Another Friday, another Chapter of Criminally Good.

Enjoy.

[Chapter 9]

"Not bad, blondie. Not bad." Roman said, turning to go find his cane that I had wrested from his grip.

I sat up, breathing hard. Everything hurt, though it was a normal day when that was the case. It was a rarity that not every part of me was aching from the training I did with either Roman or Neo.

"Yeah? Not bad still isn't enough to land a solid hit on you." I grumbled, struggling up to my feet so I could go recover Crocea Mors from nearby.

Roman chuckled and shrugged a shoulder as he turned to face me. "You know, maybe it is starting to get through your thick skull. You're learning!" Roman said smugly, laughing to himself. "My god, I never thought it possible; an Arc can learn after being taught the hard way less than twenty times."

I rolled my eyes. "Better I learn it late than never."

"Now the question at hand is how do you change that?" Roman asked, producing a cigar and lighting it up for himself. Where he hid them, I still don't know.

"I don't know, without a massive leap in my skill, or drastic fall in yours, I don't?"

Roman just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And we're back to square one." He muttered. "No, Jaune. You cheat. You rig the fight; you make it unfair." Roman spread his arms wide at the empty warehouse. "I've been doing that since we started sparring. This arena is empty, nothing here to give you an opportunity to rig up a way to beat me. I'm cheating, so why aren't you?"

I frowned, looking around the empty warehouse that we used as our training field. "I never thought about it like that." I thought for a moment, the fight I had with Roman in the apartment sticking out in my head. "When we fought in the apartment, I was able to use the terrain to my advantage, to lessen that skill gap."

Roman grinned. "Right you are, blondie. You used your surroundings to your advantage. Now, how do you do that here?"

I frowned and started to chew on my lower lip as I thought. "Well… I'd need terrain. Boxes, shelves, pallets, anything that isn't just flat concrete."

Roman took a puff off his cigar. "That'd help, but who's to say that I'll let you fill the arena with terrain? I'm the one who set it up, this is my territory. It'd be hard for you to do anything here without me knowing."

I narrowed my eyes at that, resting my hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Hmm. Then I guess my best option is probably to lure you out of the arena. Lure you into my territory, somewhere I control."

Roman was still grinning as he nodded. "Go on."

I began to nod slowly. "If I can plan it out before hand, I can lay traps for you to hit, skew the battle so massively in my favor that the skill gap doesn't mean a thing, forcing you to either lose or retreat."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner." Roman said with a smile. "I've had this rigged since the start. You never stood a chance of beating me, still don't unless you can find a way to get one over on me."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Your cheat has been to disable mine so you can keep on pressing the skill difference." I sighed, rolling my shoulders back as I thought. "Don't know why it never clicked for me before that you were pulling something like that."

Roman shrugged. "You're like your old man; thicker in the head than should be possible."

I arched a brow at Roman. "You knew my dad?" Is that why he took me in?

Roman took a puff off his cigar. "Mmm, dunno. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, last name Arc, Huntsman? Any of that ring a bell?"

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, bad question. How did you know my dad?"

Roman chuckled. "Better question, kid. I graduated Beacon same as he did."

I narrowed my eyes at the master thief. "Did you take me in because I'm his son?"

Roman took a puff off his cigar, pulled out his scroll and chuckled. "Hate to say it, champ, but we're all outta time for today's game of twenty questions. Better luck next time."

I sighed, shaking my head. He dodged the question like a bullet. Can I take that as a yes? "I'll assume that means yes."

Roman shrugged as he pocketed his scroll once more. "You can think whatever you want, though do keep in mind; I am a fantastic liar as well as a criminal mastermind."

"Incredibly humble too." I said as I made my way towards the door that would lead us out and back towards the apartment.

"Finally, someone notices. I was beginning to wonder when they'd catch on to that trait." Roman said with a Cheshire grin, spinning his cane in hand as he puffed on his cigar.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, wishing now more than ever that I had the goon suit. For all that they don't always fit quite right, they're heavy enough and warm which I grew to appreciate as the nights in Vale got chillier.

As Roman and I walked through the evening, I found myself lost in thought. He clearly knew my dad in some capacity. He said that they attended Beacon together. I know dad's team didn't really get along after graduation and they split up. I think Junior said something similar happened with Roman's team. They split after something happened.

I wonder if they were teammates? Granted, Roman doesn't look the same age as my dad, he looks a fair bit younger. Looks are deceiving though, all I have to do is look at Neo who could pass as being fourteen or fifteen when in reality she's… I don't know how old she is. Huh.

Back on track though, is there a chance that Roman and my dad were teammates? If that's the case, it'd explain Roman's taking me in so suddenly. But if that's the case, I wouldn't think that Roman would take me in at all if what Junior said was true. He didn't get along with his team after graduation and they split. If my dad were a teammate, I doubt he'd want anything at all to do with me.

"Hold up, kid." Roman said, shaking me from my musing.

"What's up?" I asked, glancing around.

Roman puffed on his cigar. "Alright, c'mon out, you've been caught." He called out to nobody in particular. I found myself looking around curiously.

There was nobody in sight, just the dark alleyways of Vale perforated occasionally by the odd streetlight that still had a working bulb.

"Roman? There's nobody here but us."

"Really? Then how do you explain them?" Roman asked, pointing his cane at an alleyway off to our right that had four men stepping into the light. "Or them?" Roman asked, pointing his cane to a different alley. "Or any of the others that are just now showing their faces?"

I tensed, letting my hand rest on the handle of Crocea Mors, ready to draw the blade should I need it.

All around us were goons wearing the uninspired gray and white goon suit of Area 37. They were all armed, some with rifles, and more still with assorted melee weapons that they could scrounge together. I glanced to Roman who looked just about at ease as could be, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Well, gentlemen, nice of you to join us on our walk. Something you wanted to ask?" Roman asked of the group with his smile not faltering even in the slightest.

"We're not here for you, Torchwick. We want the boy. Hand him over, and we'll leave you be." One of the goons called from in front of us.

