It seemed that Ruby was as meticulous as Cinder herself was, and as she flipped through the thick binder labeled "KNIGHTSHADE," Cinder had to give some credit to the young Team Leader. This was… good intelligence. Including quite a few things Cinder herself didn't know about Ms. Belladonna. Mostly details Cinder hadn't deemed necessary for her interests, but now that she was onboard with Ruby's plan, she was finding it very useful. And perhaps, an opportunity to pit Emerald's jealous insecurity against Ruby's obvious competence?

A glance at her subordinate showed that it was working in that regard, her face a mix of constrained jealousy and utter confusion, a hint of disbelief at Cinder's involvement in this. Not... not entirely what Cinder wanted to see in her minion, but her control over Emerald was strong, and the revelation that she had an interest in wedding planning wouldn't do much to disrupt her hold over her. If anything, Emerald would soon see this as a gift, a secret insight into Cinder's personal life. A small token of intimacy that would make her even more loyal. Yes, when she thought of it that way, it made sense that Emerald got to see what she was seeing now.

Mercury, of course, could never be allowed to know of any of this. To think of what that hyena would say...

"It started," Ruby explained, "with me trying to find the right guy for Yang, cause I didn't want her to end up with a dirtbag who broke her heart like her last boyfriend, back at Signal. But while I was putting together my Yang dossier, I realized that Jaune had a crush on Weiss who had a crush on Pyrrha who had a crush on Jaune-"

Cinder nodded. Their love triangle was known to her, something she had instructed Emerald to formally investigate on the grounds that Pyrrha was a high-probability candidate as the Maiden, but also because she was debating in her head between an Arc-Nikos wedding plan that would emphasize the history both families brought together or an Arc-Schnee wedding that would be an absolute wedding-of-the-century blowout.

"-and as I was trying to figure that out, I realized that Jaune and Yang would actually be really good together, and I was like, wow! Whose side am I supposed to take? My partner's? My first Beacon friend's? My sister's? Pyrrha's?" Ruby flashed a sudden grin. "And then I realized: why not all of them? And that's when I broke out this."

She tossed a thick sheaf of papers onto Cinder's lap. It seemed that the matchmaking community was considerably more organized than Cinder had given them credit for, and they were even publishing white papers on… this sort of thing. "THE HAREM ROUTE" was emblazoned on the top, and beneath it, "A Proposal For A Nontraditional Mass-Scale Polygamous Marriage Within Modern Hunstman Dynamics" and the name "Glynda Goodwitch" as the author beneath.

That last bit had been, admittedly, a surprise.

But it had given Cinder some strange confidence in the plan. Goodwitch was a major threat to her other plans because she was, unlike most of the rest of Ozpin's fools, not an idiot. A true rarity in this world. And as she flipped through the pages, it was clear that this paper seemed to have the sort of analytic insight Cinder would expect from her, even if it was on a subject that was extremely not what people would associate with the stern Deputy Headmistress.

"Goodwitch is in on this?" she asked.

Ruby blushed, her eyes darting to the floor. "Ummmmmmm… not- not really? She kind of, um, well, I haven't… you know…"

"Ruby," she said, exasperated, "Just say it."

"She kind of scares me, okay!" Ruby squeaked back, "She's just so… respected in the field and I don't know how I could tell her that I have a theory on-"

"The field of matchmaking?" Cinder dryly cut in.

Ruby turned scarlet. "We're very organized and rigorous in our methods! And our work is very important, ensuring that everyone finds their best-"

"Yes, yes, sorry for doubting you," Cinder replied, then gave a contrite look. "I'm sorry, this is… still a lot to take in. Though…" she flipped back through the papers, "It seems that Goodwitch does seem amenable to pursuing something like this as a method for improving Huntsman performance… she might be a very valuable ally."

She also might be the perfect subject for a later-in-life wedding. She'd been an Old Maid for too damn long in Cinder's mind, and she was at the perfect stage of her career to have a wedding that had nothing to prove, that would be just for her and her spouse's enjoyment with all their friends. Something on a cruise, a little slip away from her world of orderly formality and a chance to let her hair down. What Cinder wouldn't give to have an in for that… and it would probably take her off their radar. Because of the terrorism thing and all.

