Week 1: Thief

It's a beautiful day, isn't it?

Sure, the sun might not be up, and there aren't exactly any birds screeching their heads off yet, and let's not even consider the fact that the rest of the town's probably still unconscious... but that just makes the day that much better, really. What better way to wake up than under the cover of darkness, free to do whatever it was his profession had asked of him, with no one the wiser? Roman Torchwick was definitely one who could appreciate the early, early morning.

With that said, just because his day had started off well didn't mean that Torchwick was pleased. On the contrary, the first thing he had noticed when he had woken up was that some joker had decided stick a note on the brim of his hat. Fortunately, the handwriting informed him that the joker had been the fairy, which meant that the adhesive wouldn't damage his signature headwear. Unfortunately, the handwriting had also informed him that he was supposed to watch over the shop today, for whatever reason.

Yes, "whatever reason". It might not have been what was written on the paper, but Roman read it as such. After all, there's no way someone would purposely order him to stick around in some run-down shack of a shop, just so he could teach Red the basics of entrepreneurship, right? Of course not!

Which was why he promptly crumpled the paper, tossing it aside as he pulled himself to his feet.

Speaking of Red, the thief was glad to find out that the fairy, at the very least, had enough sense to assign the hooded headache to another room. Given how spacious the backroom was, Roman was honestly worried that Tinkerbell would've tried to rationalize the room's use as a dormitory. Well, there's no way he'll let that happen. Just because this room had plenty of space, as well as a curious supply of couches, was no reason for him to tolerate nuisances like the Beacon brat. And since the fairy had recognized that, Roman could concede that maybe she wasn't as stupid as-

Oh, wait, not. Forget everything he had just brought up; he completely forgot that he had bolted the backroom door shut. You know, on account of not wanting to be disturbed after how exhaustive his day had been?

So yeah, fairy's still an idiot. Still, that begs the question of how she managed to get in to stick this stupid note on him.

As if on cue, a whistling groan echoed from a nearby window, drawing Roman's attention towards the open sill. Of course it was the window sill. Fortunately, his usual sleeping attire was suited for the elements, and being the perfect criminal that he was, Torchwick was immune to petty concepts such as 'sickness', 'colds' and 'tolerating that stupid nightlight'.

Besides, he had plans today. Technically, he had plans yesterday as well, but they had been ruined by Red's unexpected appearance. As usual. But now that he was aware of her, Roman could work around her annoying presence... Part of the reason he woke up so early, really. And considering that the hooded girl was suffering from an acute lack of common sense, and had decided to ignore his criminal status, there was little doubt that his plots will end up going that much smoother.

Without wasting another moment, Roman made his way to the door, one hand gripping his new cane with practiced ease. Sure, the weapon was no Melodic Cudgel, but it still felt familiar in his grasp. As he began unbolting the door, his eyes wandered to the metallic bludgeon, taking in the sight of its pitch-black design.

As loathe as he was to admit, Red was decent with weapon work, and besides the stupid wing emblem that she had put on the cane, he was mostly content with it. It wasn't a match for his previous weapon, but that didn't change the fact that it was dangerous in its own right. Not only was it lightweight and easy-to-use, but the thing somehow held enough strength to crack open a safe.

Well, he assumed it did; the anvil he had tested the thing on was probably sturdier than one, and he had managed to dent it after strengthening the cane with his Aura. A nice benefit, to be sure, but not one that was necessarily needed today. After all, today's little foray would require a bit more... finesse more than anything else. And finesse was something that Roman excelled in.

As proof of that point, Roman had already left the shop... Not that a few bolts were really indicative of his skill. No, what had cemented his little expertise was the fact that, for some stupid reason, Red was fast asleep behind the store counter. The counter itself was cluttered with randomly scribbled notes, and while the rogue had no doubt that they would've explained the brat's presence, he really didn't care. So yeah, he had left the shop, slipping out into the empty streets without disturbing any of the building's annoying inhabitants.

The moment his feet touched the cobblestone, Roman Torchwick turned his sights to the Adventurer's Guild once more.

