"You sure you're alright, man?"

Sun paused halfway up the flight of steps to catch his breath, and leaned slightly into the railing.

"Yeah, I've got this. Physically, and otherwise," Sun added. "My body is just starting to crumble apart, apparently. Few more days of rest, and I should be good."

"Too bad Professor Ozpin wants to make a plan tomorrow," Neptune reminded. "Though, he'd be insane to say something like 'alright everyone, we move out right now'. Here's hoping he gives you and Ilia time to recover."

"Here's hoping he plans on including Ilia and I," Sun grumbled as he resumed his march up to the second floor. "If he tries to cut our team loose, I'm going to be pissed. Blake and I are a package deal, and you and Ilia come with me. Otherwise, we'll… I don't know. Support unofficially from the sidelines, I guess. Are you still in?"

Neptune scoffed, and moved to stand beside Sun at the top of the steps. "What kind of question is that? Of course I'm still in! Team SIN isn't going to dissolve. We're in this for the long haul."

"…so that's really what we're going with, huh?" Sun asked.

"You got anything better?" Neptune teased, full of confidence.

"…shut up," Sun instructed as he made his way down the hall. "You're the worst. Though, I guess I should be thankful that you're clothed, now."

"Says the guy who still hasn't found a new shirt," Neptune shot back.

"…I'm working on it," Sun replied as he approached the door. The wood was painted a deep blue, and the paint upon it was missing in several places. Sun raised his fist and took a deep breath, and then rapped his knuckles against it three times. Neither of the boys moved as they waited for almost a full minute before a reply came from inside.

"Who is it? Rent's not due for another two days. I'm workin' on it."

Sun cracked his neck and rocked onto his tiptoes a few times to stretch out. "Sage. We need to talk, face to face."

Neptune leaned in and whispered a reminder as Sun kept his eyes on the door. "If he takes a swing, I've got your back. If you take a swing, you're on your own."

"Yeah, yeah," Sun replied softly. "I know. I'll keep my cool."

"Here's hoping," Neptune said as he leaned back over to stand straight.

"Got nothin' to say to you. Get away from the door before I call the police. Mistrali cops don't like faunus, especially after what just went down at Haven."

Sun took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. His right hand started to shake involuntarily, before he made it into a fist and closed his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere until you open the door and talk to me. I understand that you're upset, and you should be, but doesn't almost a year of being a team at least buy me five minutes?"

"I do like the idea of 'buying' five minutes. What've ya got on ya?" Sage asked through the door. Sun cursed to himself as he took out his wallet and began to dig through the mostly-empty folds.

"Hey, I'm here, too!" Neptune added. "Sun screwed us over, but at least open the door for me? You should hear him out. I think so, anyway."

Sun paused his inspection and waited as he held his breath. Moments later, the sound of a deadbolt being unlatched echoed in the empty hallway, and Sun put his wallet back in his shorts as he stepped back from the door. The wood pulled back to reveal a massive, dark skinned man with roman numerals tattooed around his neck in a circle. He wore black jeans and an indecipherable band shirt with a wild, nonsensical pattern of colors upon it. He also wore an expression sour enough to spoil milk.

"Alright, Neptune. Just for you, I'll play along for a few minutes." Sage turned to look down at Sun with contempt. "You've got balls, coming here."

"Listen, Sage, I'm sorry f-"

"Sorry doesn't pay bills, or tuition for a new academy," Sage interrupted. "Do you know how many people in Vale or Mistral post jobs for teams of three huntsmen? None. Do you know how rare duo postings are? Pretty damned rare. They're all shit like 'there's a boar that comes around the back yard at night, take care of it', or 'we saw one beowulf down in that valley'. You know what they have in common, Sun?"

"Considering your main concern right now, I'd say the pay is awful," Sun guessed as he crossed his arms.

Sage leaned against the doorframe and clapped twice, slowly. "Look at you. Maybe hanging around Blake for so long made you smarter. That's right- the pay is shit. Neptune and I barely got by, and we weren't even guaranteed a spot at Haven, next semester. Teams of two generally don't exist, because most leaders understand commitment."

Neptune shifted uncomfortably as Sun let out a low, frustrated noise. "I'll be honest- I didn't expect to be gone this long. I thought that I'd be able to convince Blake to turn around and rejoin her team, but I was wrong. Very wrong. We ended up going all the way back to Menagerie, and her hometown of Kuo Kuana, before she would even start to listen to me. It was clear that she needed someone, and it was clear to me that the three of you would be fine without me for a while. I… guess I was wrong."

"You guess you were wrong," Sage repeated. "Now there's an understatement. I'm stuck in this shithole, and Scarlet up and left to gods know where."

"But that's just it," Neptune said as he shook his head. "We're not fine without Sun. You and me, trying to keep this afloat… it's just not working. We can't go off on our own, relying on Haven to reshuffle us in the coming semester could screw us over, and we don't have any other options. Even if you don't like it, there's not much else we can really do. Why not give Sun a chance to make things right?"

"Because at the end of the day, that's just a second chance to make things worse again," Sage explained. "He's burned me once for something that's of no concern to me, and he'll do it again the second he has an excuse."

"Sage, I know what I did was wrong," Sun began, only for Sage to hold out a hand for silence.

"Do you regret it?" he asked. Sun didn't answer, and looked down at his shoes. "I said, do you regret it? Would you do it all over again, if you had the opportunity to change it?"

Sun deflated as he exhaled, admitting defeat. "…Sage, I'm learning more and more by the day that I'm a shitty person, alright? I don't need you to rub it in."

"Sun, you're n-" Neptune tried, only to be drowned out.

"What can I do now to make it up to you? Even if you won't join us again, what can I do to make your life better? I owe you that, don't I? Even if I'm a total scumbag, I want to make good on my debts."

Sage made a show of pretending to mull it over, before he pushed off the doorframe and narrowed his eyes. "Tell you what. You want the good times back? You want to relive how it used to be on Team SSSN, where we got things done and shared some laughs along the way?"

"Yeah," Sun replied immediately. "I want to go back to that more than almost anything else. We also need you, man. You're strong, and a hell of a fighter. Things have escalated to be fate of the world material, at this point. So, come on. Don't you want those times back, too?"

Neptune tensed as Sage smiled. "Oh, I do… but 'fate of the world', is it? Then I guess my price just went up."

"Your… price?" Neptune repeated.

"That's right. You want muscle, and a wingman? Pay me. It's pretty clear that friendship didn't work for you, leader, so if you want me around, I'll have to be formally hired. Cough up lien according to my contract, and I'm game. Come up short, and I walk. Can't get more fair than that," Sage finished with a sneer.

Neptune regarded Sage with an astonished look of contempt. "That's disgusting, Sage! We're supposed to be friends!"

"A lot of things are 'supposed to be', but they aren't. I've got no problem with you, honestly, but him? He's not the kind of friend I'd fight for. Not for free, anyway," Sage clarified.

Neptune scowled and shook his head as he began to turn away from the door. "Sun, I'm sorry we even wasted our time, here. Let's just go, a-"

"How much?"

Neptune stared at Sun, mouth agape. "…you can't be serious."

Sage chuckled, and looked Sun over. "400 lien a month."

Sun pulled a face as his tail swished behind him. "…300, and we cover food and housing, as it becomes available to the team."

"Sun, what are you doing?" Neptune questioned as he clasped his hands to his skull.

"350, with all that. Final offer," Sage countered. Sun frowned and furrowed his brows. A small noise of irritation escaped his lips, before he took a deep breath and snorted.

"…fine. Done."

"And I want the first payment up front," Sage demanded as he offered a hand. Sun took it and shook. He yelped in pain as Sage squeezed against his bandaged burn, and hissed softly as he pulled back.

"It'll have to be digital, but fine. There's a briefing tomorrow at the safe house we're staying at. You will be there," Sun instructed as he pulled out his scroll to transfer funds. Sage took out his own, and nodded as the transaction went through.

"Sure. Whatever you say, boss."

"Sending you the address now," Sun added as he tapped out a message. Sage watched his scroll, and nodded again as he received it.

"Mm-hmm. See you boys there."

Without another word, the giant man slammed the door closed, and Neptune just about tore his hair out.

"What was that!?"

"That was an example of 'desperate measures'," Sun explained. "I can keep him going for two months if need be, and if he keeps insisting after that, we cut him loose… or try to scrounge funds from the others, if we really need him," Sun said.

Neptune threw his hands up, and began to make his way toward the stairs. "Sun, you're cutting deals with the devil. That was a huge mistake. He's going to lord it over us so bad, and it's going to be so embarrassing with the rest of the teams… oh, gods, we have no dignity left. You literally just bought us a friend."

"Would you can it? Seriously, I'm doing the best I can!" Sun replied as he tapped out another message on his scroll, his fingers hitting the screen a bit harder than normal. "I think that after he travels with us for a bit, we'll get the old Sage back. He'll start to feel bad and come around, over time. We haven't lost him entirely."

"I hope you're right," Neptune said with a skeptical air. "I mean, I trust you, but… this feels so wrong. So, so wrong."

"Yeah, it does," Sun agreed. "But at least I didn't beat the shit out of him."

"That is a plus," Neptune offered as they made their way out of the building. "You feeling alright? You seemed pretty calm, for most of that."

"Yeah," Sun answered quickly. "Yeah, I'm good. Hey, are you up for visiting Ilia? She's awake, and should be available soon."

"Of course! Annoying her just brightens my day, you know," Neptune confessed with a cheesy grin.

"I bet it does," Sun replied. He moved to catch up to Neptune and walk beside him as they made their way onto the sidewalk. On the side opposite of his friend, Sun's hand twitched, before he balled it into a fist once again.

"Not much farther, now. Remember to be on your best behavior. Who knows who might be watching?"

Scarlet kept his eyes on the strange man in front of him as he began to ascend the steps in silence. His boots clacked against the obsidian surfaces as he made his way forward, only to stop in front of the massive door. The man ahead of him threw open the portal, before turning to face Scarlet with an unhinged smile.

"What's the matter? Losing your nerve?"

"Not quite," Scarlet retorted as he crossed his arms. "I just wasn't expecting… a literal castle, when you started talking about 'your queen'. Isn't it a little odd?"

The lanky, crazed looking man before Scarlet erupted into a fit of giggles, before breaking out into an unnaturally wide grin. "Oh, new friend, everything here is odd. You'll get used to it… if you want to live."

Scarlet waved a hand as he rested the other on his hip, clearly unimpressed. "Spare me the theatrics, Tyrian. Just tell me what I need to know, and when I get to meet this 'queen'."

"Oh, you'll have to aim a little lower than that, at first. She only meets with those who have proven their loyalty and worthiness, as is her right," Tyrian informed as he began to lead Scarlet down the hall. He seemed to nearly dance as he went, his metallic tail scraping gleefully against the walls and scouring the stonework.

"…I've proven that I can hold my own in combat, and so long as the pay is decent, I plan to stick around. What more do you want from me?" Scarlet asked as he looked on.

"It's not about what I want. It's what's best for her. You'll be stuck in a little corner, far away from anything important, until you get your hands sufficiently dirty for us. Then, and only then will you be given a seat amongst the ones here who have any significance," Tyrian explained. "If you survive that long," he added while lowering his voice to a more threatening tone.

Scarlet rolled his eyes as he followed Tyrian around a corner. "Survival is my specialty."

Tyrian only laughed again as he spun into an abrupt stop. The metal tip of his tail shot forth for Scarlet's neck, and stopped inches from the exposed flesh. Scarlet stopped just in time and threw up his hands defensively, though he was too slow to block what would have been a lethal strike.

"Do you think you're the first wannabe, faceless glory-seeker I've heard say those words? You're not even the first this month, kid. To be completely honest… I've already forgotten your name!" Tyrian shrieked with a smile, and then another wild cackle. Scarlet batted the metal appendage to the side as he wrinkled his nose and blew his fringe of hair out from its place over one of his eyes.

"It's Scarlet. Scarlet David."

Tyrian's eyes widened as he reeled his tail in, only to curl it around his waist. He allowed his mouth to gape in simulated amazement as he made an awed noise.

"Scarlet… the Scarlet David? The little boy who ran into a group of very bad people, and got himself killed by thinking he was more important than he is? Is that the one?" Tyrian mocked.

Scarlet scowled. "I'll get you results. Just give me a chance."

"You'll have it, soon enough," Tyrian said enigmatically as he gestured toward a hallway. "Your room is the third door on the left. Make yourself at home, but don't get too comfortable. You'll probably be sent to Atlas, soon."

"Right. Do bad things to people on high horses. Sounds like a party," Scarlet lilted as he made his way past Tyrian and toward the door.

"…oh, I'm starting to like you. Let's hope you don't break as easily as the last few. Sleep tight," Tyrian offered with a small wave, before disappearing around another corner.

Scarlet shook his head, and sighed heavily before wiping his hair back with his hand. A sudden odd, gurgling noise caused goosebumps to manifest along his arms and neck, and he whirled while looking around for the source.

"H-hello…?" Scarlet called out into the darkened hall. The sound continued, and grew fainter over time as he squinted to locate the source. He came up with nothing, and went into a full-body shiver as he quickly pushed his way through the door and into the bedroom.

"I really hope this isn't a mistake."

Author's Note:

I was going to save some of this for the literal final chapter, but I want to put a few things out there right now. It feels like a good time to do so.

-I made another 'roadmap' for what is going to happen in each chapter. As of this moment, Chapter 57 is already written, and I'm working through this story as quickly as I can. I didn't do this out of boredom with the story, any kind of schedule frustration, or anything like that- I did this to figure out when the "ending" is roughly going to happen, in order to better plan future stories and whatnot. If things pan out as I'm hoping, Chapter 63 or 64 will be the "last" chapter. I'm dropping this announcement now because...

-Multiple people brought up Sun's anger in the reviews of the last chapter, and the way that he's dealing with it. Believe me, it was never going to be a one-and-done ordeal, or something brushed aside as he starts to "feel better" due to Blake giving him smooches. Ghira's death had a major impact on him, and the extent of that is only just starting to manifest in the form of his irrational, ugly rage episodes. This won't even be fully addressed by the time the "ending" hits, because...

-As some of you may have guessed by now, due to a few offhand comments I've made and consistently referring to "the ending" or "last" chapter in quotes, this story is not really ending at whatever number it ends at. I have a set point that the story will go on hiatus until the entirety of Volume 7 is released, and then this story will begin updating again immediately afterward. I fully intend to keep What You Stole going alongside canon, as a sort of 'what if' alternate timeline, had Sun, Neptune, and Ilia stuck around, while cherry picking certain events from Volume 7 and weaving my own content into there. This story is going to go all the way to the finale of RWBY as a whole, with lots of major things changed around and the focus kept upon SINS, Kali, and Cinnamon. All of the plot threads brought up thus far will not just be abandoned/glossed over, and some things from canon itself (such as Cordovin...) won't show up until later, while others will be resolved by the end of Volume 6. I've got plans. Big plans.

-Finally, on a less huge note- since people seem to love Neptune being a nudist with no concept of tact or personal space, I figured I'd share a little about how he gained those traits. The main inspiration for the Sun/Neptune dynamic is absolutely Scott Pilgrim and Wallace Wells, from the Scott Pilgrim comics/film. It's how I've always imagined things would work in their dorm, and the thought of Neptune having a bit of Wallace in him is too entertaining to pass up.

Next update on Tuesday.

-RD