Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kim Possible or RWBY.
Spice
By: Imyoshi
Ron glared down at Roman's cane and then back at the Master Criminal for a good minute, not sure what exactly to say or even act out. He's not at all lost. No. Ron completely understood Roman's odd request, it's the execution that left a lot to be desired. The execution and the simplicity behind it made it a difficult request to fulfill, and the sidekick's not sure if Roman's purposely making his life difficult or didn't know the implications behind his demand.
"What do you want me to do about that?"
Roman lost his smirk. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
Ron threw his hands up, using them to emphasize his point. "Do I look like some scientist to you? Am I wearing a lab coat with beakers in my hand? Do I know the chemical formula for pi?"
"Pi's used for math, genius."
"See!" Ron argued, reinforcing his points. He quickly breathed in before going on. "You're barking up the wrong tree! I'm not your guy. Not even close! You have a better chance if you ask Neo for help! All that over there!" He's pointing to the weapon in her hands that's causing untold destruction. "That giant death ray in her hands, that's all magic. Crazy, unknown, monkey magic. There's no sense behind any of it!"
Roman groaned, throwing one hand forward, patience thinning. "Hey! Don't turn all dumb on me. You know the difference between an incinerator ray and death ray. As far as I'm concerned, you've passed the bar exam. And you're the one with the magic sword."
Ron laughed sarcastically. "Doesn't mean I know how half this junk works! Look at Neo! Do you think I know how that death ray works? I'm still trying to figure out how she works! How many times do I gotta tell you, that's all monkey magic! Why are we going around in circles!"
Banking off the word magic, Roman calmed down, poking Ron on the shoulder. "Then imagine me a better cane and then tear it apart and build it back together. Simple!"
Ron would give him that. That idea of his was pretty simple. But there were still many holes to poke at. "And where am I supposed get the parts or tools for this monstrosity?! We're not exactly drowning in spare parts." To only prove his point, a support beam bent, but held out. "Well?"
"Then go steal them! I really don't care. You're Mr. Know it All! You'll figure it out." Ron didn't move from his spot and Roman glared. Fishing a paper out his coat, he quickly scribbled an address down for Ron to follow. "Here! Take this! Go here! They're packed with parts." An explosion caught their interest and they see Neo blowing stuff up. Roman actually sighed awkwardly. "You're going to spoil Neo, you know that?"
Ron's suddenly having an identity crisis. "I-I'm going to spoil her—me! Not you. Nope! It's all me!"
Roman lit up a cigar and began walking outside. He plucked a quick puff of his cigar, enjoying the taste before exhaling. "I'm glad you see the problem. Admitting it is always the hardest step."
Silent for a moment, Ron had his hands bunched as fists, crushing the paper and cane Roman gave him. The job he's asking for wasn't plaguing his mind, but something else entirely, an issue all villains had trouble with, at least back in his old world. But it's hard to fight the results staring him dead in the face.
"... You know, you're putting a lot of faith in a guy you've known only a couple of days. That's another problem bad guys have."
Roman paused in his retreat, hiding one of his hands away into his coat pockets. He threw a casual smirk over his shoulder, enjoying another swig of his cigar. The green in his eyes remind Ron so much of Kim, that and his orange hair and confident strut. It's all so familiar that it hurt emotionally.
"So what are you saying? Planning on leaving?"
Ron sighed with the cane gripped solidly between his fingers, he walked past Roman to this random address. Of course his boss knew the answer. "... No. Just felt like pointing it out."
The Master Criminal considered Ron's words, knowing the sidekick spoke with some truth. The two of them have only known each other for a little under three days. Commonly speaking, he's one-hundred percent right. Bad guys in general didn't open their arms to their new employees so easily. However, even Roman knew Ron's a special case. The kid's not bad, a problem in its own right, but he's damn adaptable. All of which worked perfectly in his favor.
Yet, Roman figured he owed Ron a little breathing room. Having him on the team so far had only supplement to his operations, and Neo didn't seem to mind his presence. She's practically leaching off his happiness, a plus for the both of them. She didn't exactly have people she could actively torment and Ron needed to keep his wits about. So it's a win-win play if Roman had ever saw one.
"Hey!" he yelled out a second later, halting Ron in his walk. "We're business partners. You scratch my back and I scratch yours. Don't forget that."
There's no way Roman could miss the slight smile bridging on Ron's mouth. Although, he did try to hide it to the best of his abilities, the sad fact was Ron's simply terrible with keeping his emotions in check. The kid's an open book for Roman to read and take notes on. Wasn't exactly a bad thing, far from it, just meant Roman knew he could trust the guy. Backstabbing probably didn't even exist in Ron's colorful and unique vocabulary.
Dishonestly, how could the Master Criminal not open up his arms to him? It would be criminal not to. A real smudge on his permanent record!
Holding his hand up, Ron willed the Lotus Blade to come back with the easiest of thoughts. Poor Neo's left stupefied for a few seconds when the ray gun in her hands, suddenly broke apart in a flash of light, and transcended over to Ron's open palm just as fast. Instantly, she's on his tail, jumping onto the back of a protesting sidekick. All of the effort's a wasted one, and soon enough he's carrying her out of the hideout. Roman actually laughed without malice or criminal intent.
Looked like Neo's tagging along to go shopping. Roman hoped she remembered the five-finger discount. Be a shame if she didn't.
...
Grumbling to himself, Ron roamed his eyes on the address Roman gave. For a while he just looked at it, getting eternally lost in the mismatched kingdom with Neo, and then he finally glanced up to Neo resting her chin on his head. He's not concerned about getting back to the hideout, confident in his own abilities to navigate back, plus Neo's here to lighten the load as inconvenient as the sitch really was. But the fact on the matter was Ron couldn't find this store anywhere.
"I don't suppose you know how to get to Crazy Dagger?" Neo wiggled her head in a no gesture, applying extra, extra pressure to Ron's neck. He didn't seem to care or notice. "Perfect. We're never going to find it." Ron's broken out of his sulking by the Lotus Blade turning into a glove. "Huh? What is it?" It pointed at the shop they're looking for. Crazy Dagger's right across the street. "Ah! We found it! Thanks, Lotus Blade! I knew we could count on you!"