Now, you may be wondering why Roman had decided to return to the Adventurer's Guild. After all, he had already wasted half a day there, and besides the weird Power Crystal things, he hadn't really earned much in the way of profit. Then there was the fact that the Guild was still technically closed, and that this little action would probably force the stupid fairy into more drastic measures for his surveillance.

Well, that's what he was counting on. Well, okay, he also wanted to see if the guild had anything worth swiping, and if there were other dungeons besides their little test dungeon.

But Roman was also curious how the fairy would respond if she was forced to escalate the matter. Surely she noticed that he had made a new stick; if she were smart, she would've realized that, while expensive, Roman could afford to lose his signature cane. He wouldn't enjoy it, mind you, but now that he had a tangible way to strike back at the Terme Finance Company, Roman needed to know what he was dealing with. And seeing the fairy's response was just one way to solve that little mystery.

With that thought in mind, the classy criminal continued onward, darting between the town's spacious alleyways as he-

As he grabbed the metallic bracer of an errant arm.

"Well well? What do we have here?" Roman threw a sharp glance towards the arm's owner, mildly surprised to encounter a pickpocket. Honestly, he was under the assumption that there was no crime in this town, due to the lack of guards. Turns out, he was wrong, as evidenced by the young woman with dark blue hair, staring back at him with an irritated expression on her face. Well, irritation wasn't the same as panicked, so she obviously wasn't worried about her position.

And he could see why. All Torchwick needed was a simple glance to see that the woman wasn't some common thug. In fact, she reminded him of that brat followed Cinder; Both of them seemed light on their feet, both of them seemed to have a thing for exposing their navel, and both of them carried hidden blades that anyone half-way competent would notice... Speaking of which.

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there." Roman's voice shot out, a smirk on his face as his noticed the woman's free hand slip to her side, only to freeze the moment his gaze fell on it. "Didn't anyone tell you it's bad manners to steal from someone you just met? Not to mention trying to stab them afterwards; that's a social faux pas right there."

"Is that so?" To her credit, she recovered quickly, returning his wry smile with one of her own. "I can't say I'm exactly well-mannered though, so you'll just have to deal with it. And besides, you're not any old mark yourself, are you? It's not every day someone walks in with a suit and fancy cane like that. Surely you can spare a few things."

At those words, the woman yanked her arm away. To most people, this probably would've given her the opening she needed to escape. Unfortunately for her, however, Roman had expected it. Rather than escape, her little action had left her unbalanced for a split second, and Roman wasted no time capitalizing on it.

He brought up his weapon in a flourish, striking out at the woman in a fluid motion, the metallic cane shimmering beneath the moonlight as it whistled through the air. His opponent responded in kind, shifting her weight backwards as she drew her daggers, bringing them up just in time to deflect his strike. The loud clang of metal against metal filled the air, signalling the formal start of their duel, as Roman quickly recovered from the strike with a single twirl of his cane.

There was no wasted motion, the classy criminal maintaining his weapon's momentum as he spun the weapon to his side, parrying the woman's thrust as he deflected one of her daggers. Neither combatant was affected by the clash, Roman's stance shifting backwards while his opponent spun with her blade. Her motions carried her through to a second attack as she brought her other blade to bear, the other dagger slashing at Roman's chest.

Rather than aura and cloth, her blade found empty air, as Roman kicked backwards in a single motion, only to lunge forward with a thrust of his cane. Unlike the pickpocket's attack, Torchwick's aim was true, the weighted end of his cane striking at the woman's wrist with a dull thud.

Yet, the woman kept her grip on her dagger, her stance barely changing in response to his strike, as she prepared another attack. This time, she closed the distance between them, slipping into Roman's guard in an attempt to avoid more of his weapon. A smart move on its own, since he wouldn't be able to swing his weapon as effectively. Too bad he didn't need to swing it. He had another weapon, after all.

Roman snapped his arm to the side, driving the cane towards his opponent, less of a strike and more of a powerful shove as the metal bludgeon lashed out at the woman. She parried it, of course, but that little window was all Roman needed to draw his own knife, his left hand gripping the craftsman's blade with practiced ease. Dagger met dagger as the pickpocket tried to counter, only to have her attack thwarted by the suited criminal.

