It's all madness Cr00cy

Chapter 4

New Friends

Cinder Fall was a monster.

Roman Torchwick knew this. He also knew that, as his mother so eloquently put it back in the day, she was not a woman to be fucked with. He knew this from firsthand experience, watching as a few of his men went up in literal flames after he told them to, 'get this bitch out of my way,' during their first meeting.

Better words could have been chosen. He could swear he could still smell them at times.

After that, they'd begun a mutually beneficial partnership, which is what his pride allowed him to call being allowed to live, so long as he carried out her every whim.

But things were about to change! Now, thanks to the little minx that was Neo, he knew one of his 'partner's' secrets, and as as the former owner of one of Vale's oldest and most valuable manuscripts collections once told him, 'knowledge is power.' He'd made the counterargument that guns were power, and the owner had chosen to concede the debate.

He watched as the secret strolled casually along the street, not a care in the world. He looked down to his long-time partner.

"That him Neo?"

He received a happy bob of the head in return.

Well, time to do some old fashion investigation. "If you would be so kind my lady."

Neo tittered silently, as she wrapped them in a cloak of illusion, making them invisible to all those around them. A fun side effect he had discovered to this particular trick was the looks on people's faces when a ghost seemingly shoved them and told them to fuck off. It really was about the little joys in life.

They tailed the guy for around an hour, and as they did, something became disturbingly clear. The guy was connected.

Not the kind of connected like people who thought they were a big deal were, where a club owner or two knew your name, but truly, street level connected. The damn blond couldn't seem to take more than three steps before someone called out or ran up to him, offering him samples of food, flowers, or beer, and he knew them all by name.

Fuck. This guy was connected AND liked. Roman's mind raced, trying to figure out if he recognized him from somewhere. How would someone be operating in HIS city, and at such a deep level, without him knowing his name? It left a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. One that got worse when he saw who the man stopped to talk to next.

Big Daddy Bane was so named because he was fucking big. The man must have been at least 6'5", if not taller, and was a veritable wall of muscle. He WAS East side drug trade, and had the firepower to keep it that way. He was always dressed in the tackiest white suit Roman had ever seen, there was an art to suits after all, but he dared someone to say it to his face. Nobody that wanted to stay breathing very long ran their mouth to Big Daddy. But now? The man looked positively nervous.

Who the hell is this guy!?

"Hey Bane! How's it going?" The blond greeted cheerily.

Roman took note of that, no 'Big Daddy,' no title. He had the power in this relationship.

The giant shuffled nervously, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "Fine, just fine Jaune. How are you?"

Jaune. So, that's his name, huh?

The blond nodded. "Doing good!" He leaned in and grinned at the larger man. "How's the book? You all caught up?"

His eyes widened. This guy was shaking down Bane!

Bane's shoulders slumped as he stared at the ground. "No." He sighed.

Jaune tsked. "This is the second week in a row!"

"I know, I know, I just need a little bit more time!" The mountain of a man begged.

This was bad, real bad. Big Daddy controlled a significant amount of the city's less-than-legal gambling operations in addition to the drug trade. If this guy not only had access to his books, but was able to take money from the man, he was a force to be reckoned with. Roman leaned in, anxious to see how the newcomer handled failure.

The young man laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it! I know you'll get all caught up before next week. I trust you."

Roman felt a chill run down his spine. Of all the reactions that he'd expected, that definitely wasn't one of them. To be so forgiving, to have the power to be so forgiving, was a powerful message. It meant that the money didn't matter to him, it was just a token of submission, and he could continue operations...with or without Big Daddy. And that last line? 'I trust you.' That spoke volumes. He wasn't worried about Bane going anywhere, because there was nowhere to run.

The giant let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for understanding."

"Of course. You have any more tournaments coming up? I'm trying to get Merc back out there."

Dammit! He was into the underground fight circuit too? How vast was this asshole's reach!?

He growled as he motioned for Neo to follow him back down the street into an alley. He had one more source he wanted to check before he unleashed the big guns. He pulled out his scroll and hurriedly dialed the familiar number, tapping his foot impatiently as it rang. A man with dark hair and a beard answered the phone a few moments later.