Crushing the paper up, Ron walked across the street and entered the shop. They're bombarded by an array of metals and cheap weapons. Wires and parts for various size weapons existed throughout the store and Ron didn't know where to even begin. A worker at the register paid them little mind, reading some Weapons Magazine, oblivious to the world around them. They weren't even offered a greeting as they began exploring aisles with Neo jumping off Ron's back to do whatever it was a Neo did, leaving Ron, the Lotus Blade, and Roman's cane to find anything remotely viable to upgrade Roman's weapon.
Twirling the cane aimlessly in on his finger, Ron traveled deeper into the store, hitting a small section dedicated to copper wires and barrel cylinders. He's completely lost on what to get, not even sure how to get started, so Ron started grabbing the most expensive metal available. Soon he did this for everything he's looking for, grabbing top of the grade material and anything the Lotus Blade pointed at. Eventually, the clerk began to notice Ron's building pile, fixing the young man a glare.
"Hey! Are you going to pay for all this?"
Paying the poor sap no mind, Ron almost scoffed at the question. Like he had any cash or lien as they called it. The cashier should be lucky it's both him and Neo here, and not just the homicidal girl, and speaking of said girl. A quick, subtle glare behind the man spotted Neo hiding just inside his shadow, holding back a chuckle as that haunting smirk of hers answered all the questions. So it's enough for Ron to grab some random part and fix the man a friendly grin.
"Ah! Don't worry! I'm rich!" Ron reminisced, acting out a persona he once used to trick Team Impossible. "And dash it all if I don't know how much any of this stuff is!"
Changing his tune, the merchant almost ran out his register box and over to Ron, rubbing his hands together like some kid in a discounted candy store. Meanwhile, Neo's hanging back, casually prying open unguarded cash registers with relative ease. Every action's practiced and performed perfectly with no trip of any alarm, and Ron's busy playing numbers with the sale's clerk, adding more overpriced junk to his pile. Her final target's the safe in the back, locked and too high-tech for her skills for the limited time she had. Then her attention's shifted to the Lotus Blade lying low on the floor, nudging her foot softly with an unspoken silence.
A devious smirk danced across her face.
Back to distracting the clerk, Ron hoped the Lotus Blade reached Neo without any trouble; having easily sent the blade to her while the man was busy adding piles of technology to the ever growing pile. Not to say he's worried for her—because he's not—but more money was always better. Why else did people always try to steal the stuff? And the magical sword should prove perfect enough to break into any safe if Neo happened to find herself challenged with.
Ron's so engrossed with his disguise that neither him nor the clerk notice another pair of feet walk in. Said feet were connected to Ruby Rose, who's fuming from being unable to shop at her favorite Weapons Master shop after the recent break-in. Now she's stuck buying her quality Dust supplies elsewhere. And Crazy Dagger didn't have bad supplies per se, just overly priced. The place itself was perfectly fine for a young weapon's enthusiast such as herself.
Almost talking to herself, Ruby rummaged through the Dust rounds by the door, hoping to not leave with an empty wallet. An impossible dream as her silvery eyes scanned over the price tags, but what's a Huntress-in-Training to do? She needed Dust and the cheapest Dust shop and Weapon Shop have both been wiped clean of their best stuff. And it's that entire dumb jerk's fault from last night! Okay, so she couldn't prove he robbed the Weapons Shop, but one out of two wasn't bad.
Picking a few of the Dust rounds off the shelves, Ruby kicked her feet and squirmed under the intense price. There's no way she's going to have any more lien after this. Now how was she supposed to survive the week? Beacon's not for another week and her limited supply of food was sad already. Again! It's that dumb jerk's fault. Ruining everything with his totally awesome weapon and his need to steal! How that weapon ended up in his hands was beyond her.
Walking over to the register, Ruby sighed sadly and threw a cautious stare when she found the counter unmanned. Her cautiousness lead her eyes over to the clerk talking to some customer holding more stuff than he could carry. The pile itself was filled with various weapon parts and metals that didn't fit together, at least not entirely so. They're also high-grade and towering over his upper body, speaking of wealth and a body capable and strong. The only thing she could make out of the buyer was his familiar looking cargo pants and terrible voice. But everything's revealed when he turned over to shake the man's hand, grinning a foolish looking smile that Ruby's remembered all too well.
Overcome with a torrent of emotions, Ruby zoomed over to the thief, using her speed Semblance to push her. Her target barely caught her eyes, narrowly avoiding the ball of black and red, allowing her slip by with his foot out and trip. The crashed that happened after distracted everyone long enough for Ron to move over to the counter while the owner was left steaming from Red's sudden crash. He's left to take care of the mess as Ron held back a smile, instantly remembering the ball of anger and adorableness from a few nights prior.
How convenient she found him by accident. Ron had his fair share of running into people he didn't expect to run into. What a small world they live.
He's not dumb. He knew exactly why she charged at him. He recognized her the moment she lunged at him. Nothing out of context for the sidekick, but if there's anything Ron's been good with, it's getting out of a sticky sitch. That included making Little Red the bad guy in their upcoming play. And he doubt she remembered her lines.
The clerk pulled Ruby out the mess she's made, ripping the bucket off her head. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, kid? You almost hit my customer!" Ruby's too dizzy to answer, seeing spots. And the clerk frowned and grabbed her by the hood, physically dragging her out. "Forget it! You're out of here! Damn kids and all their running around!"
Catching her senses, Ruby shook her head and remembered why she did what she did, glaring heroically at the thief waving her off. She tried to make another lunge for it, but was pulled back by the man's angry strength, getting choked slightly in the process. Before she could even talk sense to the man, she's thrown out onto the curb, followed by a soft click of the door to tell her he'd locked her out.
Ruby banged on the glass door a few seconds later, voice slightly muffled through the glass. "You don't understand! He's a criminal! A thief!"
This stopped the clerk dead in his tracks, interest suddenly captured. His head whipped over to an innocent Ron. "A thief!"
Stuck in the crosshairs, Ron felt a wad of cash suddenly being dropped into his pocket, without even needing to ask what or who, he knew it was Neo's doing. Grinning, he pulled out the large stack of money and held it out for the man to see, effectively erasing any doubt of Red's bogus claim. She's almost literally foaming at the mouth, twitching with a tick in her step as Ron playful smirked at her, shaking the Lotus Blade, that's returned to his hand, in casual, utter disappointment.
"As you can see..." Ron chuckled perfectly, adding a terrible accent to his speech. "That little girl over there is clearly delusional. I have more than enough to pay for all this equipment or my name isn't Rich Richardton the Third! Dashing all, I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life."
