Week 1: Synthesis

This world was weird. That much was clear to Roman Torchwick.

Well, okay, that had been clear to the thief from the very beginning, way back when he had first met his pint-sized annoyance of an overseer. And things had only gotten worse when he had met the little brat merchant. And then the merchant's guild. Then Red and the adventurer's guild. And then th-

You get the point.

But the thing was, the orange-haired thief was slowly beginning to realize that there was more to this world than just a breach of common sense. 'Weird' wasn't enough to describe how everything was fundamentally different from Remnant. From how people behaved and conducted business, to how the economy seemed completely independent of supply, to how there was a magical dungeon that perpetuated a near-infinite pool of resources... This world simply had a completely different standard from the one he had been used to.

So, yes, this world was weird.

But at the same time, to everyone who lived here, these little bouts of public insanity were perfectly normal. In fact, he'd be considered the one acting weird, simply by expecting something different. At least, that's the only reasonable excuse he could come up with to justify things.

Now, you may be wondering, 'Why did Roman choose now of all times to accept things as they are?' It's quite simple, really.

He didn't care anymore.

Truth be told, there comes a point when you simply get sick and tired of how things have escalated. And everything he had encountered up until this point had only sapped away at his patience for normalcy. Red certainly didn't help matters, nor did the fact that his future plans hinged on dungeoneering of all things. So, when the world had decided to introduce the concept of Item Synthesis to him, was it any surprise that Roman simply stopped caring?

No, of course not. You're dense for even questioning it.

"How d-! Why th-! Could-!... Huh?"

Speaking of dense... It sounded like Red was having a bit more difficulty adapting to this world than he was. Not that he blamed her or anything, since that was his first reaction when the Merchant Guild Master had shown him the concept of item synthesis for the first time. At first, Roman had wanted to refuse the demonstration, as the prospect of watching a bearded man's fat fingers fumble around with intricate tools didn't exactly appeal to him.

However, he changed his tune when the Merchant Guild Master informed him of what the synthesis process actually entailed; It was nothing like traditional craftsmanship. There no tools involved, nor was any fine-motor skill required. No secondary materials, or waste products or anything of the sort. In fact, the only things that Item Synthesis seemed to require was a Merchant Guild Representative to oversee the process, and the actual items themselves.

So Roman ultimately decided to watch the process.

As a result, the suited criminal got a front-row seat to the entire Synthesis and Fusion process, which involved all sorts of things that simply wouldn't work, were they back in Remnant. But since they were not, the Guild Master completed the demonstration without any issues, ultimately synthesizing an ornate gemstone necklace. The item itself was certainly an interesting piece of work, and Roman had no doubt that it could've sold for a nice chunk of Lien in the Valean markets.

You know, if the customers overlooked the fact that it had been made using a dead lizard on a stick and some old seashell strung up with twine.

...Yeah, that was his reaction too.

He had asked the Guild Master for three more demonstrations, just to see if he had been hallucinating the entire thing. And the Guild Master complied, plopping out three more not-lizard necklaces. Wouldn't you know it? Roman wasn't seeing things after all; The process of making an Azure Necklace really did involve fusing together a stick of charred lizard with some stupid seashell necklace.

So yeah. You understand why Roman decided to stop caring about logic, right? He simply wasn't paid enough to deal with this. Sure, there were levels of weird that he tolerated... but this? Nope. He wouldn't even consider it a thing anymore. He had far too many other things to worry about, so the criminal was just fine with ignoring how utterly unintuitive everything was.

He would accept things as they were. Which meant that, rather than wasting time complaining about nothing, the thief had a completely new order of business to tend to. Already, his mind lit up, his eyes slowly scanning the room as he took in his surroundings.

There was no doubt about it; they were in the back rooms of the Merchant's guild, and it showed. Crates of packed goods were lined up, the boxes filled to the brim with useless scrap items and discarded junk. There were plenty of tools strewn about, from small hammers and tongs, to even a massive smithy and workbench, both of which connected to a bellowing forge. Anvils, tool racks, and who knows what else were all in plain view, laying about and waiting for some criminal mind to take advantage of them.

Welp. Time to be productive.

Without giving the two morons another thought, Roman stepped away from the Guild Master and Red, slowly making his way to the back of the synthesis room. A part of him was a bit disappointed that he'd have to get his hands dirty, and a larger part thought the same of his clothes. However, this was a necessity, and given the fact that this place had so many materials for him to use...