"What do you want Roman?"

He tsked. "Hey to you too Junior. I need information on a Jaune."

"Roman, you know we have a policy against kissing and telling."

He rolled his eyes. "Not that kind of John you idiot, a guy named Jaune. Tall, young, blond hair."

The man hummed. "Yeah, I know him."

"And?"

"What's it worth to you?"

He groaned. "What do you want?"

"The city cops are starting to sniff around again…"

"I'll take care of it. Jaune. Now."

He large man sighed. "Not much to tell honestly. He's a good guy, friends with the girls. Did freelance work taking care of some leaks and rats for us a while back."

Shit, the guy had gotten his hands dirty? That made him even more dangerous.

"How long ago, and for how long?"

Junior stroked his chin. "Over a year ago for sure. He wasn't at it for too long, maybe six months to a year?"

Damn it! Who rose through the ranks that fast? Soldier to don in a few years? This was bad, real bad.

"Why are you asking after Jaune anyway? He's a friend of the-."

Shit.

"Thanks Junior." He cut the man off as he hung up the phone.

Who didn't this Jaune have in his pocket? He turned to the one reliable source of info he had.

"Neo, you're sure you saw this guy at the house that Cinder was at?"

She nodded.

"And the two brats left before he did?"

She signed at him.

"What do you mean 'he didn't leave?' What was he doing there?"

She shrugged, tapped her finger on her chin in thought, then lit up.

"Got something?"

She nodded excitedly, then made a circle with her index finger and thumb on one hand, and began thrusting the index finger of her other hand through vigorously.

He rolled his eyes. "If he's banging the fire bitch, then I'll eat my damn hat."

She grinned evilly at that.

"Find that shit funny do you? Well, why don't you go find out for us? There's an ice cream sundae in it for you if you find anything good."

Her eyes widened in delight, before she shot him a thumbs up, and seemingly blinked out of existence.

Well mystery man, let's see if you can handle Neo.

Neo was a Monster.

She knew this. She'd certainly been told it enough. Usually by someone whose eyes were wide with fear and screaming at the top of their lungs. Fond of labels, were the soon to be deceased. In truth though, she'd suspected it sometime much earlier on in her life. There'd been other monsters back then, ones that decided to prey on her. She'd decided she didn't like that, not at all. Several corpses later, she'd established a mental hierarchy of sorts. There were monsters, and then there were Monsters.

And Neo? She was a Monster.

However, she was a Monster that enjoyed being entertained. Roman was entertaining, and one of the few people that weren't openly terrified of her. So, she'd adopted him. She was pretty sure he thought it was the other way around, but he could get confused like that. They had a well defined relationship, he provided the entertainment, and she fought off all the would be monsters. It had worked out perfectly so far.

Which is why it was so frustrating when Fire Bitch had sashayed her way into their lives.

Fire Bitch was a Monster, one that she begrudgingly admitted was deserving of a big-ass "M," and it made Neo nervous. She HATED being nervous.

So now, with the chance to strike back at the woman in sight? Neo was ecstatic. All she had to do was pump this guy for information. And if there was one thing that she was good at, it was pumping...wait, nope. She was good at getting people to talk...ironically.

She found him chatting up a balding old man, selling cabbages of all things, at a street stall. She was far more interesting than cabbages in her not-so-humble opinion, so this should be easy. Just waltz up, flash a smile, maybe flash a little more, get Blondie to start talking. Easy peas-

"Oh Gods, it's you!"

Or, the cabbage-man could recognize her, that could happen too. Did they really shake this guy down recently? Times really were lean around here. She mentally shrugged. Oh well, time for option 2 - intimidation.

Blondie looked back and forth between her and the cabbage-man, clearly confused.

"Friend of yours?" He asked the cabbage-man.

That was her cue. She gracefully hopped up onto the counter of the stall and leered at the owner, a wicked smile on her lips.

Yes cabbage-man, tell him who I am.

The man was sweating bullets, eyes frantically searching for an exit from the situation. He licked his lips nervously.

"I-I uh…" He trailed off as she leaned in, her smile widening.