The clerk rubbed his hands together; pulling down some nearby blinds to block Ruby's squished appearance. "I do apologize, sir! I'll throw in a few rounds of Dust on the house for your troubles."
Holding back a laugh, Ron dropped most of the wad onto the counter, throwing in a little extra of the shop's own money into the mix. "No problem my dear boy, and here's a generous tip for all your troubles! Try not to spend it all in one place!" Pausing, Ron looked at the load in his hands and thought about the off chance that Neo would actually help him carry the supplies back. Knowing she wouldn't, Ron held up a finger. "Actually, if could spare a few bags, my good sir, that would be most useful. And dash it all if I'm not wealthy."
Exiting the shop with his bags of purchased goods, Ron's met with the same girl he ran into and fought last night with. She's glaring coldly at his presence, arms crossed in a challenging way. To be perfectly blunt, Ron's not entirely sure how to react to her sudden appearance. Back in his own world the roles were always reversed. Never before had he been on the guilty side. Suffice to say, Ron's a little lost on how to approach this delicate sitch—lost, but not directionless.
Taking a slow step left, she moved in sync, although much faster. Taking a slow step right, she did the same, just as fast. Her arms were slowly getting drawn to her hip where her scythe weapon remained, her fingers dance along in the air, waiting for Ron to make another move. Except Ron did no such thing, taking the silence with a guiltless expression, but she's not fooled, frowning on a face that had little to no practice with the expression. It's almost cute and adorable in its own special way. Ron would even insult her on it, already having at least three taunts ready on the tip of his tongue.
The Lotus Blade eventually caught onto Ron's curious, amusing emotions, silently hovering over his shoulder to get a better look at the cause for such conflicting feelings. It appeared to be peering down at the hooded girl, leveling with the way she suddenly glared at it, emotions clear as day on her face.
Sighing, Ron smiled. "Hey—!"
"You!" she roared, appearing before him in a flutter of rose petals. By the time they dissipate, her hand had found his wrist, her scythe was pressed up to his chest, and his bags have fallen to the floor. "I've got you! You're not getting away this time! I'm taking you straight to the police!"
Having fared his own share of threats over his work as a sidekick to a hero, Ron took the threat with little vigor, knowing Neo's hidden somewhere around the area if anything was to go wrong. The fear in him was still very real, but the sidekick had always had fear. Plus, without a death ray staring him down, a scythe just didn't pack the same punch as others would think. It's not her, it's him. Wait! No. He's lying. It's her, one-hundred and ten percent her.
Taking him straight to the police? C'mon! That's child's play!
Glaring, Ron used one finger to push the scythe down, finding his strength a lot more vast compared to the few nights before. He's not sure if it's Aura or his Mystical Monkey Power's fault, or even possibly both, but he's not exactly complaining, glad for the extra power. And it did help him sell his new villainous persona, however haunting it was to the sidekick hero mentality. Anything to honestly get ahead in his new life, which included being on the wrong side of the law, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Finding her adding extra force to her push, Ron grabbed the non-blade part of the weapon, using his full hand to push it away now. In a show of force, she did try to push his efforts back, but she's using her better hand holding his wrist while he's left to use his stronger one to best her weaker one's grip.
"I'll give you points for trying." Ron teased, suddenly grabbing her hand with the one trapped. "But you have a lot to learn. You can't just go around screaming whatever you want. People are gonna think you're crazy. You honestly didn't help yourself back there with the crashing."
"That was your fault!"
Ron laughed. "Details, details!" Pushing her weapon away, Ron took a step forward, pushing the struggling girl back. A few more feet later, he stopped, tilting his head to the side. "By the way, lose the cape! It's only going to hold you back!"
She tried to push him back, but the Lotus Blade held Ron in place. This time her weapon's aimed in a way he couldn't be pushed back. It's almost an even struggle, but Ron's coming out on top this time. She threw everything she had into it, fueling her muscles with much needed Aura, but Ron's powers react with the same force, keeping them in a stalemate of their own design. Well, almost. Ron's still physically stronger than her by a technical and natural standpoint.
Losing the battle, she didn't let go of his hand. "It's not cape! It's a cloak!"
Tug!
Feeling a sudden force tug on cloak, she's pulled back, letting go of Ron's hand in the struggle. The power behind the pull threw her back, tumbling her across the pavement with her weapon sliding alongside her defeated form. By the time she sat up, his shadow's looming over her with a second person tagging along, tri-colored and all. Her smirk's even more villainous than his, sinister in more ways than one.
The sidekick towered over her, laughing alongside a smirking Neo while he aimed the Lotus Blade at her prone form. "Cloak... hoodie... same difference. It's all so amateurish."
Ron laughed at Ruby's puffed out cheeks, reading her body language like a comic book. He grabbed his stolen goods from off the floor, pretending her need for justice didn't remind him of another certain person he once followed. And before she could even scream her lungs out, Ron slipped a few liens into her choker, having no need for such trivial objects, not while he's working for a Master Criminal.
"Here... for your troubles!"
Ruby threw her hand out, narrowly missing them both as they disappear in a shatter of glass. She never noticed them running off in the distance, vanishing from her line of sight before she could figure out what's truly going on. And as she stood up, she grabbed the lien stuffed in her collar, shaking slightly in place with constrained anger. Again he got away! Again he's made her look like a fool! And again that weapon of his was out of her reach!
Crumpling the lien in her hand, Ruby kicked some imaginary dust. "Darn it!"
...
Reaching their hideout, Ron dropped the bag of supplies onto the wooden table, taking the closest seat to rest on. His legs were spread out and his head's thrown back. A few of the supplies roll off the table, lifeless without someone to move them, but Ron failed to be that person. On the negative side, Neo's invading his personal bubble, reaching for the Lotus Blade tucked between his fingers with adorable fascination that Ron knew Neo will gut him later if he ever told Roman.
Not to say he's sorely tempted, because he was, very much so.
Feeding her hunger, Ron grabbed the Lotus Blade and willed it to turn into the death ray Neo was playing with earlier, shoving the machine right into her greedy hands. Off she ran to incinerate Naco knew what, leaving Ron without a weapon or manual to start on Roman's new cane. And while he's head aching over the subject, Ron glanced around the empty lair, silently wondering where his boss was. Couldn't be too far? Ron doubted Roman would go anywhere without his cane.