He wasn't a standout at first glance, his suit much like all the others. Though what did make him stand out was an eye patch, as well as two swords sheathed on his back, the handles visible over his shoulders.

Roman hummed as he tapped his foot for a moment in thought. "Mmm. I see. And what will happen if I don't?"

The leader shrugged. "We'll cause you some trouble too." He nodded his head towards me. "I doubt he's all that important to you, so why don't you make this much easier and let us have him?"

Roman frowned, taking a puff off his cigar, blowing it out slowly as he thought. "You know, Gary, you don't mind that I call you that, right? Good. You're right. He's not that important to me." I felt my breath catch as I stared at Roman. The fuck?!

Roman eyed his half-smoked cigar, tossing it to the ground. "Though, he is one of mine. He might not be important, but you look after your own." He said, bringing his foot down to crush his burnt cigar. "And I'll be damned before you idiots walk away with him."

I let out the breath I had been holding, though still found myself rapidly looking between each of the groups of goons that surrounded us. I drew Crocea Mors and deployed my shield, falling into a ready stance.

Their leader sighed and shook his head. "Well, looks like we're doing this the hard way then." He grumbled as he, in an incredibly over the top and flashy manor, drew his swords off his back. Complete with needless flaunting of his dexterity with his swords, letting the steel glint in the moonlight.

Roman was still leaning on his cane slightly, a smile on his lips as he looked completely unconcerned with what was facing us down. "Oh, an interpretive dance to show dominance, how cute." Roman taunted.

He growled lowly as he glared at Roman. "Well? Are you idiots just going to sta- "

He was cut off as I had since broken into a charge at one of the nearest packs of goons and made contact. Of the three, the one in the middle was caught most off guard as my shield slammed into his face, sending him stumbling down onto the concrete.

"Get them you morons!" I heard the leader call out.

I didn't let up, turning with practiced speed and slashing down with my sword at the goon on my left. He managed to parry the blow, though quickly retreated. The goon on my right tried to take advantage of my exposed flank with a stab; he quickly acquainted his jaw with my elbow. I grit my teeth and brought the pommel of my sword down onto the side of his head, sending him down to the concrete too.

The goon who wasn't downed yet shifted nervously on his feet as he eyed me. I closed the distance between us as fast as I could, aiming to slam my shield into his face, though he managed to dodge that. I followed up with a slash at his chest which he parried once again. I stepped in closer to his guard and slammed my heel down on his toes.

He was stunned for a moment, and I took the opportunity I had, bringing a knee up into his crotch, doubling the man over. I brought the pommel of Crocea Mors down against the back of his head, sending him to the ground in a heap like his friends.

Several bullets whistled past me and slammed into the wall in front of me. I spun quickly to see a group of goons who had taken up cover behind a dumpster firing out at me. I glanced over and saw Roman engaged in a battle with their leader and a few other goons who had gone after him.

My attention flitted to another group of goons wielding melee weapons as they charged me.

Another hail of bullets got me moving as I retreated back towards the alleyway that my first group of goons had come out of. Better in here, they can only come at me one at a time without any real fire support.

After I ran about halfway down the alley, I turned and brought my shield up as I peeked over the top. The group of goons had come charging down the alley after me without a second thought.

I couldn't help the small grin.

The first goon brought his axe down in an overhead strike. Why he thought that'd work well when I have a shield, I don't know. I caught the blade with my shield, diverting the blow off to my left. With his guard completely nonexistent, I brought the pommel of Crocea Mors around again and slammed it into his temple. He collapsed like his friends had.

The next goon was shortly behind him, this one with a club in hand.

This time, I charged.

The goon didn't know what to do as he brought his club up to try and guard himself from the impending shield slam to his face. My shield hit the club and knocked it out of the goon's hand, clattering down onto the concrete. He quickly started scrambling backwards in an attempt to get away from me.

I brought Crocea Mors down in a slash at his back once he had turned to try and run. The blade ripped through his goon suit and tore into his back like it was nothing, sending him down to the concrete like his buddies before him. Blood started to seep from the wound on his back as I slammed a foot down against his ankle, causing him to cry out in pain as I did my best to break it.

Blood everywhere. His face flashed into my mind, though I bit down and shoved the image away. I couldn't afford to have that distracting me. Not now.

The next goon in line was a lot more cautious than the other two had been. His stance was completely defensive, and he was nervous. That much was obvious to me just by looking at him. His hands visibly shook as he held his sword.

I was breathing hard yet again, while I could normally do this sort of thing and be fine for a while, after a sparring session with Roman or Neo? My stamina was shot, and my muscles heavy.

I rolled my shoulders back as I fell into a ready stance yet again. I let a breath out through my nose as I broke into a charge again.

Tried and true, I went for a shield slam into his guard, hoping that this put him off enough that he couldn't effectively fight back against my assault.

My shield met his sword, and just like with the others I deflected the blow off to the side as I stepped into his guard and brought Crocea Mors down for a cut at his chest.

This goon managed to dodge back and away from the blow. He then charged at me, still shaking like a leaf. I met his slashing blade with my own, locking us into a battle of strength. Rather than let it drag on, I swept my foot out and pulled his feet out from under him.

He was sent toppling onto his back, losing his sword along the way. No wonder they need numbers, these guys are useless. I delivered a hard kick to his crotch, making him howl in pain. He was cowering below me now, and I sighed. "Get up, and I'll make you wish I had killed you."

He nodded frantically, the terror in his eyes clear. I looked back towards the entry to the alleyway, and there were no more goons. Though I could still hear Roman fighting in the street. One of the goons I had sent to the ground in my initial charge was struggling up to his feet.

I charged at him once again and knocked him right back to the concrete below him. He struggled, grabbing my ankle to try to pull my feet out from under me. He wasn't nearly strong enough, though he did unbalance me slightly.

I growled lowly at that and brought my free foot around to slam into his gut. That was when I felt him rip my other foot out from under me, sending me to the ground as well. Son of a bitch.

