Chapter Three: The Big Score!
A car horn. Of course that's the first thing he had to hear today. The enclosed air smelled the same as always, the man sighing into a small space. Another horn. This time, it's followed by a stream of horns, only lightly muffled by distance and walls. The young man grumbled into the object obscuring his face as he'd been leaning back in his chair to sleep.
The grumbling grew three times as loud with the opening of a door. The sound of boots on a hard wood floor further grained at the man's ears. A nasal Italian voice calling out. "Enough with the Z's, kid! You got work ahead of yourself today!"
A series of incoherent mumbles came out as the 'kid's' hand came up, gripping the object obscuring his face from the light of day. The gloved appendage grips the brim of a hat, putting it off to reveal a tired looking face. The young man's green eyes looked over the patchy bearded thug standing in the door way. He sends an unamused look at the guy. "Oh, what great venture awaits me today?"
The thug huffs. "Keep it up, and that smartass nature won't last much longer." The man scoffs, turning and going into the hall. "Boss wants you for a job." He adds with a fading mutter afterward. "Sure it'll be lots of fun for ya."
The young man sighs. He runs a hand into his shoulder length orange hair. His green eyes adjust to the light coming from the lone window in the rather rundown room. Outside, the car horns could be heard en mass. The bustling streets of downtown Vale. He continues to grumble, stretching in his seat and popping each joint. The young man stands from the office chair, wearing a simple black button up shirt.
He quickly puts on a brown button up suit jacket with red interior, complementing his black pants. His one gloved hand gripped the handle of a red cane. A small circular satchel hangs at his side, wrapped over his opposite shoulder. Finally, his off hand gripped the brim of the hat previously covering his face for darkness. A bowler hat completed his look with a red line above the brim.
He exits the room with a yawn, putting on a smarmy grin. "You know, beauty sleep will keep me from looking like one of you."
"Pipe it and get to the car, brat!"
. . .
One hour, a cup of startlingly strong coffee, and a very annoyed driver later, the young man stepped from a black car. The door slams shut as he walks into an alleyway. Coming across a locked door, he sighs, bringing the blunt side of the cane handle up. Three metallic hits onto the locked door sound.
The man tapped his foot, impatient. The wait wasn't long, locks unlatching on the other side of the door. It creeps open as the young man walks inside the dark interior. He walks through several dark corridors, a few men in suits standing at key points as guards. None of them gave the kid anything other than a dark glare. The boy's response was a chin high grin.
He made it to a door that had one guard on each side, both glaring at him through their sunglasses. The door opens, another young man, a bit taller, with brown beginnings of a beard. He wore a similar outfit to the guards, minus the suit jacket leaving only the white button up. The man looked at the orange haired boy, a brow raising with wide eyes. "Oh god, they called you for this, Roman?"
Roman Torchwick
Age – 16
12 years before The Day
Roman smirks, tipping his hat to the man. "I'm here to serve, aren't I?" His sarcasm was clear, though he straightens up. "What's your dad got for me, Junior? Another hit and run that needs a meat shield?"
Junior, a mid 20s man, stood before Roman looking uncharacteristically dismayed. The son of the current boss, Senior. "No, not something so... simple." Junior passes a look to the guards, leaning towards Roman.
Roman's grin went away, brow raised. "Come on. Your dad barely does anything interesting." A suddenly tenseness in the two nearby guards brought Roman's attention. The young orange haired man scoffs. "He's efficient as hell, but he sticks to what works." Roman directs his speech to the two listeners. "There! That a better way to phrase it?"
Junior sighs, tapping Roman's shoulder for his full attention. He leans in, muttering. "Look, just play things low and by ear." A final pat on Roman's shoulder before he walks around and to the exit.
Roman watches at he leaves, seeing him disappear. That... wasn't a very inspiring exit. The young man fixes the guards with a calculated stare. They weren't happy with his presence. Eh, what else is new? They've always hated him. Roman moves forward, through the door ahead.