Ignoring the way Neo's destroying everything in her path; Ron sighed and got up, curious to Roman's current whereabouts. If he's going to make him a new weapon, then he's gotta know what Roman liked and disliked. Knowing the ins and outs of his new boss could only benefit the sidekick. And a part of him didn't want to be left alone with Neo, not while she's spring cleaning the hell out of their lair. Plus, it gave him time to think. Like how he's going to even start on a new weapon for Roman. Not to say he didn't have experience working on weapons of destruction—ergo Drakken—Ron's just not confident in the whole building a doomsday weapon thing, hence why he relied more on Mystical Monkey Magic, not science.
Searching for Roman for the better part of five minutes, Ron gave up, figuring the guy must've taken some secret tunnel or escape hatch to wander off. The lair's only so big to hide. A more logical point was that he's just not around, having other affairs to take care. An even better point was Roman had more than one cane. All very good assumptions, but he lacked the backbone or reason to care enough to ponder over the sitch. And unless Neo's going to help—an unlikely scenario all on its own right—Ron didn't feel like searching anymore. That Red girl kind of threw a wrench into his whole good mood, anyways.
Acting all hero-like! It made him sick to his stomach and soul. What gave her the nerve to remind him of his checkered past? Ron's still trying to move past it, and seeing someone act like a hero wasn't exactly helping with his ten-step program. He's already engrossed in guilt, did she have to treat him like a villain? What's her deal?
Groaning out loud, Ron walked stepped out the warehouse. "This is so sick and wrong. I majorly need some fresh air."
Outside the warehouse there wasn't much to look at it. Now that it wasn't so dark outside and he had time to explore, Ron took in the sites. They're located in some rundown cargo bay, vastly different compared to the one Roman found him in. The floor's still littered with broken glass, but that must be due to some of the windows being damaged. In all, the place had seen better days, but sure as hell beat sleeping on the streets, that's for damn sure.
Venturing further out, Ron found the edge of the water splashing against the concrete. He quietly sat down, dangling his feet with his arms spread back. The salty air mixed with his skin and hair, leaving a tingling behind. Ron's used to it. He's used to a lot of things he's slowly figuring out. Weird how a person never noticed them until they're stranded on some uncharted island or a weird world where monsters roam the forest, the idea alone tickled his nose.
Spotting a few fish splash by, Ron leaned forward and wrapped his arms around one of his knees, burying part of his face into his cargo pants. His sad eyes continue to roam the vast, empty sea, lost in both thought and sight. His soul and heart hurt in more ways than one. It's all just so sickeningly ironic. When did he become the bad guy?
You don't understand! He's a criminal! A thief!
Narrowing his eyes, Ron picked up a piece of concrete and chucked it out into the ocean. What did that wannabe hero know? Nothing! She didn't understand what it's like to have an unfair life! The world wasn't so black and white. Ron Stoppable had seen his fair share of silver throughout his lifetime. Not to say Little Red was wrong, but she's not entirely right, because in the end of the day, she, too, didn't understand his plight. Not even Roman and Neo fully understood his pain, but they at least redirect it, they distract him from the bigger picture. It's definitely better than nothing.
"I miss you, KP." Ron's surprised he said that out loud. He's doubly surprised to find out Kim's nickname didn't hurt as much to say, anymore. "I wonder if you would be disappointed in me. In the bad choices I've made."
If Ron Stoppable expected some answer from the calm, blue ocean, he didn't get one.
...
Returning with some grub, Roman casually strolled into the warehouse, throwing his hat off the moment he stepped inside. He fished his coat pocket for a cigar, heading toward an area where he expected to find Neo and Ron, and what he found was Neo snoozing on their couch, feet up and head hanging over the edge. Judging by the amount of destroyed equipment, she's tired herself out. Not even Cinder knew that Neo's secretly a lazy person, and given enough alone time, she'd fall right into a light snooze in the middle of the day.
It's one of Neo's more eccentric and lackluster qualities.
Roman whistled into the room and took a quick pause before lighting his cigar. There, in the corner of the lair, was Ron's magical sword leaning over a Weapons Magazine. It's flipping through the pages with a magical gloved hand, appearing completely enthralled with all the gizmos and gadgets before it. And if he stared hard enough, the criminal could swear each gesture showed genuine emotion coming from the mystical blade.
"Now that's just not right."
Lighting his cigar, Roman peered over to the pile of expensive machinery and metal on the table, surprised and not-surprised at the haul Stoppable and Neo managed to pull in. This must be all going to his new cane, since no other reasons come to mind. Ron certainly didn't need a new weapon and Neo was happy with hers. Now that just left the question to where Ron's at? He's easily not here, but he couldn't be too far away. Roman doubted the magical sword would venture off too far from its supposed master.
Grabbing his cane from off the back of the chair, Roman put the food down and walked over to the Lotus Blade, finding its interest in the ins and outs of weaponry a plus and an oddity all at the same time. There's a very high chance that he'd never see anything stranger than this sight for the rest of his life, but he's not betting on that. Who knew what else Ron could bring to the table? This might become a running gag for all he knew.
"Hey... where's Stoppable?" His answer's met with a sign pointing with a pointed direction. "Uh... thanks." Roman didn't think he'd get use to the sword having a mind of its own. "You keep doing... whatever it is you're doing."
Following the direction the sword pointed, Roman left the warehouse, already coming to a conclusion where he might find the kid. The litter around him didn't bother him and the glass broke beneath his feet. His legs take him to the edge of cargo bay, where Ron's watching the water pass lazily by with one of those melodramatic, poetic looks. A little cliché for his tastes, but the payoff usually ended up his favor.
Standing behind Ron, Roman leaned on his cane, enjoying the taste of cigar. "What are you doing?"
"Thinking..." Ron answered absently.
Blowing out a puff of smoke, the criminal huffed. "I can see that, genius. But alright, what's going on in that head of yours?"
Sighing, Ron got up, fixing Roman a harmless smile. Of course the man could see right through it, but that's the idea. "Just thinking about my old home. I'm wondering how my family's doing. This world is just so different."
Raising a brow, Roman poked Ron on the shoulder with his cane. "Still riding on that story about being from a different world?" Ron remained silent. "I'm sure your family's fine, stop worrying so much. Hell! I didn't even know you had one."
Ron laughed easily, hiding his pain with a half-lidded smile. "It comes with the story."
Figuring the kid needed a break; Roman threw his hand over Ron's shoulder, finding it a pain to have the kid all mopey. "C'mon, I got us some grub."