He was quick, more so than I'd have thought, as he pulled himself up to his feet. I groaned and rolled off to one side, pulling myself up onto one knee as I eyed my opponent. He made a charge at me, though it was slow and lumbering.

I managed to dodge out of the way, more or less by throwing myself into the street. I struggled up to my feet yet again and fell into a defensive stance, all of my muscles screaming in pain and exhaustion.

I grit my teeth and pushed through it. I glanced over and saw that Roman had dealt with the goons that had been after him, and was currently engaged with their leader still. Roman had him on the defensive from what I could tell, constantly pushing him back and forcing him to cede ground to Roman if he didn't want to take a punishing blow.

I turned my gaze back to my opponent who was glaring at me, his sword in hand.

I decided that it's best to put him on the defensive again, make it harder for him to push my already weakened and exhausted defense.

I charged once again, going for the ever tried and true shield slam. This time, he was ready and dodged out of the way. I grunted and turned to face him, catching his blow just barely with my shield. I pushed his blade off to the side and made a low swipe towards his waist.

He tried to dodge out of the way, though he wasn't nearly fast enough and his leg was caught by the arc of Crocea Mors, opening a wide gash where it had hit. The goon grit his teeth, though didn't let up. He tried for a slash at my torso, though I met his blade with mine to parry his attempt. I lashed out in return, aiming to hit his gut.

None of them have Aura. I came to realize as I cut a new swathe through my opponent.

Not giving him time to react, I pushed forward and slammed my shield into his face, sending him to the ground once more. I walked over and kicked his weapon out of reach.

The goon was bleeding heavily from his stomach and his leg, though likely wasn't getting up anytime soon.

Blood. Blood everywhere. I felt like I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath, trying to push that image into the back of my mind again. The fight wasn't over yet.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the battlefield. Roman was being left alone to handle the leader of this little ambush, which he was doing relatively handily. The other goons who had been present all were either dead, unconscious, or had fled the battle.

Nearby, too much so for my taste, I could hear sirens approaching.

"Roman, we've got incoming." I called out, sheathing Crocea Mors and glancing back over my shoulder.

Roman didn't respond, though he rather quickly lashed out, faster than his previous attacks had been, and dealt a heavy blow to their leader, sending him to the ground as well. Without even missing a beat, Roman pointed the gun end of his cane at the leader's right knee and shot, shattering his Aura.

I approached, eyeing Roman as the sirens grew concerningly close.

"What do you think, kid? We let him walk?" Roman asked.

I frowned and shook my head. "We want him. He's one of Area 37's boys, I'll bet Junior would take him as a nice gift. Might earn you a favor in return, Roman."

Roman grinned at that. "Now isn't that just convenient."

He brought his cane down into a heavy hit against the side of their leader's head, knocking him out.

"I'm thinking we've got to go. Now." I said, urgency in my voice.

Roman nodded, leaning down and grabbing him by the ankles. I saw what the intent was quickly and knelt down to wrap my arms under his armpits.

We hefted him up and made a quick retreat into the dark alleyways of Vale, just narrowly avoiding the VPD who arrived on the scene not but a minute after we'd vanished.

[-/-]

It didn't take Roman and I all that long to cart the unconscious goon across town to Junior's doorstep. Despite the relatively short nature of the walk, I was exhausted. My legs felt like they were going to give out, with my arms not too far behind.

Junior had a couple of his goons take our captive into the back to be secured. Roman had made himself scarce real quick, leaving me alone at Junior's bar yet again. This definitely seems to be a recurring theme. I thought humorlessly to myself as I sat on the floor with my back pressed to the wall.

I'd have gone for a booth if it didn't mean getting up and walking across the Club to find one that was open. No, I was fine on the floor as long as I wasn't made to get up soon.

Junior came around after a few minutes, eyeing me leaned against the wall. "You look like shit, kid."

I chuckled and shrugged at him. "What can I say? Roman's a hard ass."

Junior rolled his eyes. "You gonna sit there all night and waste both our time, or are you gonna get up and tell me what happened?"

I frowned. "Why can't I sit here and tell you what happened?"

"Just get up."

I groaned and pushed myself to my feet once again. I followed Junior to his office, rather quickly slumping down into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Junior walked behind his desk and sat down, reaching into one of the cabinets that came attached to it, producing two glasses and a bottle of rum. "Now, tell me what happened." He said, sliding a filled glass to me.

I shrugged and took a sip of the drink. It wasn't half bad. "Not much to tell, really." I said as I took a longer drink, nodding appreciatively. It burnt and still provided a nice warm feeling. I was content.

"Roman and I had been training earlier, and by training, I mean he was beating me senseless until I figured out what he wanted me to do." I shrugged. "After that, we were headed back to the apartment. Roman knew we were being followed, and I'd say about a dozen, maybe a few more, of these Area 37 goons emerged. They wanted me, captive or dead I don't know."

Junior took a drink, nodding. "So, they sent a hit squad after you. Interesting." He frowned for a moment then. "And the guy you brought in. Just another goon you knocked out?"

I shook my head. "Nah, he was the leader of their group. Had Aura, decent weapons, and enough training to hold a bored Roman off."

Junior chuckled and nodded. "Right. Guess I do owe the pair of you a favor then."

I had finished my first glass of rum and was reaching for the bottle, though Junior snatched it away from me. "Not happening, kid. This is mine, and it's going to stay that way."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, come on, Junior. Sharing is caring. What's a bottle of rum between friends?"

Junior arched a brow. "Since when were we friends?" He asked with a bemused smile.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe since you're always the one to find me when shit has gone down and I need someone to talk to? Not to mention you generally bring me booze. Seems like a friend to me."

Junior chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid."

"Any chance you're in a more sharing mood with that rum?" I asked hopefully.

"Not even slightly."

I pouted. I knew it was probably far more amusing than effective considering how old I was, that I looked like I did; exhausted, grimy, blood splattered on my clothes.

Junior chuckled and shook his head. "You're not a cute girl, Jaune. That's never going to work."

I sighed and dropped it. "It did on my sisters…" I grumbled.

