Hi humans or very nice robots that review. I am so grateful that y'all ask questions or point out my mistakes. You keep me motivated and help me realize where I need to flesh out some details in the story. Thank you!
Monsterking- Thank you!
Li- Well Oscar certainly would have complained
Seriouslazy- I know, I thought of a couple of flashback to Roman at 14 I'm glad I settled on that one
Guest 1- Someone needed to adopt Ozpin.
Guest 2- Maybe? I've added some detail in this chapter so let me know if it clarifies the alliance for you?
Lil- I must have missed something, thanks for letting me know. I'll keep an eye on character/relationship growth moving forward.
Kootranova1- Em was willing to do both..she is a flexible woman ;) Your joke made me grin.
Yang found Perry in a small airfield. She was surrounded by White Fang, never before had she been surrounded so many people ready to kill her. Uncle Crow was nearby watching. Neither Blake or Adam was allowed close, but were willing to charge in if needed. It was a gamble and the Blonde was terrified. She could only hope that Mom could sense if there was truly trouble and be able to help. She didn't take to the training like her little sister did, but she was grateful that she could disguise some of her anxiety.
She heard snarls and growls. She was even hissed at, she'd only experienced that from house cats before. It was the first time she had a visceral reaction to it. Everyone knew she came to town with Adam Taurus and the Chieftain's daughter, or she would be immediately attacked.
Perry's ears flattened at the sight of her. Unbeknownst to the blonde, he had tailed team RWBY for Torchwick, gathered intel before miss silver eyes somehow caught the criminal's fancy. Perry gagged, reminded himself how he had handcuffed the poor girl for the old man's pleasure. It may be Perry's biggest regret.
Yang had a swagger, how had the faunus not seen it before, she was much like Torchwick. Cocky and cracks jokes way too often. Blondie also had a protective spot for her little sister.
He snapped, "What do you want, human."
Yang smiled widely in her lie, "Oh you know, wanted to meet my girlie's boyfriend. You know Cinder your organization's associate."
The members did a double take.
Perry paled, "I don'-"
"Cinder did say you gave good head." Honestly Yang wished she could have gotten details from Neo. Closer you hit to the truth, the more likely you'd make the enemy reactive. She remember's Adam commenting on Roman's lighter. "You two really set those sheets on fire." Yang made a louder than necessary giggle. She restrained a groan of disappointment at herself, it sounded too nasal and fake.
Perry decked her, Adam instructed her to take the hit. Tease and force the rat to escalate. Yang didn't even rub her cheek, "Cinder did say you like some rough handling. Personally I don't take what isn't mine."
She left it unsaid, but he heard her message. Unlike you taking Adam's then Sienna's place.
Some of the White Fang chuckled.
Perry, "Leave and take your preposterous slander with you." The man crossed his arms. Retaliating would be riskier than the pure satisfaction of murdering her.
A crow landed on her shoulder and she gave it an affectionate pat. That cocky grin made his blood boil.
Perry gritted his teeth. He had to let this go.
XXX
Not quite dawn in front of the Pine residence, as the team waited by the van. Nora yawned disturbingly wide and rubbed the sleep from Ren's eyes.
Jaune figited, "Let's leave, now."
Ruby dug her toe in the ground, "We don't know if our friends in Menagerie can stop the White Fang." She missed Yang, but she was glad that her sister wasn't here dealing with the politics.
Nora now rubbed the sleep from her own eyes, "So why are we waiting to fight not-Branwen bandits?"
Ren, "The Branwens connect all of Mistral and is practically its own army."
Roman smiled, "Astute Ninja. If Rose proves her strength, we are better able to pull on her Branwen connections, in case we need to fight the White Fang."
Jaune tilted his head at Ruby, "Couldn't you just do it? I mean you are a Branwen and next in line. Why the extra effort?"
Rose shook her head, "I'm not officially a successor."
Roman, "A formal successor needs to show their merit first. Or the tribe will be seen as weak."
Rose, "I've no real reputation, I only recently gained standing by being engaged to-"
Nora screamed, "You're engaged!" She started shaking Ruby violently.
Roman pinched the bridge of his nose, "This is Mistral, The Branwens couldn't have connected it all through violence."
Ren restrained Nora, allowing Ruby to brace herself on her knees. She steadied her breath "We got as much control as we have by marrying...or claiming other tribes."