Taking the distraction, Ron allowed Roman to remove him from the scenery. "I hope you got tacos!"
"They're burgers."
A minute later Roman and Ron reenter the warehouse with the Lotus Blade still flipping through the magazines. Every few seconds it transformed into the weapon or gizmo seen on the page, learning the functions behind the object with magical interest. It's weird that both the guys didn't find the scene all that weird. In the meantime, Neo's waking up, eyes instantly locked onto the bags of food Roman brought, and before any of them could get a word in, she teleported to the table in a flash, hunger beyond ravenous.
Joining her, Roman brushed the junk, that Neo and Ron bought, off the table. They settle down to enjoy the burgers with Roman listening to Ron talking about what happened at Crazy Dagger. Ron's very eccentric with the tale, eventually calling the Lotus Blade over so he could use its magical, amazing powers to create a few sock puppets. Why he didn't just create a screen that projected exactly what happened was beyond him, but Neo's enjoying the reenactment.
Talking slightly with his mouth full, Ron showed how Red crashed into a pile of appliances. "And this was the part where I tripped her. The owner was so mad he kicked her out. And then we used his own money to pay for the stuff."
Finding the story amusing, Roman chuckled a little, finding it ironic Ron ran into the same girl from two nights ago. "You know, you have some dumb luck right there."
Ron used the Neo sock puppet to drive his point. "It's called dumb skill, get it right. Dumb skill!"
"It's just dumb!" Roman countered, looking over to Neo to find her playing with Ron's sock puppet. "I'm guessing she tried to stop you?"
Ron laughed. "You don't know the half of it! She was going to drag me to the police!"
They all shared a good, villainous laugh over that. The atmosphere around them uplifted and Ron no longer felt sad inside. Roman sort of enjoyed a companion that talked back and understood when to make a joke or how to read a situation. Neo liked someone closer to her age, and his weapon only added to the ever growing pot of Ron Stoppable's qualities. Just like one big, happy, evil family.
...
Across town, Ruby Rose glowered as she walked around Vale, cheeks slightly puffed. Her face was red with anger and slight embarrassment. And worst of all, she had no Dust to show for it. That jerk had been a thorn in her side since she ran into him. Now how was she supposed to buy Dust? Everywhere was even more overpriced than Crazy Dagger thanks to the robbery! A sad, miserable thought if the Rose ever heard of one. There's no way she could afford her Dust rounds and food for the week. Not with the limited allowance her dad gave her. And Ruby's too prideful to ask her dad for more.
Walking aimlessly around Vale, Ruby prayed she could find another shop that sold Dust rounds. Her search lead her to look through display windows, totally not paying any real attention to where she's walking. Not until she bumped into someone who's too busy reading his acceptance letter to Beacon to watch where he's walking as well.
Crash!
She fell flat on her butt, owing from the sudden collision. Before she could even open her eyes, a hand was hastily offered to her. Up that arm lead to a blond fool who was smiling apologetically, looking flustered beyond belief for knocking her down.
"I'm sorry!" Jaune cried, laughing awkwardly. "I wasn't looking where I was going! It was a total accident! Please forgive me!"
Peering up, Ruby smiled, glad for some chivalry in this awful world. She accepted his hand, enjoying the way he pulled her up. "Don't worry about it! It was both our faults! I wasn't looking where I was going, either."
Jaune sighed. "Still, as a guy I have to be more careful. Knocking a lady down is very rude of me and should never have happened."
Ruby really liked this blonde's gallantry, her eyes shined with unrestraint joy. He definitely showed way more charisma than that dumb jerk. Even if people did say that chivalry was dead, it was still nice and kind to run into a guy who still lived in the old ways. Ruby Rose was a sucker for those old ways.
Giggling, Ruby peered over to the Beacon acceptance letter crushed up in his hand, a reflex from crashing into her. Her attitude got better as she wiped the letter out of his hand, jumping up for joy.
"Oh! You're going to Beacon? Me too!" Ruby yelled excitingly. She pushed the letter back into his chest. "My name's Ruby Rose! I can't wait for next week! It's going to be so awesome!"
Jaune didn't fully share in her excitement, afraid he might mention his forged transcripts. Having seen how young that other dude looked, working for the bad guys no less; Jaune couldn't help but think he'd dodged some bullet while being forced to take another one. The guy looked out of place there, but Jaune's just happy that wasn't him stuck there. Still, it left a decent hole in his chest filled with doubt and lingering emotions of skepticism.
Even still, Ruby's obviously waiting for him to throw his own two cents. "Ah, I'm Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it!"
Ruby tilted her head, hiding her adorable smile. "Do they? Do they really?"
"I don't know." Jaune shrugged, smiling in what he hoped to be heroic. He leaned over Ruby, being much taller than her. "Do they?"
Breaking off her façade, Ruby laughed at Jaune, not noticing the Arc's confidence plummet. She found his pickup line cheesy and overly confident. Funny enough, they still work, and she found out that she did in fact like it.
"I'm kidding..." she smiled. "It does roll off the tongue. I like it." Humming to herself, Ruby stepped closer. "So Beacon, huh? You ready to kick butt and become heroes!"
Again, Jaune didn't exactly share in her enthusiasm, but he did throw a halfhearted fist up. "As ready as I'm ever going to be." Remembering how they both weren't looking where they were going, Jaune asked. "So what's got you sight-seeing?"
Recalling her reason for crashing into him, Ruby pouted. "Oh... I'm just for some place that sells Dust for cheap. But everywhere is so expensive, and all because of dumb thieves stealing it all! It's so... dumb!"
Feeling her anger, Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out a few Dust shards he brought from home. In hindsight, not one of his better ideas, Crocea Mors couldn't even utilize the power of Dust. Jaune's not even sure on how to make Dust work. Another problem for the Arc, but he's not complaining that much. In all honesty, he should've known better.
"Oh! I have some Dust. I don't use it. I brought it from home. You can have it. Consider it an apology for bumping into you." He pushed them into Ruby's hand. "I know it's not much, but it's better than—!"
"Oh thank you, thank you!" Ruby yelled, hugging Jaune in a tight hug. She definitely likes his chivalrous streak. "You have no idea how much I needed this. You're the best! But are you sure... you don't have to if you don't want to."
Jaune laughed with an awkwardly pause. "It's no problem. What are friends for?"