"Do I look like one of your sisters to you?"

"Mmmm. Give me a bottle of whiskey and come back later and I'll have an answer for that question."

He shook his head. "Real laugh riot, kid. If you want something to drink, there's a plenty good bar out there."

I groaned and sunk more into my seat. "See, that involves getting up and walking. That sounds painful, so I'll pass."

"Don't be a bitch about it. Now get out of my office." Junior said with his arms crossed over his chest.

I grumbled as I got to my feet once again and shuffled out of the office. In reality, Junior was right. I was being a wuss and complaining more than it warranted, but it was worth a shot.

I made my way over to the bar, which was completely unmanned, and sat down on one of the stools.

I knew that I'd not be getting any drinks served to me, nor did I particularly care at that moment. I crossed my arms on the bar top and rested my head on them. It would've been better with a booth, but this would do just as well.

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, doing my best to relax as I started to sort out my thoughts.

Blood. Acceptance. I killed him.

I felt the urge to vomit as I could vividly recall that scene in my mind, though I swallowed it down and took a deep breath.

I did what I had to. Its kill or be killed. He wouldn't have thought twice.

I let out the deep breath I had been holding. It was shaky, uneven.

I shattered his Aura. I put a hole in his head. He accepted his death.

I clenched my teeth and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, though it still came as shaky and broken. I forced the scene down, not willing to dwell on it more.

I opened my eyes and looked down at myself. I looked awful; Junior wasn't lying. The clothes were fine for the most part, just grimy after having been through a whole sparring session with Roman and then a fight with a load of goons.

What stuck out to me the most though was the blood that was drying on my pants.

The urge to vomit increased tenfold, and I just barely managed to hold it down. I didn't kill anyone. Just wounded. I didn't kill them.

I sat up and eyed the wall of liquor just behind the bar. "He said there's a perfectly fine bar out here…" I muttered to myself as I got up and wandered behind the bar. I found a bottle of whiskey that looked mostly full and returned to one of the bar stools. Nobody even batted an eye at me.

I took a long swig from the bottle. I doubted that Junior was going to get this back ever, so what did it matter if I drank straight out of the bottle? It really didn't, other than how people saw me, but all the people around were goons, most of whom I don't even know.

It felt good as the liquid burned my throat and came to settle in my stomach. The warmth was comforting.

"Well, somebody's going at it hard." The voice of Roman said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at him and arched a brow.

Roman took a stool next to me and leaned against the bar. "And here I didn't have you flagged for a heavy drinker. Who would've thought?"

I shrugged a shoulder and took another swig from the bottle. Roman was eyeing me curiously, the look he had caught somewhere between surprised and concerned. He produced a cigar and proceeded to light it up.

"Something's chewing at you, kid." Roman said off handedly as he took a puff off his cigar, turning so he was leaned with his back against the bar.

"And if something is?" I asked with an arched brow, eyeing the master criminal carefully.

"And nothing. It was more a statement of fact; something I noticed." He said, not even bothering to look at me. "Last night, you reeked of booze, the offending bottle tossed aside in your room. Your clothes were torn and covered in blood which clearly wasn't yours."

Roman took another puff of his cigar, blowing the smoke out slowly. "Now, you can tell me how that all happened, or I can start putting pieces together myself."

I took another swig out of the bottle and sighed. "What makes you think you'll get it right?"

Roman chuckled. "Jaune, I'll let you in on a little-known secret. I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. I'll have the whole picture one way or the other."

I nodded. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Roman smiled. "Good, we get to do this the easy way."

"Well, earlier today I told you about that whole defending a supply depot for Junior, right?" Roman nodded in agreement as I took a drink from the bottle. "So, that's not quite everything. Junior said that it'd be likely that we see a lieutenant there. Our objective, other than defending the supplies, was to capture or kill that lieutenant."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, we found him. I lead a group of Junior's goons to where he was. A fight broke out." I paused to take another swig from my bottle. "The exact details aren't important, but I killed him. Shattered his Aura and bashed his skull in."

Roman nodded, taking a puff off his cigar once more.

"I doubt I have to tell you where I got the booze. Junior gave it to me, I guess to help take the edge off." I said with a shrug, eyeing the bottle that I had made a dent in. "Guess that's probably a lot of what I'm doing now too."

Roman took his cigar out of his mouth and frowned as he leaned back on the bar, surveying the goons as they milled about, chatted, did whatever they did. I did notice that his smile wasn't present as he watched the club idly.

"Nothing to say?" I asked quietly, not all too sure how to read Roman's reaction.

Roman laughed mirthlessly. "Something you want me to say?"

I frowned as I looked back to the bottle I was drinking from, setting it down on the counter as I stared at the wall of booze. "Honestly? Fuck if I know, Roman. His face, I keep seeing it. The hole in his head, blood framing his features, the lack of fear in his eyes. That's what'll haunt me the most, I think. His eyes. They weren't scared, afraid, nothing. He accepted that was his fate. That I was the last face he'd see before he died."

I looked at my hands. The hands of a killer. Blood is on these hands. My hands. "The worst part? I don't even know why that's what haunts me the most. The look in his eyes, like that was an acceptable outcome to him – dying at my hands." I shook my head, closing my eyes I could still see it perfectly.

"It's probably because you're a good kid." Roman said, getting me to turn and look at him. He was still looking out over the club. "You never would've done something like that on your own. You never would've killed if it could've been avoided."

I frowned. I mean, he's not wrong. Before he found me, I'd wanted to be a hero. I wanted to protect the weak, I wanted to protect those I loved. What changed?

Roman shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips as he thought to himself. "Hell, you wanted to go to Beacon, the great Huntsman Academy, the supposed Factory of Heroes." He chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Not all Hunters are heroes though. Look at me, graduate, certified Huntsman, and most wanted man in Vale."