Neither combatant stayed still, quickly recovering from their little clash as they drew back, eyes locked with one another.

"Well well. Looks like you aren't a run-of-the-mill street rat after all. Could've fooled me." Roman's voice was calm and level as he examined the woman, watching each little shift and twitch of her body. She was certainly skilled, but it'd be a stretch to say anything more than that. After all, the blue-haired pickpocket was hardly the most difficult person Roman had fought with.

And judging by the look on her face, she couldn't share that sentiment. The woman's previous smirk was replaced by a a subtle frown, barely perceptible as she stared back at him. Her face tried to be stoic, or grim or something, but Roman could see past her silly little mask. She had bitten off more than she could chew, and they both knew it.

"And you're no regular berk, yourself." Torchwick arched an eyebrow at that, but kept his gaze on the pickpocket as she spoke. Silly words aside, she was reaching her limit, and all he had to do was wait for her to slip up. Or, if she was the monologuing type, wait for that opportunity. Either way, Roman was all but prepared to strike. "How about we call it a draw?"

... Ha.

"How about no? Brats like you need to know when you've messed up." His smirk was automatic, as he kept his stance up, shifting the hold he had on his knife as he gripped his cane. However, that smirk soon faded when he noticed her expression change. That, and her hand slipping into one of her pouches.

"Well, I tried."

She threw something forward. Roman jumped out of the way, cleanly avoiding the strange net that his opponent had attempted to throw at him... No, it wasn't just a net. He could tell that it was something more than that, from the way it glowed as it clung to the ground. Still, he couldn't figure out much more, as the did not have the luxury of time.

The moment she threw the thing, the pickpocket did something else, the air around her flickering for just a moment before forming into a second shadowy copy of her. That copy stood still for only a second, before dashing straight towards the classy criminal.

"Damnit! I didn't think you people had Semblances."

Roman brought his cane up just in time to parry the shadow's dagger, feeling much less force from the strike than he had felt when the woman herself attack. Still, it was hardly something he could ignore, and the criminal couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration as he watched the woman join her clone.

Intangible shadow blades danced in sync with very tangible metal blades, swinging and stabbing at the air around Torchwick. Few attacks actually found their mark, as Roman's cane was more than adequate enough to deflect the strikes. Still, a few attacks made their way through, cutting at his pristine suit every so often, the damage superficial as his aura protected him from the strikes.

His own attacks had a more visible effect, the shadow clone visibly flinching each time it failed to dodge his cane. And the stick of metal was just as effective on the real thing as it was on her body double, a pained cry filling the air as the metal weapon struck against pickpocket's stomach. And despite those attacks, both combatants stood strong. Roman's aura warded off the pickpocket's daggers, while the woman used sheer determination to endure his cane.

But, as with all things, determination can be undermined. And as the woman's daggers cut away at Torchwick's clothes, more and more of his undamaged skin became visible. There was no doubt that she could see her weapons striking against him, metal trying to cut into skin, only to have no effect.

"W-what?"

She hid her panic well. Not well enough, since Roman still heard it, but... not incompetently. More than what he could say for some minions he's had. Still, it was about time to end this little duel, wasn't it? He had the upper hand, and even if his aura was steadily being depleted, it didn't matter; he had more than enough to put on a show.

"Well, you see street rat..." Roman's voice started off chipper, as though he were explaining a simple concept to a White Fang moron. However, its tone changed drastically, growing an edge that only a practiced criminal could give off, as he finished his words. "... You're out of your league."

This time, his cane was imbued with aura as he struck out, and neither of them missed the sound that followed. Metal met metal as he bashed the dagger out from the pickpocket's hand. There was a brief moment of silence, barely lasting a second, before being broken by the sound of someone's useless toy as it was buried into the wall. The silence that followed that lasted far longer.