Well, he's been without his signature weapon for far too long, wouldn't you say? Time to remake his favourite cane.

He'll just put the cost of materials on the fairy's tab.

This was... surprisingly simple.

Sure, he hadn't actually worked on honest metallurgy for years, but the thief still knew his way around tools. Granted he had had some difficulties with the workbench; there were a few times where he had to stop himself from making a set of lockpicks. And more than once, he had let his eyes wander, only to find himself halfway through constructing the outer casing of a bomb... But besides that, Roman Torchwick was honestly amazed that his muscle memory for handmade tools was still intact.

Perhaps he'll work on some stuff once he gets back to Vale. Maybe make some explosives for those White Fang mutts, then say Cinder got them from some SDC backroom deal. Or, better yet, he could just use those explosives on her little pair of brats. No one would suspect him of anything, and really, that woman was getting more full of herself with each passing day.

But... that's a concern for later. For now, Roman had more important things to worry about. Just because his skills hadn't dwindled didn't change the fact that he had to get this stupid frame fitted right. Otherwise, his entire weapon's balance would be off, and it'd bother him to no end. Now, if only he had an alternative for the-

"Whatcha making?" A shrill, headache-inducing voice interrupted his train of thought. The worst part was, Red had paused at every syllable, putting on some stupid sing-song voice. Didn't She have the decency to just ask like a normal human being?

"None of your business, Red." Roman's response was immediate, his tone dismissive as he let out a tired sigh. Why did she have to choose now of all times to show up? Not that he was worried about her finding out about his improved Melodic Cudgel or anything. Rather, his main worry was that the Beacon Brat would do something stupid and break something important. "Shouldn't you be sitting in the corner or something?"

"What do you mean it's none of my business? We're partners now, aren't we?"

Welp. Time to make a new frame. The vice had clamped too tightly on this one, and had bent it out of shape; Wonder how that had happened. As he tossed the metal into the scrap bin, Roman forced himself to calm down, pushing away his irritation before finally turning away from the workbench. With no small amount of reluctance, the rogue settled his gaze on the hooded annoyance.

"... Really, Red? Really? I knew you're terrible at making sound decisions, but partners?" He didn't need to explain this point, right? Honestly, the brat was acting far more ... ludicrous than normal. And she was already a pretty crazy kid, given how often she'd interrupted his plans thus far. "Even you know how bad of an idea that is, right?"

"What do you mean?" And of course, she didn't. Instead, the brat tilted her head to the side, the motion almost exaggerated as she stared up at him. What made it worse was that, he knew she didn't do it on purpose. Unlike Neo's deliberate actions of mock curiosity, Red's little actions were completely natural and genuine. "We went on a team delve thingy into the dungeon, right?"

That's what she was basing this on?

Roman brought a hand up to his head, preemptively rubbing his temple, fully expecting a migraine to show up any minute. There really was no reasoning with her, was there? "... In case you forgot, you invited yourself to that."

"But you didn't say no!" Red's answer came the moment he had finished his statement, much to his chagrin. Either she had expected his protest, or she was thinking far too much on the matter. "And besides... You helped cheer me up when I was down, too..."

Nope. He's not touching that misunderstanding again. Rather than acknowledge her words, Roman gave a noncommittal grunt, turning his attention back to the workbench. Maybe if he ignored her, she'd get bored and walk away or something. Because, you know, that worked for Neo, right?

"So that's why I wanna know what you're making!"

Surprising absolutely no one, Red prattled on, completely ignoring his lack of response. And what's worse, she seemed even more energetic than usual, her attention focused completely on Roman's workbench. Not for any logical reason mind you, at least not one Roman could see. And, you know what? He was perfectly fine with being ignorant of Red's stupid little motivat-

"I'm good with the forge, so if I know what you're trying to make, I can help! It's the least I can do to pay you back."

"... Pay me back?" Roman's eye twitched as he repeated those words. Not only was she going to persist in this terrible misunderstanding, she wanted to make it worse? Fine then! Let's see whether little miss goody-two-shoes was willing to help when she realizes what he was working on. "You know what? Fine! I would absolutely love for you to help me remake my weapon."

"Your... weapon?"