Ruby picked up on the undertone of his statement, seeing the question for what it was. She slid up to him; smile brighter than the sun and attitude better as well. After the past few days she had, Jaune proved to be the ray of sunshine she needed to feel better. And having a friend here sounded better than relying on Yang all the time.
"Yup! Friends! You wanna go explore Vale some more? I've only been here a few days."
Jaune grinned, leading the way. "Me too! I just got here! With Beacon just around the corner, I figured I take in the sights. And let me tell you, this kingdom is big. Like really, really big! A guy can get lost here."
Ruby followed Jaune, hiding her hands behind her back. She listened to him ramble with a good heart, enjoying Jaune's rant about their not being enough signs scattered around the kingdom. Life may be unfair sometimes, but other times it's completely perfect. Maybe her day wasn't totally ruined after all. That dumb jerk may have evaded justice twice, but at least she got to meet Jaune because of it.
...
Hunched over a metal table, Ron looked over the crudely written notes he had taken. Off to the side was a pile of junk he knew little to nothing to do with. Next to him were Roman's cane and the Lotus Blade. His weapon's hovering over his shoulder, looking between the notes, pile of equipment, and Roman's cane, silent throughout the entire exchange. An hour passed by without either of them noticing, and Roman's entering the room, whistle loud and echoing.
Roman leaned over Ron's hunched body. "So... got my weapon ready?"
Ron threw his head back, groaning. "Cut me some slack! I'm not going to have it done in a day! What am I? A miracle worker?" Ron waved his hand off. "Besides, you never told me what you wanted added to your cane. That would help, a lot."
Smirking, Roman kept his demands simple. He pulled out a blueprint from his coat pocket, dropping it onto Ron's desk. "This. I want this."
Grabbing the paper, Ron's eyes roam over the design. He couldn't make out the applications behind most of it, but he did understand the function, kind of hard not to with the notes of the previous owner being scribbled on top. The idea of his cane being twice as powerful with a stronger barrel coating and increase speed sounded perfect out loud. The actually implications to make such a weapon was still lost to him, but that's what Mystical Monkey Magic was for. And now that he knew what Roman wanted, well, it's not so impossible anymore.
Grabbing the Lotus Blade, Ron willed the weapon to turn into the blueprint design. A bright light later and Ron and Roman were looking at the cane Roman wanted. It's simple in color, nothing too crazy for just a design test. And Ron willed the cane to float and then break apart; piece by piece until all the parts to create such a weapon was before them, floating in the air to be note taken.
Roman's beside himself. "So..."
Sighing, Ron grabbed a piece of metal, hoping his very limited knowledge of algebra sufficed for what needs to be done. "Give me a few hours."
Slapping Ron the back, Roman left the room, leaving the door wide open. Ron, on the other hand, grabbed Roman's weapon and began to take it apart. Luckily, the Lotus Blade watched over him, stopping him every now and again from removing features that didn't need to be removed. When all the corrected pieces were torn off, Ron grabbed sheets of metal and wiring, beginning the impossible task of science. Fortuitously enough, he had good old magic to help him along.
...
When Ron stepped out of the room a few hours later, he's covered in oil and grime, his hair's going everywhere and there's smoke on the tips of locks. The Lotus Blade's proudly strapped to his back with Roman's new and improved cane resting in his hands. It lacked color, a feature Roman personally would have to fix, but as long as it functioned the way he wanted it to, then there's no real problems that need to be addressed.
Tossing him the cane, the Master Criminal caught it and did a quick reload of Dust rounds, and promptly aimed it outside. His intended target's a random tanker. Firing, the blast moved twice as fast, packing three times the firing power than before. The poor tanker's actually flung a bit back, rolling on the ground with a giant hole where metal used to be. Neo actually ran over to check the damage, blinking in surprise before throwing Roman a quick thumbs up.
Ron whistled, having no idea how powerful he made the blasted thing. "I'm glad I'm not on the wrong end of that."
Holding his cane with an innocent glare, Roman looked over to Ron. "This is way more kick than what I asked for."
"What?" Ron challenged with a lazy shrug of his shoulders. "You don't like it?"
A smirk formed on Roman's face, answering Stoppable's question. He leaned on the cane, impressed by the large hole in the tanker. "No, no, you already went through all the trouble. Be a shame not to accept such fine craftsmanship."
Showing no emotion, Ron dropped himself on the couch, exhausted from dodging all the almost-explosions during the making of Roman's new cane. Thank goodness he wore mission gloves all the time, or he would've definitely burned himself a few times. His mission outfit also proved vital, protecting him from static discharge. Don't even get him started with how many times the Lotus Blade saved his butt.
"So..." Ron yawned, watching the sun set in the horizon. "What now?"
Grabbing the rare, black Dust shard from the table, Roman smirked and attached the Dust shard into a hidden compartment in the curve of the handle of his cane. An ominous sensation began to build in Ron's bones, but his curiosity overcame it all. Soon enough, Roman's clicking the Dust in place, pacing over to Ron with a confident smirk that spoke of power and control.
"Now..." Roman trailed. "Now we have a job to get ready for."
Adding some Aura to the handle, both Ron and Neo felt a sudden pull grab their souls. Neo's more in touch to her Aura, so the effect's stronger on her, but even Ron with his little training in Aura affected him. Not only that, but the nearby Dust shards were all acting out, dulling in color ever so slowly until they're one shade away from black. At that point, they remain fixated at those shades. They're essentially a complete absence of light.
Feeling his dormant Mystical Monkey Powers react more, Ron frowned, grabbing a random Ice Dust shard. "What's happening? It's freaking me out!"
Roman's smirk widened. "That is all thanks to this little guy here." Revealing the Dust shard, he laughed. "There's a reason this is so rare. Every once in a while a Black Dust shard is unearthed. And it has the power to disrupt Aura and Dust in about a hundred feet radius."
Ron asked the question both Neo and him had. "Exactly how rare is that Dust?"
Roman fixed the shard back into his cane. "This is only the fifth piece that's ever been found. That's how rare this little gem is."
Ron raised a brow. No wonder that place they stole it from was state-of-art. Only magic could break into that shop and steal that Dust shard. Now Ron knew Neo wouldn't have been able to pull of that job, at least not without putting herself in grave danger. Still, this was just another problem Ron saw with society, both here and in his own world. People always tended to brag what they had; this included rare, valuable items that the public shouldn't have knowledge of.