His eyes fell on the pickpocket, and Vale's most wanted criminal saw the alarm that was slowly filling the pickpocket's eyes. Her gaze shifted to the brick wall for just a moment, fully processing the fact that it now had an oversized pin stuck to it, before returning to Torchwick.

Torchwick smirked.

The woman ran.

"... Huh. Well, that was certainly eventful."

Roman gave out a tired sigh, complaining to no one in particular as he watched the woman flee. On one hand, he could pursue her... But, again, he had actual plans today. Rather than chase after some wanna-be criminal, the real criminal had to visit the Adventurer's Guild. He still hadn't scouted the place for potential valuables, and Torchwick had some business in the dungeons. Besides, he was fairly certain that the pickpocket wouldn't be bothering him again anytime soon.

So, he relaxed, letting his shoulders droop as he brought his cane back to the floor. His eyes turned away from the distant figure as she ran out of sight, focusing instead on the dagger that he had slammed into the wall. All things considered, he should probably pull it out before someone notices it. Then again, he wasn't sure if the people in this place even cared about stuff like that, or who they would complain to if they did.

Still... He could probably find a use for the thing.

With some difficulty, he pulled the weapon out from the wall, frowning a bit as he noticed how damaged the thing had gotten. Its curved blade was chipped and scratched, its edge hardly suitable for cutting anything. And just as damaged was its handle, the hand guard half-shattered while a sizeable crack ran down the side of the grip. He wasn't quite sure how he had managed to damage it like that, but... He'd have to get it repaired.

Perhaps he should visit the Merchant's Guild first? It wasn't exactly out-of-the-way, and he could ask the Guild Master if he had any information about that blue-haired pickpocket. After all, he was surprised to see that there were people besides him taking advantage of the local populace. And if this city had one criminal, who's to say it didn't have more? Besides, even if he seemed to be an incompetent businessman, the Guild Master would probably still be privy to knowledge regarding the city's criminal underground.

Yeah, he might as well check. Nodding to himself, Roman Torchwick was about to step out of the alley way, only for something to catch his eye.

The weird net thing from earlier was still stuck to the ground, and it was still glowing with the same weird glow that it had when the pickpocket had thrown it. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The glow it gave off was definitely unnatural, emanating from the net with an odd sensation. Roman brought his cane forward, hesitantly poking at it, only to find that the net itself was somehow intangible.

What?

Okay, no, he had seen odd things like this before, especially in the dungeons. Maybe it was related to this world's weird Power Crystal system? Which meant that it should still technically interact with him and his aura. Too bad he had no idea how it was going to do that.

Letting out a sigh, Roman shook his head. As much as he'd like to figure out how the net worked, he wasn't too enthused about poking it with his finger. Which was a shame, since the pickpocket had obviously been practiced enough to use it fluidly, which meant that it was useful in her line of work. And since his line of work was essentially a better version of her line of work, it probably would've been useful to him as well. Especially if it's using the energy from power crystals, rather than Aura.

...Hmm.

Okay, maybe he'd been spending too long around Tinkerbell and the two brats. He was seriously considering the prospect of testing the net. It wasn't like his aura wouldn't protect him, and if he knew what the exact effect was, he'd be better prepared for the woman the next time she tried something. And even if he couldn't understand it, it'd give him an idea of what things in this world were capable of. It might actually be worth it to step onto the net, just to see its effects.

Of course, Roman Torchwick knew that there was another way to answer all those issues. And since he wasn't an idiot, he wasted no time in choosing that particular solution instead. Now... the only problem left is where he'd find someone expendable enough to test the net with. It was times like these that he missed the White Fang.

Fortunately for him, the moment he had that thought, Roman saw a certain seedy Adventurer from beyond the alleyway, casually wandering the streets with a dopey expression on his face. He wasn't quite sure why Recette's newest friend was out and about so early in the day, nor did he really didn't care. The young man was definitely gullible enough to use as a guinea pig, and as long as the net doesn't result in irreparable physical or mental trauma, no one will be the wiser.

So, with a plan in place, Roman called out to the distant swordsman, a smirk forming on his face.

"Hey kid! You got a minute?"