Roman had insisted to Neo that she and the Champion would not cross paths again after her visit to Junior's, so, of course, Neo now got to see a whole lot of her. She was, like Roman, an exceedingly stubborn woman who could almost be guaranteed to do something if she was first told not to do it. Almost like they were related or something.

And Neo would give her credit—Pyrrha actually fit in pretty well with the crew. The Malachites adored her, because she, being the focus of so much ScrollNet gossip, had considerable experience putting up with teasing and innuendo with grace, often turning the tables on them in ways that even had Neo snickering. Plus, they got a kick out of the disguises she wore on her trips into Vale—Neo, a connoisseur of deception, had to give acknowledgement to her skill here: she really did know how to blend in. Junior, whose gruff exterior belied the heart of a natural father, couldn't not find a girl as polite and respectful as Pyrrha to be everything he wished of his pseudo-daughters. And really, Neo didn't miss that, here, among the thieves, extortionists, and smugglers that made up their circle, Pyrrha really came alive.

Simply being with Vale's criminal elite could be the end of her reputation. So there was no point in keeping up the facade of the perfect, peerless, family-friendly champion, no need to be the Invincible Girl, so her visits were a chance to actually drop the mask and live a little more freely. And Neo found she liked that Pyrrha. The soothing balm of anarchy improved everyone in Neo's mind, but Pyrrha in particular benefited from casting off the rules of society. Not many people got to be a first name for Neo, but she was Roman's niece and so, by virtue of family, she'd been promoted to Pyrrha.

But she was a refreshing presence in their lives. Especially considering that Roman and Neo didn't have all that much to do but wait for the other shoe to drop with Cinder, it really helped to have someone here to hear for the first time all the stories they'd told each other a hundred times already.

And… she'd started bringing Blue Eyes with her.

Neo was finding that she quite liked Blue Eyes. Nearly as much as Roman disliked Blue Eyes, but what Roman disliked about Blue Eyes was the idea of someone dating his niece, a situation Neo disliked as much as he did! But without the obligations of "having to talk," Neo could just sit at the table and stare at those gorgeously cerulean eyes and wink at the cute student Huntsman.

He was so afraid of her! It was just adorable, and Neo wondered if there was a way to dissuade Pyrrha's obvious interest in him while still keeping him around… though she really did enjoy the little War of Hearts she had going on with Roman's niece. It made things easier, to keep their quiet contest focused on one man… and not the other one.

Sipping her drink, she batted her eyelashes at Blue Eyes, enjoying how he flinched from her attention, just like he did from the Malachites, from Junior, and especially from Roman, even as Pyrrha assured him that he was welcome here—Neo was, of course, following Pyrrha and Blue Eyes on their way to and from Junior's and eavesdropping on their conversations—he had very much not lost his fear of the criminal underworld.

Smart. Most everyone here could kill him, really easily, and about half of them would if Neo wasn't standing in the way of anyone trying to harm her poor, helpless darling. And Roman wasn't allowing it either, but really, when it came to people one did not want to cross, Neo was right at the top of the list. And her darling Blue Eyes was under her protection.

Her straw suddenly sputtered as her drink ran out. Neo pouted briefly from the interruption, then jingled her empty glass at Blue Eyes.

"I'll, um, I'll get you a refill?" he replied, making her swoon. He was so helpful!

"Listen," Roman chuckled as her Blue Eyes went to get her another root beer float, "I may not be Jaune's biggest fan here, but you can't keep messing with the..." his voice died away as Roman realized that she wasn't messing with him.

But he couldn't say anything, not in front of Pyrrha. Not when it meant explaining to his niece why his enforcer was sweet on the boy she was sweet on, especially when he didn't want either of them being sweet on anyone, least of all Blue Eyes!

Silently, he knit his eyebrows together in nuclear fury as he suggested, You had better not mean what I think you mean or so the gods help me!

She rolled her eyes. True love is worth-

His eyes popped out of skull as his face twisted into a cartoon of simultaneous incredibly bad decision and my niece cannot know what we're talking about.

Too late.

"So, you guys can have conversations without talking?" Pyrrha cut in, "That's neat."

"Yeah..." Roman said through gritted teeth, "Neo and I… we go back a while..."