"Anyways, I know what you're thinking," Ruby continued, "The obvious route is to start with Jaune and Pyrrha, using something like a Reverse Elegante as an opener, moving into-"

"You have to understand," Cinder deadpanned, "that that means nothing to me."

Ruby's brow knitted in annoyance. "Well, if you're not familiar with the terminology, I suppose I could give an explainer."

Cinder was starting to dislike the little brat's tone.

"Besides," she continued, "the important thing is that you might think the obvious route is to open with getting Pyrrha and Jaune together, because they're the most obvious couple." Cinder nodded in reluctant agreement. As often as she debated different options with Arc, she ultimately kept going back to her vision for the Arc-Nikos nuptials. "But that's a mistake!" Ruby excitedly cried, "Because Pyrrha's intimidating, which is why she has such a hard time without a guy who's… Jaune-ish."

A moron, Cinder mentally added, but that does give him an advantage in some ways. No one judges a puppy for being dimwitted… and he does have a certain dopey charm in that context…

"But instead," Ruby continued, her grin turning manic, "I'm proposing we start with a full court press. Don't go for one slice, go for the whole cake, that's what I always say! And for that, I'm best placed to get the ball rolling with Team RWBY. How, you ask? Why, it couldn't be simpler! Open with a Vacuan Cowboy, then move into—here's the twist—a reverse Prince's Gambit before-"

"Ruby," Cinder interrupted, her glare growing with intensity with every piece of jargon Ruby said. Cinder did not like the implication of Ruby thinking she might understand her nonsense so easily, almost as much as she disliked that Ruby was, perhaps, rubbing it in her face that she was an expert in something Cinder was not. And either way, she had no intention of letting this become a thing. Not if she could stop it, and remind her… for the time ally of what their relationship was.

"Right, right," Ruby agreed, raising her arms in a pacifying gesture… which was also to Cinder's annoyance, "No technical terminology. Okay… how can I describe… Ooh!" her silver eyes lit up in glee, "It's really simple, we're just going to set up a sure-fire, can't-fail scenario for romance where Blake, Weiss, and Yang simultaneously see Jaune's better qualities with such shock-and-awe speed that they fall for him before he even realizes it! For the Vacuan Cowboy, I need you to go to Jaune and-"

"No."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Wh-what? Cinder- Cinder, you said you'd help me," she pleaded, her eyes watery, her lip jutting out. Cinder was a master manipulator and she had to give credit where credit was due—Ruby was a natural.

But Cinder held her ground. She'd stared into the inhuman eyes of the Queen of the Grimm without showing a trace of fear, she could manage a puppydog pout. Even if she was powerfully adorable while doing it.

"I told you," she began, her voice crisp and commanding, "I was on board for this plan. That I would support you. But I'm here, as I told you, as a wedding planner. I am here in the efforts to make the wedding of the century happen, none of this… romancing teenagers foolishness. You have my resources and insight, but I have no interest in speaking with our groom-to-be."

It was important to draw lines. Cinder was in on Ruby's plan, as much as she hated herself for every minute she was in, but she wasn't going to let it happen on Ruby's terms. With her arms folded across her chest, she narrowed her gaze and projected pure, unmoving solidity, something Ruby quickly picked up she wasn't going to be able to push past.

"Okay then," she said with a nod, "I can work with that. But if you say I can use your resources, I need to know what that means."

Cinder gave Ruby a nod of her own as a sign of recognition, then added, "You can use Emerald."

"Hey!" her assistant protested before Cinder silenced her with a look.

And Ruby, of course, was delighted. "Okay!" she said with a quick fist pump, "I can work with that. But I'm gonna need a little bit more, so if you don't mind, I need you to make use of your contact with Roman Torch-"

"How? How do you know that?" Cinder shrieked, caught so incredibly off guard by the insanity and inanity of their conversation that she lacked the self-control to discipline herself when Ruby revealed she'd undone the most fundamental element of her infiltration into Beacon! She was able to marshal herself, but the damage had been done—Ruby's eyes were even wider, and Cinder knew she couldn't deny what she'd given away.