Jaune in disbelief, "So when you 'claimed' Roman while he was poisoned...you became engaged or married."
Red, "Kind of." Nora started shaking her violently again and Ren struggled to drag his best friend away.
Roman still pinching the bridge of his nose, "We want to be together and we can maybe make this work in a way to protect Haven."
Ozpin, As far as Remanent has progressed, political marriages still has relevance.
Roman, My money is on the Heiress and Ironwood.
Ozpin, Sensible. I was incredibly surprised when Willow married Jacque. I saw no advantage at the time.
Roman, Are you serious? There is nothing that man cannot do.
Ozpin, He is more sniveling weasel than man.
Roman, Or is that what he wants you to think?
Ozpin, How about we pass on a memory flashback right now.
Roman, Wait you can control those?
Ruby straightened, "Even with Torchwick beside me, I'm still incredibly new to the underworld. I need to prove my strength." Ruby took back her cloak, "None of you can intervene today."
The smaller girl letting her illusion shatter grumpily crossed her arms. Then she pointed her parasol out to the distance. Bandits approached, 8 of them.
Ruby frowned at the markings on their clothes, "Corcorans, why would that tribe bother with a small farm?"
Torchwick scratched his head, "A decent player squarely in Branwen territory? You need to make an example."
She squared her shoulders, "I'm not killing them."
He pinched the bridge of his nose harder, "If you want to pull on your Branwen ties, you should kill most of them."
Ruby walked on to meet the bandits, she didn't get a chance to open her mouth.
The leader of this gang intent on ignoring her and spat at the ginger's feet, "I hardly notice you without." He gestured to all of Roman. "It looks like Em was right Torchwick and Branwen have a little agreement."
Ruby unfurled her scythe, resting the handle on her shoulder.
The man finally took notice and leered at her, "Maybe instead of ransoming you we'll send you along to your leader a little broken in."
A man next to him thrusted his hips vulgarly, "She'd probably be pretty cute if I made her cheeks puff-"
Bang
Rose's scythe smoked and the vulgar man clutched his crotch as he bled out. S-she assumed the guy would have an Aura! Branwen wouldn't have sent men out on a hit like this if they didn't have that sort of defense. This was a different tribe, with different rules, out of place. Ruby quivered as she watched the man dying and cursing her own assumptions.
The bandits barely looked at their fallen mate, a few chuckled, the leader smirked, "The balls on this Ros-"
Torchwick strode forward, he roughly turned Red's chin to him. Green looked down into a watery silver and he could feel her tremble. He bruised his mouth onto hers and the bandits mutter about him being sick.
Ozpin snarled, They just threatened to rape her.
Roman pulled back and enjoyed her determination shining through. She playfully spared the bandits a dark smile. He couldn't stop himself from running his fingers through her soft hair, she was beautiful like this.
Ozpin, How did you do that?
Roman, She needed a moment to fall into her role and I gave her one.
Rose, "Torchwick, do leave the rest to me."
His years of being a deceptive viper failed him, as he flinched. Recovering swiftly he chuckled deeply, letting it reverberate through his chest. "They aren't even aura enhanced two bit thugs, but try to have fun." His voice was light and deceptively unperturbed. There was a slight tension in his back. He was pissed, like those times Neo ran a job without backup. He didn't become a feared gangster because he was naive. A Torchwick's trust is hard earned and famously fragile, but if you had it you had a fierce protector (or two). The fact that Red wouldn't let him fight beside her hurt.
His gaze refocused on the scythe wielder in motion. She danced through the enemy with grace. These humans were softer prey than Grimm. Their skin tender, bones shatterable, and organs oh so easily reachable. Her blade barely slowed as it cut.
Ruby stiffly walked back to her group with her face stone and Neo held out her hands. Red handed her Lunar Rose and the smaller girl began to wipe down the weapon. The bicolored girl noted that every muscle was tense and her friend was all hard edges. Rose didn't spare a glance at the bandits limping away from her as fast as they could.
Except for the one, who had bled to death by then.
Rose gritted her teeth at the farmhouse and saw a slack jaw boy that badly flirted with her not even twelve hours ago. She needed to make a point with them.
Roman softly wiped blood off her cheek, "This was enough." He knew she was beautiful, fragile, unyielding, and ready to cut anything or possibly everything.