Immediately shifting posture to the sweet, innocent little sister, Neo looked as angelic as she could as she fluttered her eyelashes at Roman. Even he wasn't immune to Neo's wiles and her undeniable cuteness left him unable to keep up his anger.

"Trust me," he said to Pyrrha, "she is not the little angel she pretends to be."

Neo gave an innocent smile to that, looking as though she was as far as could be from who she really was. Roman's enforcer, the muscle that made things happen to make sure there weren't problems in the execution of his plans. His was the way of the mind, the elaborate schemes, the delicate infiltration, the expensive tailored suits, the "I read books on sociology so people think I went to college" fanciness. Neo's way was the one with the sharp cutting instruments, the lacerations, the "inexplicable warehouse fire kills seven."

They worked well together.

Pyrrha gave Neo a smile. "I have to ask… my uncle, when I was younger, he used to play the guitar and sing-"

"Pyrrha!" Roman cried in the most delightful agony, "Why would you- you didn't have to tell her that!"

She just grinned. "But uncle," she protested, "It was such a dear part of my childhood, hearing you strum the guitar and sing the loveliest songs. You had quite the singing voice!"

"I have a reputation to consider!" he protested, "I'm an underworld tough, not a- not a singer! Nobody respects a-"

"I think Neo would love to hear your rendition of-"

"No!" he barked, "Not- not another word! That's- oh, I do not need the both of you getting in on this!" Burying his face in his hands, Roman lamented, "Oh, why am I so accursed with the endless cruelties of women!"

Pyrrha gave Neo a grin, and Neo had to admit… the Champion had won some points with her in that. Embarrassing Roman was always good fun, and Neo was sure to shoot Pyrrha a look that conveyed both her mirth and appreciation. It was a shame that so few people knew enough sign language to let her communicate with more than expressions and pantomime, but Pyrrha seemed to understand her exactly.

But then the look on her face… suddenly shifted. Neo could read it, the slight narrowing of her eyes, the faint curl of the corner of her lip, the posture shifting from Roman's niece to the invincible champion, her look cast at Neo, saying… But don't think I don't I see what you're doing with Jaune…

Game on.

Oh boy, now things were really getting exciting!

This was nice.

Hard to even think that, but Roman had to admit there was a point when things were going well and seeing the kid again was starting to become something of a regular affair. A little more Jaune Arc than Roman liked in his life, but he knew teenagers well enough to know she was bringing the kid to show that she wouldn't back down to Roman's obvious displeasure.

And… he hated that he could tell she genuinely liked the boy. Really liked him, and Roman could tell there were some scenarios where any amount of leverage just hardened resistance. Telling his niece that he didn't approve of the pushover would only drive her closer to him, so he had to… just grin and bear it, with the occasional withering glare at Neo when she was clearly having Ideas.

There was exactly one kind of woman in Roman's life and they all caused him no end of basically the same problem.

Ah, but well, right now, he and Pyrrha were alone, Neo having slipped out to chase after Jaune (Roman had paid Junior to find a way to keep the two of them apart as best anyone could), and the backroom of Junior's felt… homey in a way it never had before. This was where he played cards with the various yahoos and dipshits who thought themselves criminal masterminds while he plied their egos, kept the plates spinning, figured out who was actually worth his time and who was best pointed away from anything they could screw up. It wasn't a place for actual warmth and conviviality, but, he had to admit, it was a nice change.

"So," Pyrrha said, a slight smile on her face, "You and Neo, what exactly is your relationship with her?"

Roman sighed. He knew this question was coming—it eventually came from anyone who figured they could get away with asking it—and he always hated trying to field it. "Complicated," he grunted in response. About as good an answer as he could think of. Partners? Friends? Surrogate-daughter/surrogate-father? Other than knowing that their relationship certainly wasn't romantic, Roman just understood it as something without labels. What they had was what they had.

But he also was feeling a bit grumpy after the reveal about his guitar.

"What's it to you?" he asked, then added a teasing lilt to his voice, "Worried about your dear uncle being lonely?"

But she just shook her head, keeping her cool and not rising to the bait. "Oh, nothing like that, I was just wondering about, you know, relationship stuff..."

Roman paled. He could tell when she was fucking with him, but right now, the playful tone of voice was conveying 50% fucking with him and the little note of wonder at the end was 50% "Oh, we're gonna have that talk, aren't we?" For all the shit he'd put Alcestis through, she would owe him if he had to field this one.