So instead, she focused a murderous glare at her "partner" in this endeavor and asked, her voice dripping with venom, "That's a very serious accusation you've just made. And not one to be made carelessly when you're around who you're presuming to be a very dangerous woman. So I'll ask you right now…" she rose, looming over the teenager who'd already thwarted several of Cinder's plans, "what do you think you're-"

"Cinder!" Ruby cut her off, "This is bigger than a few dust thefts! I don't care about, like, property crime when there's matchmaking to be had! So you're in league with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, big deal! Sun's in a cult, and I don't-"

"What."

The word slipped right out of Cinder's mouth, but she'd been extremely worn down by the cavalcade of revelations this silver-eyed chipmunk had been throwing around and wasn't really able to maintain her usual facade.

Ruby shrugged. "It's just some Mistralian thing where he does some stuff under the moonlight once a month, Neptune got his team to join, cause one of the priestesses was cute, but Sun stuck it out cause he liked the ritual of it all. But see?" she asked, her manic enthusiasm springing back in force, "If Sun can be in a cult and Cardin can be a big stupid butt, I don't see why the fact that you're a criminal should stand in the way of making the greatest, most beautiful, most stupendous wedding of all time! It's quite romantic, don't you think?"

There was no conceivable way, nothing imaginable in how Ruby Rose could know that the words she had just spoken would be the key to Cinder's acceptance, but damnation and hell, they were. Hearing someone who had a (extremely partial) sense of Cinder's own criminal malfeasance and a (tragically extensive) sense of her love of weddings and saw the two of them coming together as something… romantic, it all hit Cinder in a place she didn't have armored. Maybe the last such place in her psyche, but damned if it didn't hit home.

"Alright," she said, doing her best not to blush, "I'll let Roman know that I have special need of his services, but for obvious, obvious reasons, I cannot let him know that I'm doing this for the… for our plan. Don't pout!" she snapped, seeing Ruby's face already beginning to look sad and sweet and about to go awwwwwww, why not? "But that's another term of mine. You can let your reputation be whatever you want, but mine is not to be sacrificed for our… for this…" she sighed before grumbling, "for getting a teenage boy a harem."

It sounded so much worse every time she thought about it, and it sounded even worse when said aloud. And yet, Cinder knew she was hooked on this stupid thing.

"Deal," Ruby said as her pen rapidly began to write, a forming plan flowing across the page. "And that's fine, it's actually better if Roman has no idea what we're up to. I'll use Emerald to set up this, and…" Cinder had never seen a pen move so fast as her handwriting unspooled into something like a plan, but Cinder was a quick study, and used to reading documents quickly and from odd angles. And what she saw…

It was… it was a good plan. Detailed, flexible, and reflecting a considerable knowledge of the realities on the ground. The kind of plan Cinder would make if she was… if she was concerned with idiotic things like this plan. Which… she supposed she was. But even outside her investment in this… situation, Cinder saw talent in the young Ms. Rose. The kind of thing she'd need to keep an eye on…

But for now, her work was clear.

"I'm on it," she decisively cut in, "I'll get to Roman, I'll get him in position. You get Arc and your teammates in place, and then we'll see how this works out…"

"Don't worry," Ruby replied, flashing a confident smile, "this plan is foolproof."

Well, they certainly had fools enough to test that… but she had work to do.


"...so we will be needing an additional dust heist, taking advantage of information Emerald's gathered-"

She could hear Mercury roll his eyes behind her. Cinder had her frustrations with her henchmen, but this lack of professionalism was starting to grate. More so than ever, now that Cinder knew she had a secret she did not want Mercury finding out about, where his current insolence hinted at a potential something much worse in the future.

"-that tells us that your primary obstacle—Ms. Rose—will not be a concern at this time."