Roman paused a moment to take a puff off his cigar. "Regardless, you got turned away. You didn't have the skills, didn't have your Aura. You had a load of nothing but a pair of balls big enough to try anyway. So, you stole a load lien and Crocea Mors, and applied to Beacon. They told you to go to hell." He glanced back at me. "You were lost in a new city. You didn't have your family for fear of what would happen if you went back, and no friends in Vale. You were screwed in every way."

I nodded along. At this point he's just telling me what I've told him. He's got to have a point, right?

"I showed up, told you I was a wanted criminal, and offered you a chance. You took it. I offered you stability and an opportunity to become something." Roman paused as he took another puff off his cigar. "I started training you. I introduced you to Junior. I unlocked your Aura. I took you on heists. I changed your perspective."

"See, you didn't kill that guy on your own. Junior, Neo, and I all changed how you view the world. Before, you'd have seen us all as criminals, scum who need to be locked up and dealt with. Now, we're your friends. People you see just about every day. Junior was – is – being threatened by this other gang." Roman explained, taking another long draw off his cigar. "You saw that, and you did what you wanted to. You protected your friends. It just took a form more violent than you ever expected it to."

I frowned as I stared at the bottle of whiskey that was set on the counter before me. Is he right? Have I changed that much in only a few months? I took the whiskey and drank for a moment, relishing as the burn slid down my throat.

"Then why does that scene, that image, haunt me?" I asked vainly, looking to Roman. He'd put this much together, hopefully he could tell me why and what to do about it.

"Why? Because you're a good kid. I said that right at the start if you were listening." Roman retorted with only minor sarcasm. "It haunts you because you never thought that someone would be able to look at you and accept that you had killed them. I was much the same. Never thought that someone would just accept that I was their killer." He shook his head, leaning against the bar again as he surveyed the crowd.

"Does it get easier? Will it go away?"

"Yes, and no. Eventually, it loses that visceral grip it has on you and the image might fade from your memory slightly, but it never leaves. Not completely." Roman said quietly as he took another puff off his cigar.

I took another long drink from my bottle and let out a sigh. I looked at my hands again. The hands of a killer. Blood on my hands. Blood from another killer. "At least it gets easier…" I muttered to myself as I shook my head and let my hands drop back to the counter.

I glanced back at Roman who still was missing his trademark smile. "Thanks, Roman."

Roman smiled slightly and nodded. "Not a problem, kid." It wasn't his usual smile, but it was a start.

[-/-]

It was late afternoon in Vale, and people were generally starting to leave work and head home to their mundane lives. In some ways I envied them, not having to worry about the VPD knowing who you are, not having to keep on guard in case someone tried an ambush.

Their life was simple. Wake up, go to work, come home, have dinner, waste a few hours, and go to sleep. Rinse and repeat until they retire, die, or get fired. No real worries, nothing really life threatening. It was peaceful.

I was sat at a café, sipping idly on my first coffee. Ren had said that he wanted to have tea. Though if I had to guess, we could watch paint dry and he'd be happy as long as he had some time away from his team to relax.

The truth of the matter was that I had been early by about fifteen minutes. Not particularly out of eagerness, but out of sheer boredom. It wasn't likely that I'd be doing any training unless either Roman or Neo were feeling particularly cruel, which they weren't. While a decent drink did sound nice, I doubted highly that Junior would just hand over another free bottle of booze. He might be my friend, but he's also got a business to run.

The next best thing was coffee, and so here I am, sipping on coffee and watching civilians make their way home.

Right at the tick of four in the afternoon, I could see the distinct pink highlight in a mop of black hair. He took a little while to push through the crowd, though eventually made his way to the table I was sat at, leaning back in my chair with a bemused smile.

"Jaune, good to see you." Ren said politely.

I nodded back to him. "You too. Happy to be your ticket to a peaceful night as you put it."

Ren only shrugged. "Then I'm sure we both can enjoy this." I arched a brow at that, watching as he disappeared into the café.

He emerged a few minutes later, a tall plastic cup of something that definitely didn't look like tea in hand.

"Doesn't look much like tea to me." I commented.

Ren took a seat before answering. "It's called Boba Tea. Its rather good, if you'd like to try some?"

I shook my head. "Nah, just not completely sure that's tea at all. Looks more like coffee or something to me, but to each their own."

Ren shrugged and took a drink of his 'tea'. I refuse to believe that is tea.

I turned my gaze back to the crowds as they walked past, idly looking over each of the heads as I looked for something out of the ordinary.

I didn't see anything special.

"I hear you work private security for local Dust shops. I'd imagine that Torchwick's heist spree makes your life difficult." Ren commented, trying to make some light conversation.

I shrugged as I looked back to him. "Yeah, I'm private security. Torchwick's spree all over the city has us running ragged trying to keep up with contracts." I hummed quietly as I took a sip of coffee. "As it is, the job isn't nearly as safe as it used to be. People have started quitting left and right. Higherups have offered a decent hazard pay for those of us who stick around." I explained, pulling this crap from thin air. It sounded believable. Right?

Ren frowned. "If it's getting more dangerous, your company should consider hiring on a few Huntsmen as consultants and back up, should it be needed."

I shrugged. "You might be right, but I'm just a grunt. Higherups don't want to hear what I've got to say."

He shrugged and took a drink of his tea. "Maybe not, but a good idea doesn't go ignored."

I hummed as I looked back over the crowd, eyeing the people as they passed. Still on the look out for something or someone out of place.

Still, I didn't see anything special.

"You said that I'm your ticket to a more peaceful night. Take it your team drives you off the wall?" I asked as I leaned farther back in my chair.

Ren nodded. "Yes. While I am their leader, Nora and Yang both can be overwhelming to deal with on their own, not to mention put together."

I frowned slightly. "Wasn't that last girl, Pyrrha I think, part of your team too?"

Ren nodded once more. "She is, though is incredibly reserved and guarded. She refuses to let even her partner in, which can make things difficult."

I took a sip of coffee as I thought about it. "So, let me get this straight. We've got you, a warm-blooded male, living in confined quarters with three damn attractive women, and you're complaining?"

He nodded once.

I shook my head. "I fail to see the problem."