Then something happened that caught her off guard. Blondie laughed. Not a fake laugh, a nervous laugh, but a full on, belly laugh.

"So, this is the competition, huh? I'd worried if I were you Thomas, she seems feisty, and no offense, but she's a lot better looking than you."

The cabbage-man stared at Blondie with eyes wide with fear, but the man's grin held. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest. This man wasn't afraid of monsters, or at least pretended not to be...that made him interesting.

Blondie turned his gaze to her, chuckling as he held out a hand. "Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it."

She stared at his hand in shock for a minute, before signing at him sarcastically.

'Do they though?'

'Sorry, force of habit.'

Her eyes widened as his hands moved through the signs. He caught her surprise and laughed.

"Something me and my sisters used to do for fun. Comes in handy." He winked at her as threw out the pun.

Ok, scratch that, Blondie had just moved up from interesting to entertaining. That was rare air.

She clapped her hands together in excitement. Back to option 1 it was!

She hopped off the counter of the stand and leaned into him, smirking in appreciation at his boldness, as she entered what people kept telling her was considered their 'personal space.' It didn't make much sense to her, she always found it much easier to get personal once you were inside that space.

He chuckled as her looked down at her. "Like that one? You'd be one of the first."

Oh, she intended to be. Gods he was tall. That's ok, the height difference tended to matter less when you weren't vertical anymore.

"Cindy hates puns. Or at least she says she does." He leaned a bit closer and whispered conspiratorially. "I think she's secretly a fan."

Cindy? That reminded her of something. Was she supposed to be doing something? Probably wasn't important. What was important, was that he was talking about another girl. She threw him a pout to show him what she thought about that.

He laughed again. "Wow, now you really remind me of her."

Playing hard to get, huh? Well, she could take care of that. She wrapped them in her Semblance as she reached for the top button of her blouse. Time for a very public, private show.

She wasn't sure what surprised her most out of what happened next. It might be the speed at which his hand shot out and caught her wrist, it might be how gentle but firm his grip was, it very well could have been the genuine apology in his eyes when he spoke.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" He shook his head and held up his left hand, ring proudly in place. "I'm married."

But, what she was almost certain surprised her most, was the viper that suddenly appeared at the end of the man's wrist and struck out at her, sending her flying back onto her rear. She reached for her blade, but the viper had been replaced by a familiar face. A very annoying familiar face.

Crop-top stood beside Blondie, looking down at her and trying to be intimidating. As if, Crop-top has a little "m" monster for sure. A clam-jamming little "m" monster at that.

"Are you ok, Jaune?" She asked.

He looked confused. "Yeah, of course Em." His eyes shot back to her. "Are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?"

Her eyes flicked better the two, and suddenly the pieces fell into place. The ring, Crop-top, Cindy. Her eyes widened. He really wasn't afraid of Monsters.

He was VERY entertaining.

Blondie offered her a hand up, which she accepted. "Sorry about that Neo, this is Em-"

"We know each other." Crop-top cut him off.

He tilted his head. "Hiking buddies?"

Hiking buddies?

Crop-top snorted. "No, Neo's more of a mime enthusiast."

Oh this bitch.

He hummed. "I guess I can see it." He snapped his fingers in excitement. "Hey, I've got an idea! Neo's single too, and looking to meet some guys. You two should go clubbing together, make new friends."

Trying to make alliances, huh? That was Roman's thing, she wouldn't be caught dead with Crop-top.

The tanned girl frowned in agreement. "I don't think we'd get along. Neo always likes putting on more of a show than I do."

And with that, Neo was naked. Well, she wasn't really, but that's what Crop-top wanted her to see.

Oh this very dead bitch. She wanted to play rough? Ok then, she'd give her a show. She cloaked the two of them in her Semblance, hiding them from the rest of the world, and cracked her knuckles.

Jaune stared between the still image of the two girls staring each other down and tsked. "Em, be nice."

"I'll be nice Jaune, I promise." Crop-top said slowly, trying to keep up a strong front as Neo approached. "Can you go find Merc? He's back down the way I came, looking for you."

The blond sighed as he started back down the street. "Fine, just make sure everyone stays in one piece."