She kept her tone appropriately withering as she said Ruby's name. For a long time, Cinder had found the fact that Roman, the so-called "Master Thief," had a fifteen year old girl for a nemesis, but now that Cinder had had some one-on-one time with the young Huntress-in-Training, Cinder could now see that it was more surprising that Roman managed to get away from such a cunning strategist. Now removed from the lunacy of… their arrangement, Cinder could objectively see that Ruby was nearly as meticulous and competent a planner as she was. Which gave Cinder a good excuse for indulging in this, should she need to explain herself… though, the only person Cinder could really see her needing this for was with Salem, and no amount of organizational brilliance could justify her… her hobby in the eyes of a monster.

But she wasn't focused on Salem right now. Salem was far off, deep in the Grimmlands, and right now, her priority was how she appeared in the furtive eyes of a sneak thief. Leaning back in his seat, Cinder could see the wheels turning in his mind, he nodded, then asked, "So… I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, particularly when the gift horse involves me delaying the time I spend with literal horses and other assorted barnyard creatures, but I've done the math—you made me do the math—and we've got all the dust we need. What's the deal now?"

Cinder did not like being questioned. Doubly so when her lies were to hide a matter most personal, but that irritation helped fuel a plausible disguise of being an irrationally vicious and short-tempered bitch… if that… if that was a disguise, really. Either way, she glared at the thief, who seemed to recognize that he'd made a mistake.

"As you know all too well," she began, the hiss beginning to rise in her voice, "your plans have consistently been thwarted by a team of teenagers who've made 'stopping you' a fun little team-building exercise." Yes, this felt good, this felt cruel and domineering, this felt Cinder Fall. "And I have the information that the leader of that team will be occupied with a task I believe is related to assessing the suitability that relates to our real goal. While she's occupied with that, her team will be under the leadership of another Team Leader, one Emerald assures me is… staggeringly incompetent."

"An absolute putz," Mercury chimed in, in spite of not being asked and, in fact, having been specifically instructed not to say anything, "Seriously, Em and I have a game going where we pickpocket him and…"

His words trailed off from Cinder's glare.

"But," she continued, "I have no doubt they will get wind of your attempted heist, attempt to confront you, and then suffer a defeat at your hands—if you're capable of defeating a trio of children, of course—demoralizing them just before it comes time for our real operation."

"Devious," Roman chuckled, "Alright, I gotcha. I'll whip together a quick little heist, maybe do something fun with it. I'll let you know how it goes!"

Cinder was quite interested in learning how it went. Ruby's plan actually anticipated that Arc would succeed, something Cinder would have written off as proof she'd let her girlish fantasies lose track of reality, but Ruby had contingencies for just about every possibility, setting up Roman's dust heist as the crucible in which the only possible outcome was three girls discovering that there was not only more to Arc, but more they could achieve together.

But Cinder was still confident that the outcome would be achieved after Roman was finished thrashing the boy with his ludicrous cane. She even preferred that route—it made much more sense, in her mind, for someone like Yang Xiao Long to see Arc like a wounded bird to be nurtured back to health, but… she didn't dally in such thoughts. Matchmaker absurdities, nothing as grounded and serious as the art of wedding planning.

Xiao Long's wedding would involve a rustic look—a lot of twine and mason jars, perhaps even holding the ceremony in a barn (have to check on her family background—her Patch accent might be a strong lead). Basic, but she'd own it, and her very presence would threaten anyone who questioned her tastes.

But their business was concluded and, with a few words warning him not to screw it up, Cinder was ready to leave. She had other work to do, and she still was on the course to acquire the powers of the Fall Maiden, even with this… distraction. She had to check with Watts and confirm the virus was prepared for the Dance—every damn thing seemed now to be routed through that accursed dance—as well as to continue examining which girls might be the Maiden candidate. Luckily, that girl was almost certainly on Ruby's list, which meant she had-

"Oh, one more thing," Roman's voice came from behind her, saying the worst, most horrible words Cinder could ever imagine coming out of the little toad's mouth as she turned in what felt like slow motion, his lips curling upwards into a hellish smile. "I have to ask—if the wedding has multiple brides, is it still okay if I bring only one gift? Of do I have to bring a gift for each one of them?"

