarm of flying Grimm were reduced to zero numbers. It was like some kind of dream, then the Red Blur came back, and the Bulkhead jolted, the boy clung to his seat. But he couldn't look away as he looked at the wing, and he saw something he couldn't believe.
There outside the window, was a young woman. She had fierce silver eyes, and her hair flapped in the wind, along with her cape. In her other arm, she held what looked like metal parts. His mind flashed back to earlier when the wing's engines had given out, by exploding and sending some debris flying. Did she collect them? The boy watched as she moved along the wing with speed, her eyes emitting more silvery light, as she put the pieces back together at lighting speed. The ship's balance was restored and the boy watched as the girl vanished under the plane. Had she left them? As he was thinking that, the bulkhead jolted again, and then it was like they were being lifted up. And then their descent began to slow down and he watched as they slowly descended into the village they had been flying to, the village of Solin. The boy wondered if he had died and was in a pleasant dream. Then they touched down, being rocked by solid ground.
A knocking came at the emergency airlock. The pilot gulped and slowly approached it, and then opened the door, and there the woman was. She smiled at them, floating there in the air. "Is everyone alright?" She asked them, looking at all of them. "Listen, you will be fine, people are on their way. Just gonna need you to calm down okay? It will be fine, I will stay right here until you can all get off. That's if you will let me." She said. Everyone nodded vigorously, she nodded in return and walked in the plane, and sat down in a free seat. Joe got up from his seat and walked to the woman, and looked up at her. She smiled at him in return. "Hello there. You're a big one. Where are you from?" The girl waved at him.
"Joe. I am from Shooter in Vale." He said listing off his city.
"Nice to meet you, Joe. I am just a friendly stranger, pleased to meet you." She chuckled.
"That thing you did...it was so..super." He said, still in awe of her.
"Thanks. Though honestly, I was a little worried, I was just doing my best." She said.
"You're like...a Superwoman…" The boy finished his train of thought.
"Superwoman?" Superwoman said ruffling Joe's hair. Sirens were heard outside, the rescue services had finally shown up. "Well I should get going, I will help everyone get off." She helped take out the emergency slide and gave reassuring words as she helped everyone get off the Bulkhead. Joe saw her look at the back, with an examining gaze. "I will be right back, you can go down there." Superwoman walked to the back of the bulkhead, ripping the door to the engine off its hinges, and setting it aside. Joe stayed on board curious as to what she would find, the room was still smoking.
"Son you gotta go." An officer said as he got on the bulkhead, holding Joe's hand. Superwoman came out of the bulkhead soon afterward holding what looked like an incendiary device. This had been sabotage, the officer looked at the symbol with a grimace. "Branwens." He cursed under his breath. "Those bandit scum. Thank you for saving these people… Miss…" The officer was at a loss for words.
"She's Superwoman!" Joe spoke up.
"So which Kingdom do you belong to Huntress...Superwoman?" The officer asked.
"I am… not a huntress. Just someone that wants to help out. Like you do. Well, I should get going." She walked out of the plane, floating off the slide.
"Wait…" Joe stepped forward, Superwoman looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Your costume… it's so cool." He finished with a grin.
"Thanks. My dad made it." Superwoman winked and smiled and then flew off into the sky. The boy waving goodbye, the officer was unsure how to react to this news. Someone that wasn't some Huntress had helped them out and for that matter. The more he thought about it, somehow she could fly and had immense strength. This is just weird… but I think she's on our side.
Vale the Next Day
Ruby yawned as she woke up in the bright and early sun of Vale. She felt groggy from last night, after stopping the robbery, preventing a bulkhead from crashing, there had been a few other disasters that needed her help. More than a few involved some Grimm attacking smaller towns. She looked at her alarm clock, she was grateful Silas hadn't given her a schedule yet. But decided to not risk being late, after a quick shower and reapplying her contacts and light dust, having retrieved her invisible suitcase last night. She got dressed in a blue formal suit and rushed out the door. If she had enough time, she would've looked at the news. And would've learned of the buzz surrounding her.
I wonder if I went too far last night. It's not like I haven't been saving people over the years. But until last night, I never really had to stick around and speak so much. I was just usually in and out, and that was enough. Ruby grabbed a cup of coffee on her way to Dust Till Dawn. She walked in through the door, looking at the place different in the daylight. Adjusting her glasses she walked up to the counter. "Hello?" She asked, and the Shopkeep looked at her.
"Yes, miss?" He asked her with a smile.
"I am here to pick up a package for Star Labs. Silas Stone sent me." She showed him her official badge. The old man nodded with a smile and came back a few moments later with a package the size of Zwei. Ruby could tell it was heavy from the way the man struggled, she faked her strength a bit, throwing in an exaggerated huff but still managed to drag it out the door.
"Have a good day, miss!" He waved. She waved back, racing to her job. Taking a cab to Star Labs.