"There's a dance coming up," Pyrrha mentioned, in that nonchalant way that had Roman's gut twisting in anticipation, "for the Vytal, and I think I'll be asking Jaune to be my date."

Roman choked back his initial response, knowing she was trying to get a rise out of him as much as she was asking. But Brothers, his self-control was being tested today! First, Jaune was here in the first place, then he discovered Neo had an inexplicable thing for the idiot, then Pyrrha drops this bombshell on him—obviously knowing it'd rile him up—which meant that there was a love triangle here, and it was one about some dope Roman was already this close to introducing to his fists, and- and- and!

AAAGH!

He felt the vein twitch in his forehead as Pyrrha's lip curled in an impish smirk. "I take it you don't approve?"

There was one kind of woman in Roman's life...

Gritting his teeth, Roman glared at his niece. "You know how I feel about… that man," he glowered, "But you are… an adult… and can make your own decisions."

Objecting would only give her what she wanted, so he made the effort, the herculean effort, to keep his real opinion in check. Ohhh, he did not like Jaune. Liked the thought of him with his niece even less. Roman did not like his pretensions of haplessness, his performative weakness, the sort of shirker who got by knowing that people like Pyrrha would pick up the slack. Roman hated men like him, the good looking type who wore self-pity and self-delusion in equal measure, exactly as manipulative as he was, preying on people's sympathies for their haplessness to get by in life.

For someone like Roman who'd screwed his own life up—and he made no effort to deny that he had—a man like Jaune was an insult. And worse, this wasn't the first time Roman had met a man like Jaune. Had seen what a man like him could do to the people he loved. Men who-

"Well isn't this a surprise!"

Roman turned in abject shock. He should have been alert, should have had so much adrenaline coursing in his bloodstream that his heart would stop, but instead, as his eyes shot to the doorframe, he was much more preoccupied with the incomprehensible reality of hearing Cinder Fall… be cheerful.

"I mean, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm just- well, I'm sure you're used to-" a flustered Cinder—flustered, of all things, flustered—began before shaking her head and extending her hand to Pyrrha, "C-Cinder Fall. I'm… a little starstruck."

It was an act. Obviously it was an act, it had to be, but she pulled it off so damned well that Roman himself was actually forgetting that this wasn't what Cinder fucking Fall sounded like.

Pyrrha stuck out her hand graciously, though apprehensively. "I… It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fall."

"I… I really don't normally come up to people, but I- um, I see you're a VIP and well-"

Pyrrha's eyes suddenly darted to Roman's in alarm, and in that moment, between him and Cinder, a short, silent, and furious conversation broke out, a mix of Roman's horror and Cinder's unstoppable menace, while Pyrrha's eyes looked to him with a note of concern… and Cinder gave her response to that.

What she wanted from him.

"Oh! With the- Oh, I don't- I wouldn't tell-" she looked to Roman, "You can tell her, I wouldn't ever talk- I just saw a celebrity and..."

Well.

Here it was.

He had fucked up.

Roman panted as he raced through the rain, his lungs burning, his legs like lead, but hell and the gods, he had to get there now. Had to- had to know, had to make sure...

It was supposed to be an easy job. No risk. Just a simple late night burglary, the kind he'd planned before, with Nero and Rossi there mostly to help him carry things. No one was supposed to be there! Simple enough that- that- that his niece could... But those fucking idiots, the minute the plan had a hitch, when they had a witness, those idiots lost their fucking minds and- and-

FUCK!

It wasn't- she was just supposed to be lookout! No danger, just keeping an eye open and… gods, gods, GODS! Just- just- it was supposed to be an easy job!

The scream.

The scream, the scream, the scream! It echoed in his ears, even now, echoed and echoed, the shattering note of a girl who never should have seen what she'd just seen, to see her… to see Roman, the gun, the blood, the man, the gun, the blood, Roman, it all whirled and whirled and echoed as his feet pounded the pavement and the rainwater splashed and it wasn't supposed to be like this!

Every footfall, every time his shoes hit concrete, Roman felt the shock of the blow all the way up his leg and into his brain. But he had to run. Had to keep running, he'd- he'd fucked up, he'd lost sight of Pyrrha, she'd ran when she saw the blood, when- when she screamed, the scream still echoing in his head, and now he had to- had to find out if she was okay.