As he'd expected, a desk with a lightly grayed head of brown hair behind it. A slightly overweight man in full suit sat at the desk with elbows on the desk top. His hands linked fingers, brown eyes staring over at Roman. On each side of the desk was another guard. The middle aged man's hands lowered, revealing a warm smile. "Ah, Roman! Good of you to make it." He gestures with one hand to the chair in front of the desk. "I was worried you'd disappeared on us."
Roman's hairs stood on end, but he smirks. He walks over and takes the seat, nodding his head. "Well, when Barry drives, you either wreck and die, or you take a thousand years to get anywhere." He looks the boss in the eye, his smirk twitching down. "I trust all is well, Senior? You're looking better than ever."
Senior smiles, a light chuckle coming on. "As always, you're chatty. I like you, but I need you for something more than light complements, today." He tilts his head towards the guard to his left. The suited man steps away from the side of the desk, withdrawing an envelope from his jacket. He steps towards Roman, handing it to the young man. "I'm afraid the matter is quite important."
Roman raises a skeptical brow at the guard before opening the envelope. It'd been opened already. Roman takes another glance at Senior, who gestures with his hand.
"Go on. Read. It can explain much better than myself. I'll fill in the holes for ya." Senior's warm smile was now a firm set line.
The orange haired teen checks the paper package. All he can tell is it's from Mistral. That can't be good. He glances around once more before swiftly removing a folded paper from the envelope. A letter? He quickly scanned the contents, minor mutterings at certain lines. "'A big job'... 'calling my favor'... 'need your best'..." Roman ceases reading. "It mentions it wanted Lohrenz?"
The guards showed physical irritation at his questioning. However, Senior waves them down. "Lohrenz is currently on a job in Atlas."
Roman's eye twitches. Another contract with the White Fang? They'd come to Senior for money backing and muscle once or twice to smuggler mine workers from the kingdom. They always need handouts, but it gives the crime family favors. Roman continues the letter. It doesn't actually say the job, but mentions one risk... A 'huntsman and huntress'.
The letter ends... 'From: Your man, Killa.'
"Killa..." Roman's mind racks for information. "Why does that sound famil-" Roman's eyes widened, staring at his boss in shock. "You want me to work with Killian Gonzola?!" Roman stands so fast, the chair he'd been on tips over, hitting the ground. Roman just kept looking back and forth between Senior and the letter.
The whole while, the guards took aggressive stances towards Roman, Senior not calling them off this time. His voice lowers, chilling. "Voice down, Roman."
Roman suddenly remembers the situation he's in, freezing. He feels a cold chill, stopping and evaluating the stances of the guards around him. He MIGHT be able to take them down... maybe make it outside. However, that would be an ill informed move. He gulps down, taking a deep breath. "M-May I question, sir?"
Senior smirks, liking the change in demeanor. "You always go until we shut you up, but since you asked for permission for once..." He waves for Roman.
Questions rattled off, Roman barely containing his near condescending tone. "Doesn't Killa murder humans on sight? How do you two even know each other? Why work with that absolute psychopath? Why me?" He gets these out in five seconds flat. His hands gesture out flippant, eyes wide in astonishment.
Senior scoffs. "In order of relevance, Killa and I go way back. He owes me for sponsoring him to join the White Fang several years ago when Ghira Belladonna was still in charge."
Right, cause that lasted long. Killa only used the Faunus rights movement as an excuse to murder. King kitty cat condemned him completely...
"As for why we work together, you should know the importance of... eccentric allies. Need a hammer? Try a wrecking ball."
Roman usually loves that analogy, but his current shock kept him from liking that humor.
"As for why you? Well, like I said." Senior stated with mild irritation. "Lohrenz was requested, but he's on job. I don't have any other skilled Faunus employees around. You're not exactly high ranking, but I'm thinking Killian will like you."
That... is either a complicated complement or a straight insult. He's just going to go with it, eyes narrowing.
"Finally, he won't kill you on sight." Senior smirks. "Though, I understand how you'd come to that conclusion. Many talks about his bounty collecting are exaggerated, I assure you."
Like Senior assured Roman when saying his pick pocket target knew some self defense. Guy was a former police chief!
