Although I would love to answer any and all questions, when you are logged in as a guest I am unable to pm you to answer anything. Also, there are many things I won't say, akin to the reason for her name being Iris, as they point to spoilers in the near-future. Don't worry, there is a method to this madness.

I'm glad you're all enjoying the story thus far and I wanted to thank you for coming to read it and for your generous support :)

Roman had a rather plain-looking black car. Iris had expected some sort of extravagance from him or maybe even a dull orange. However, as he unlocked it and stepped into the driver's seat, she felt like it fit his line of work.

He opened the door from the inside and she stepped in nervously. It's been a long time since she's ever been inside a car and she was surprised at how fresh it smelled. She looked around excitedly, remembering how to put on a seatbelt. She felt the fabric of the seat but flinched when the engine roared to life. She looked with a second of fright to Roman as he glanced at her curiously.

"You get used to these things quickly I imagine."

Iris put one flat hand into the air with her palm pointing downwards. She teetered it side to side saying so-so as she continued looking around nervously.

She looked back to Roman as he placed his hands on the wheel while speaking, "well your first day on the job starts now and I'll let you settle in a bit. You've got a lot of skill and I'm interested how you'll perform once you've got the right tools under your belt."

He was about to pull out of his parking space but turned back to Iris before doing so, "and uh… sorry about the umbrella."

Iris sat back, pretending to pout with her lips pursed and arms crossed while glaring at him. He turned away without a word as he shifted gear and began their short drive.

As he moved and began flowing into traffic, the radio came to life. The music it was playing was a form of rock music that Roman's head gently nodded to; he probably didn't realize it but Iris did. She also had different tastes as she reached forward and grabbed the knob that she assumed would change the station. She was correct, with the volume knob being on the driver side, as she turned it and began searching station to station.

Torchwick glanced at the flickering sounds and raised an eyebrow. His surprise increased when she settled on a station playing classical orchestra music.

"Huh, classy."

He smirked as he caught a glimpse of Iris smiling proudly at his observation, her chin held high for a couple of seconds with her eyes closed.

As they began slowing for a red light, Roman asked without turning, "so how did you learn to fight like that? I may not have much of an aura but you still shattered it in seconds."

The car rolled to a stop, giving Roman the chance to look at Iris for a response. He was surprised to see her shrug her shoulders as she pressed her lips together slightly. She just pointed at herself with one hand and signing the word 'taught' with her other hand.

He tilted his head curiously, "you taught yourself? Interesting."

Iris saw Roman's eyes scrunch in thought as his mind raced. She quickly moved her hands before they began to start moving as she asked him her own question. She quickly asked with her hands, where did you learn sign language?

Her eyebrows raised as she finished the sentence to indicate the question. They both saw the streetlights turn green and Roman turned to the street and began rolling the car forward yet again.

He spoke with only the occasional glance to his partner, "in reality, I got bored one day when I was younger and decided to learn some of it. I won't say I'm fluent but I know a good enough amount. It's come in handy once or twice when I've been sneaking around not able to talk to my accomplices since even a whisper would be too loud," Roman let out a light laugh, "although I imagine you've had this problem several times where not many people actually know anything about the language."

Iris nodded to the last part, most of her life she had struggled with that exact problem. She listened to him talk curiously, not expecting him to have learned much of it at all. She understood him not being completely fluent, she would have been much more surprised if he was.

The rest of the drive went smoothly, only taking a bit less than ten minutes. Iris noticed the town become darker and sketchier the further they drove. Unfortunately, other than that one red light, they didn't communicate much in the vehicle due to Roman having to focus on the road; although he barely seemed to do so, cutting several people off and blaring the horn at seemingly random.

The car came to a rest outside of an antique store. The building was a couple of stories tall and had a swaying wooden sign above the doorway. The building looked decrepit as the bottom floor windows had boards nailed over them and vines crawling upwards; in fact, most of the neighboring buildings bore degraded foundations and cracked windows all along the street. There were graffiti signs occasionally spread out with garbage littered across the sidewalk. The metals railings around the dead garden and eroded stone stairs were rusted, barely even standing by themselves as Roman exited the vehicle.

Iris quickly hopped out and shuffled around the car until she was beside him. She kept her hands clutched in front of her chest inside her cloak with her hood up. She glanced around nervously, not feeling too comfortable in this part of town.

