The Fall of Professor Arc

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Disclaimer and Dedication:

Dedicated to Coeur. Thanks for the stories, and the countless ideas. You've only yourself to blame, you know!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. 'Professor Arc' in particular is the brainchild of Coeur. If you haven't read it already... why are you here?

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"Damn him," Roman Torchwick cursed under his breath as he threw another suit in his suitcase. Threw! That was quality material there, and now it would be, horrors, wrinkled!

The kid would probably have been amused- if he wasn't shaking in fear of Roman's wrath- if he actually remembered a damn thing about who Roman was and what Roman held over his head. Had held over his head. Blackmail and favors don't work when the person involved doesn't remember them.

Or when leaking the truth is dismissed as a lie. The rare curse of being too good- having forged the documents and altered the databases to make them pass muster, his own cover up was more convincing than the truth. That kid had the devil's luck- and giving the bill to Roman.

Just one more thing to pay back the good 'Professor' for- with interest. When he wasn't running for his life. Which might be never.

"And where do you think you're going, Roman?"

Or, alternatively, which might not be very long at all.

Roman turned, managing to hide his fear as he realized he was caught red-handed. It was exactly who he expected- Cinder. He didn't see her minions, which only made him more on guard. If she was willing to confront him, then they were certainly in wait for Neo. Not even his accomplice could save him now.

At least she'd told him- well, communicated- what had occurred. He wouldn't die wondering, at least.

Still, if he was going to die, he could die with style. And take a page from the kid's book and bullshit his way through to the end.

"Ah, I'm just packing for a business trip," Roman blatantly lied. "Got to catch up on all that dust, after all."

"It's already too late, Roman," she reminded in an accusatory tone. "The window for supplying the tournament has closed since Amity Colosseum flew away. You missed your deadline, and so they cancelled the Vytal Festival." Her eyes narrowed in a beautiful but deadly glare. "I did not have you set free from Ironwood's prison on a whim. You have set my plans back some time, Roman. At least until Amity Colosseum is repaired, and possibly years."

"I set them back?" Roman protested, affronted. "Whose faunus were discovered by a bunch of kids bumbling about the Colosseum while I had the alibi of being locked up in Ironwood's cell? Who let that fight to the store rooms to blow a hole in Amity? Heck, who was the one who sold our dust stockpile by selling it in the first place?!" he accused in full bravado.

Cinder narrowed her eyes once more. "Watch yourself, Roman," she warned.

Roman was unfazed. As if she weren't already planning on killing him- though now that she was placing it as a conditional, she was already opening herself to the prospect that he might live. Maybe.

"I did nothing but do my best at an impossible task," Roman claimed. "I shook ever bush, robbed every store that didn't have Ironwood's army outside, and a few that did. It's not my fault the dust to replace Amity simply wasn't in Vale. I even called in favors with my best contacts!" he defended.

"Your best? Ah, yes, Professor Arc. Thank you for telling me about his condition, by the way."

He hadn't. Why would he? Her minions- hell, she herself- could and would have heard it regardless. He'd been so busy jumping through his ass to get the dust, he'd barely had time to fume when Neo had passed on what she'd learned.

Cinder continued. "It is… unfortunate our relationship ended in such a way," she said. "A wasted opportunity."

It was vague whether she was talking about the kid or him. Judging by the look she was giving him- of someone watching a death row prisoner with curiosity- it was likely both.

"Tell me, Roman," she said, reaching out to touch his chest while making her last request of him- and wasn't it normally the condemned who got to make those? "Why did the formerly Professor Arc ever work with you as a contact? I've never understood what exactly he needed from you."

Ah. That was it- the lingering nibble of curiosity. And possibly an angle on him later, if the opportunity rose. Well, if Roman was going down, he could take the kid with him.

"Forged transcripts," Roman answered honestly. "The kid needed help getting into Beacon."