This rose was glass and it was breaking.
xxx
Back in the van Ruby looked at her hands, she did what had to be done to protect as many as she could. All of this was to make sure the Fall of beacon didn't happen anywhere again. Ruby couldn't withstand another Penny or Pyrrha.
Raven, for as little time she spent in Kuchinashi, practically owned the town. It was a den of thieves and assassins who mostly could not operate without Branwen approval. Ruby or 'Rose' making a delivery introduced her formally as a player.
Ozpin, I do not like playing into Raven's hands.
Roman, You do realize that Ruby's chances of dying rise in the next hour.
Ozpin sighed, I was not implying we do not help, I merely dislike it, besides we need little Red alive.
Roman knew there were details Ozpin was hiding from him, which the thief wished he could be as elusive with the old wizard. Not wanting to make the paranoid Oz clam up, Roman stamped down his concern and forced himself to tease, Are you starting to like her? Do I need to worry about you stealing her? Is that even a thing?
Ozpin growled, Torchwick.
Neo poked her brother's ribs as she drove and her chin gestured to the city they could now see.
Roman looked at the group sitting all over the van. "Red and I will be delivering the goods. Neo is in charge, none of you go anywhere in this criminal oasis without her." He looked to his sister and pulled at his dark green button up, "Stop by our usual place first."
XXX
Neo stayed with the car as the rest of them went up to one of Roman's favorite safe houses. It was dusty, the sibling pair hadn't been here in a solid 6 months. Once he had banded with Cinder, he had to pause expanding his connections into other continents. Still most of the lights worked and the water still ran. When Neo got up here, she'd put their team to work cleaning. It would keep them from trouble at least.
Roman grabbed Ruby and pulled her into his bedroom. He did not expect her reaction to be locking his door.
He pointed at her nose, "No."
She looked incredibly disappointed and he wasn't going to complain about how that flattered his ego. He started to remove his clothes.
Ruby's eyes raked over him, "You're being cruel."
He gave her a concerned glance before going to his closet to pull out a white suit jacket. "Are you okay?.
She pouted, "Other than you are putting on clothes, sure."
He deadpanned, "You killed a man this morning."
She wrung her hands "I thought he had Au-Aura." Her fingers picked at her sleeve.
"It was the first person you killed" his voice calm, "Red, look at me."
"I will keep going to protect as many as I can." Her voice squeaky.
He combed his bangs in place, "I've done worse to protect less. I kept myself somewhat sane, because I relied on those with more experience."
"You did? It wasn't just you and Neo?"
"I was not a king of an underworld until I was 15, the previous 8 years I was an underling."
"Your boss was kind?"
"Oh hell no, I was a good investment. So he put in the time and effort to make sure I didn't do too much too fast."
"He made sure you kept functioning"
"In Atlas I always had people to keep an eye on me and that I could talk to. Hell, even an abusive alcoholic like Marcus Black knew the importance of talking with me and Neo. The most alone I felt was when I came to Vale, and I fucking snapped quick."
Ozpin, That guy attempted to sexually assault our sister.
He didn't realize his hands were shaking until she took them in hers, "Is that when you started relying on Neo more?"
He looked aside and nodded, "I always had someone to rely on and when I didn't let myself I broke into brutality, that I am so sorry for."
"I have a team, I don't have to do this alone." She smiled amused.
He laughed a bit louder than he needed, "now you know what it's like you receive your own advice." He gave her a slow once over, "Remove the blouse."
She immediately covered her arms, "For the drop off? That's too much skin! And Raven wears full sleeves!" indignantly, "You do too!"
He looked unimpressed, "She nor I need to prove that we can murder everyone here. You look your age and that white shirt makes you look too innocent or in other words, prey."
She did as he asked and rubbed her bare arms.
He pulled her close by the waist and smiled smugly down on her, "Do I look like your arch nemesis?"
She played with his bangs and bit her lip coyly, "What happened to us?"
"I kidnapped you, you stole some of my things, and you did show up at a club scantily dressed."
Her cheeks pinked, "I blame Coco for the crop top!" she buried her face into his chest, "I wished I took you up on that hotel offer back then."
"I think we worked out just the way it should, like a trashy romance novel." He kissed her bare shoulder, "Come on Red, let's do something illegal."