A/N: All standard disclaimers of not owning Toaru and RWBY. Also thanks to Furaiz for beta/editing.

World building is a fun thing when you try to combine two series into one.


Touma could hardly believe his luck when he managed to enter the Beacon Academy, one of the four prestigious institutions for huntsmen training. Granted, there were strings attached to his enrollment, but he thought it was a chance to pursue a dream he had long considered lost. That was until he and Glynda Goodwitch sat alone in her office as she outlined the more delicate details of his modified curriculum.

"The headmaster and I have reached a conclusion on what your semblance can do." Glynda said as she fished out a small folder and opened it up. Touma's eyes widened, he was sure he had figured out what his Imagine Breaker could do, but then again, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense to him.

"Conclusion? What do you mean?" Touma asked, now curious about his ability.

"It would seem, that your Imagine Breaker suppresses the aura when it comes into contact with another living being." Glynda stated, "It would explain that even if you touched someone with your semblance, they would regain their aura like usual once your hand no longer touches them. However, because the semblance is indiscriminate, the headmaster believes that you probably do have an aura, your own semblance simply suppresses it." Glynda continued, "So if you want to have your aura unsuppressed, we'll have to neutralise your semblance in some form."

Touma paled at what she said. She wasn't implying by cutting his hand off or anything, right?

"We aren't able to find a solution to that problem, so we'll need to discuss a major part of the curriculum, your combat classes."

Touma sighed in relief, as much as his right hand had given him a hard time, he was not willing to lose it just so he that his aura won't be smothered or anything. "So what about combat lessons?"

Glynda closed the folder, and her green eyes peered into Touma's. "Combat classes require students to have an aura for their safety. Due to your state, supplementary lessons will be added to you for your benefit, starting in the second week of the semester."

"S-supplementary lessons?" Touma asked. Those two words had been some of his greatest woes when he had been in High School.

"Correct. As you don't have aura to protect you, I deemed it necessary to have you trained specifically to counteract this issue." his teacher affirmed. "It is the Academy's and by extension, my responsibility, to ensure your safety undertaking missions. I will make sure by the time you are given your first mission; you will be able to handle yourself and return to Beacon safely. So, I'll be expecting you at the auditorium every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings." Glynda stated leaving no room for argument. "While you still have to attend Combat classes, I will not have you participate in the practicals due to your circumstances."

Touma realised the number of hoops the teachers and himself had to jump through if they wanted him to graduate properly. He wondered what would be in the supplementary lessons as combat class tended to be a practical period.

"However, I do expect your full attention on these classes. The supplementary lessons will be a one on one with me to prepare you for the mission modules." continued Glynda as she pushed up her glasses.

The newly inducted student sighed at the outcome. He had expected this to some extent, but he couldn't help but be a little disappointed at this misfortune. "I...understand," Touma said.

"Good, I expect nothing but your best, Mr Kamijou," Glynda said with a satisfied nod. Touma stood up and left, significantly more downtrodden than when he entered the room.


Weiss was a confident person. Give her a couple of hours on a random subject of a choice, and she would give anyone a comprehensive presentation on the subject that anyone could understand. She had chosen Beacon for its reputation. Mistral as a city had far too many problems and Shade was simply not as reputable.

To drive that point in, when she saw Pyrrha Nikos at Beacon, Weiss knew she made the right choice. The problem was, she wasn't the partner of the relatively famous girl, instead, she was the partner of a younger girl named Ruby. Someone who was the sole owner of her negative memories at Beacon.

Weiss wasn't blind to the fact that Ruby was certainly talented enough to enter Beacon somehow, but the personalities that clash was undesirable and she had to deal with it for the next four years. Weiss had no idea how she was going to survive it, but what was done was done.

She looked at the white knight piece in her hand. It didn't take her long to figure out the meaning of those pieces as she saw that there were only the white rook pieces and one other white knight piece. Anyone with half a brain would figure out that if you want to team up with someone, you take the same piece as them.

