Rawr, everyone. Happy Dragon Tuesday! Today still sees me in the midst of a really shitty cold, so I'll keep this note brief. After all this time, you finally get to start seeing more of the villains! Are you excited? I'm sure you are.

Enjoy!

Roman knew that he would be spending Yule alone. He knew that contacting Neo at this point was too risky. That didn't stop him from feeling a wave of bitterness as he watched the families walk by on the cold streets of Mistral. It didn't stop him from glaring at the brightly-lit toy shops, knowing that Neo would be visiting them without him this year, if she even bothered looking at them alone.

It certainly didn't stop him from wanting to punch his boss in the face for summoning him on Yule Eve. It was like she remembered that he had nothing to do that night and was mocking him for it.

I guess heartless bitches never take vacations, he thought as he entered the abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. He walked through the battered doors and through the maze of boxes that eventually led to a concealed door in the floor. Unlocking it with the combination he had been given, he climbed down the ladder into the cold cavern beneath.

As he walked down the tunnel, the voices of dragons became louder, causing him to shudder. There were a few dragons underground here, mostly due to their Riders being there temporarily. They had an entrance further from the city, and enclosures in the deeper parts of the complex but their growls and roars carried far. Roman had never liked dragons. They unsettled him with their too-intelligent eyes and ability to speak human words with their alien tongues. Still, Neo loved them. That was the important thing.

Roman closed his eyes, calling to mind the one picture Neo had sent him in secret, a picture he had protected with several passwords and only looked at when he knew none of his boss's people were around. It showed Neo in full Rider gear, standing next to a pony-sized wind dragon. The dragon was a mint-green color, shot through with swirls of creamy yellow, and had pale blue eyes. It was probably much bigger now.

She, Roman reminded himself. Whisper. That's her name.

Cinder had fed him tidbits of information concerning Neo's progress, of course. She was doing well with her studies and was getting along with her teammates. More importantly, she had already gathered a great deal of information concerning Lionheart. He would be very easy to manipulate when the time came.

Roman doubted that Neo was actually getting along with her teammates, though. After all, two of them were Cinder's cronies, while one was a disguised mutt from the White Fang, one of Adam's favorites.

Speaking of Adam… Roman groaned under his breath as he walked through one of the lit, heated underground rooms, where an orange fire dragon with dark red marks that made him think of scabs was curled up. The dragon growled softly as Roman passed by, his golden eyes carefully following the human until he was in the next tunnel. That one's even creepier than the others, he thought with a grimace.

The short, stuffy tunnel broadened out into a wide, well-ventilated room that held his boss and her dragon, a golden beast with black stripes and striking blue eyes. Both were lounging casually, the dragon on a large bed of fireproof cloth, Cinder on a cozy-looking chair. Roman swallowed as the sharp eyes of the fire dragon seemed to penetrate his very soul.

"Blessed Yule, Cinder," he said, tipping his hat. "Do I have another hit tonight?"

Cinder smiled calmly. "Of course not, Roman," she said in that silken, honeyed voice. "It's a holiday. I simply wanted to call you here to give you a gift. Call it a token of appreciation for a job well done."

Roman's brows went up, and an easy grin came to his face, even as he mentally calculated what Cinder was playing at. She wants to keep my loyalty, so she's acting like my friend. Fine. I'm well-practiced at playing this game. "I'm flattered," he said with a roguish wink. "I didn't know you liked me so much."

Cinder allowed herself a small look of amusement. "Don't get ahead of yourself. What I like is the pair of fully-grown brood dragons you managed to get us. You went above and beyond what was strictly necessary. Between that, and our plants in the Schnee Dust Company, we can move on with our plan with greater speed than before. That deserves a reward."

"Greater speed than before?" Roman tilted his head. "So, we'll be acting before the Dragon Festival, then?"

"The big announcement will still be made as scheduled," Cinder explained. "But we can put more effort into the buildup, into spreading more discord so that our message will be better received." She folded her hands. "And we can also put more thought into getting our hands on that little machine Ozpin and Ironwood have been working on."

The striped dragon let out a pointed growl, glancing toward the dragon-sized tunnel to her right. "Nnneo!"

Cinder looked over, her golden eyes momentarily betraying a look of genuine tenderness. "Of course, Strike. We won't keep them waiting any longer."

"Neo?" Immediately, any more questions about the plans faded to the back of Roman's mind. "She's here?"

"Yes, I arranged for her and Whisper to come for a few hours. She'll need to be back by morning, of course, since her story paints her as not having a home to go to." Cinder nodded to Strike, who warbled down the tunnel.