"You'll be fine. All you gotta do is... charm him. Go along with him, and come on back to me with his payment." Senior smirks. "Killa is smart enough not to cross me. Good as he is. You'll be meeting him at the location on the back of the letter."
Roman did as he was told, looking to see a freshly written address on the back. This was... a long way away. Near the edges of the kingdom! Roman's look of confusion sent yet another question.
Senior smirks at him. "I'm sending Nate with you to make sure you... get to the location unharmed. He'll be there to meet you after the job is over as well." The boss nods towards Roman. "Any further questions?"
The orange haired teen swallows, suddenly getting a bad feeling. But... Well, he has him. "... Nothing further, Senior."
The boss grins. "Take comfort Roman." His expression brightens. "I like you, and I want you to be happy, healthy, and successful." He clasps his hands on the desk. "Make this work, and you'll be moving on up in the world."
That caught Roman's attention. He glances up, meeting Senior's eyes. Moving up meant more money... more security... more freedom. The orange haired teen smirks, though not all nerves were gone. With a shrug, he nods. "Well, guess I'm your man."
. . .
"Do you have to go?" The feminine yet hoarse voice called out from the kitchen. Senaya Uhlric stood at the counter, a fizzing mug of water in front of her. One hand rested on her temple while she called out again. "Just order some of the other officers to clear them out."
At the dining room table, Jared sat, fastening his belt, holster, and checking his boots. He smirks as his wife nursed what was surely a hangover, and not a run of the mill 'migraine' as she suggests. He chuckles. "It's only for two days, Sen. Besides, you know half the department can't tell a beowolf from a deathstalker." He stands, checking the inner pockets of his jacket.
Recently, there had been reports of a small grim infestation half a day's journey out of town. A caravan had been attacked mid travel, though no casualties were reported. What struck Senaya as odd was that the grim were minors, not full grown versions of even common grim. Small grim were uncommon in attacks, typically only part of massive grim hordes. Yet, no such horde seemed to exist. Jared seemed convinced that a horde might be near the area of small grim, insisting he was the only one keen enough to find it. Senaya, however, know he just hated staying behind while others acted.
Senaya enters the room, the mug of water finished dissolving its medicinal contents. She sends a tired glare at him. "Look, if you're bored and just want some kicks, go ahead, but I won't be able to pick Carmine up from school tomorrow."
Jared pauses. "Ah, shit, the surgery?" At her nod, she starts drinking her medicine diffused water. Jared frowns in thought before nodding. "Let him take the bus to the hospital then. He can do homework while your shift finishes."
Senaya ceases drinking only to scoff. "I can make them provide one of the hospital dinners, but still..."
A blur of blue moves behind her into the kitchen. However, both adults are looking away as the blur moves.
She sits the mug down. "Guess it can't be helped, but the school bus stops a block away."
Jared raises a brow at her. "He can't walk a block? I know he's been grounded for months, but still." Jared looks past her, into the kitchen. There, standing on a stool to reach into the pantry, is Carmine. The small boy stares back with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights. He has a single empty glass with an open bottle of soda.
Carmine Uhlric
Age - 6
Jared blinks once before smirking, then winking at him. Little devil is sneaking more to drink. The man focuses back on the wife. "Seriously, let him have a key and take the bus back here. I'll personally order a police patrol of the street when he should be arriving. It'll be fine."
Carmine slowly shifts the small stool to the refrigerator, giving him enough reach into the freezer. He opens up and reaches in, withdrawing an ice tray.
Senaya frowns at Jared, looking insulted. "He tried to interfere with a mugging! AND you never found the right guy to arrest. Thugs hold grudges, and so do I!"
Jared's eye glances behind her at Carmine, who pauses as he sits the ice tray near the empty glass. Carmine frowns, unconsciously rubbing his jaw. That was a painful two days in the hospital. His own mother tended to some of his exams. Usually, that would be awkward, but her utter fury made him obediently follow each direction and precaution to the letter.
The investigator sighs. "We got enough tips to know that the guy split town. Probably worked out that he hurt the chief inspector's son, so he panicked. I would, too, but we can't hand hold his hand all the way to combat school."