"That was crazy, but we did it!" Ruby cheered. Weiss, Ruby, Blake and Yang had all just arrived at the auditorium, a little weary from the initiation, but all of them were in good spirits from defeating that massive Grimm.

"Yup! We didn't lose our heads! Like that Grimm." Yang gloated.

Weiss grimaced, it wasn't long, but she had more or less got the gist of what her team was going to be. Yang was a confident person, she had seen her jump into a Nevermore's mouth and shot rounds into its mouth. Certainly, a physically capable person. Unfortunately, she made a lot of bad jokes on the journey back to the campus. It was so frequent that she almost felt bad for Blake who turned out to be Yang's partner.

On the other hand, the Schnee heir could see herself getting along with Blake despite the fact that the latter criticised the SDC on the first meeting. Out of all of them, Blake didn't talk much at all and seemed to be more interested in reading a book, like what she was doing right now. Weiss saw that Blake was calculative and silent. Someone who looked like they wouldn't make any stupid mistakes.

"It does prove we are capable to work as a team," Weiss said.

Much to her regret, Ruby took it with positivity, "Awww, I knew you'd warm up to us!" The Schnee heir quickly found herself being wrapped up in the younger girl's arms.

"Get off!" Weiss ordered as she struggled out of the girl's grip.

"Blake, you gotta agree with us here, that was awesome, right?" Yang attempted to throw her arm around the girl's shoulder, only to be evaded, all the while being focused on a book.

"Mhmm, it totally was," Blake replied as she flipped another page. Yang threw her hands up in the air in defeat, her partner completely shunned her away. Weiss shook her head, if Yang were the more 'too outgoing' types, then Blake was the epitome of 'not outgoing enough' type.

"Well, I believe we'll certainly make a great team," Weiss stated as she glanced at each of her team members.

"Yeah! We'll be the best Beacon has ever seen!" Ruby agreed brightly.

"Right with you Rubes!" Yang declared with a grin as she hugged her sister.


Ruby was elated. It was the second day at Beacon, and she had already taken out a Nevermore. Now she was one step closer to becoming a fully-fledged huntress. It was like all her dreams were coming true. That was until a certain boy's face flashed in her mind and she couldn't help but feel a little downcast that she couldn't find him at all. It annoyed her a bit when Yang said that she needed to find more friends and part of her wished that she could just grab Touma who was also invited to Beacon and show off that she does have friends here.

That said, she had made some new friends like Jaune who seemed to be a nice guy. Her partner, Weiss, on the other hand, was less pleasant. She did hope that her new partner will eventually soften up because Ozpin did say that they were going to be partners for a few years.

All of the students were now gathered at the auditorium, with Ozpin on the stage. Many were excitedly chatting or recounting their stories of their adventures during the initiation. As for Ruby, she craned her head, hoping to see the spiky black hair of Touma somewhere, yet it seemed that there was no one there that could fit the description.

Ozpin then strode up to the centre of the stage, and the chattering noises gradually grew silent as students noticed the headmaster patiently waiting for their attention. "First, I would like to congratulate all newcomers for successfully passing initiation. I will now display all teams to your fellow students and expect each one of you to work to become true huntsmen."

As he talked, the large screen behind him lit up, and he began to announce the first lot of names. Unfortunately, as Ozpin listed down each team, no sign of Touma was found. Ruby continued to look around and stopped when she felt a nudge to her sides.

"What are you doing? Pay attention!" Weiss hissed, clearly no longer tolerating Ruby's fidgeting.

"I'm just trying to find my friend; I haven't seen him for a while and-"

"Then just wait for the headmaster to announce him," Weiss replied as if it was the most obvious answer. She was aware that her partner was younger than the whole cohort, but Ruby's behaviour did irritate her.

"But-"

"Soo… what are you guys chatting about?" a bright, feminine voice joined the conversation. Yang's face appeared behind Weiss with a small grin.