Dropping the weaken ice shard, Ron focused on his Aura, truly feeling his Aura disrupted in a way. It was like a cold hand was gripping him by the neck, squeezing just tight enough to let air pass. Good thing he had more than one power to bank on, one that didn't seem to be affected at all by Roman's new accessory.
Understanding the mechanics behind it, Ron smiled. "With that... all Dust within a hundred foot radius is useless. Badical!" What needed no words was how this Dust was going to help stick a fork in Cinder "So when are we leaving! I'm feeling feisty! Booyah!"
Checking the setting sun, Roman went over and put his fedora back on. A dark smile encased his features, shadows loomed to his center, and Neo admired his evilness. His new cane and power really tipped the scales in his favor. His new left-hand only reinforced his power against Cinder, and their experience engulfed that of Cinder's henchmen in the darkest shadows, only this time, they have their own little ball of light to lead them through the shadows themselves.
"Get ready to leave in about half an hour. I don't want any delays."
"Any henchmen?" Ron asked.
Roman thought about it, truly, purposely thought about it, and came to the perfect conclusion. "No. This one is going to be a team exercise. Get ready, kiddies. The fun's only beginning."
Ron sighed, ready as he'd ever be for this job. Neo ran up to Ron, sliding up beside him. Without even needing to ask, he handed her the Lotus Blade, transforming the weapon into her favorite death ray to play with. Sadly enough, she's running out of boxes and junk to vaporize, and Ron feared she'd make him go out and collect more stuff to destroy. If that wouldn't be a waste of his time, then he's a monkey's uncle.
Half an hour took an unbearable amount of time to pass, but finally the moment arrived with the sun fully set in the horizon. They load up in a Bullhead Ron didn't know Roman had lying around, and they're off. No words were said between the three of them for various reasons.
One, at this point Roman didn't need to tell them how to rob a Dust shop, and he's too busy messing around with his new weapon, painting the colors he wanted to mix-and-match. Two, Neo's eating some of her ice-cream—which she had yet to share—completely enthralled by the Neapolitan flavor. Ron knew there's a correlation in there, somewhere. And three, Ron, oddly enough, was finding the idea of doing another mission exhilarating. Most likely all these heist and stakeouts have reminded him of his former life. He didn't want to think that's the real reason, but the sidekick didn't like lying to himself. Not anymore. Not when there's no one to impress.
Landing down on the roof of the building across the Dust shop, Ron tilted his head at the target. It's a simple Dust shop with a non-simple name.
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow?" Ron choked, holding back a laugh. "What? Did they rip that off from that old movie?"
Roman blinked at Ron. "What?"
Just remembering that this was a different world, Ron laughed quietly. "Uh, never mind."
Sliding down the fire escape, the trio walked over to the Dust shop, all innocent and non-threatening. Ron's heart was racing. Just like every mission before this, he always questioned his life choices that got him here, but this small moment of thought and what if was always a short-lived adventure, because soon they're entering the shop with a soft jingle of the bell, alerting their presence to the old man manning the counter.
Roman didn't beat around the bush and pointed his cane at the surprise old-timer, smirking with a case waiting to be filled with all their Dust. "Just make this simple and hand over everything you got. No need for money." The old guy tried to stand his ground, but Roman fired a round of his new and improved cane at the Dustless side of the store, creating a large hole for all to see. "Now!"
"Did you really have make a hole right there? There's bound to be people coming now." Ron asked, grabbing the Dust vials from off the shelves. He's loading them up alongside the panicked man, quickening the job. "And more people equals bad."
"Don't worry about it..." Roman grinned, pointing at Neo. "We have a Neo!"
Ron found it hard to argue with that reasoning, and settled to lean easy on the counter. True to Roman's word, Neo made the man move faster with the tip of her umbrella aimed at the poor dude's throat. Her sadistic smile was one Ron's seen many times on both Shego's and Monkey Fist's face. And the sidekick found it sick and wrong that he sort of missed that devilish grin.
Crash!
Roman hardly bat an eye to the way a red blur crashed through the display window and tackled Ron. He glared impassively over to the area where the crash ended, instantly recalling that red cloak from a few nights before. Failing to see his left-hand in any danger, Roman resumed stealing the rest of the Dust, knowing Ron could handle Red back there. And if push came to shove, they have a Neo!
Opening his eyes, Ron found his blue orbs coming face-to-face with the passionate, silvery ones he'd come to know so personally. Fear quickly grabbed him, but soon let him go soon after. And quickly he realized she's holding him down with her weight alone, resting on his chest with her hands used to pin his arms above his head. Ironically enough, it wasn't the first time Ron had ever been in this position. Whenever Kim needed a sparring partner, well, she didn't really give him the option to say no. He never won a single fight, but fighting the female body did build up an immunity for certain positions.
Grinning like a fool, Ron laughed. This girl must've heard the explosion caused by Roman. "We have to stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk."
Glaring harder at the jerk, Ruby got ready to throw a powerful fist forward, more than prepared to wipe that smug grin off his face, and maybe a few teeth. Her efforts prove to be all in vain when a random glove grabbed her forearm and threw her back, across the store with a tremendous amount of force. She quickly got up, knocking down merchandise, to find out the glove was a floating entity that threw. Her eyes only narrow more when the glove turned into that sword of his, almost mockingly floating for her eternal displeasure. How could she forget about that sword's power? How could she forget about the sword completely? It's the thing that saved that jerk last time.
Losing his smile, Ron cracked his neck and grumbled. "Three times in a row. Wow, you must really want to be the hero in this story. Too bad you're doing it all wrong. Now! I would've done a sneak attack. Now you've only blown your cover! Good job. I'll give you points for trying, but your technique could use some work. Where's the witty taunt at? The gadgets? Anything? You just charged at me with no game plan!" Ron laughed. "So amateurish."
Hating his taunt, Ruby dashed forward, but was met with a surprise kick from that same Neapolitan looking girl. Roman's feeling awfully generous. Poor Ron didn't look like he wanted to deal with Little Red right now. At the sight of him throwing his hand forward, Neo had jumped to Ron's rescue, being far more of a challenge for the girl with a giant scythe. And to be fair, he's getting tired of Little Red's interference. Neo should be able to push her down a peg or two, if she didn't end up killing her first. Both preferable outcomes, but Ron might not enjoy having Ren's blood on his hands.
So Roman's counting on Neo to break Little Red's fighting spirit.