Thankfully there wasn't anyone in the streets to notice her as they both ascended the stairs towards the door.

The bell rang as Roman entered first, holding the door open for Iris afterward to show her it was safe. The air was dank and humid inside as dust gathered upon the shelves lined with antiques.

Oddly, Iris felt at home. She liked the off-putting smell because she knew how many people would turn their nose and walk away. She always liked the privacy and she'd always come to places similar to this. The people were always friendlier to her and never once tried to hurt her.

However, this store felt different. There was a reason they were here but she wasn't fully sure why. Before she could ask Roman, he motioned for her to follow as he strode towards the clerk.

He simply spoke, "good to see you, Jacque. Anyone been here today?"

The clerk, who Iris assumed to be Jacque, was a young spry man who couldn't be older than 25. He had a short clean beard with sleeked back black hair. He wore a short-sleeve green shirt that revealed muscular arms and his pectorals pressed up against the fabric underneath. He had a tall and intimidating stature despite his friendly countenance.

Jacque shook his head, "nothing more than an old lady who needed directions." He leaned and peered behind Roman. His eyes met Iris' curiously as he glanced back to Roman, "may I ask who your new friend is?"

Roman turned to say, "this would be a new associate, her name is Iris. She's not much on the talkative side."

Iris didn't know how to respond so she just tapped her hand to the side of her head and waved in a sign of hello.

The man waved back with a confused expression, "she's your new associate? What happened to the last two?"

Roman's eyes darkened and his head tilted down menacingly as he glared at Jacque.

"She happened. Those two buffoons were floored by her within seconds and all she had was a broken umbrella."

Jacque nodded slowly, scanning Iris now with even more intent. "I see." He blinked a couple of times, deciding to trust his boss and not disagree. "Well your quarters are just as you left them. I haven't seen Quincy leave so she should be up there already."

Roman nodded, his threatening glare disappearing without a trace as he looked to the side at a set of stairs behind Jacque. He looked back to Iris saying, "this way."

Roman led the way up the stairs, each step he made sending creaking sounds cascading through the corridor. Iris glanced back nervously, seeing Jacque staring at her and scanning her for any kind of threat. She could imagine the paranoia of people when it comes to trust around here. She was reminded of this as she saw a large shotgun lying on two brackets just behind the desk with Jacque's hand resting on its handle. She gulped, realizing how protected this area must be and what she might be getting into.

She followed Roman timidly but swiftly as he strode up the steps. The wooden boards groaned under their steps as he pulled out a keychain. He scanned the keys before grabbing a small silver one and placing it into the lock of the door at the top of the stairs. He turned the key and the lock clicked. As he opened the door, with the rusted hinges screeching, he stepped in first as he had earlier, holding it wide for Iris.

She stepped into the large open room and looked around, expecting something to be wrong or some kind of immediate danger. She let out a deep breath as she realized it was just a common room with no one in sight.

Surprisingly, the room looked rather plain. There were a couple of generic couches with a TV separated by a coffee table. The walls were a basic beige with only one window in front of her. The window itself only looked at another building, showing no sightlines in nor out. She turned around, scanning the surroundings.

To the left behind her, the room looped around the stairs and the main of the building was directly above the shop they'd walked up from. All the windows had curtains drawn as she saw a dining table with a kitchen behind it at the end of the room. The table had a few chairs around it with cushioned seats but nothing too elegant.

Iris was rather surprised, she expected Roman to live in complete luxury but his living space seemed plain and ordinary. She took off her boots, not wanting to track prints around the area, and her height sunk another couple inches.

He must have noticed her expression as he looked around to follow her gaze. "It's nothing special, which is exactly what I want someone to think if there is ever a break-in. Trust me, I'd liven this place up with candles and paintings if I had the chance."

He continued looking around, spying for something specifically. Roman uttered under his breath, "where is that girl? She's supposed to be here."

Iris looked up to him as he strode past her, looking around. He called out loudly, "Quincy?! You here?!"

There was no response.

Roman mumbled under his breath with annoyance. He looked back to Iris as he gestured towards a couch. "You can take a seat and make yourself at home. I'll go find the brat. She's lucky that her food is to die for."

Torchwick turned away and disappeared around a corner to the left of the kitchen. Iris assumed there was another set of stairs up to the third floor as she heard his footsteps stomping upwards, dissipating into the air as a silence brewed.