"I've been trying to tell Weiss that I'm looking for my friend," Ruby answered. Yang sighed; this happened yesterday when she saw Ruby looking for that 'mystery guy' she had been talking about. She was glad that Ruby took the initiative to start a conversation, except that it wasn't the type of conversation she had in mind.

Ruby did describe the 'friend' she was talking about. Black spiky hair, a bit taller than herself and had an awesome gauntlet weapon that looks a bit like a bulkier version of Yang's. Yang knew that apart from the weapon, there was barely anything unique about that description. That was until Ruby mentioned the name yesterday. The blonde girl was sure it was just a coincidence, after all, the guy she met several nights ago didn't have any indication of a gauntlet weapon. He looked more like a civilian.

"Well, Rubes, I'm sure your imaginary friend will turn up, besides, Weiss is right. If he's here, he'll be called up." Yang assured her little sister who simply pouted. Yesterday, the blonde girl did help Ruby out, but after about an hour of searching, it turned out to be fruitless.

Suddenly everyone started laughing, grabbing the attention of the three girls to the stage. Jaune, another new friend of Ruby's, was on the floor with a red-haired girl apologizing to him before she offered a hand to help him up.

As Jaune's group had started to leave the stage, the screen behind Ozpin flickered and displayed four girls; Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. The four of them nodded to each other as they stepped up in front of Ozpin, his face only displayed a hint of pride as he gestured towards them. Despite her worries about not finding Touma, she struggled to keep herself from beaming. It didn't exactly stop her from looking at the crowd in hopes that she would find him though.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long. The four of you have retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose!" Ozpin announced with a small smile.

Ruby froze, as the last four words echoed in her head and completely drowned out the resounding applause. Her, a leader? She expected that Yang or Weiss might be the leader, they seemed more confident and smarter than her, so naturally, they would be the better choice. She found herself in the arms of her older sister, almost suffocating her as Yang exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you!"

She glanced at the rest of her team, Blake smiled and nodded contently with the decision. Weiss, on the other hand, had her mouth hung open, though she quickly recomposed herself and turned to Ozpin as if she never reacted in the first place.

Yang then playfully pulled Ruby into a headlock as they led the rest of team RWBY off the stage. The screen behind Ozpin changed once more showing only one portrait this time. "Finally, Touma Kamijou."

Ruby managed to pull Yang off her as she exclaimed, "That's him, that's my friend!" She pointed at the boy who walked onto the stage with a bit of a nervous grin.

Yang's jaw just dropped as she saw Touma on stage. She couldn't believe he was at Beacon, and worse, Ruby was claiming that the boy was her friend. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Ruby puffed her chest out with a bit of a smug grin. "See! I told you he exists!"

The older sister shook her head as she rubbed her forehead in disbelief. The likelihood that her younger sister met the same person was incredibly unlikely considering the size of Vale. Both of them weren't even at Vale for that long either.

"You have placed the chess pieces at the abandoned temple, for your fellow students to retrieve as their test. From this day forward, you may be asked to work by yourself or to work with others. I expect great things." Ozpin announced. However, unlike every other group, the crowd whispered to each other at this strange event.

It was a well-known fact among the huntsmen trainees that everyone who entered a huntsman academy, were always placed into a team of four. Ruby, however, was slightly envious in some ways. She was glad Touma was here as a fellow student, but to be on his own had its charms as well, she'd heard of some of the greatest huntsmen doing amazing things by themselves. Even her uncle, Qrow, was considered to be one of the best and he had his adventures by himself.

"By himself? I don't understand how that's possible." Weiss muttered to herself. Ruby could hear other lines of chatter as well.

"Who is this guy?"

"He doesn't look special or anything."

"Even Pyrrha Nikos isn't going solo."

"Hey, Ren, do you think he is some sort of super secret huntsman looking to find spies here?"

"I'm aware, that this is an oddity among the traditions of the academy," Ozpin stated and the whole chatter died out. "But, Touma Kamijou has certainly proven himself, and I'm sure he will continue to do so in the future."