Cinder paused, finger warm but not blazing hot- yet. "Help?" she wondered. "He seemed more than capable, coming from Vacuo."

Roman laughed. "He's as much a student of Vacuo as you are," Roman said, only then realizing that he didn't know where Cinder had gone to school. Hopefully not Vacuo. "The kid never stepped foot in a combat academy until he went to Beacon."

Cinder looked suspicious- even perplexed. "Is this your attempt at a joke, Roman?" she asked.

"No joke," Roman denied. "I forged the transcripts that got him in- and hired, since they were too good. I even had to unlock his aura so they wouldn't catch on," he said, emphasizing his own role because… well, why not? He'd die proud before he died humble. "Kid worked for me because he knew I could reveal him at any time. Hell, I call him kid because he's not even old enough to drink yet."

Cinder laughed- honestly, unexpectedly laughed. "You expect me to believe," she began, "that a fraud snuck into the academy of the second most skilled spymaster on Remnant, as a teacher no less, and went the entire time undetected by student and faculty alike?"

"We did have to train him up and cover for him a good deal," Roman admitted, "but that's just how good I am," he continued, making a case for himself. "Even the school believes his transcripts were real. I checked." By trying to tell them the truth, but she didn't need to know that particular failure.

"Record checks are trivial if you modify the databases they're check against," Cinder waved off. "I'm talking of his abilities. His competence. His composure. Jaune had ties with some of the most powerful, most well-connected, and most dangerous people in Remnant included." Herself included, of course. "And you're claiming that a child was able to deal with me and…" she trailed off, too many options to decide on.

Fool her? Not be detected by her? Those would both be bitter pills to swallow, perhaps to bitter to accept, but neither would be as impossible to accept as-

"Not be hot and bothered by you?" Roman taunted, unable to restrain himself.

Cinder actually colored- anger and possibly a bit of embarrassment. Roman had never raised her less-than-professional conduct before, having enjoyed keeping his head, but if he was going to die anyway…

Well, no reason to let her know she'd been successful when she thought she hadn't. For a woman so wicked, she had an ego like every other beautiful woman he'd ever met.

Instead of a wrathful fire, though, Roman felt the cool air. Cinder visibly composed herself, closed her eyes, and finally let out a chuckle.

"I know what you were trying to do," she said, sounding pleased with herself.

It wasn't what Roman was expecting- but with her eyes closed, she didn't catch his fleeting look of confusion. "Oh?" he said, encouraging her to inform him.

"Don't try to deny it," she said, gesturing at the half-packed suitcase behind him. "You were intending to flee and take Jaune on your way out," she said.

The thought had crossed his mind- though more along the lines of 'take Jaune out.' A quick teleport with Neo, a brief but satisfying bloody vengeance, and then finding somewhere far away to hide for the next decade or two…

"I don't for a minute believe your outlandish claim of forged transcripts," Cinder claimed, making Roman want to rip out his hair and yell in frustration. "By all accounts, Jaune has succeeded too well too often for it to be just a fluke. But even I did believe you," she continued, entertaining the hypothetical. "Even if I believed you that Jaune was simply the luckiest, most adaptive, and most talented actor in Remnant," she listed, her eyes burned in desire of multiple sorts, "he would still be a marvelous asset all the same. Especially if he were spirited away and that potential harnessed."

She nodded to herself, ever more convinced. "You would steal him away- at his weakest, his most confused- and mold him as you saw fit. Shape him into an asset, knowing from the start what he could become. A pawn, yours for the taking," she explained, in a tone that suggested it was the only logical explanation.

Roman was kinda creeped out about it, honestly. What was with this kid that made powerful, dangerous, and older women think the best of him and then some?

"Uh, yeah, you caught me," Roman lied, still wondering. Was it a semblance of some sort? That really would be a useful thing to steal away… dust, now he was succumbing!

Cinder looked pleased with herself- and vindictive. "I said you would compensate me, Roman, and you will- not just the dust. Tell me how you were going to reach through to him," she demanded with a glare. "And be honest- I won't tolerate another lie from you."