The room felt suddenly cold yet comfortable to her as she looked around. Iris glanced around awkwardly, rescanning her surroundings. She noticed the musky smell diminished a bit up here as a fresh homely smell made itself known.

Being alone was oddly satisfying for Iris as she took in a deep breath and turned in a couple of neat circles looking around. She couldn't stop the excitement from pouring through her expression as she debated what to do first.

However, before getting to decide anything, she heard a door creaking open from behind her. She turned back towards the kitchen and saw a small door open into it. She assumed that must be a walk-in pantry of some kind as a woman dressed conservatively as a maid walked out. She wore a long black skirt that flowed down near her ankles, almost swishing against the floor as she walked. She had white fabric tied around her waist in a neat bow with the rest of her torso being covered in a similar black material to her skirt. White buttons ran along her sternum with extra white floral patterns running along her shoulders. She had tight black sleeves with thin white gloves on her hands.

The woman, who Iris assumed to be Quincy, looked to be in her mid-twenties as she strode out into clearer view, her short black hair following her head. She closed the door behind her with a swing of her foot and strode out of the kitchen. She heard the footsteps upstairs and was about to call out to Roman before her eyes met Iris'.

The maid simply froze, her hands twitching slightly in alarm. She relaxed when she realized that Iris must be with Roman with him having arrived with her. To Iris' dismay, Quincy squinted at her with a look of disgust. The maid scanned Iris up and down with one side of her mouth raising in a putrid glare.

"Gross," Quincy grumbled. She strode towards Iris as the woman looked down shamefully at her appearance. The maid stalked towards her prey asking, "so who has the candle dragged in today?"

She stopped only a foot from Iris. "I was hoping for someone who's… well..." Quincy drifted off in thought as she scanned Iris again, "not you."

Iris looked up at the insult but couldn't respond as Quincy stepped closer. The maid loomed over her, forcing her to shuffle back slightly in shock. Quincy reeled back within seconds, one of her hands holding her nose as she over-exaggerated her gagging from the scent.

When she recovered she glared at Iris as if she'd attacked her. "I don't know what he sees in you but I see none of it."

Quincy stalked forward until she was standing above Iris threateningly again. Iris leaned back slightly, her eyes scanning the floor as she prepared to be berated as she had been so many times before. She was used to this-she knew how to take the punishment.

"I want you to know that before I have to live with you: you are nothing," Quincy spoke with a hiss behind her words, "you are worthless, not just to me, but to every single person who sees you. Those two men you're undoubtedly here to replace lasted just two days. You won't even last one."

They both heard the footsteps above them move towards the stairs, about to start descending. Quincy spoke quickly whilst jabbing Iris' sternum with an index finger, "and before you get any ideas, he's mine."

Iris looked up out of fear to her aggressor. Despite her deep-rooted terror in being assaulted and the constant new additional information being thrown at her, she still retained her curious nature. Her head tilted questioningly when Quincy finished her sentence, that's not the reason she was here in the slightest. Romance was an ideal that Iris had given up long ago, never being able to see herself with someone who would ever accept who she really was. Quincy didn't notice the tilt of Iris' head, only the shakiness and fear within the short woman's eyes.

Quincy smiled and took a couple of steps away. Her countenance shifted effortlessly from threatening to comforting as her head pointed towards the stairs. Footsteps reached a crescendo as Roman turned the corner, setting his eyes on the two figures. He'd expected to see Quincy with her usual amount of friendliness, but what he didn't expect is how Iris looked.

She looked like she had back when he'd destroyed her weapon in the alleyway-she looked defeated. He was sure if he were to lift Iris' head she'd have tears forming in her eyes that she'd be so desperately trying to fight. His smile dropped as he saw her submissive body language with her knees pointed inwards and her arms wrapped around her waist. He could almost feel how miserable she was as every ounce of confidence he'd seen in her just minutes ago was suddenly shattered into pieces.

Roman simply frowned, imagining what kind of conversation had happened while he was away. He knew how integral Iris' first days here would be. Roman knew that although some conflict is developmental, too much will simply destroy her will to continue working with him and destroy her potential. No one else saw what she could become other than him, everyone else just saw her clothes and assumed she was worthless.

Quincy placed her hands behind her back and pushed her chest out provocatively, "welcome back, Roman! I was just chatting with this wonderful young girl you've brought to our home."