No promises Blondie.

Roman watched as the blond haired man peeled off from the two girls, hearing his last minute instructions to keep the battle contained. As much as he hated to admit it, the guy was smart. He knew he couldn't keep two wild cards like Neo and Emerald contained, so he'd let them have their spat, so long as it didn't disrupt business.

It was exactly what he would have done.

He growled as he watched the man walk back down towards the direction of Cinder's other, silver haired dog. He was tired of being a spectator. He was tired of listening to how much everyone liked this guy on the street. Of how he was making moves on HIS territory. It was time for a face to face.

"Hey Jaune!" He called out, causing the blond to whip around with a confused look on his face. Good, he was off balance.

The blond squinted. "Do I know you?"

Roman grit his teeth. This blond bastard, pretending that he didn't know exactly who he was talking to!

He reeled himself in. He had to play this cool. He laughed and held out a hand as he approached. "Maybe not. I'm Roman Torchwick, and this is MY street." AND my city.

The blond considered him for a moment. "Are you sure?" He pointed down the way. "That corner belongs to Bane." His finger shifted. "That stall to Thomas." Again the finger moved. "That-"

"Yes, I suppose that's technically true." This bastard wanted to play hardball, huh? "But, I'm something of an entrepreneur around here. Most of these businesses work through me...if they want to remain profitable." Time to play his card. "I believe we have a mutual acquaintance by the way, one with a fiery temper."

He watched as the blond's eyes widened in realization that his secret was out, that he'd been-

"Broman!" The man cried out excitedly. "That's who you are!"

What?

"What?"

The blond laughed. "Oh, sorry about that, Cindy's told me about you, but I've never seen a picture."

"I, uh-"

Jaune clapped the man on the shoulder. "Sorry about Cindy, she can be a handful."

He had so many questions. Broman? Cindy? Was this guy touching him?

The blond leaned in with a smile. "But just between me and you, I hear you've been giving her trouble too. Do her husband a favor and try to get along, huh? You know...be a bro."

He seethed. This son of a bitch thought he could big-time him on his own street?

His grip tightened on his cane. He'd show him how Roman Torchwick had risen through the ranks. Then it hit him-

Her husband?

His eyes widened. This guy was married to the fire bitch? More than that, if he'd never even met the guy, did that make him the power behind the throne?

His eyes shifted from the blond's easy smile to look around the street. There were people staring at them. There were people staring at them with fear in their eyes. Roman felt a chill run down his spine as the man squeezed his shoulder.

"Can you do that for me, Broman?"

He swallowed. "I-"

"Jaune?" The man shifted his attention to the silver haired newcomer approaching them.

"Merc! How's it going man? I was just talking to our friend Broman!"

The mercenary's eyes darted between the two. "...Yeah, Broman."

Roman's heart sank as it all became clear. He hadn't wanted this conversation - Jaune had. It's why he'd had Emerald pair off with Neo. It's why he'd walked down the street in broad daylight, just asking for him to make his move. He'd had Mercury waiting in the wings the whole time. Now he was outnumbered on a street that may or may not be his anymore.

Fuck.

He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as Neo joined them, popping into existence. His eyes flicked up to the blond. The bastard didn't even have the decency to look surprised.

"Oh hey Neo! Didn't see you come up. You and Em sort things out?"

His partner gave the man a happy nod.

Jaune smiled. "Good. I'm glad we can all be friends."

Roman glanced to the side as Emerald shuffled up to them, an obvious hitch in her step.

"You ok Em?" The blond asked.

Did nothing shake this guy?

"Yeah." She huffed. "Must've pulled something hiking."

Hiking?

He didn't have time to think about it, as the two warriors took their places at Jaune's side, leaning into him, making sure that he understood what would happen with a word from the blond.

He shuffled nervously. He didn't want this fight, not now at least. There were just too many unanswered questions. Thankfully, Mercury saved him.

"Jaune, I think we need to go bro. Cinder wanted to talk to you."

The man nodded to his lieutenant, before turning back to Roman.

"Sorry we didn't get more of a chance to talk, but you know how it is. Can't keep a pretty lady waiting." Jaune finished with a wink.