"The problem is not that they are all female. The problem is that working with them, living with, and dealing with all of their personalities at once is more challenging than I thought."

I arched a brow. "More challenging than you thought?"

Ren shrugged. "Yang, as I'm sure you're aware, has an explosive temper. She's also got almost no self-control, and nearly no care in the world for what damage her actions do." He paused a moment. "Pyrrha is distant. She quietly follows along, though doesn't engage. She agrees to just about anything we propose." He sighed. "And then there's Nora. She's loud, energetic, chaotic, unpredictable. I could go on. The issue is when she and Yang get going with just about anything, a bet, a game, a discussion, a fight, or whatever else, there is no end to the escalation."

I frowned as I thought on his predicament. "And because Pyrrha is so distant and closed off, she won't help you reign them in and keep them manageable?"

Ren nodded. "That about covers it, yes."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Sounds like one hell of a ride."

Ren sighed. "You have no idea."

Once again, I let my eyes drift back to the crowd, looking for something that was out of the ordinary.

And once again – Wait a minute.

Tall, clearly female, long blonde hair. Walking next to her, shorter, female, orange hair. Oh dear.

I glanced back to Ren. "Hey, buddy, don't mean to scare you, but we've got incoming."

Ren calmly set down his tea and nodded to me. "How many and from where?"

"Two, and walking down the street towards us right now."

"You're sure they're after you?"

I arched a brow as I looked at him. "Better come here and guess for yourself."

Ren got up and looked over the balcony like I was, easily spotting Yang and Nora. He quickly ducked back out of view. "Not quite the incoming I was thinking of."

I shrugged. "No, I think this is far worse for both of us."

Ren nodded. "I'm inclined to agree with you."

I glanced back over the balcony, and saw the duo enter the café below us.

"Well, we're trapped now. They just came inside."

Ren nodded once more. "Got any ideas?"

I shook my head. "Nope. You know them better than I do, so I'm gonna put you in charge here."

Ren nodded, looking around for an easy escape route. I'm sure the only one he'd find would have us launching ourselves into traffic. An option, but not a good one, mind you.

I looked back at the door behind Ren which was wide open. I saw the distinctive blonde hair climbing the stairs.

"It's now or never, Ren. Either you have a plan, or we jump into traffic." I urged, watching the blonde come more into view.

Ren hesitated for a moment.

That was our doom.

Yang glanced over in our direction and a grin grew on her lips as she came to approach us, Nora nowhere to be seen.

She sidled up next to Ren and slung an arm around his shoulder and started to lean on him, the widest, most shit eating grin I've ever seen, plastered on her lips. "Well, well, well, Ren. I never would've thought you of all people would ditch us for a date. And a date with Jauney-Boy here to boot."

I wonder if traffic is still an option. I mean, it'd hurt like hell, but I have enough Aura to be fine.

Ren looked to Yang and arched a brow at her. "It's not what it looks like." He said in the most deadpan tone of voice I've heard yet.

"Oh really? And then what is it? Definitely looks like you ditched your team to go out on a date with tall, blonde, and stupid over here." Yang pressed, her grin threatening to split her face in two.

"Hey, if you two want to have a date, I'll step out." I said with a smile, earning a glare from Yang, and a silent 'Please don't do this to me, Jaune' from Ren.

"Wanna try that one again, Jauney-Boy?"

I shrugged. "What, described yourself to a tee as best I can tell." Yep, definitely thinking traffic is my best bet.

Yang pulled her arm from around Ren's shoulders and stepped towards me in a bid to look intimidating. "If you like your innards where they are, you'll rephrase what you said."

I shrugged. "If that's what it takes to get through your thick skull." I paused for half a moment, glancing at Ren who was practically screaming 'Please stop before you make it worse.' "See, you're tall, for a girl at least. You're blonde, very blonde. And stupid just kinda comes with it; the blonder you are, the worse it gets."

Yang growled, her eyes flashing red. I glanced to Ren again, meeting his gaze and then shooting my eyes towards the door in an attempt to help him get out. Ren nodded and quietly ducked away.

I grinned at Yang as I started backing up towards the railing. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Or are you always this easy to anger?"

Yang didn't say anything and threw a punch for my jaw. Lucky for me and my jaw, I dodged off to one side. "Well, now that's attempted assault. Care to make it worse?" I taunted. Is this really the smartest idea? I mean, I'm pretty sure once she lands one good hit, I'm done for.

Not but a moment later, I saw Nora walk in, happily dragging Ren behind her. Ren did not look all too pleased. Well, so much for one of us getting out of this unscathed.

"Ohhhh, Ren, look! It's Jaune!" Nora called out happily as she waved at me.

Ren nodded. "I see him."

Yang shouted as she charged recklessly at me, and once again, I dodged out of the way. "Yang, listen. Can't we talk this out like adults?"

"Nope."

"Oh, son of a bitch." I said as I moved to put some space between me and Yang, as well as a few tables. That should slow her down a little. Right?

Wrong.

"Hey, Ren, Nora? A little help?" I called out as I just barely managed to avoid another flurry of blows. She was faster than I gave her credit for.

Ren broke out of Nora's grasp and ran at Yang, only resting a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, enough."

The blonde's eyes stopped glowing red almost instantly, and she lowered her fists.

"That's… Damn impressive, Ren." I said as I eyed the effects of his words.

Ren let his hand drop from Yang's shoulder and sighed, shaking his head. "My semblance. Lets me mask someone's negative emotions, quelling them in the process."

Nora bounced as she joined her two teammates. "Yep! Renny here has, like, one of the best semblances ever. Other than mine, of course. Mine is super badass, I get all powerful and go boom, bang, smash. It's great."

I blinked, looking to Ren. "She gets supercharged by lightning of any nature to empower her attacks." He explained helpfully.

"That's… Oddly specific." I commented.

Yang who had calmed down from wanting to beat me to a pulp was standing with crossed arms as she glared at me.

I sighed and turned to meet her gaze. "Listen, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have pushed so hard to get you to react."

Yang narrowed her eyes at me. "It's a start, at least."