Roman squinted at her as he leaned on his cane, "oh? And what were you two talking about?" He took a mental note that Iris took a sidestep away from Quincy as she spoke.

"Oh you know, the usual. She's excited to be here and is exceptionally grateful for your hospitality," Quincy spoke with a smile as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Roman rolled his eyes, "I find that hard to believe."

Quincy blinked a couple of times in confusion as Roman took confident strides towards Iris. "What?" Quincy asked as he walked past her without a glance. He placed a hand on Iris' shoulder and gently squeezed it to remind her of his presence. He wanted to build her confidence as much as possible, knowing it would be her main weapon and defense in the future.

Roman's eyes darkened as he glared at Quincy, "our guest of honor here is mute. So I'm not sure how this conversation of yours would have worked."

Quincy took a step back looking hurt, "are you implying that I-"

Roman sighed and rubbed his eyes as his tone darkened, "Quincy."

The maid stopped moving and looked down at the ground. She rubbed her hands in front of her shamefully. Iris looked up, taking a deep breath and forcing away her fear. She hated being so scared of people but it's been so long since she's interacted with anyone to this level. She didn't expect to be attacked so suddenly and didn't know what to do so she simply did nothing. However, she did quickly realize the dynamic of the situation. Quincy couldn't berate her while Roman was around or she'd be digging herself a grave.

Iris took another deep breath as Roman's fingers flexed slightly on her shoulder to calm her. She focused on the touch and knew she was safe, he wouldn't let her get hurt. Like he said, if she protected him he'd protect her. Iris jumped out of her thoughts as Roman spoke.

"I do not pay you to run your mouth. I pay you to clean. I pay you to cook. I pay you to do laundry and to deny intruders' entry. I will not allow any form of violence in this house, including verbal." Roman glared at Quincy as she refused to meet his eyes. He continued, "Iris here is a guest and she will be working alongside me as a partner. This means you treat her the way you'd treat me. I imagine she's been through more than you could even think of and she deserves your respect."

Iris looked up in surprise to Roman. She'd never been complimented like this before. In fact, she hasn't had anyone speak positively about her in years yet alone try to earn her respect from her peers. She'd given up dreams of ever being treated equally long ago and it felt like a dream come true to be defended. She felt a minuscule smirk on her face as she looked back down, her pride beginning to re-inflate to its previous height.

Quincy bowed slightly, "yes, of course, I'm sorry, sir."

Roman took his hand off of Iris and waved the subject away. "Whatever. Now for what I'd wanted you for: I need you to prep the shower and get a set of your clothes to give to Iris here to change into after she cleans up for dinner."

Quincy stepped forward in shock, "a pair of my clothes?!"

Roman scowled, "no a pair of my clothes-of course your clothes mine wouldn't fit her!"

Quincy frowned but acquiesced and turned away while grumbling under her breath. Her hands were balled into fists and she held her shoulders high in frustration. She turned the far corner and stomped up the stairs towards the bath and her bedroom.

Roman shook his head disappointedly, "I'd like to say that you get used to her, but you really don't."

He looked down at Iris as her eyes looked up slowly to his. Roman could see how she was forcing away tears and trying to keep a straight face.

He sighed, knowing this must be very new and different for her. He couldn't imagine what she felt but he needed her in a good frame of mind if she were to work properly with him. He looked down with soft eyes, easily making contact with Iris'.

"I don't know what she told you, but she's on the bottom of the food chain." Roman smiled as Iris looked confused. He continued, "all she ever does is try to please me—she's got no other purpose. You," Roman placed a finger ever-so-lightly under her chin to lift her head to him, "have a purpose. You've got more potential than anyone I've seen before and I'm willing to put in the work for you if you'll put in the same for me in the future."

They both looked up as the sound of water was heard. Roman pointed his open hand to the stairs saying, "you'll feel better after a shower and a hot meal."

Iris nodded and slowly took a step forward. To be honest, she didn't fully know what to do. Everything suddenly felt so foreign as she nervously shuffled towards the stairs. She swallowed her fear as she looked back up to Roman. She saw his open stance with a straight back and raised chin.

She didn't realize it at first, but she moved to copy his movement. Her back straightened slightly as she drew her head higher to bolster any dignity she had left. Her hands fell to her side instead of clutching themselves or held around her waist.

Roman watched the motion curiously as she turned to the stairs, slowly but surely climbing the steps.