"Yep." Roman smirked. Heck, he was in such a good mood, he even took a page from her book, acting the annoying brat as he popped the damned 'p' in the word. The rogue could clearly see the unease in her expression, the doubt that washed over her when he mentioned the weapon. There was no way she could ignore that thing, not when he had nearly killed her and her teammates with it. "I'm sure you, of all people, remember it."

To Roman's relief, there was a slight pause, as the girl's face turned into a worried frown. It was clear to him that the brat couldn't come up with a response, and that suited him just fine. Giving her a single dismissive shrug, the thief turned his attention back to the workbench, intent on-

"You mean... All this time, you've been stuck here all alone, trying to help other people without even your own weapon?"

Roman's face hit the workbench.

There was no getting through to this idiot, was there? Part of him wanted to give up, to just leave her to her stupid delusions and return to his important work... But Roman knew he couldn't; He did that with the last misunderstanding, and now she was clinging to her stupid ideal like a mindless puppy. He couldn't let another mistake get out of hand.

Now determined, the criminal straightened his back, turning away from the workbench as he settled his gaze on the huntress-wanna-be, a prominent scowl plastered on his face.

"Listen, Red. You seem to be misunderstanding something. Clinging onto some stupid ideal, all because you can't accept a simple truth." He locked his gaze with the silver-eyed brat. This was it; He would make sure that this idealistic moron of a child understood his position. "I am not a good guy. I only have one reason for helping out the twelve-year-old merchant, and that reason is purely selfish. So why don't you just stop pretending otherwise, an-"

"Nope!"

She jus- what di-... Gah!

"Damnit Red, we've had this argument already!" He wasn't sure whether to hit himself or the workbench. Either way, Roman was getting thoroughly annoyed by this entire run-around. All he wanted to do was to make his weapon in peace. Wasn't that why beardo was lecturing Red? Where the heck was he, anyways?

"And we'll have it again." Not that it mattered anymore. Red was here now, being Red. And she was going on her stupid thing again. The girl's voice softened, turning her gaze away as she continued her words. Sure, he'd like to interrupt them, but he was growing more and more exasperated with each passing second.

"You're not as... bad as you think you are, Roman. If you were, then you wouldn't have agreed to help Recette. A-and you would've just ditched me in the dungeon, or ignored Tear when she said that you had to help me." Once more, Red settled her silver eyes on him, her face full of insufferable hope and self-delusion. "But you didn't. And you haven't done anything to hurt anyone since you've ended up here."

Of course he hasn't. Does she not understand what incognito is?

That's it. This ridiculous.

Unbearable, even. This entire day, he had had to listen to this girl, complete with all her misguided words. And you know? He didn't care anymore. Letting out a heavy breath, Roman gave up, sitting himself down on a nearby chair as he threw a tired glance at the Beacon Brat.

"You know what, Red? I don't care anymore. Believe whatever you want to believe." And he meant it. This tirade had gone on long enough. Rather than perpetuate it further, Roman turned back towards the workbench, his hand reaching to a nearby box as he attempted to find a suitable piece of metal. "I'm just gonna work on this now."

And find one he did. Because Red handed one to him. God damnit.

"... So... Does that mean I can help?"

"And just where were you two?"

You know something? Roman would like to take back all the stuff he'd said about the fairy's annoying voice. As banal as it was, the blue night-light's tone was a welcome reprieve to what the thief had had to work with for the whole day.

"Roman and I visited the Merchant's Guild!" Not like that voice. That one brought no small amount of headache to the thief, and he couldn't help but let out a tired groan as Red's shrill voice pierced through the shop. Unfortunately, he suffered alone, as neither the fairy nor the merchant kid seemed to mind. "We brought back some stuff for Recette to sell!"

"Is... that so?" Thumbelina's tone was... surprised. Huh. So the fairy could manage more emotions beside annoyed and domineering. Not like it mattered to Roman, since he simply didn't care anymore.

"Mmhmm! You see, we..." And there she goes.

Roman was just happy that the brat was bothering someone else, now. Heck, Red was already a chore to deal with back when they had fought. Now that he had to tolerate her presence for more than a few minutes at a time? He could scarcely understand how people would choose teaching as a career path.

Well... Okay. In spite of everything that had happened today, there were still a few benefits that the thief simply couldn't.

