It was not often that Cinder found herself idle. Even years ago as a child, her worthless younger self had still been under the thumb of that woman, forced to work endlessly under the threat of pain. Even when she had freed herself, that simply set her on path that was as unrelenting as it was rewarding. Meeting Salem had set her on the path to her destiny, and her rightful place in the new world order. It was fair to say that since that day, she had never truly taken a break; she was always training, thinking, plotting her next move in the process of furthering her goals.
So she found that, even if it was somewhat inevitable, it was also ironic that the larger the scope of her plans became, the more downtime she found herself with.
Bigger operations meant more resources and people involved, resources and people that simply could not be moved in an instant. When it was just her, it was simple matter to go from one objective to the next, held back by nothing other than her own capabilities and perseverance. Simpler times that she found herself missing, despite the magnitude of the task she was currently undertaking.
Unfortunately, since the time she had convinced Roman Torchwick and those White Fang dregs to cooperate, the sheer number of moving parts involved meant that results took a painful amount of time to materialize, a setback that she found herself unprepared for, and it irritated her to no end.
But she was forced to endure. Rushing things when her plans were still in their delicate stages would be foolish, especially now that new variables had introduced themselves unexpectedly.
Through half-lidded eyes, she settled an intense gaze at the figure on the TV screen, the current hot topic among all five Kingdoms.
"And Queen Amiya has arrived at Beacon," spouted some vapid overweight reporter whose name Cinder didn't bother to remember. "Greeted right away by Headmasters Ozpin and General Ironwood, the latter of whom was invited to attended by Headmaster Ozpin for the sake of furthering diplomatic relations."
The man pointedly did not mention the Atlesian warship floating just outside of Vale's walls, or the sizeable contingent of Atlesian soldiers standing attention around the landing pad. Indeed, he didn't even mention the infamous snowy-haired Atlesian Specialist wound-up like an attack dog, right next to Ironwood like the trained bitch she was.
Cinder snorted – Ozpin of course, would never have allowed this had it been up to him. It was likely that the official story of Ozpin inviting Ironwood was false. More probable was that the man demanded he be present and brought a small army's worth of men 'just in case' or for 'security reasons.'
Of course, given who stepped out of the plane next to the self-proclaimed Queen, the paranoid tin-man might have been right for once.
Flanking the young rabbit Faunus on both sides were Adam Taurus and a young cat Faunus only known by her codename 'Rosmontis.'
Adam Taurus – a skilled fighter and commander, though not quite to her level even excluding the incomplete powers of the Maiden she possessed, he was nonetheless of little note. Remarkable, perhaps, but ultimately someone who meant little in the grand scheme. An interesting but disposable piece.
The other Faunus however, made Cinder purse her lips in thought, if not outright concern.
The power she displayed during the massive migration of Grimm to Kuo Kuana was well recorded. It was as though they had rehearsed it ahead of time. She almost mistook her for a Maiden herself, had she not been looking for the tell-tale signs of magic and failed to find them.
Regardless, she may not have been a Maiden, but the level of destruction she was capable of made her a significant threat, something she was sure had forced Ironwood's eyes on her.
In some ways a blessing, in some ways a curse.
More than the Queen, it would be the threat of Rosmontis' that would draw Atlas' eyes, allowing her to work with more freedom than she otherwise might have had. Distracted as they were by her presence, it would definitely open up gaps in their security detail that she could exploit. On the other hand, her presence also meant that she had to drastically alter her plans, as the even the amount of Grimm she had planned to use for the Vytal festival would prove insufficient, especially when backed by the Hunter staff of Beacon, and whichever Atlesian forces she could not suborn.
So, she had asked Emerald and Mercury to reach out to a mysterious mercenary group, one that had recently gained a reputation by purging bandit tribes across Anima and had even successfully repelled Hunter teams sent after them with prejudice.
According to Roman, they had a representative here in Vale currently, and Cinder would convince them to cooperate her, if not as a potential client, then in the same way she convinced the renegade White Fang to obey her - by a promise of extermination.
Either way, another set of chess pieces at her disposal.
Still, getting into contact with them was proving more difficult than expected, even with Roman's contacts at their disposal, which is how she found herself idly lounging in the living room of one of the thief's safe houses, wasting away the time as she awaited further updates on her quarry.
She was contemplating checking on Emerald and Mercury's progress when her scroll began ringing. Cinder raised a brow at the number on display – it was not one she recognized, and she did not give out her contact details lightly.
She deliberated simply ending the call before curiosity won her over, and she accepted.
The voice on the other end was a woman's voice, derisive and practically dripping with a kind of amused sarcasm. Cinder bristled instantly.
"I hear you were looking for us~?"
Cinder replied, her voice the perfect measure of calm. "I assume this is the infamous mercenary group-"
"And you're the tramp running around Vale, stealing whatever dust you can get your hands on like a starving beggar."
Cinders eyes burned with fury, and she had to restrain herself from crushing the scroll in her hand.
"I suggest you be careful with your words, vermin. You've no idea the powers you are insulting."
A threat made over the phone was often time an empty one, but with Cinder, it was a promise. Finding them was a matter of 'when', not 'if' - they would scarce be able to keep themselves hidden from her for too long, not if they continued to take clients, and unlike most others, Cinder was not in the habit of making idle threats. If they decided waste her time insulting her, then she would find them, and she would end them.
Something in her tone must have given the voice on the other end pause, as they did not reply right away. When the woman on the other end next spoke again, it was still in a sarcastic tone, but more subdued.
"Alright, I can see you're a stick in the mud. You wanna talk business then?"
Cinder snorted. That sarcastic tone irritated her still, but she had a feeling this was as much compromise as she was going to receive. "Yes," she responded curtly, "I'd like to enlist the services of your mercenary group for an... operation, I am conducting in Vale."
There was silence on the other end, but Cinder had a distinct feeling that whoever was calling her was amused. When she responded, there was a slight hint of mirth in her tone.
"Heeeh~? Stirring up trouble during the Vytal Festival? Interesting. Let's hear more details, and I'll think about accepting."
She worded it to sound like a casual inquiry, but Cinder could tell she was interested. The half-Maiden laughed in satisfaction. It appeared the threat of force wouldn't be necessary.
"Very well. If I could have the name of who I'm speaking with first? It's so awkward not to have a name with a prospective business partner."
A short pause, and once again, Cinder had the faint feeling that the woman was amused.
"... Well, I don't have a name to give you... but you can call me, W. Commander of the Terran Devils. It's a pleasure."