Seconds later, Neo emerged and rushed right into Roman's arms, biting her lip to suppress a sob. Roman lifted her up, not caring that Cinder was witnessing his display of emotion, and held his adoptive daughter close. "How's my favorite Dragon Rider?" he murmured.

Neo smiled, gripping his shoulder tightly.

A mint and cream-colored, elephant-sized wind dragon trotted out of the tunnel, tilting her head curiously. "Is that him?" she chirped to Strike, ducking her head a little as the larger dragon regarded her.

"Yes, child," Strike purred. "Be cautious when approaching him. He doesn't like us much."

Whisper was unconcerned. "Oh, he'll like me. If he likes Neo, he has to like me." He's the other one, after all. The one Neo talks to. She couldn't say that out loud, though. Confidently, she bounded over, barking a greeting.

Roman jumped a little at the sudden closeness of the dragon. "It seems that Whisper isn't very well-named." Seeing Neo's hopeful smile, he held out his hand for the dragon to sniff. He felt the scaly snout against his palm and shivered. Whisper stared at him with her pale blue eyes, which held a very human look of earnestness and a clear wish to please. "Um, yes. Hello there," he managed.

Whisper's tail swished cheerfully, and she licked Roman's face. "Hi! I know you can't understand me, but hi!"

"She…seems very friendly," he said, suppressing a shudder as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and hurriedly wiped his face. "I assume we need to stay underground," he added, looking at Cinder.

"I'm afraid so," Cinder replied. "She can't be seen walking with you in public. You have developed a bit of a reputation, after all."

"Of course." Roman bowed deeply, taking off his hat. "Thank you, Cinder." It doesn't hurt to show my gratitude with a little excess. Most bosses I've met love that.

"You're most welcome. Go ahead and get caught up." Cinder gave him a benevolent smile as the two walked away.

Once they were gone, Strike padded over to Cinder and nuzzled her shoulder. "Cin. Gud."

Cinder gently stroked the black stripes on her dragon's snout. "I would hate to lose his loyalty," she murmured. "He has his uses, after all. And he's smart. He knew exactly why I brought Neo for him."

At that moment, echoing footsteps from another tunnel caused her to tense. Strike let out a low growl as Adam emerged. He turned toward the two and frowned. "Let's hope you were right about the Dust amounts needed for this next hatching. My men are growing impatient with the lack of results."

"I would have figured they were used to waiting for you to weed out the results of your incompetence," Cinder said coldly. "Leave the breeding to me. You and your men just keep doing what you do best, and you will be well rewarded."

Adam inclined his head. "Of course." Enjoy your position at the top for now, human. Once the schools fall and the Faunus Riders outnumber your rogues, it'll be all too easy to overthrow your flimsy monarchy before you can even get both feet on the ground.

Cinder and Strike watched as the White Fang leader walked down the tunnel to his own bereaved dragon. Once he was gone, Strike let out a long hiss. "Bad," she muttered.

"Yes," Cinder muttered. He won't be around much longer. Not if I can help it. She would have to keep him around for a time, since he had insisted on choosing the fourth member of the team that was sent to Haven as part of their deal (a smart move on his part). Still, once the need for espionage ended, it would be easy enough to find a replacement for him.

That one young woman holds promise. What was her name? Sienna? Maybe Cinder would arrange for her to get the first successful hybrid dragon. Yes, that would be a good start.

…..

Roman sat with Neo in one of the dragon areas of the underground, which had several dragon beds, as well as comfortable chairs for Riders. He was pleasantly surprised to find that these areas didn't smell foul at all. Of course, since only adult dragons usually come in here, they probably know to do their business outside.

"So, how are you enjoying school?" he asked.

Neo signed her answers, which didn't surprise him. Whispering would be too risky. Too many prying ears. "I'm happy there. Whisper is my best friend. Lionheart is completely incompetent, though, which is good for Cinder."

"So I've heard," Roman murmured. "How so?"

"Cowardly. Idiotic. Unable to hide the disabilities of his students' dragons." At this, a troubled look crossed Neo's face. "Is it really necessary to have so many?"

"According to Cinder, yes," Roman replied, shrugging his shoulders. He glanced at Whisper. "Um, I probably shouldn't say too much." Who knew what the dragons said to each other in secret?

Neo shook her head. "Whisper knows not to talk to the other dragons. I tell her."

So, Neo has someone else to whisper to, Roman thought. I suppose that's where the name came from. He looked at the dragon, who was giving him an inquisitive look. "I hope you take good care of her," he said sternly. When the dragon bobbed her head and gave Neo an adoring look, Roman found himself smiling.

"I hoped you'd like her," Neo said, her mismatched eyes shining with relief.

"If you like her, so do I," Roman assured her. When the dragon warbled happily, his smile widened. Maybe it's because she's smaller, but there is some charm to this one. "Cinder says you're getting along with your teammates. Is that…actually true?"