Eventually, one person among the crowd started clapping, and soon more followed before a full round of applause filled the hall. Touma awkwardly scratched his head at all the attention. Ozpin then stepped forward and said. "Now, as a bit of a celebration. There will be food, drinks and music in the cafeteria. I encourage all of you to get to know your new teams, meet your seniors and learn what you can."

The students then gave one more final applause as Touma and Ozpin stepped off the stage and started to file out of the hall, some to the cafeteria, others to the dorm rooms. As for Ruby, she bounced and waved her arm frantically, "Touma! Touma!" She pushed through the crowd and managed to reach her target with a grin. "...Hey!"

"Oh? Ruby! Congratulations on becoming a Team Leader." Touma returned with a smile of his own.

"Thanks! But, you get to be on your own! That's pretty awesome!" Ruby replied before she gripped both of Touma's arms. "And did you name your weapon yet?"

"Err... I didn't-"

"You didn't!? You better come up with something!" Ruby replied disappointed. Touma's weapon had some really interesting things about it, she was sure he would name something awesome. She gripped her friend's arm and said brightly, "Anyways, you got to see my team! My sister is in it!"

"Sister?" Touma questioned before a surprising amount of force dragged him. As they approached the rest of team RWBY, who were patiently waiting for their new leader. Touma's face froze as his eyes laid on a certain blonde.

"Oh-hooo~, so, you knew my sister eh?" Yang's face held one smirk. She was still shocked by the revelation that the person her sister met was the same one that she met, but it wasn't like she couldn't have fun at someone else's expense.

"Ah… hello Yang," Touma greeted awkwardly. He was surprised when he saw Yang again, she looked like a fully-fledged huntsman the last time they met. What's even weirder was that he didn't expect Yang to be the sister of Ruby. The two looked completely different, even had different surnames.

"Wait, you know Yang?" Ruby asked a little confused.

Touma humorlessly laughed as he scratched his head. "I actually know Blake as well."

"Hey." Blake greeted with a small wave and a smile. Ruby's eyes widened even further, surprised at Blake's amiable behaviour to Touma.

Weiss simply observed, unable to grasp what was going on completely. It was obvious to anyone that her teammates were familiar with this spiky haired boy. She glanced at her new teammates, suddenly finding it very hard to join in on the conversation.

"Wait, you know her too!?" Yang exclaimed as she pointed between them before she muttered to herself, "Small world huh?" She glanced at the last member of the team, "Don't tell me you know him too."

"No, I don't," Weiss replied as she stepped back from the blonde's aggressive approach. She turned her attention to Touma with a polite smile. "Weiss Schnee, a pleasure to meet you."

"Touma Kamijou, your sister talked about you. It's great to finally meet you in person." Touma said with a slight bow of his head.

"Oh, you've met Winter?" Weiss smiled in approval, much to everyone else's shock.

"Yeah, she helped me out a bit. She's strong and smart." Touma replied with a laugh. Weiss seemed a little less frosty than her sister.

She nodded, clearly happy with the praise that was directed at her sister. "Of course she is, she graduated as Valedictorian of her year in the Atlas Academy!"

Ruby's first and following interactions had never managed to make her partner smile once. Instead, Weiss would criticise or berate her instead. Yang's first impression of Weiss was similar to her own, the Schnee didn't seem friendly and looked a little haughty.

Blake had already known Weiss as the second child of the Schnee family. While she certainly isn't a fan of them, she never had any personal feelings against Weiss or the other children. Still, it shocked her that Touma was acquainted with the eldest Schnee.

"Touma! How did you get Weiss all friendly?" Ruby asked in awe.

"Because unlike you, he has manners," Weiss replied curtly, nodding to Touma, and turning towards the exit. "We should be heading to the cafeteria before all the food is gone."

"Sounds good," Blake answered with a shrug not too bothered with the idea.

"Wait!" Ruby chased after them, a little stung.

Touma could only laugh in pity for the younger girl until he felt a small jab to his sides. "Don't think I've forgotten the last time we met." Yang's voice tickled his ear. Touma did leave her hanging that night, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

He clapped his hands and bowed his head, "I'm sorry for that time! I promise I'll make it up to you!"