As he heard her footsteps fade away, a new idea trickled into Roman's mind. He knew she was going to need new clothes but that will be for tomorrow. Something he had forgotten about was that she still needed a weapon; she'd be far less intimidating if all she had were her hands. He knew she needed something unique to go with her style as well as her colors.

Roman frowned in thought as he pulled out his scroll, searching for his weapon smith's name. This man was an expert and he had no doubt he'd work overnight to achieve the perfect mix of elegance and deadliness. Roman liked the way she'd moved with the umbrella and decided she'd be comfortable having a new weapon similar to her old one, maybe a parasol of some kind. His mind searched, forming and creating an image that he knew the smith would be able to work with.

It was only a few seconds later that he found the number and began dialing it at the same time that Iris approached the bathroom door.

Iris studied the hallway and the carpet underneath her foot. It felt like she was walking on a cloud after so long on concrete and pavement with broken shoes. Her bruised feet barely felt pain with the soft impact as the cushiony ground supported her. The walls were the same beige color from downstairs with a sparse amount of decorations along with them. There were only a couple of paintings and one side table with a thriving plant on top of it. Iris scanned its leaves as she strode past, studying its health and amazed by its strength. She took a deep breath, knowing that this is the safest she's been in a long time.

Following the sound of water, she quickly came alongside a large red wood door. It looked rather average and lacking any intricate designs like the rest of the house but still amazed her. The doorknob was a dull golden as her hand slid around it and gently turned.

Iris peeked her head inside, peering through the crack of the door as it opened. She saw Quincy at the far end, turning off the shower as to not waste too much water. The room at first looked purely white, every single surface being perfectly cleaned and the marble countertop polished. The mirror was perfectly reflective without even a speck of dirt or dust. As Iris was studying the reflective surface, her eyes readjusted and Quincy came into focus through it as their eyes met.

"About time. Get in here," Quincy ordered as Iris pushed the door open. Iris didn't close the door as she took a deep breath, remembering what Roman had told her. She remembered that she'd be working with him and that she could possibly be a partner of his—on the same hierarchical level as him.

Iris blinked a couple of times as she breathed evenly whilst locking with Quincy's eyes.

A couple seconds later, Quincy broke contact first and looked away.

Iris watched as she walked to the side, picking up a pile of clothes and laying them neatly onto the left side of the sink countertop. She spoke without looking to her guest, "these are what you'll change into. The shower water will be room temperature when you turn it on and it's up to you how to adjust it afterward." Quincy turned and pulled out a large bath towel and folded it within seconds, laying it beside the assorted clothing. "Use this to dry off and leave any dirty clothing on the opposite side of the sink. Don't bother cleaning anything otherwise you'll leave me without anything to do. Anyways if you were to clean it you'd do it wrong; I have a very specific way of going about each room."

Iris listened to her curiously, noting every instruction but also noticing the sudden lack of threat in the woman's voice. Quincy walked past her, thinking of anything else to say. She made sure to keep a wide berth as to avoid touching Iris in case any dirt the woman had rubbed off onto her. Quincy stepped out of the room speaking a little more quietly, "hey…" she looked up to Iris' eyes as the woman turned to her with a tilted head.

Quincy's voice rose back to its usual volume and the slight harshness returning suddenly, "just try not to destroy the shower, will you?"

Iris nodded with a smirk and moved her flat palmed hand towards her face with her fingers touching her chin. She rotated her forearm forward without moving her hand in a sign of "thank you".

Quincy squinted her eyes as she grabbed the exterior doorknob, "I'm going to assume that wasn't an insult."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she looked down at the doorknob. Quincy's countenance quickly shifted to one of disgust as she lifted her hand off the doorknob, studying it. She saw brown smudges of dirt and grease on her pure white glove as she stared in horror at the doorknob, forgetting that Iris needed to grab it to enter. Quincy quickly peeled her glove off from her wrist, turning it inside out. She pulled out another glove that perfectly mirrored the one she currently wore and slipped it onto her hand. She used the discarded fabric to wrap around the doorknob, using only her fingertips to hold it this time.

Quincy glared up at Iris as she spoke sternly, "don't forget to lock the door."

With that, the door clicked closed and Iris was left on her own in complete silence.

Iris was left completely on her own, staring into the mirror with an unknown pair of eyes staring directly back at her.

This was not a time to simply just uncover who she was; this was a time to move forward and figure out who she will become.