At this, Neo's expression became hesitant. "I like Emerald," she signed. "She's the nicest. At least, she acts nicer than the others. She was mostly fake at the start, but I think she might actually like me a little by now."

"That's something," Roman admitted.

"Mercury is also hard to read. He's not as nice, which is almost a relief. I know he's not faking anything. Ilia…" Neo shook her head. "She's supposed to be our leader, but it's like she hates even looking at us. She and Justice don't even pretend to be part of a team. She could put our position in danger if she keeps it up."

"She named her dragon Justice?" Roman snorted. "She's a White Fang fanatic, all right."

Neo put a finger to her lips. "Don't say things like that. Remember, we're still working with them. For now."

Roman raised an eyebrow. For now? This could be sensitive. Just in case, he didn't say anything, but waved for Neo to elaborate.

"Cinder's plan is good, but it's flawed," Neo explained, moving her hands rapidly. "She has lots of powerful people, based on what I've heard and seen, but they all have their own goals. That's been made clear just by knowing Ilia. Once they have what they want, they'll either go their own way, or turn on her."

Roman nodded. He was aware of this, partially through his interactions with the White Fang, partially due to what he knew about the Branwen Tribe, another ally. Raven will turn on us the instant she has whatever she wants. "How do we survive this?" he asked.

That was his chief question, of course. It was why he had joined with Cinder as soon as her strength and vision revealed itself, when it became clear that he could thrive in the world she created. He wanted to survive, and he wanted Neo to survive. Most of all, he wanted them to survive as they were: free rogues who didn't need anyone. Adding this dragon into the mix would complicate things, but Roman was flexible.

"Make friends," Neo replied. "Contracts mean nothing, but personal bonds may mean everything. Even if you don't mean it, convince people you're their friend."

"I am good at that," Roman said with a smirk.

"Also, you need to open up to the dragons," Neo added. When Roman groaned, she held up her hand. "Dragons are kindhearted, and they don't want to hurt people. I've learned that at Haven. Unless you're a Grimm, a dragon will try not to kill you unless they specifically have to. If a dragon likes you, it'll try to convince its Rider to not hurt you, even if the Rider wants to. That may save your life."

"Noted." Roman glanced around. Anyone could be listening, but he was relatively convinced that no one knew sign language. "What are our chances of splitting when this is all over?" he asked, using his hands this time.

"Not good," Neo admitted. "Cinder made sure that our dragons would be siblings, so there is a bond between me and my teammates, even if we aren't close. We may have to get used to being prominent rogues in the spotlight."

"Well," Roman said aloud with a grin. "It would be nice to be more open about my dramatic side," he said, twirling his cane with a flourish.

Neo covered her mouth, barely managing to hide a vocal giggle. "True. I think we can get through this, as long as we make sure to associate with the right people and not start any trouble," she signed.

"At least not for ourselves," Roman corrected. "We'll make plenty of trouble for others."

Neo smirked. "Don't we always?"

They spoke for a little while longer, before a call from Cinder summoned them back to the chamber, where Whisper and Neo were then escorted through the next tunnel. Before leaving, Neo hugged Roman tightly, trying to keep from crying in front of their employer.

Roman kissed Neo's brow as he put her down and looked at Whisper. "Take care of her," he said again.

Whisper gave Roman a long look. This time, she just nodded her head solemnly, feeling the raw love and fear in this human's voice. He's the other one she whispers to, she thought. He's the most important person, next to Neo. I need to remember that.

She thought about her brothers and sister, about the secrets they had been told to keep from each other since their hatching, since they learned to understand the words of their Riders. It was wrong. She could tell that much. Wrong and unnatural. She hated the secrets. She hated that Neo chose to whisper to her while pretending to be mute around everyone else. She hated that Justice was automatically wary of every human he met. She hated that Jade and Rudder refused to speak to her most of the time.

Even Strike couldn't be trusted! Neo had told her that Cinder wasn't trustworthy, so that had to mean that the older fire dragon was also dangerous, even though she seemed nice.

Neo is the only friend I can have, Whisper thought mournfully as she walked down the tunnel back toward the school. Neo and the man. Roman. That's it. We're the only ones who can whisper to each other. Silence everywhere else. Everywhere else… Nothing.

That silence enfolded Neo and Whisper as they snuck back to the stalls and settled in a cloud over each of them as they went to bed, closing their eyes to a lonely, muted Yule.

So, Neo isn't mute in this story, but I have a reason based largely on a personal headcanon as to why she chooses not to talk out loud. You'll see what that is later on.

If you like what you see and want to join an awesome fan community while also getting rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!