Taking his good luck with stride, Ron quickly scavenged the rest of the Dust he could physically carry into a bag, and ran outside and back to the Bullhead. His opposition's met with an invisible force holding him in place, floating him in mid-air like some crazy magic. The invisible power then turned him around so he could come face-to-face with an older looking blonde with a riding crop pointed directly at him. She's mean looking, stern in every possible way, shape, and form. And her posture spoke of experience far outside of Ron's league.
She reminded the sidekick of Steve Barkin.
"Give up." She said with such conviction that it chilled the sidekick to the bone. "You're trapped."
Frowning, Ron grabbed the Lotus Blade, willing it to counter the levitation powers of hers with the magical sword's same power. Doing so allowed him to retouch the ground, but every second Ron could feel this crazy chick's power bearing down on him. Without even needing to ask, Ron knew the Lotus Blade's too busy keeping him grounded to have the power to transform.
How troublesome.
"Not bad!" Ron teased, picking up the bags from the floor. "But there's never been a trap that could hold me, you know, unless it's a trap-trap."
Surprised he managed to break free, the witch tried to increase her hold over him, but she's met with an equally oppressive force. Then her concentration was completely shot when a powerful and fast projectile was colliding with her, thrusting her far back with an explosive force. Ron barely had time to blink before Roman's stepping out of the shop with a suitcase filled with all the Dust. Then he's tossing the case over to Ron, silently urging him to hurry up while Neo and him take care of the nuisances.
To even see Roman take charge made Ron swiftly pick up the remaining Dust from off the floor, and reattach the Lotus Blade to his back. And he's almost done until a third party's stepping onto the plate, grabbing his wrist with a shaky hand.
Looking up, Ron found that same blond guy that Roman sold fake transcripts to, holding his wrist in a show of weak force. It didn't look like he wanted to be here and Ron fully understood why. After all, this dude did buy his way into a Huntsmen school. His skills couldn't be that bueno. And his eyes show way more fear than the sidekick's ever had. In some ways, Ron could almost see this guy as his parallel opposite in this world. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so downright sad and depressing. Almost like the mirror he's looking at was broken and deformed for his own viewing displeasure.
Standing up, Ron ignored the guy's hold, throwing him an easy smirk. "And what are you doing here? I know you can't fight."
Jaune remained silent, knowing Ruby's going to need all the help she could get. An Arc never abandoned a friend, but who the third person was or why she jumped in to help was a total mystery to him, even more so than Ruby charging headfirst into battle when she saw the place getting robbed. And as much as he wanted to run away, the Arc code wouldn't let him.
"I can't just let you rob the place."
Ron sighed and tried to level with him. "Face it, dude, you're out of your league. Just let me go and no one has to get hurt."
Ron Stoppable didn't actually know if this guy was out of his league, but mind games were a sidekick's best friend. Just ask Shego back in his world. She loved to toy with Kim and Dr. Drakken. And knowing about his fake transcripts really leveled the playing field.
Jaune answered with his own battle cry, bringing Crocea Mors down at Ron, only to be met with a sword in midair while Ron had yet to move a single muscle. He's staring at Jaune nonchalantly, not surprised by the slightest from his sword floating to block his. The amusement in the sidekick's eyes was hard to miss, and so were his fists connecting with Jaune's stomach, torso, and then chin, all in that order. Without any of his arms being able to block the swift strikes, Jaune staggered back, wobbling between each step.
Disoriented, Jaune's then flung away by his opponent, losing whatever grip he had on the sidekick. Meanwhile, Ron paid him hardly any mind, glancing back to see Neo taking care of that Red girl and Roman dealing with that cold witch. Neo's having little problems, far more skilled than Little Red, in fact, she's practically toying around with her. Roman's a little more pushed back, but he's holding his own just fine, that black Dust was probably evening the playing field. Ron would expect nothing less from his boss.
Having a job to finish, Ron picked up the bags of Dust from the floor and threw the down blond a cautious glance with the Lotus Blade pointed at his fearful eyes. "Seriously dude, it's not even funny. Just stop while you're ahead. You could really get hurt. And I for one don't need that emotional baggage."
Groaning, Jaune raised his weapon with a fake bravo. "You don't know how strong I am."
Ron would give him that. "True, but you aren't strong enough to get into that Huntsmen school of yours. So you can't be that good at fighting. You're like a henchman, maybe."
Jaune spat out some blood, getting back up with Crocea Mors pointed at Ron. "What kind of guy robs Dust shops?!"
Ron rolled his eyes, using the Lotus Blade's will to flick Jaune's weapon back with simple ease. The action stunned the Arc. "And what kind of guys sneaks his way into a fighting school? We can point fingers all day, but it won't solve anything. Just. Stay. Down."
Jaune didn't know what to say to the warning, but he didn't have to. Ruby's suddenly flung to his person, crashing right into him with a powerful push. They're thrown back, away from the fight. Ron actually took the time to use the distraction to glance back and find Neo waving at him, evil grin and all. Her grin turned darker as she rushed to Roman's aid, umbrella out and about. The action proved spirit raising enough for Ron to get his act together.
Smiling lowly, Ron grabbed the Dust off the floor and hightailed it out of there with his mad running away skills. He's certain that Neo would help Roman win the fight. And within minutes of getting into the Bullhead, his certainty proved right. The duo return with smug grins on their face and with Ron's stolen Dust to show for it. A fire had broken out in the Dust shop they stole from, and the airship took to the air to enjoy the show. They're just out of reach from any that witch's control, who's glaring bashfully at the trio.
Leaning out the airship, Neo waved bye with her fingers, winking her eye at the defeated three. Soon Vale's finest were on the scene, watching the Bullhead with all the stolen Dust take off into the night sky. None of their airships could make it in time to stop them, and the trio had left behind no trail that could be tracked. In the end, Glynda Goodwitch's forced to confront Miss Rose once more for answers, taking her blond companion along for the interrogation.
She's going to have to update Roman Torchwick's criminal profile. Apparently, he was the one who stole that incredibly rare Dust. How he did it remained a mystery for the combat professor, one she hoped Ruby Rose might have the answer to. To have such a powerful piece of Dust, equally powerful weapon, and two subordinates with unusual fighting abilities—especially that blond kid—Glynda couldn't take any chances.
"Miss Rose..." Glynda glared, flicking her riding crop hard. Both the teens shrink under her hawkish gaze. "We meet again. I'm sure you have some more answers to share with me."
Author Notes: Edited - 1/8/2018