Roman worked to repair Hush, his sister's weapon, and he could feel her silent pace. "Sis, relax. You saw nothing unusual in Oscar's apartment."

She typed on her scroll before shoving it in his field of vision -He knew what I indeed looked like, AND he had your bank account numbers. You never written them down or even shared those with me!-

Straightening the rib over her weapon to his satisfaction and in an attempt to circumvent Neo's natural conclusion, "There are some new fabrics that would repel fire dust better, I could-." He saw his sister gently outline the lace of her parasol. "No, it would not be as pretty, but you would be-" She flicked him in the nose. "Fashion over personal safety it is." after shaking his head, he refocused on replacing a panel of fabric on her parasol.

-let's kill him-

He gave her a pointed look "'Miss always down for murder.' Oscar wants a job, likely he isn't the type to organize, and he knows it. He isn't dumb. You said it yourself. He protected his apartment well."

-I probably missed something- She pouted at her sore ego.

"My point stands. Oscar has information that would be painful for us if it got to the police or, even worse, Junior. So it would be unwise to kill him."

She wrinkled her nose -Might as well get some use out of him.-

"Cinder has something precious as leverage over us. We will have counter leverage."

-I don't like what we're doing for her- Neo rubbed her throat.

His shoulders curled in on himself slightly, "There are some things we cannot afford to lose."

-I don't know if I can live with what we're doing.- Neo lowered her head. Their family spent generations building the criminal organization in Vale and throughout Remanent.

Confident he repaired Hush, he used the handle to gently lift her chin, "If it lets you be whole again. I will burn it all to the ground."

XXX

Ruby sighed for the hundredth time that evening, and then she heard Weiss's pencil snap.

"OKAY, Ruby. Why are you sighing so much?"

Blake put down her book. Were her eyes always two shades of gold? Huh, it must be the lighting.

Yang closed her laptop, "Out with it."

Ruby flushed, "I don't know what I'm feeling."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Yang nodded to the unsurprisingly common emotional confusion that was Ruby Rose. Finally, the big sister offered, "Then what are you thinking about?"

Ruby flushed, "There's this guy, he smells nice, and I want to bite him."

The older women in the room blinked at each other in bewilderment.

Yang popped up, "Like the guy you threatened to bite at Signal."

"No! That guy kept messing with my tools." Ruby huffed, "Should have, but I didn't want to get blood on the gears." Blake nodded with grave understanding.

Weiss cautiously, "The only reason you didn't bite a guy was that his blood would ruin your tools."

Ruby tilted her head, "Also, him being annoying doesn't exactly warrant physical violence. You know it's hard to think of that at the moment."

Blake shifted nervously in her bed.

Yang made fingers guns and winked, "And that is my sister. Do you want to bite him in a sexy way?"

Ruby stared at her hands, "No? Can you bite someone and make it sexy? Maybe? No…."

Weiss groaning, "Well, how do you feel about him?"

Ruby, "He protected me once, so he isn't a bad guy...but he isn't a good guy either." Ruby bit her lip rather prettily.

Blake pulled at her own hair.

Weiss looked at Yang, "This doesn't bother you?"

Yang shrugged, "Look, any guy who wants to date my sister has to be some sort of crazy. And I don't fight crazy."

Ruby flushed, "Yang!"

Yang, "Rubes, you know I love you, and I'm relieved that you're not a hoplophiliac."

Ruby shrieked, "I'm telling you for the hundredth time I fell asleep while working on Crescent Rose. We weren't doing anything dirty! Besides, she's my baby, and that would be incest!" Ruby sank behind her hands, "I don't even know how to do dirtythings to myself."

Weiss covered her ears, "Can we please go back to the sighing! I cannot unlearn these things!"

Blake just dropped an 'educational' book in Ruby's lap and left the dorm. She pulled out a bright pink flask as she walked out the door.

Did Blake drink? Doesn't Blake hate pink?

XXX

Oscar took a look around one of Roman's more refined safe houses. There were an unusual amount of textbooks about dust, and there was a magazine about bullets. Oh man, plastic bullets weren't available to the public yet... that's rough. Oscar hoped he got to see Ruby when she 'met' plastic bullets. That would be cute. Oscar audibly chuckled, knowing that Weiss would be pissed too because... explosives.

Roman lifted his eyes from the report Oscar had handed him. It was strange, Oscar had only seen photos or videos of Torchwick, and he was always in full mafia mode. Without the makeup and his hair out of his eyes, Torchwick looked approachable. The single green contact was odd, but if you didn't know, you couldn't tell. Oscar wondered why Torchwick went to great pains to hide his silver eye. It wasn't an identifier yet, unlike when they went to Vacuo. He remembered when they had to split from the team to get to Vacuo.

Oscar touched the ends of her hair, "Your hair is completely black now, Ruby."

Jaune handed her some contacts, "your eyes will be hazel, and your sister is finding you an outfit." Ruby quickly popped them in.

Oscar barely recognized Ruby now. Neo even seemed impressed by the subtle disguise.

Weiss chewed her lip, "Oscar, Neo, you three must make it Vacuo safely."

Ruby sorrowfully looked at the Crescent Rose, "I can't believe I have to use my cane function."

Oscar laughed, "but you truly look like my sister now."

Weiss pulled Ruby into a kiss, "We can't let Salem find you and experiment on you."

Ruby wiggled in embarrassment, "what did I say about PDA in front of others."

Jaune turned her away from Weiss and laced his fingers through Ruby's hair, "The next time we meet, it may not be safe to look into those silver eyes." He then pulled Ruby into a kiss as Weiss wrapped her arms around them.