Yang chuckled and waved her hand dismissively. The guy had surprised her a few times in two meetings, but she could tell he wasn't a bad guy at the very least. He certainly seemed easy to tease, but if he's offering, she wouldn't say no.

"Well, I'll take you up on that. It won't be Touma-ch to handle." Yang replied with a mischievous grin as she left him in the hall.

Touma slumped with the two words that escaped his mouth. "Such misfortune."


Jaune made it, he didn't know how, but he made it. What made it even more shocking was that he was the leader of his team, as he sipped a glass of fruit punch and lamented at his situation. The downside was that being the leader of a team certainly didn't make him any more popular with the ladies, he had tried his luck on Weiss, but she was unresponsive to his advances. He also tried it on some of the other 'fine ladies' only for them to laugh or ignore him.

"Soooo...Jaune!" A loud, energetic voice caught his attention. Though he knew her for less than a day, this person definitely left a strong impression on him. Nora was certainly the most outspoken of his new team. "How does it feel, to be our fearless leader?" she asked as she clapped on his shoulder. The girl was also deceptively strong. His first impressions of her certainly did no justice to her gargantuan strength.

"Well-"

"Cuz, I was thinking..." she continued to blabber far too fast for his weary mind. Though he did hear a lot of 'pancakes' and 'Grimm slaying'. "So, whaddya think?" She asked as she grinned excitedly.

"Nora, we've only been established as a team. I think we can worry about those things a little later." Lie Ren's voice entered the conversation, he nodded to Jaune with a small smile. Behind him, Pyrrha, his new partner also came along with a small wave.

Ren was his only male teammate but for some reason, Jaune felt that the guy was a reliable person. Compared to Nora, Ren was more taciturn and calm. Every word they shared between them was small talk.

Pyrrha, his partner, was nothing short of amazing. She was strong, clearly experienced in several ways, and quite smart as well. So far, she treated him nicely and Jaune was intent in returning it in kind.

Jaune glanced at his team again. A girl who looked like she could swing him like her hammer, another girl who looked more like a warrior than your typical modern girl and a guy who seemed like he could pull off ninja tricks if he tried.

"But Ren, the pancakes!" Nora whined while the rest of them chuckled. "Jaune has to know how good your pancakes are. So he can order you to make pancakes whenever we want!"

"Well, I'm sure we will enjoy some pancakes together soon enough. We are a team for the next four years." Pyrrha said.

"Well, I'm… surprised I was chosen to be the leader, to be honest." Jaune muttered quietly. While he felt proud of being appointed as the leader, he had a small shadow of a doubt when he was selected. It had only just dawned on him what was now expected of him in the next four years.

"They made the right choice, Jaune," Pyrrha assured him quietly. The boy turned to her shocked, before he covered it with an awkward laugh.

"Right choice, whaddya mean?" Nora asked, a little confused. Ren's eyes were raised as well, a little intrigued with what the redhead said.

"Oh, nothing!" Pyrrha answered with a smile.

Nora shrugged, unconcerned about the deflection then she puffed out her chest, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but the food isn't going to eat itself! Also should find that Touma guy, I want to know how he gets to go solo!" With that, she zipped to the other tables. Ren glanced at the last two teammates, then followed after Nora at a more moderate pace.

"Are you okay, Jaune?" The blonde boy glanced towards his partner who seemed to have a small look of concern.

Pyrrha's gaze was earnest, and ever since he met her, he had a feeling she was someone who could handle any task thrown at her. After seeing her in action during the initiation, he had felt envious of her capabilities. Still, there must be a reason why he was chosen right?

"Just… a little tired. You know from killing that big scorpion Grimm thing and all." Jaune replied with a small laugh. "But, thanks I guess."

Pyrrha simply smiled and the two enjoyed the silent company as they watched various students eating and drinking, some also dancing. Jaune shook his head, now wasn't the time to go all depressive and everything. He was the leader of JNPR, it was his first step to be a hero, so why not celebrate?

