-Semblance of Brotherhood-
Chapter 4: Business
The day went by quickly, after that. He had the chance to watch the Schnee fight a Boarbatusk and nearly eat shit doing so, which was infinitely satisfying. Even still, he heard not a single whisper from his Teammates for the rest of the day.
Until Lunchtime, that was. The moment he sat down to eat, literally the instant his ass met the chair, he noticed the rest of his Team off on the other side of the spacious room. At first glance, it seemed only mildly strange, the three of them huddled up against a wall, but after a second take Silva picked up on something behind them.
You've got to be kidding me.
There, cornered and alone, was a young girl with long, brown rabbit ears.
As soon as he realised what was happening, Silva melted into the shade cast by his table, and rushed over to them. He hesitated on reforming, stopping to listen for a moment before he made any assumptions.
"I mean, just look at it." Sky scoffed, poking the girl in her shoulder before grimacing, "I can't believe they're real." The undertone there... the sarcasm...Anger bubbled up in Silva's gut.
Disgusting.
Satisfied that he had a good grasp of what they were up to, he rose from the darkness between them and the girl with a look of sheer hate in his eyes. Instantly the three staggered back, all unsure of what to do.
"Fuck's your problem, Taro? Can't you see we were just curious about these?" Cardin said with a false smile, gesturing to the girl's ears. "Right?" He added, looking past Silva.
He could feel the poor girl's distress without even seeing her. "Y-yeah... nothing's the matter, I... I'm fine."
For a moment, he didn't speak. Just stood there and processed what he'd just heard. After a couple of seconds, he looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze not softening in the least. Just that alone seemed to make her flinch.
"Just get out of here. Either figure out how to stand up for yourself, or find another career. Fighting isn't meant for weaklings." He growled, causing the girl to wince and sputter. "I said leave!" He stressed, to which she began to shuffle away, before breaking into a half-hearted jog. Once she was gone, he turned back to his Team, who each looked rightfully confused.
"Do you three think I'm fucking stupid or something!? That I'd just accept that pathetic excuse!? You will leave that girl alone, and if I see any of you pulling some shit like this again I will make sure no-one finds your bodies!" He roared, a back-handed punch colliding with Cardin's jaw before the boy could react. The Human slammed back first into the floor, clasping his mouth in agony even as his Aura flashed against the strike. Neither of the other two seemed keen on joining him on the floor, just nodding with nervous eyes.
"None of us came here to feed our ego, you dumbasses, we came here to learn how to fight!" He chastised, honestly not surprised when Russel snapped, and sent a fist flying at his face. His own hand intercepted the strike, their wrists clashing before Silva wrapped his hand around his Teammate's forearm. He pulled on the appendage, causing Thrush to stumble foreward, directly into a side-kick that threw the boy to his back. His eyes flicked dangerously over to Sky.
"I get it!" He exlaimed, raising his hands between the two of them. Silva didn't budge.
"Get what, Lark?" He asked, taking a measured step toward the boy. The moment of hesitation, of apprehension, said what the Human could not.
Coward.
Loosing a growl, he stomped past Sky, shoving him aside with a firm shoulder bump. Just as he was about to leave the cafeteria, a stern voice called after him, "Mr. Taro!" Goodwitch shouted, stalking after him with a furious scowl. He kept walking, crossing into the hallway and turning a corner, before leaning back against the wall and waiting.
It didn't take her but a couple of seconds to catch up. She rounded the corner on him, "Where do you think you're going, Mr. Taro?"
"Right here. I'm not a fan of crowds." Not the real reason, but that didn't matter. This was something he needed to explain in a calmer environment, the buzz of the cafeteria didn't help.
She didn't seem all too convinced.
"Explain yourself, young man. I don't have context, all I actually saw was you attacking your Team." She explained.
"Simple. They were bullying another Faunus, so I made it clear I wouldn't tolerate such immaturity."
"And how is assaulting them mature in any respect?" She shot back, to which he cracked a small smirk.
She's sharp.
"We're in a school meant for warriors, Mrs. Goodwitch. You of all people should understand that Huntsmen tend to be stubborn, and you can only break that wall by tearing it down with force. Words alone would have done absolutely nothing to change their minds, just make their own views stronger. I don't know about you, but I'd rather snuff an issue out completely than let it fester." She didn't seem to have a ready response to that.
"So... you're telling me that you keep beating on your Team for their own good? Forgive me, Mr. Taro, but your history makes that somewhat hard to believe." She said. He nodded, to which her scowl deepened. "Normally, such discipline is to be expected of a Team Leader. Your situation is not 'normal', as we both know, and I frankly don't trust a murderer to show restraint." Now it was his turn to scowl.
"You think I wanted the Fang to turn into a bunch of terrorists!? You think that once they did, I could just stop upholding my duties and abandon ship!? That's not how it works, you can't just quit when things get too intense, that's grounds for execution! I couldn't back out if I tried, and the only reason I got away is because I was exiled!" The words just spilled out, he didn't think about it or filter anything. Despite having been distanced from it for so long, her blunt words had rubbed away at his constraint and left it raw and fresh all over again.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
"Mr. Taro, I-"
"Stop. I'm not angry with you." He sighed, laying his head against the wall and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to Vale for a while. Need to clear my head or this'll just keep eating away at me. Would you be willing to clear that with Ozpin?" He asked, her gaze softening somewhat before taking on a more neutral look.