Oscar frowned and pulled out a cigarette, debating how to ask what Roman knew about silver eyes.

"Do not smoke that trash in my house."

Oscar, with a shaking hand, put it away. He truly needed Roman to tolerate him.

The kingpin returned his eyes to the paper. "You found a lot about his office."

"I can't get on his tail since he never leaves Beacon."

Nodding, "You've scoped out Beacon?"

"I've been in his office."

Roman looked up in surprise, "you've already been in his office?"

It was feigned his disbelief as a way to prod Oscar's ego to either brag or justify himself.

Instead, Oscar, "it would be helpful if I knew what you were looking for." Why was Roman working with him directly? His wife had said that Roman delegated well. So it should be Junior or at least someone who eventually reported to Roman. Oscar was grateful for the facetime.

Roman stood and poured himself a drink. He offered Oscar a glass of scotch, and Oscar refused. Slowly the ginger made his way back to Oscar, tossing a few student photos in front of him.

"You know they aren't actually students." He pointed at one, "That one's legs are prosthetics."

Roman blinked, "Why do you want to work for me?"

"I've been trained by the best-"

"Which is?"

Oscar couldn't hide his pained expression. Roman knew her very well. She could blip into this room this very second and tease her twin brother if she wished. Oscar gestured to his face, "as you can see, I'm not the best informant. I'm not good enough to work independently. I need an employer, a strong one. I like Vale. My late wife came from here…"

There was a wisp of something in the kingpin's gaze, gone before you could blink. Oscar thought back on his words, oh fuck.

Oscar sighed, "I want to make Vale my home, and tracking is all I know how to do."

"I hope for your sake you know how to use that cane."

"Well enough to get away."

Roman smiled, and Oscar knew his half-truth was seen.

"Are these students a priority?"

The ginger shook his head, "Ozpin still is. Take note if these others catch your eye."

Roman tossed Oscar 3 rolls of lien.

"This is more than we agreed."

Crossing his long legs, "One extra because good work for the first report. Another because your place is shit."

Oscar flashed a snarky grin, "Ah, your sister is taking pity on me? Told you she's a fan."

Roman rolled his eyes, "I don't care who gets in her pants, even if she is reaching into the gutter. Do not think it earns you any measure of safety. Now out."

Truly such heartwarming words from his brother-in-law.

XXX

Neo waited cross-legged in the middle of a park glaring at her ice cream as though it was the root of all her problems, which was silly. She knew Red was an annoying distraction from the source of her anguish. After Cinder stole from her, Neo was in excruciating pain. Roman kidnapped the best throat doctor in Vale. Medicine had no answers, and so only magic could restore her. She wanted to sing and to let her enemies know that she knew too many of their secrets. So her brother became her voice, and even though they inherited the family business as partners.

She was merely an enforcer now.

"Um, would you like to join us?"

A girl with bright auburn hair and a gentle smile stood before her. Neo blinked and realized it was getting dark, and her ice cream was completely melted.

Adjusting her brown corset slightly, "The movie is about to start, and we have free space on our many blankets."

Neo glanced over and saw Red and Fisticuffs wave cheerfully, and Neo sat next to them.

She overheard Ice Queen mutter to Kitty cat, "I've never been to the movies before!"

Blake looked her over, "You mean outdoors."

"Indoors or outdoors. Never been to the theatres before!" Weiss uttered excitedly.

Ren shrugged, "I've not been before either."

Nora, "Well, except that one we snuck in."

"That was just you."

Little Red held out her hand, "I'm Ruby!"

Neo shook it as she typed. -Neo-

Her smile got bigger. "Have you watched any of the Hunter series?"

Neo nodded and gestured to her parasol.

Red gasped, "Oh that- that's the main heroine's weapon in the first episode. O O O does it deflect… Of course she does, that Guilford. You know there is a sturdy fabric just made available to the public-"

Neo shoved the girl and tenderly traced the lace on her weapon.

Ruby nodded vigorously, "No, I would never presume to suggest using something that just isn't right for your baby. She is an extension of you!"

Yang hissed, "Ruby, not everyone loves weapons."

Neo pinched the girl's cheeks. She was the cutest pain in the rear Neo could have hoped for.

XXX

Cinder Fall told him about the next steps for the train she had him steal and parked in the southeast quadrant. Torchwick clenched his teeth so hard that his cigar fell to the ground. "What you want, Cinder is going to destroy Vale. What is the point of being the queen of the ashes?"

She tilted her head, her bangs falling so he could see both of her eyes, "Who said I wanted to rule Vale." Fire floated above her palm. The flame dissipated, and her fingers danced over her throat, "but if you don't want your illusionist to sing again, well, I'd like to say I'd understand. Truly though, you know too much."

Roman growled, "I don't know shit."

Emerald blinked, feigning innocence, "you know about the dust and how the white fang plans to infiltrate the city."

Roman growled, watching his lighter roll over those skinny street rat knuckles. Then, he felt a blistering hot digit on his jaw. Forcing himself to not move, he looked down into her gold eyes, "Very well, Cinder, you'll get your Grimm."

The heat disappeared, and her eyes lit up with a syrupy sweetness "oh Roman, you do know how to please a girl."

He leaned close, "oh beautiful, you have no idea."

Her mouth pursed, and he forced himself to rake his eyes over her. She was beautiful, but he liked his fucks to be at least a little coy. Still, he curled his lips hungrily. "You know pyro, my hands are quite skilled with all sorts of lockboxes."

She spat in his face

Worth it.