I shrugged. "A start is better than nothing at all." I looked back to Ren and Nora for a moment before taking a seat back at my table that had, miraculously, not been knocked over in the brief fight. "So, ladies, what's brought you out here?"

"We were looking for our Fearless Leader, of course! He just vanished from Beacon, and we got worried so we tracked his scroll." I side eyed Ren who rose his hands in mock surrender.

"I see. I'm also noting that you're missing the other girl… Pyrrha, right?"

Yang snorted. "Not like you're missing much."

"Yang, be nice." Ren chided her.

"What?! She hardly ever talks, and only does homework and train. She's my partner for god sake, and I don't know a damn thing about her other than she's Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl." Yang complained, crossing her arms under her bust.

"She is still your partner. You shouldn't talk bad about her behind her back." Ren retorted.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Some partner who won't even talk to me."

I frowned as I listened to Yang complain. Some more of the issues were starting to click together in my head.

"So, Jauney-Boy, what's up? How're you doing? How's work? How's Ruby? How's life?" Nora rattled off in rapid fire, making me blink a few times as I processed her questions.

"What's up? I don't know, heard of this thing called the sky? It's big and blue, and filled with clouds sometimes." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. God, I am an asshole, aren't I? At least I'm self-aware.

Yang snorted at my comment, though kept quiet. Ren showed no reaction.

Nora didn't even miss a beat. "Not the sky, silly, but with you! What's up with you? How've you been, what're you doing, that sorta deal."

I chuckled and shrugged. "Not much is up with me at all. I'm exhausted and sore, mostly. Truth is that work has me going almost constantly. Doesn't leave much time for recreation or anything of the sort." I said with a shrug.

Nora hummed as her frozen coffee was brought out to her. Which Ren stole, eyeing her carefully. "Did you order it decaff?"

Nora thought for a moment. "Yes?" She asked more than said. Ren shook his head. "I am going to go get you something that won't have you level three city blocks." Nora pouted though didn't argue as Ren walked off with her coffee in hand.

Nora looked back to me. "So, you spend, like, all your time working. But how is that? What do you do?"

I shrugged a shoulder and stuck with my story. "I'm private security. We're mostly working with Dust shops currently, though we've been hired onto weapons shops as well as others around Vale. As far as how it is, it's work. I don't particularly love it, but it's not awful. Decent people, good benefits. Real odd hours, though."

Ren returned a few minutes later with Nora's decaff frozen coffee in hand. Nora didn't care and dug into the frozen abomination of coffee and ice.

Yang leaned back in her chair, content with nothing to drink for the moment as she eyed me. "The question I'm most interested in is how's Ruby."

I arched a brow at Yang. "Listen, I don't know what you think is going on, but it's nothing abnormal. She's a friend. And if you want to know how she is, just call and ask her yourself. I'm not short enough, nor do I have those damn silver eyes that have puppy dog eyes powerful enough to turn Grimm into forces for good."

Yang snickered. "Oh, she brought that out on you? How'd that go for you?"

I smiled slightly. "I held out, only just barely though."

Yang nodded appreciatively. "I'll give you some props there then. What'd she want?"

I shrugged. "She wanted to pay half the check for where we went for breakfast that morning."

Yang narrowed her eyes once more.

"Oh, Jaune, that sounds like a date!" Nora called from her seat.

I blinked. Huh. I guess it does. "Well, it wasn't. Just a couple friends wasting time."

"You said you two had breakfast. You spent the whole day together?" Yang asked, making it clear that I should tread carefully here.

"We did. Spent most the day ambling about Vale aimlessly as she showed me some of the more interesting parts of town. Decent places to stop and grab food, good theaters, that sorta deal." I frowned for a moment. "Oh, and she also drew up a few designs to upgrade my sword."

Yang relaxed, shaking her head. "My threat still stands, Jaune. You touch her, I break you."

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Point taken."

Conversation died off as I found my gaze once again drifting over the crowd of people below. Some time had passed, and the crowds were thinner than they were before. That made keeping an eye on people easier for me, so I wasn't complaining.

"You know, Nora, Ren here ditched us so he could come have a date with blonde and boring over there." Yang said, her grin spreading on her lips.

Oh dear. This is probably about to be bad. I braced for impact.

"Really?!" Nora shouted out, looking between Yang and then Ren.

Ren didn't say anything, he just kept looking at his now empty cup longingly.

"Oh my god, Ren! I'm so happy for you! All these years, and I didn't even know you were gay. How could you keep that a secret from me?" Nora babbled out in quick fashion.

Ren shrugged a shoulder. "Never came up."

I blinked.

Yang blinked.

Nora didn't miss a beat. "But still! You should've told me, I thought there were no secrets between us."

I looked to Yang, not at all sure how to respond or react. She was no help, a similar expression to mine as she met my gaze.

That's… Actually, I can't say that's surprising looking at him. Huh. The more you know, I guess. I frowned for a moment as I thought to myself. And that somewhat explains his eagerness as well… Oh god, Yang was right. This was a date.

I now had absolutely no idea how to act, what to do. Nothing at all. No smart-ass comments, nothing quickly on hand to goad Yang into something. I had no content, and I was boned. Figuratively speaking, Ren's not that flexible. Or he shouldn't be.

I felt my scroll buzz in my pocket, so I dug it out, and it was a message from Neo. I glanced at the time and it was well past six in the evening. Time to make my gracious escape.

I finished my coffee and got to my feet, stretching.

"Where you going, Jauney-Boy?" Nora asked from her seat.

I rolled my shoulders back. "I am going to go home, shower, and get ready for work."

Yang nodded, not glaring at me for once. I considered that a miracle in of itself. "Cya."

Ren got to his feet and glanced from the girls to me. "We should do this again sometime."

I have no idea if the answer is yes or not. Damnit.

I nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun."

The smile that crossed his lips was genuine. "I look forward to it."

I smiled in return, feeling far more awkward than I should and turned to leave.

As I made my way towards the front door of the café, someone tapped my shoulder.