Star Labs
At Star Labs, everything was abuzz with activity as Ruby walked in through the door. She was confused, there weren't too many people. And what little she had seen yesterday, they had even looked bored. What could have changed? She walked over to Silas' office and knocked on the door. Inside the office, Silas was in an argument with a certain editor in chief, former reporter Lisa Lavender.
"Bull Silas! You have to know something about this chick. She seemingly has more than one semblance. And I had some contacts in Mistral, they told me she isn't even an affiliated Huntress. So we got some do-gooder running around with powers unknown. And you don't know anything about it?" Lisa crossed her arms, her short silver hair all frazzled.
"No, I don't. I just found out about it like you did. Apparently, they are calling her Superwoman." Silas said with a shake of his head. A knocking at the door caught both their attention. "Come in!" He said. And the newest intern Ruby walked in, holding the package. "Ah, thanks Ruby, you can put it down on that desk over there." Ruby nodded nervously and stumbled over to the desk, carefully putting the package down. "Ruby Xiaolong, this is Lisa Lavender. Editor in Chief of the daily planet. She works with us, Star Labs gives them some technical support and in return, they advertise us, and give us a good word and even some sneak previews at the news." Ruby nodded shyly and waved at Lisa.
"Yeah, I know about Miss Lavender. I used to watch her show all the time as a kid on Patch. Truth is one of the greatest virtues of all, you used to say." Ruby blushed, rubbing the back of her head. Lisa gave a wry smile.
"Patch? So you're a country girl turned scientist?" Lisa said looking closely at Ruby, the intrepid intern backed away from Lisa's intense gaze. "Hmm… You got a smark spark in those blue eyes. I bet in another life you could've been one heck of a reporter. Well kid, good to meet ya. But I gotta go run a story and see about how I can get the Scoop on Superwoman. I am going to trademark it, and ride the current on this thing." Lisa walked out with swagger, leaving the room behind. It was quieter after she left, Ruby turned around to Silas.
"So I should go?" Ruby asked nervously unsure about what to do next.
"Yes. I will give you a schedule, and just walk around the labs. I am sure someone will need your assistance, and should the Daily Planet ask for IT. You can help them, I've seen your records. Welcome to Star Labs Ruby. If you put in the hard work, you will be rewarded. Slack off and you won't get anywhere." He motioned for her to leave. Ruby nodded and left the room, she felt better. A buzz in her scroll made her pull it out, seeing a few notifications. From both her Sister and her Dad. Uh oh… She gulped, she had some explaining to do.
Beacon Academy
The initiation exam was finally over, Jaune couldn't believe he had made it through alive. But somehow he had and even had a cool team. There was Pyrrha, with long red hair, kind green eyes, and dressed like a spartan. She was tall for a girl, making her just a little intimidating. Then there was Lie Ren, he always looked so calm, with a single strand of pink hair in his long black hair, and tranquil pink eyes, and a traditional-looking green robe. He looked the opposite of his not-girlfriend friend, Nora. She was the shortest with bright orange hair and icy green eyes that had a tinge of wild energy. She wore a collarless black vest. And a pink skirt, white sleeves, and her mighty hammer was currently in her hands in its rocket launcher form.
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. You shall be Team JNPR. Led by Jaune Arc." Ozpin, a man that seemed older than he looked, dressed in a black and green business suit, and black shades with a green scarf, and white hair, and dull grey eyes. He then read the next list.
"And finally. Step forward." Ozpin said, calling the final team. Jaune looked at them, he recognized most of them. There was Weiss, the cute and elegant ice princess, Jaune couldn't help but be attracted to her. Next to her was the mysterious ebony beauty known as Blake, she wore a nifty black bow. And there was Yang, she was very, ahem, mature. With long glorious blonde hair that would make even his sisters jealous. And next to them was the only male on the team, he wore a full body suit, that was segmented and metallic, black with purple accents, he was tall, and had a smug look, with short curly red hair, and piercing green eyes. Jaune didn't like him, he couldn't say why but there was just something off about him. "Alexander Rex Luthor, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiaolong. You shall be team RWBY led by Alexander Luthor." Weiss looked infuriated at that, and Jaune felt like the name was familiar and seeing the way Weiss was clenching her firsts. It clicked in his mind.
Wait. Luthor? Like Luthor Corp? Is he Lionel Luthor's kid? Lionel who is trying to buy out The Schnee Dust company? Jaune's jaw dropped, wondering why two rich kids were so eager to become Hunters.
"Please… Just call me… Lex" Lex smiled with what Jaune could only call a devious grin.
Elsewhere
In a dark underground of Vale, a lone woman was in a room all by herself talking through her scroll. "Yes, Mistress. The plan had a little delay. Roman has been taken into custody... Yes, I will have his minion free him. Yes, Mistress. We won't fail. But I do wonder if this woman who saved him. This Superwoman as they are calling her. I wonder if she is a maiden. Of course. I will keep an eye on her." The woman hung the scroll. Things would need to be taken into reconsideration.
A/N: And that's all, for now, folks, seeya next time after I get started on the war games arc for venomous rose.