"I'll let him know. But, do remember that anything you miss will be your responsibility to handle. I may not be opposed to allowing you some space, but this is still Beacon. I can't afford to let our students off easy just because of personal issues." She said. He let out a mirthless chuckle.
"Heh, yeah. I'll keep that in mind."
Later, in Vale...
Stepping out of the Bullhead, Silva immediately stepped into a brisk walk, sifting through the crowded streets with the occasional 'Apologies, ma'am' or 'Pardon me, sir' until he eventually came upon an alley he recognised. He drew a second, black scroll from his pocket, swiping through his messages until he found the proper set of directions.
"Downtown Vale, down the alley between Cafe Prime and that weird herb shop. Tell the bouncer that you're there on a business venture." - R.T.
Let's hope this guy's good on his word.
He crossed the street, the smell of coffee and something... greener, wafted into his nose as he passed between the two stores. The alleyway stretched on for a while, and after a few steps he started to hear a faint, rythmic thumping coming from further in. By the dullness of it, he could only assume that it was some sort of indoor music system.
Please don't tell me...
When he exited the alley, the first thing he noticed was the line of civilians, slowly filing into a dingy building's back door. Or, at least, that was what it looked like. At the door itself were two men, both wearing a matching black and red tuxedo.
He paced over to the two, who looked him over with a shared frown.
"Back of the line, kid. Only VIPs skip it." The right one explained, gesturing for Silva to move along. He didn't.
"I was supposed to be here on a business venture, not whatever these people are here for." He said, to which the bouncer raised an eyebrow.
"Right. Young, but I guess that's not my job to care about." The man remarked, stepping to the side. "Go on then, you're holding up the line."
Silva nodded his thanks, slipping past the man and into the building.
Music. Dancers. Alchohol. Tobacco smoke. Flashing, colored lights. He barely repressed a growl.
I can't believe he thought this would be a secure meeting place.
Doing his best to tune out all of the noise, he pushed through a group of partygoers and began to scan the room for...
Ah. That was quick.
And what did he expect from the most arrogant, yet equally skilled, criminal on the face of Remnant? Roman Torchwick himself sat, a shot of liquor in his hand, at the bar, swirling the amber liquid with an amused smile.
Silva walked over, a hand resting on Regalis' pommel.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, Torchwick snapping his head around before tilting his head back in a short laugh.
"Oum's sake, kid, you trying to give me a heart attack?" His only reply was a harsh glare. "Well, I guess we should find a more quiet spot to talk. Come along, then." He rose from his stool with a controlled swagger, leading Silva to an empty back room. There were two chairs across from a large couch, a coffee table separating them.
"Take a chair, I'm gonna go let Junior know I'm using this room." The thief said, stepping out when Silva nodded in response.
He sat down, taking the moment to inspect the room. It was... rather bland, to be honest. So much so that it set him on edge.
Something's up. Roman's too eccentric to just pick some random room.
Focus sharpening, he gave the whole space a much closer look. Everything seemed fine, and for a moment he thought himself paranoid, until he noticed something odd about the lone candle that sat in the center of the table.
Endulging his curiosity, he leaned towards it and attempted to blow it out.
The flame didn't even shift as the air passed it.
"Huh, must be one of those trick candles. Weird." He droned, shoving down his first instinct to draw Regalis.
Illusion? That's all I can think of. What's really in this room? Drugs? Weapons? Who's casting it?
Dozens of theories flashed through his mind. Such a thing wasn't common. If it was an illusion, that meant Roman had acquired some new lackey with a nifty Semblance. That could be problematic.
Before he could ponder it any further, the door to his left swung open, Torchwick strolling through with his everpresent air of smugness.
He strode past Silva, flopping down onto the couch and drawing a cigar from seemingly nowhere, a lighter slipping from his sleeve to set the thing ablaze. He puffed on it for a moment, releasing the smoke with a long sigh. He looked almost overworked. Baggy eyes, mildly disheveled hair, the whole nine yards.
"So, to what do I owe the honor of speaking with you again?" The crook asked, flashing a confident smirk.
"An offer. One that would benefit the both of us." Silva answered,
"Ah, I see. Okay, I'll humor you. How could a White Fang washout like you 'benefit' the most successful crime lord on Remnant?" Silva stifled a growl at that.
Just get it over with.
"It's nothing complex. First, I just want to make it clear that while you are the most quickly expanding in the business, you still have a lot of territory to claim if you want to be at the top of the food chain." He began, earning an amused sneer from Torchwick.
"That being said, I have a proposition for you. If you accept, I will personally assassinate every other crime lord in Vale, heirs included, in your name, solidifying you as the King of Vale's criminal underground virtually indefinitely." That, however, wiped the sneer off of Roman's face. He still looked doubtful, but Silva could tell that the meer mention of such a massive offer was nothing to scoff at.
"That... would be quite the favor. Life-changing, one might call it. One night and I'm suddenly the biggest and baddest in the Kingdom? That's a hard thing to resist. And what would you expect from me in return?"
"Two things. One: I want an in with you on any dealings you make with the White Fang."
"Odd, but worth the trade still. The second thing?" Silva leveled the man with a venomous glare.
"I want every scrap of knowledge you possess in regards to a woman named Cinder Fall."
Hello again!
Bit of a shorter chapter, but the next one should make it worth while. Now, as I'm sure you guys are assuming, how Silva knows anything about Cinder and her plans will be explained next chapter. This is the point at which my story is going to stray from canon due to Silva's existence. He is not an idle player, and he has big plans.
Nothing much else to talk about, Buh-Bye!!!