I looked back and saw Nora standing there, her general wide smile gone. "Something the matter?" I asked cautiously.

"Just like Yang. You break his heart, and I will break every bone in your body. Twice." Nora threatened in a far too serious to be Nora manner.

I coughed awkwardly and nodded. "Got it."

She rather quickly shifted back to being her normal bubbly self. "Now that we've cleared that up, I'll see you around, Jauney-Boy." She said offering a wave as I turned and left the café.

I walked down the street, fading quickly into the crowd as I walked back towards the apartment.

This has been… An interesting afternoon to say the least. I had a date with Ren, completely on accident. I managed a miracle, and now Yang won't castrate me with a rusty spoon for breathing near Ruby. And then there's Nora.

I don't even know where to start with Nora.

I took out my scroll and went to messaging to see what Neo wanted.

Neo: I'm hungry, and you owe me dinner.

I sighed. I do owe her dinner. Damnit.

Jaune: Alright, I'm headed back to the apartment.

Neo: Okay

Whew. That was. That was a lot of words. My way of making up for the short chapter on Monday seeing as my Muse decided 'Nah, we're not writing a one-shot. It's Criminally Good or nothing.'

So, here we are. I definitely feel like pacing might be a bit off, but I did like starting the chapter with combat, and ending it with... I don't think I can classify that last scene as fluff, or can I? I mean, I have no idea. It's 4 AM, no, wait, almost 5 AM at the time of writing this AN. Why? I dunno, the magic of insomnia and boredom, I guess. Don't judge me.

Oh, we also have a new contender in the shipping ring. The dark horse Ren. Why? Because when I first watched RWBY, I 100% thought Ren was gay. Even though it's been sorta confirmed ReNora in canon in Season 4, I don't care. I've think it'd be amusing to see how Jaune deals with that situation. He's used to finding girls attractive, but what happens when a gay Ren pursues him? Well, who knows. It'll be an interesting ride. Maybe. Hopefully.

On to my wonderful reviews from last chapter. Woo!

Engineer - Junior did his best, he really did. Big man has a huge soft spot for Jaune even if he'll never admit it. As far as Neo, her reaction, or lack thereof, was because she just doesn't understand. She gets that it's screwing with him, but she doesn't get why, and can't really do anything to help other than be there. As for his past, I'm going to be keeping the memory / dream bits every few chapters, where they make sense really. As far as Jaune spending time with Ren... *Awkward coughing* Yeah, it might help. It also might get really awkward and confusing really fast. Oops. Sorry, not sorry. And you kinda, sorta, maybe, just a little bit, definitely helped me sign away Weiss and Blake to members of CRDL. Better than the kinda crap throwaway OCs I had planned for their spots.

Rexmagum - Not an extra chapter, but a longer one. Hope that does just as well.

Cloud Link Zero - See, when I was outlining this story, this was the start of Jaune showing a lot of changes he had picked up. It really screwed with him, and still did in the writing. The question is how well is he going to cope with it likely becoming more and more common in his life. Ruby in a blood red cloak. Magic 8 Ball says... Better not tell you now. It'll show up in due time.

Chaos-Wolfy - *Takes a bow* Glad you liked. Here's some more.

X3 - Wrong implications. That they were right about. Oops. As far as weapons, I looked at it, and Jaune isn't that heavy of a hitter. He's a tank. Usually. As far as Neo goes, she knew something was wrong. She just didn't know what. She also (probably) didn't know what else to do other than what she's seen on TV. So contact is comforting. As far as Neo being attached to him, it's obvious, but she'd definitely cut your tongue out and shove it up your rectum if you said it to her.

Qwertynus - *slow clapping* Look at him, boys. We've got a genuine comedian here. (Thanks for the review man)

WildlyLaughing - I am glad you are liking it so far, hopefully you stick around for the long haul. This story is gonna be like... 30+ chapters long if my outline is to be believed. Answer: Raven will probably show up at some point, though her tribe likely won't.

Specter - Right you are, and who knows, the designs aren't final. Jaune will let Ruby do basically whatever she wants, so long as he still has a sword and shield. As for the character build, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I went back and reread it a few days ago, and I'm surprised it all makes sense, in my head at least(then again, gay Ren makes sense in my head so who knows). I continued that a little here, gave Roman a bit of spotlight. For being involved in the summary and a main character, he doesn't get a lot of screen time. Rather, he hasn't had much yet. Soon™, Roman. Soon™.

ShadowIke - You're right, she is a trained assassin who kills for fun. Despite that, she does have attachments to people. Those being Roman and now Jaune. She might be psychotic, but she can still empathize with her friends. The issue she had was that she didn't know how to help Jaune, and said sorry because of it. Like I said above somewhere, she didn't get it. Otherwise, I'm glad you enjoyed, and hope that my little explanation there did enough to show what I was thinking at the time.

And that is all of my reviews, nice.

I'm glad you guys liked that previous chapter. It was slower, and kinda tough on me to write because I kept rereading it going "Is it too much? Too little? I don't even know anymore, I've changed it two dozen times." And around and around in circles I went editing that chapter until I decided "Screw it, I can't tell if it's good anymore, so I'm going to send it and find out later." Low and behold, it was well received by you guys, and I'm glad.

Also, I know I've said this before, but holy hell, guys. 220 favorites and 335 follows on my first story in just under a month. You all are fantastic, and I love seeing all the support that this story gets. Hell, we're on the first page of all the crime stories written for RWBY. Seriously, you all are great, and I thank you all for the support that you've given this story.

If you haven't yet, be sure to drop a follow and favorite to know when I update and to support me and my will to write often enough to keep up with deadlines I set for stories.

If you're feeling particularly kind, you can drop me a review too. I love reading what you all have to say, and it makes my day to see a new one pop up. Even if it's just a comment to say you enjoyed the chapter or encouragement to keep writing, it makes my day. Also, if you have questions, or just want to talk, shoot me a PM. I'll get back to you when I see it, I promise.

Next Chapter: Monday, April 29th

Till next time, this is Valres signing off.