Racing up the steps to a house he knew too well, he grabbed the door and wrenched it open.

His mother. His sister. The looks of surprise and fear and disgust and rage were nothing, he had to- Pyrrha! She was there, she was okay, sobbing and terrified and the look on her face was a knife in his heart but she wasn't hurt, she was okay, she was-

"Mom, take Pyrrha."

Roman blinked as his mother swept Pyrrha from the room with a speed he scarcely thought possible. He had thought he had known exactly how much contempt his mother could ever have for him, but the look on his face…

"She's… she's okay," he gasped out, words making him realize that his lungs still burned from the exertion, "Cesty, I am so, so sor-"

SMACK!

Wheeling backwards, Roman didn't realize he was struck until-

SMACK!

-Alcestis's second blow hit him right on the cheek.

"You son of a bitch!" she hissed, "You filthy- you son of a bitch! Showing your face, here, after you- you- you son of a bitch!"

"I- I know, I am so-"

SMACK!

"Tell me your sorry?" she asked, her voice rising high and hysterical, "You're gonna tell me you're fucking sorry after you- you-"

"I didn't know, I didn't-"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING LIE TO ME!"

"It wasn't my fault!" he cried, "N-Nero lost his head, there wasn't supposed to be anyone- thought he was security! Thought he would have aura! He shot- and Nero pulled the trigger, it wasn't my fault! And Pyrrha wasn't hur-"

FHWUMP!

This time, it wasn't a strike to his face, but instead, his sister had grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall so hard that the china on the shelf tinkled as it rocked back and forth. Roman had always been taller than his big sister since he hit his teenage growth spurt, but right now, she seemed to tower over him, maternal rage boiling within her, a fire in her emerald eyes more fearsome than anything Roman had ever seen in jail.

"Pyrrha wasn't hurt?"

"W-wait, Cesty-" he tried to object, only to feel his sister's hands tighten on his lapels.

"You don't get to call me that. Not any more. Not ever again. You are not my brother. You're gone, Roman. Gone from our lives, gone forever." She smashed him back against the wall with a force that hurt more than the bullet his aura had taken earlier. "You're a crook and a thief and now you can't even take responsibility when you- you endanger my daughter. Traumatize her! And you think you can show your face here?"

Roman had nothing to say. There was nothing he ever could say to her, her voice ringing, high, nearly hysterical, as molten fury kept her controlled enough to not simply eschew words and scream her rage upon him.

"If you ever," Alcestis hissed, "come near my family again, I will kill you, Roman."

She let go of him and backed away, but her glare, a look of all her rage and anger and hurt and contempt fixed him to the wall, like an insect, small and repulsive, pinned until she opened her mouth and said the last thing Roman knew he'd ever hear from his own blood.

"GO!"

"Cinder's, uh," he struggled to force the words from his throat, "She's safe," he lied, "She won't say anything. She's my associate, with the, uh, some of the recent work I'd been doing..."

"I… suppose I should be truthful with you," Cinder said in a stunningly massive and well delivered lie, "But I'm the one you and your friends at Beacon faced off against so often at the start of your school year." She rubbed her arm nervously and Roman struggled not to gawk at the display.

Because he knew Cinder wouldn't allow him to ruin her plans here. That this was an ashes-on-carpet situation, and if he was stupid, it'd mean Pyrrha's ashes as well.

Pyrrha, though, was none the wiser, but thinking she was piecing together the truth, she nodded. "The Dust thefts, you were..."

"Mr. Torchwick's buyer? I'm afraid so. I was… actually hoping to speak with you Ms. Nikos. I… you and your friend, Ms. Rose were the reason I had to disengage from my earlier plan. I won't deny it—I am an outlaw, an enemy of the state, but I… I could see as my plan developed it was impossible that it might continue without… hurting innocents."

Roman was an experienced liar—before he'd developed his reputation as an extractions specialist, he'd worked a number of short and long cons to keep his income diversified. But he'd never met anyone who lied as fluidly and convincingly as Cinder did. To Pyrrha. And as much as that roiled his gut, Roman knew damn well that Cinder was a rolling boulder—things that got in her way got crushed, utterly.