Roman's eyes were wide in shock. Not of fear- but that Cinder had convinced herself into sparing him. He might actually live through this!

"I was going to take Neo and wing it," Roman admitted. Whether or not he killed Jaune on the way out, taking his favourite teleporter and accomplice was always the plan.

"Neo, Neo," she muttered to herself, puzzling out his non-existent great plan herself. She'd probably do a better job of it than he could. Cinder nodded as she put pieces together until they made some sort of sense.

"Of course," Cinder realized. "I'd thought it just a baseless rumor or misunderstanding, but it all makes sense now. His loyalty wasn't to you- it was to her. He and Neo were lovers, weren't they?"

Roman opened his mouth to object on his accomplice's behalf. Seriously, transcripts he himself made were one thing, but they were taking school gossip as gospel now? Before he could object (and before he could restrain himself because, hey, this misunderstanding was saving his life), Cinder held up her hand.

"Never mind, don't tell me," she dismissed, already taking it for granted. "It's in the past. Fortunately, with the amnesia, he's forgotten her."

"Don't you mean 'unfortunately'?" Roman asked before he could restrain himself.

Cinder paused, a flash of something coming across her face. "Of course. That's what I meant," she lied, but Roman didn't call her out on it twice. Not when he was this close to surviving.

Cinder continued on; bringing the session to a close. "You will continue your little recruitment scheme," Cinder dictated, "but you will do so to my benefit. Your pawn will become mine, Roman- just part of your payment for failing to procure the dust."

"Yours, right. Got it," Roman agreed, instantly selling Jaune for his own survival. Revenge would no doubt be delayed- but better delayed than post-mortem. "Anything else I should know?" he asked. "How do you want him- scared and terrified would be the quickest," Roman offered.

"No," Cinder ruled at once. "When he comes to me, it must be by his own will. I won't have you poisoning him against me in the process," Cinder warned. "No rushing." That suited Roman just fine- it was even why he'd phrased it the way he had. The longer it took, the longer Cinder wouldn't be trying to kill him, and more likely she was to accept his continued survival after the fact.

"I do not have the time or cover to stay at Beacon and do this myself," Cinder continued, concluding the session. "I suspect Glynda Goodwitch would… interfere if I tried. You will have to convince him to leaving Beacon, and willingly," she dictated. "Once he has left the faculty's eyes, I will handle the rest."

"That might be a bit difficult," Roman warned, just so that she wouldn't complain about progress in a month or so. "The last time we spoke, he hated the sound of my voice." And threatened to call the police…

"Then talk less," Cinder said without pity as she made her leave. "Or speak with another pair of lips. I hear Neo is good at that," she slung.

Roman felt a flash of anger on his accomplice's behalf, but like always he restrained it. Besides, there were other ways to retaliate now.

"Not afraid Neo might steal him for herself again?" he not-quite taunted. Hot and bothered indeed.

Cinder paused, he last taunt in her mind as well- just like he intended. "I will address that problem if it comes to that," she said, before finally departing.

Roman watched her go. That hadn't gone as he'd hoped- he'd hoped he'd be free and clear- but it was better than he'd feared when she caught him packing to flee. He was alive.

And he had to look after the kid. Again. Because if Jaune died, Roman had no doubts who Cinder would blame, and he was on thin ice enough as it is. Not only would he have to convince Neo to keep up her appearances to retrain him, but he needed her to - gag- seduce Jaune away. (Though he'd never put it in those terms himself. He just hoped that the new Jaune was a masochist.)

That would not be a fun conversation to have. Neo was still sulking for losing the favors Jaune had forgotten he owed her- and this time she'd probably demand it out of Roman.

Just another thing to blame Professor Arc for.

Damn it.

Maybe the kid would regain his memories if Neo gave him enough concussions?

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Author Note: