"Dust, this place is muggy." Roman complained as he tugged at his collar.

Neo shrugged in response, but he could see sweat forming on her brow just the same as his own. The palace truly was miserable, he never should've let Cinder drag him here. It was warm, humid, and it smelled like old sweat. Worse, it was gaudy enough to make his eyes water. Seriously, was the marble floor not enough? Had to make the walls all sparkly and throw tapestries everywhere? What age did these idiots live in?

Roman's cane tapped rapidly as he fast-walked down the stone corridor, trying his best to be both speedy and nonchalant. He looked over his shoulder for any kind of tail as he turned the corner. That Taurus freak had him spooked, especially with the way Salem fawned over him, and he was pretty sure he knew of an Adam Taurus from the White Fang. That was not the kind of guy he wanted to mess—

Roman felt his nose alight with pain as he knocked headfirst into someone coming around the corner. They both stumbled backwards, holding their faces and hissing, both apparently too distracted to even keep a passive Aura shield up.

"Gah, watch where you're going, you jackass!" Hissed Arthur Watts as he held his nose, a small amount of blood trickling down his chin.

Roman growled. "Hey, you're the one teleporting around the castle and menacing the blind spots!"

Arthur's hands fell, revealing more of his puzzled look and bleeding nose. "What? Teleport?"

Roman motioned between Arthur and the hall to the room they'd met in. "I just left."

"The bathroom cuts through here, you idiot." Arthur remarked like it was common knowledge.

Roman tried to fight a humiliated blush from forming, but it came through anyway as Neo let out a snort. He really didn't like Watts. He was too smart to be a criminal, and not nearly psychotic enough to fit in with this nut house. Worse still, he and Roman had some… experience working with each other. "What, do you think I live here?" Roman asked sarcastically.

Arthur folded his arms, mustache quirking as he smirked. Roman felt himself seethe internally, he hated when he did that. "Ghoulishly pale as you are, I wouldn't be surprised."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. What're you even doing here?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I was using the restroom, now I'm going back to my study."

"No, I mean— wait, you have a study here?"

"Of course I do. I practically live here."

Roman tried not to look too dumbfounded. "Live here? Why?"

Arthur shrugged. "It's hard to turn down a free room, especially when you're actually getting paid to live in it. Plus, I don't have to worry about watching my back."

Roman glared at him. "Oh, don't you?" He looked around, ensuring it was only the three of them in the hall before pulling Arthur close and whispering. "Arthur, these people are insane. You need to get out of here."

Arthur looked about ready to shout at him, but managed to hold a steady tone. "What are you talking about, Roman? The whole world is insane!" Arthur hissed. "These just happen to be the only people to whom I'm not a wanted criminal!"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Please, Watts, do you know who you're talking to?"

Arthur scoffed. "Oh, get over yourself. You know the difference between you and me?"

Roman frowned. "I'm ginger and you're ugly?"

"You go to prison. I get hanged."

Roman groaned. "Arthur, you ass, these people are not your friends."

"I never said they are. To me, they're just tools I will use to carve out my own safe place in the world."

Roman stood up suddenly, grabbing Arthur by the shoulders and pushing his back into the wall. "They—!" He flinched at the sound of his voice bouncing off the ribbed walls. In a hiss, he repeated, "They are going to kill you, Arthur! You are the tool, and they are going to use you until you break!"

Roman held him there for a few moments to let his words sink in, then pushed himself away, extracting a cigar from his coat pocket.

"I would hate to see you dead, Arthur. Get out while you can. I know I am."

Arthur dusted off his suit and straightened back up, then nodded at the pair of doors behind Neo, who was watching them from a couple meters away. "There's a balcony over there."

Roman looked over, then gave a brief nod before pushing the doors open and taking a breath of the outside. The air in this place was humid and stale, but not the worst thing he had ever smelled. He leaned against the railing and lit the cigar as Neo joined him, with Arthur following just behind her. Roman took a puff, then held it out for Arthur.

He accepted it, taking a long drag before suddenly hacking up unfamiliar smoke and mucus. "Holy shit, Roman," he managed between wheezing coughs, "what is this?"

Roman laughed, taking the cigar back. "Oh, just a little something. Smoking wasn't taking the edge off anymore." He took a couple conservative pulls, puffing out smoke with a much more herbal scent than Watts was used to.

Arthur felt it hit him like a truck, an odd pressure forming behind his eyes as his head swam. Roman was right, though, as be felt all of his edges suddenly coming right off. "You could've warned me." Arthur mumbled as he accepted it from Roman again, this time taking a much more cautious hit.

Roman laughed again, a sound Arthur found… odd. Familiar. A little comforting. "I could've."

Arthur passed it back. "So… what do you mean you're getting out?"

Roman took a long hit before answering. "I mean, I'm getting out. Leaving. The Dust…" he sighed, puffing out a plume of smoke, "There's so much of it, Arthur. Literal tons. And we're just sitting on it! Fuck's sake, we could sell a quarter of it, be set for life, and still have enough to completely grip the market!" Roman sighed again, passing the cigar back to Arthur and looking out over the desolate landscape below him. "I don't know what they've got planned, but whatever it is, it's going to be bad."

Arthur shrugged. "Why do you care what happens to the world? You're a mafioso, they would never forgive you, no matter how much you care."

"I don't care if they forgive me!" Roman said suddenly, making Arthur jump. "I'm a bad guy, and I know it! I like being a criminal! I like being hunted by the law!" He took another hit, it was getting short enough that the smoke burned his lungs. He exhaled, passing it back to Arthur. "But I'm not… evil. Not like them."

"Evil is based entirely on perspective." Arthur took another hit, the hot smoke making him cough so hard he dropped it. He bent down to pick it back up, but Roman stomped on it and shook his head.

"Yeah, sure, perspective my ass. Have you seen Cinder? She is a complete psycho, she kills people and she loves it! She watches them burn and… I don't know! Probably gets off on it or something." Roman stepped up after a beat, getting closer to Arthur and meeting his eyes. "I know you've got problems with it. Maybe not morally, but you can see how inefficient it is."

Arthur looked away. "I… you're right about the Dust. We could be using it more efficiently."

Roman sighed. "Thank you. Good to know I'm not totally surrounded by psychos."

"Whatever they're planning… I'm not sure what it is, but there's going to be bloodshed. Too much. Even for me." Arthur straightened himself, adjusting his tie. "But that's why I'm here. To direct this! To get this huge, powerful thing these people are controlling and point it in a better direction! One without autocrats like Ozpin and Ironwood, without the SDC, a place that rewards intelligence!"

Roman pushed his hair back and let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't get it. They don't see you as an advisor, Watts, they see you as a tool, and when you outlive your usefulness, they're going to get rid of you." He looked through the window into the hallway, just to make sure nothing was watching.

Arthur didn't say anything, seemingly lost in thought as he looked out at the desolate landscape.

Roman laid a hand on Arthur's shoulder, his gaze more genuine than he had ever seen. "Look, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but…" he looked over his shoulder, then leaned over the balcony to see if anyone was below them. "I've got a tracker on me, and one of my guys is about a mile or two from the coast with a boat. I'm leaving, now." He put his other hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You should come with me." The tiniest hint of a smile graced Roman's lips. "It'll be like the good ol' days."

Arthur bit his lip, something Roman had never seen him do. For the first time, he actually seemed vulnerable, unsure of himself. He looked up, his pale lime irises meeting Roman's forest-green eyes. The air grew thick. Roman swallowed.

Roman felt extremely strange, all but hugging this man with whom he had once had… relations, and being high as a kite certainly didn't help. Well, it did help, just not in the way Roman would have liked, especially when Arthur sidled up closer to him and grabbed his lapels.

Neo immediately hopped to action, blade shooting out of her parasol as she prepared to—

Roman smashed his lips into Arthur's.

'What. The. Fuck.' Neo mouthed as she blushed and turned away, but it wasn't enough. She could hear them just behind her, absolutely sucking face. She wanted to puke. Roman did not do these things. Not with anybody, not ever, and Neo appreciated that. Nothing personal ever got in the way of his job, which made her job much more comfortable. But this? She didn't know what to do.

Eager to escape, she pushed herself through the balcony doors and dutifully stood watch where she wouldn't have to hear the two engaging in any kind of intimate activities. Much better. Just keep guard out here, no need to bother those two while they… she looked back, peering through the window to the balcony, then immediately retreated. Yep. Just rolling on the ground, slobbering all over each other like animals. Nothing she needed to involve herself with. Better to watch the hallway, lest some servant come by and catch the act.

Neo wasn't sure how long she diligently watched the empty hallway, but she eventually decided to take another peek, just to check on her partner.

He was on his back, his coat torn open in the front, purple bruises on his neck, and a bleeding wound on the side of his head.

Neo rushed to grab the handle to the balcony, but stopped when she heard a noise behind her. There was a purple spark in the air, then two large blue discs of solid light formed in the center, pulling apart vertically to reveal Arthur Watts, with Adam Taurus at his side. He held his hand out, and small metal rings flew from the edges of the discs and floated around his hands.

"He was right," Arthur said with a smirk, "I can teleport."

Neo moved, but Adam moved quicker, dashing forward and slashing at her with his long claws. They scraped against her Aura, shredding it before she could bat him away with a kick and flourish with her parasol.

She tried to look back at Roman, but her hair stood on end. Arthur's rings surrounded her, zipping about and glowing a bright blue.

Lightning burst from each ring, making quick work of the rest of her Aura before surging into her body. She spasmed, unable to move as the shock held her in place and cooked her from the inside. She tried to cry out, but her jaw couldn't move, her teeth forcibly slammed together.

The rings went dark before long, lazily floating back onto Arthur's fingers and leaving a singed, twitching pile of Neo on the ground.

"Find somewhere safe to put them. I'll tell Salem."

There was a grunt, and Neo felt herself being tugged, then hoisted.

Conscious fled her soon after.