So he stood back, forcing his apprehension down as he watched a master manipulator try to sink her claws into one of the only people Roman would actually leap in front of a boulder for. But... Pyrrha was smart. Might have been half a decade since Roman had given her the inside insight of how the world really worked, but she'd always been a smart cookie. Too loyal for her own good, but as she heard Cinder's spiel, Roman could tell his niece was no Pollyanna.

"I beg your pardon," she interrupted, a part of Roman cheering to see her cut off the living inferno that perpetually nipped at his heels, "But… I've been a celebrity since I was 15. I have an agent, I've negotiated sponsorship deals. When people want something from me, I prefer when they ask directly, and I'm sure we'd both prefer discarding the artifice."

Roman almost laughed out loud right there. Cinder might be the best liar Roman had ever met and Roman might have his balls so tightly caught in a vise that he was useless to help anyone, but Alcestis didn't raise no fools. Cinder had overreached and that meant she was in a precarious position now—if her in with Pyrrha was spoiled through no fault of Roman's, then she would have to back off and reassess.

But Cinder… Cinder didn't seem like anything other than… than pleased with the development. Roman almost took a step back—actually moving was damned foolish right now—and reminded himself that she was a good enough liar to mask her disappointment, but Roman really was getting the sense that Cinder wasn't displeased to see Pyrrha push back on her.

"Tell me," she said, a sudden glint in her eye, the predator lurking in the dark and cold recesses of Cinder's unfathomable mind, peeked forth. But it was beneath Pyrrha's notice, just another sign of what Roman could see looming above them both

"What do you know about the Maidens?"

END ACT ONE

CODA

Qrow didn't like being at Beacon.

Really, he should like it. Not only being called in from the field meant good food and lodgings (say what you will about the old man, but Ozpin didn't skimp when he put his people up for the night), it was a chance to check in on Ruby and Yang. See how they were adjusting to Beacon, feel those little stirrings of pride in his heart (and the crinkling rage at Raven for being such an idiot to turn her back on a girl as amazing as Yang), and let'em know they were following in their parents' footsteps. And he could brag to Tai later that he'd gotten to see Ruby and Yang at Beacon while he fretted endlessly about sending them care packages.

All good things, but, no, being at Beacon was a bad experience because it meant meetings like this.

"...considering the prominent influence of the Adel family," Glynda explained as she worked through her presentation, "the risk of investigation discovery is too high, and as such, I cannot recommend Coco for the role of Fall Maiden."

"Hmmmph," ol' Ironsides grunted, "This is exactly why I recommended a stricter professionalization of Valean Huntsmen. In Atlas, I have a list of Specialists who are-"

"-ready to carry out whatever orders you give them," Qrow interrupted, "And have you designed a special uniform for them? Perhaps something with jackboots..."

"Qrow..." Glynda sighed. It was a tone that hit home with him, though, the "Yes, I agree with you, but please stop fighting with my maybe-boyfriend" tone that told Qrow he was causing problems for his friend and colleague. Jimmy could go fuck himself, obviously, but Qrow did feel bad about jamming Glynda like that.

Fortunately, Ozpin moved in at that. "Either way, we don't have a list, and we need to find a Maiden candidate soon," he said, "Someone trustworthy, competent at fighting, and above all, someone we can conceal as our operative in protecting the people of Vale."

Three traits. The criteria they'd established as soon as Amber had fallen into her coma. When Qrow failed her. The guilt still ate away at him, thinking of the difference even ten seconds would have made. Just a little faster, and she'd still be there… and they wouldn't need to find a replacement. A replacement who met those three traits, a replacement who had one, obvious answer.

Yang.

"Does it have to be a Valean?" Jimmy asked.

"We're not giving it to one of your Specialists," Qrow growled in return.

Jimmy glared, his eyes narrow slits, as he responded contemptuously, "I'm asking because Beacon hosts more international students than any other Academy—and yet, Glynda, your presentation's only covered native Valeans."

Qrow's eyes darted about the room. Ozpin was, of course, unreadable as always but even he seemed to raise an eyebrow at that. Glynda's expression was more telling—a worried look shared with Qrow, wondering if there was some gambit here. No way in hell was he going to suggest the Schnee girl, but how did Atlas gain from this?