"So Pyrrha, uh… would you like to dance?" That got her attention as she glanced at her new partner, her cheeks darkened a little. "I mean, you don't have to but…"

"I'd love to," Pyrrha replied. Jaune sighed in relief. He always told himself that if he wanted to be a hero, he needed to look like one. Be confident, be amazing. After all, this was his second day at Beacon and he was made the leader of his team, what could go wrong?


It was the first combat lesson of the semester and every first-year student was finally given a chance to break out of the tedious classes. Most of the classes were simple lectures except for the time Weiss took on a Boarbatusk at Professor Port's Grimm studies class. Strangely enough, the girl's attitude towards Ruby had mellowed out though she would still snark at her partner.

"Once your name is called out, you are to head to your locker and take whatever you need. You are personally responsible for your own equipment maintenance and of yourselves." Goodwitch announced to the students.

"Question!" Yang's hand shot up, this was the class she had waited for and it wasn't a surprise to her friends on how eager she was.

"Yes, Ms Xiao-Long?"

"Can we request a match with someone?" Yang's eyes flickered towards Touma.

"If I deem it a good suggestion, I will allow it," the blonde teacher replied.

Yang grinned and Touma shivered. It was no secret that Yang had something against the boy of misfortune. While she does consider him a friend at the very least as he seemed to treat Ruby and the others well, she still had a score to settle with him. "I want to take on Touma!"

Everyone whispered at Yang's declaration. Touma, for the past few days, had quickly risen to celebrity status, much to his chagrin. The fact that he was not assigned a team had everyone throwing rumours left and right, no thanks to a certain hammer-wielding member of team JNPR. However, those rumours quickly made it difficult for the poor boy to make any connections within Beacon. Team RWBY was mostly friendly with him while team JNPR had taken a shine to him thanks to Jaune and Nora's extrovertive attitude.

Yang was quite intrigued with Touma, especially with how he managed to dismiss her attack with a simple catch of her fist. She wasn't exactly someone who believed in luck or fate, but the blonde simply took it at face value as an opportunity that fell into her lap.

"Denied," Goodwitch replied so seamlessly that Yang hadn't registered the response for a good five seconds. Before she could protest, Goodwitch continued. "Mr Kamijou will not be available for any request."

"What!? Why!?" Yang called out in disbelief, some of the students even voiced their agreement with the blonde girl. Goodwitch's glare quickly silenced the students before it grew out of hand. Touma was silently relieved when he realised how many students were up in arms about this.

"That is not of your concern," Glynda replied sternly, and Yang sighed, knowing that there was no way she could make the teacher see otherwise. However, a certain teammate of hers didn't give up as she shot her hand up as well.

"Yes, Ms Schnee?"

"I agree with Yang, why shouldn't be we be allowed to challenge Touma to a spar?" Weiss asked. Yang's despondent eyes lit up at the unlikely ally that came to her aid.

Glynda sighed, she knew this was going to be a hot topic that will eventually be touched on, but no matter how much she prepared herself for this, it was still a significant source of an oncoming headache. "Mr Kamijou's semblance is not suitable for sparring or any other sanctioned combat here," she explained. While it wasn't the entire truth, it wasn't a lie either. Touma's Imagine Breaker was a major concern as most injuries in combat classes would often be healed by their aura alone. It was extremely rare for any serious injuries to occur, the most serious being a dislocated limb or a cracked rib.

More whispers filled the hall as everyone wondered what kind of semblance Touma had. The boy even received some stares from his classmates.

"Perhaps, this will be a good teaching point," Glynda called out as she stepped to the front of the stage. "Ms Schnee, can you tell me the basic types of a semblance that we currently know?"

"Each semblance are one of the three types. Active semblance which requires the user to manipulate consciously, triggered semblance that requires a certain condition to activate and passive semblance that cannot be deactivated except in very specific circumstances." Weiss answered as though she were reciting out of a textbook

Glynda nodded, much to Weiss's pleasure. "Mr Kamijou's semblance is a passive type and as a result, he can not deactivate it, conscious or not. It is also a semblance that still needs to be assessed before the headmaster or myself can deem it safe to allow Touma to participate in the practicals of this class."