First and foremost, this entire day had been one long trial of patience. Which, in turn, meant that he probably had enough patience now to deal with Cinder and her two little underlings. Not permanently, of course, but a five minute increase was still priceless, given how bad those three could be.

And, technically, he did accomplish something that had indirectly helped the twelve-year-old merchant. It didn't matter that he had been reluctant about it, or that he had his own plans in mind; the little outing was more than enough to prove to the blue fairy that he could be trusted. Hopefully, that meant more time for himself in the future. Away from Red.

Red... She was a headache and a half, wasn't she? Throughout that entire babysitting session, she had been a hindrance. There were few moments of actual silence when it came to that girl, as she seemed to teeter between indirectly annoying him with stupid questions, and directly annoying him by interrupting his work. Fortunately, she wasn't his problem anymore.

Roman gave a momentary glance back towards the Fairy, just to confirm that she was still locked in conversation with the hyperactive Beacon Brat. And she was, which suited him just fine. The less he had to deal with them, the better.

All he wanted to do right now was nap.

The criminal made his way to the back of the room, slipping past the fairy and redhead with a single practiced step, as he slipped behind the counter. He only gave a single glance to the twelve-year-old working behind the desk, his eyes staring down at her. Recette, for her part, seemed content to wear her stupid expression, completely oblivious to the world around her as she watched Red and the Fairy converse.

Well, who was he to distract her?

"Here you go, brat." The kid snapped out of her daze, the brief sound of Roman's voice quickly snatching the merchant's attention as she stared up at him. Roman, for his part, simply rolled his eyes, giving out a tired sigh before returning the girl's glance. "Random stuff from the dungeon. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. You mind telling those people to just leave me alone?"

"O-oh! Thankies Roman!" The merchant's voice chirped out, shooting made-up words of gratitude as she smiled up at him. "I'll let Tear and Ruby know that you're taking a nap, i-if they end up trying to look for you or something."

"Sure, whatever. Now, if you don't mind..."

He let his voice trail off, throwing a glance towards the door before turning back to the brat. His motions were slow and exaggerated, which hopefully meant that it was simple enough for the child to understand. Sure, he could've just been clear with his words, but he was genuinely exhausted, and he had done his good deed for the day.

"Okay! G'night, Roman!" It seemed she understood his meaning, which was more than enough for the thief. Part of him wondered whether it was even nighttime at the moment, but for the rest of his mind simply didn't care. The man gave out neutral grunt, barely acknowledging the kid's words as he opened the backroom do- "And nice stick!"

Stick? Did she just call the new Melodic Cudgel a stick?

In that case, Roman had a plan for tomorrow. Rather than what he had intended to do earlier, it seemed that Roman's new schedule consisted of ignoring the shop entirely, leaving early in the morning to visit the Adventurer's guild. Of course, it'd be a shame if he had extremely bad luck in the dungeon, and ended up finding nothing for the kid's stupid shop. Oh well.

Okay, perhaps he did need sleep. With a single gaze, Roman turned his attention to the merchant girl, letting out a sigh as he spoke out. "... It's called a cane."

"It is? Sorry..." Of all the things to get upset over, the merchant kid had chosen that little point to worry about. She turned her gaze down to the counter for a record-breaking 4 seconds, before suddenly snapping up to face the thief. "In that case, I like the cane!"

"Sure, whatever." And he was done now. Roman gave one final check of his person, making sure that he had dropped off all the useless items he had found in the dungeon, before turning to face the door proper. "You mind if I get some sleep now?"

"Only if you teach me how to draw that design!" Recette's sudden question threw Roman's mind into disarray for a split second, as the thief couldn't help but blink at that her request.

Design? That was an odd thing to ask about... After all, Melodic Cudgel's design was simply a traditional carved pumpkin face, and those were things made by bratty children like her. It wasn't exactly something to teach, and Roman wasn't exactly in the mood to teach it were he able to. Surely, the merchant was capable of drawing something as simplistic as a carved pumpkin, right? He gave the girl a confused glance, only to find her staring at a particular part of the cane.

A part that most definitely didn't not the symbol on it.

Roman's eyes followed the girl's gaze, his thoughts changing from tired indifference to slight confusion as he spotted the design Recette had been talking about.

Now that's odd. Why was there this stupid looking wing symbol on his cane?