But… Qrow was willing to take it. One name that wasn't in Glynda's presentation was Yang's, and considering that her entire presentation was a slow, methodical elimination of each and every other candidate, Qrow could already feel the pit of dread forming in his stomach that this had all been a setup for the lot of them to turn on him and let him know… there was no other choice. Vale needed a Maiden, and Team STRQ had always given of itself for this group before. Into the next generation...

So someone else taking the burden? It was cruel, cowardly, any number of shameful words, to push the loss of a daughter onto another family, but… but this way, Qrow didn't have to be the one to tell Yang that they needed her for a higher purpose.

Taking their silence as a cue to speak, Jimmy continued. "You see, as a Headmaster, I'm familiar with recruiting students for the Academy, and I have files on some students who you snatched up from us, Oz."

Ozpin chuckled. "The benefits of our sterling reputation, I'm sure."

"But one student in particular stands out to me… Pyrrha Nikos. My scouting report suggests-"

"Her?" Qrow practically spat out, "We just- A global celebrity? How do you hide that from the world?"

And he wasn't the only one. "Qrow's right…" Glynda softly added, "She's… an excellent student, one of the best I've ever seen, but she carries far too much attention."

Nodding respectfully, much more to Glynda than Qrow, Jimmy let their objections sink in, then explained: "Her celebrity, yes, is a concern, but there are options, keeping her in the Valean hinterlands or relying on plastic surgery, to keep her from being recognized. And the biggest concern we have for investigation is family, of which, Ms. Nikos has only one surviving family member and very few strong contacts in Argus."

"But before then," Glynda asked, "I handled her recruitment for Beacon, and if I recall, her family originally hails from outside Argus. From..."

"Phthiotis," Jimmy explained, "I sent a scout there, to check to see if she might have any Atlesian heritage or family attitudes towards Solitas we could leverage."

"A thorough investigation..." Ozpin murmured, a rare interruption.

Jimmy shrugged, a faint grin coming to his face. "I'm a competitive man. But all our investigation turned up was that she had a difficult life, raised by her mother and grandmother, now deceased, no other family to be named. It appears her family encountered some… scandal related to her birth, and, as such, their departure to Argus when Ms. Nikos received a full scholarship to attend Sanctum wasn't a difficult choice. Her 'death' in the field would be a tragedy, but a very private, personal one."

"She is a woman of exceptional character..." Glynda added, to Qrow's surprise.

"You're seriously thinking this is a good idea?" he asked.

Sighing, Glynda leaned back in her chair. "I don't think we have good ideas here. Our numbers are depleted, all our other candidates are nonviable… I can't really think of a better candidate for the position. There would be national attention on her presumed death, there would be an inquiry, but… but a Council investigation would be more inclined to covering their own reputation. A family would actually seek the truth, so..."

There was a horrible logic to it. But as Qrow thought it through, it really clicked. Tragic celebrity deaths drew conspiracy theories and legends—how many times had he heard gossip that the Grimm Reaper was still out there?—and it'd be easy to hide their own conspiracy in audacity. And… and she wasn't Yang. Qrow wouldn't have to bring the bad news to Tai that another woman he loved would be giving her life in the service. Wouldn't have to explain to Ruby why her big sister wouldn't be around anymore. Wouldn't have to live with the fear that he would fail his niece the way he failed Amber.

"Okay," he said, "I... guess I don't have any objections to that."

Thanks to Renarde and Six02 for feedback on this chapter!

At last, explanation for what Roman did to get expelled from the family. I'm curious how people might take it—it's not particularly spectacular, but imagine it as a real life occurrence, of discovering that your brother pulled your twelve year old niece in as an accessory to a felony that escalated to attempted murder, that your daughter saw a man bleeding out on the floor... it's not high drama, but that would definitely be a "Get out of my house and out of my life before you get my child killed" moment for me.

Much like Let The Dead Lie, this fic is about "moral incontinence," the state of knowing right and wrong, wanting to do right, but succumbing to baser instincts and ultimately doing wrong. Roman wants to protect Pyrrha, but he's also something of a coward, and so he immediately recreates what got him exiled. He knows he's lying to Pyrrha when he tells her that Cinder's trustworthy, and that it's a very dangerous lie, but he doesn't know how to avoid it, and his instincts are only going to lead to him drawing his niece further and further into danger. Taking a brief hiatus with Act One done, but looking forward to sharing Act Two, where Roman watches his niece get drawn into a web of conspiracies alongside him.