Touma sighed at the development of the class so far. He's heard a couple of whispers that speculated what kind of semblance he had, and honestly, he wouldn't mind telling them so that they won't have any ideas like dragons sprouting from his body or anything like that. So far, only Blake knew what his semblance was and she was more focused on her book than the actual class right now.

"Now, if there are no further requests." Glynda continued as she adjusted her glasses. "Then I will call out two names, I expect both of you to spar at your best."

As she called out the names, Touma could still feel some of the stares from his classmates. He couldn't blame them at all.


Roman Torchwick inhaled, the scent of cigar soothing him as he examined at all the documents and map before him. Being a criminal, was easy, theoretically. Being a professional one, was far more complex. Schedules, quotas, resources and making sure that every subordinate wasn't incompetent had a lot of challenges. After all, he was recruited for his 'expertise' in the great city of Vale. He had a reputation to keep.

Now, his employer wanted more and lucky for him, an SDC shipment was due to arrive at Vale in a couple of weeks. There were a couple of problems though; the authorities had increased the security of the City thanks to his previous heists and the lack of men and women under his command. He had Neopolitan, his most treasured companion to help, but quality alone was sometimes not enough for an operation. The White Fang members he was given weren't exactly the first-grade subordinates either, but he had effectively dealt with their misgivings with a bit of smooth talking and their performances at each operation were serviceable.

What he didn't expect was a White Fang messenger. There were a few things he learned during the short time he worked with the White Fang. Firstly, the organisation was massive, enough for it to have factions within the group. Secondly, they can get the job done as violently as needed. Finally, every single leader of the White Fang was as tasteless as he thought.

This particular messenger was dressed completely different from the other White Fang mooks Roman was stuck with. Though the messenger wore the same mask, she was completely covered in a pure white robe with several gold accents and underneath the hood were two bumps, probably some animal ears. It reminded him of actual nuns, but that would also mean that this White Fang member was from a certain faction, one of religious foundations.

"Well… I certainly didn't expect someone like you to be here." Roman said with a smile before he gestured towards the nun. "So how may I be of service?"

"Her Holiness has asked me to provide you with a message, 'Your exploitation of the White Fang will be watched.'" the nun said evenly.

Roman's eyebrow was raised. It was evident that the Bull Faunus hadn't told the other leaders of their new 'business venture' together. Regardless, he had dealt with various kinds of similar situations before, and if there was one thing he learned during his criminal career, it was that any situation could be an opportunity.

"May I know who this 'Holiness' is?" he asked, but the nun recoiled away as he approached.

"Her name is far too worthy than your filthy tongue can speak of." the nun replied in a far less peaceful manner.

Roman held his hands up as if not to provoke the nun, "Now, now! I'm only asking so I can come to an understanding. As you can see here..." He gestured towards the other White Fang members who continued to move crates of dust. "...we are in a partnership of sorts. I can assure you that I'm not exploiting them as your 'Holiness' said.

"Now, I'm sure if you'd let me-"

"Do not come closer, filth." A staff was produced from underneath the nun's robe, directly pointed at his chin. The staff had an unusual shape made out of some metallic material Roman was not familiar with. He knew it wasn't the time to provoke the nun, but he wanted to get a point across.

"Perhaps we can come to a compromise? I've teamed up with the White Fang because I sympathise with their plight." Roman said as he carefully used his cane to push the staff away. "I assure you, that my means may not be pretty, but my intentions are pure."

The nun remained silent, her staff still clutched in her hand. Roman had to fight off a smirk, as the nun eventually holstered her staff underneath her robes and said. "We shall see if you are judged worthy." She then left the career criminal to his schemes.

He couldn't ask for a better outcome. Now that he had been presented with new cards, how would he play it out for the next few weeks?