A wink. He fucking winked at him.

He nodded back slowly. "Yeah...we'll catch up some other time."

The blond smiled warmly, too warmly. "I look forward to it. And please, remember what I said."

Roman tried to keep his knees from shaking till the man had turned and started down the street.

Neo was watching a much different scene play out.

She'd rushed back to Roman as soon as she'd finished teaching Crop-top all about the differences between big "M's" and little "m's." She'd found him cornered by Blondie and Stilts, looking shook.

She thought she could understand, Blondie wasn't an everyday kinda guy. He was dangerous.

At least, that's was she'd thought before she'd seen the way that Crop-top and Stilts closed in on him. To Roman, she'd imagined it looked like they were closing ranks. But to her, someone who read body language as a way of life? She saw something else. They were afraid for him. They were protecting him.

None of it made any sense. Was Blondie not afraid of Monsters, or did he not even see them?

She started laughing as they walked away, she couldn't help it, Blondie was just too entertaining.

Roman shot her a worried look, and she smiled up at him. Sure, she could tell him, but…

What would be the fun in that?

All Aboard

I pull the boy, coughing and sputtering, over the side with me. We collapse to the deck, fighting for breath.

His eyes dart around in a panic as he takes in his surroundings. "W-where are we sir?"

I laugh. "Why, on the ship, of course."

His brow wrinkles in confusion. "But...this is not the ship that I thought I wanted."

I smile and clap him on the shoulder. "You still don't understand the nature of ships. You don't choose a ship, not really. It chooses you, it speaks to your heart lad."

The boy shook his head. "My heart wants weird things."

I chuckled at that. "Don't all of ours?"

His gaze travels to the rail, and the motley crew pulling themselves aboard. "Who are they sir?"

"Why, they are the crew! The poor wretches."

"They have strange names set upon them sir."

"Aye boy, don't we all? Those are their sailor names."

"What brings them to the ship?"

I shoot the boy a smile. "The siren song of Crack my boy. Look at how they shed their old colors, at least for a moment. There is a shield of the WhiteKnights, there a lance of a Dragonslayer, and there a cloak of Lancaster."

The boy gives me a quizzical look. "But sir, can Crack alone sustain them?"

"Ah lad, there is wisdom in your words. That is why we have an edit-er, I mean a quartermaster." I point to a tired and patient man. "This man here! Crooc, of the house of Ee! He has served with me on every ship I have ever made. He will ensure that we dole out the meat of the story and the wine of wit in equal measure. Too much of either, and the crew will become sick."

"I understand sir. What of these men?" He ask, pointing.

"Ah there be our navigator, Mr. Burk, he will ensure that our course remains constant and true. And there, that grave sailor is our cannoneer, he will defend the ship against all attacks, lest we Fall in the Knight."

I wait for the boy's mirth to overtake him. "Do you get it lad? It's a-"

"Perhaps you should save your puns for your other ship sir."

"Aye boy, mayhaps so." My eyes dart upwards. "Ah, see there boy, up on the ropes? The bear of black and white and the amorous father check our sails and ropes, ensuring that our banter and sexual tension are on point, and will continue to propel us forward. And Demy, up in the crow's nest? He sees things before anyone save for Crooc, and keeps us from crashing atop the rocks of poor storytelling."

The boy's eyes snap to a stern and commanding figure as he approaches the helm, his gaze constantly inspecting the ship with every step.

"Who is that man sir?"

"That be our captain lad. A man so dedicated to the ships of the noodleboi that he took on noodle as his name."

"He frightens me sir."

I nod. "Aye, I suppose he is a mite spooky. He will lead the judgement of the ship as it sails."

The boy turns to me. "What if it is found wanting?"

I hum. "Then I imagine I shall be hung from the mast of public opinion."

The boy's eyes widen in shock. "No sir!"

I tussle his hair. "We are a far way from that yet. Look, we begin to sail!"

The boy scowls again in confusion. "Sir, those are storm clouds on the horizon."

"Aye boy, that they are."

"But sir, we sail into them."

I allow myself a dark chuckle. "There be no other place to test ships but the storm, lad."