Cinder had different levels of anger. Her regular levels were mostly varied by how much her eyes narrowed—she wasn't the sort who lost her cool. But she was past the regular levels, and when Cinder lost her cool, she did it quite literally as wrathful smoke began to curl about her and she felt the flames rise within her mind. She was not annoyed; she was not frustrated. Cinder Fall was in a room with a man who was about to die.

"What," she began, her voice a snarl, "did you just say?"

Roman took a step back, the look on his face suggesting he might have just made a mistake… but not enough as he responded, "Heard you've got yourself a little scheme cooking with little Red."

"Who told you."

Not a question. Hardly even a statement. More like murder itself made from phonemes.

But of course… the answer revealed itself, springing from her hiding place with a grandiose bow.

"Schemes and shenanigans are Neo's bag," Roman said, the little gremlin wearing a mile-wide grin on her face. "Hell if I know how she learns half the things she does, but I do know when she wants something. And apparently… she wants to be included, so-"

"Hold on, hold on," Mercury cut in, "What are we- what the- what the fuck are we talking about here?"

"It's nothing," Cinder hissed, "Roman, you have your instructions, I- I will not discuss this- this nonsense with-"

But the accursed little bitch held up a big, red paper heart, decorated with sequins and glitter like a child had done it, with "NEO & JAUNE 4EVA" written on it.

She beamed with pride.

"That fucker?" Mercury asked in breathless disbelief, "You have a crush on… on the guy who got his shoelaces tied to his seat four times on the same day and never-"

Quick as a flash, Neo's blade was out, mere millimeters from the throat of Cinder's "Master Assassin, even better than his dad, no, really." She had a look on her face that suggested she genuinely would kill for the honor of… of Arc of all people, but she also seemed like the type who already killed at the drop of a hat, and besides… this was all getting so embarrassing to be a part of! Cinder sighed, hiding her face behind her hand as she groaned, "I am not about to let this be what derails this partnership. I am not about to acknowledge that this is possible, so let's all just back off and-"

"Seriously, though," Roman cut in, "Neo has her heart set on this and she does not take well to being excluded, so tell Red that she's gotta find a spot for Neo in this whole, uh, polygamy thing you've got going here. Oh! And she tells me you're the one to talk to about weddings—she's got some very particular opinions about cake that you-"

"Shut. Up." Cinder hissed, looking from the bewildered idiot of an assassin trying to comprehend what he was hearing, the smugly angelic smile of the little bitch whose ideal wedding was… probably something done beside the dumpsters in the alleyway behind a fast food place, and the absolute moron she was this close to incinerating.

Maybe that was it. Maybe fire was the answer, a cleansing flame that would wipe the four of them from the map and take a good chunk of Vale with it…

"Um… Ma'am…" Mercury's voice cut into her beautiful fantasy of burning, "You've- you've got that look in your eyes…"

"Attempt dust robbery, fight the kids, got it!" Roman said before high tailing it from the room, his voice trailing him as he added, "And don't forget about telling Red about Neo!"

With the sound of shattering glass, his little sidekick also vanished from the room, but not without leaving her intolerably smug smirk the last thing Cinder saw of her as she left her and Mercury alone in one of Roman's hideouts. Cinder did not want to even look at her subordinate, knowing he was surely only quiet because he didn't know which idiotic thing to say first when there were so many options before him. Cinder didn't want to do anything but feel the heat rise off her fingertips and imagine what all the fineries and illegal goods in the room would look like bathed in the purifying, orange light that would erase all traces of this humiliation.

Thanks to Renarde and Six for feedback on this work!

Thrilled to see that this fic got such a good reception to the first chapter! Usually, I don't post anything on FFN without having the first few chapters already written, but this has just been an easy story to write for that I really enjoyed pulling this chapter together. I really like writing Cinder, and I like the balance between her serious, dangerous, literal terrorist side and how ridiculous weirdos keep sandbagging her by bringing up her cutesy side. Somehow, by the end of this fic, she will synthesize them both and become a figure of nightmares, but until then, she gets the fun experience of trying to plan a wedding that now includes Neo!