Carmine begins moving in the kitchen once more. Near silent, he begins trying to twist the ice tray, hoping to silently pop the ice from the tray's slots.
Senaya rubs her temple, letting the medicine quell the hangover- erm, migraine. She groans, a near growl. "Fine. He can come to the hospital to wait."
Jared gives an unsubtle toothy grin and thumbs up at the boy, who is still twisting said ice tray. Senaya's eyes are closed during the action, picking up a remote to the living room TV.
At that exact moment, the first piece of ice popped in the tray...
"CARMINE, YOU GET IN YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW!" Senaya screams out, death glare sent through the kitchen at her son. The boy flinched so hard, he flung the ice tray onto the stove while he tripped. He catches the counter, looking with a nervous smile at his mother.
Jared sighs, face palming. Kid was so close.
Carmine pouts. "I just wanted another drink-"
Senaya's eye twitches. "You had half a liter today already. No more. You were up til 3 am last time."
Carmine sulks, placing the bottle away from him. Then, the glass was placed in the sink before the ice tray was put back in the freezer. He pouts as he walks out of the kitchen. Senaya keeps her gaze on him until he's nearly out of the room. "Remember to brush your teeth before bed, too."
Carmine grumbles in the hallway. "Yes, Mom..." In the hall, a light turns on as he enters the bathroom.
She turns her glare onto her husband. "You encourage this stuff."
Jared smirks at her. "Hey, if he can successfully sneak around you, he'll be a hell of a huntsman."
"Or a thief, Mr police inspector." Senaya's face softens as she smiles at her husband. "Be safe out there. You let a mini grim eat you, and I'll write it on your tombstone."
He chuckles, turning to the hallway. "I'll make sure it's a flock of mini Nevermores." He walks into the hall, turning into the bathroom to see Carmine swishing toothpaste water in his mouth. He's still slightly pouting, making the simple swishing look violent yet cute. The image made the father snicker. "Better luck next time, kid."
Carmine's pout disappears as he spits out into the sink. Wiping his mouth, the boy sends an excited look at the man. "You're going out to fight grim?"
"Yeah, kid. You'll be the man of the house while I'm gone."
The boy resumes pouting at the mirror. "A grounded man of the house."
The grown man barks a laugh. "Believe me, I know the feeling!" He crouches next to his son, clamping a hand onto the boy's shoulder. "But, it'll be over, soon." He fixes a soft look at the boy. "Keep your mom safe while I'm gone, okay?"
The boy snaps his gaze to his father, nodding vigorously. "I will!"
"Good! Because I also need the attic swept and organized while I'm gone. You should have plenty of time." He laughs as he pats the boy on the shoulder, walking out of the bathroom. Carmine watches him leave with a hollow pouted glare.
. . .
Roman gives an identical hollow glare as a train runs by behind him. Wind sweeps at his hair as one hand keeps his hat on. The night sky was clear, allowing a clear look at the broken moon above. The train station wasn't totally empty, but Roman felt it was still too quiet.
"Here we are." The escort guard states behind him.
Ah, yes. His leash holder was another irritation.
The nondescript suited man faces the orange haired teen. "According the boss, your job should take a week. If we don't receive a scroll call within 7 days..." He trails off, implicating something Roman doesn't want to think about.
"Yeah, Yeah. You can buzz off, now." He waves his cane hand flippantly. "I have a dance with a psychopath to get to." He begins walking away from the guard without further word. Any reason to get away from that persistent lug head.
Roman moves out of the overhanging station on the edge of town. The elevated train line eventually spanned underground to a town near Vale. A full day's travel by train alone. And with nothing but that basic bottom dollar bruiser as company. He shakes it off. For a little while, he's free of that, so enjoy it while it lasts.
The teen smirks, stepping onto the sidewalk and walking down the street. "So, this is Sanctuary?" He looks around, inspecting the size of the buildings. None impressively large. "Impressive size of the city limits, a little boring, but-" He sees a few cars drive by. Police cruisers. They seem to be heading out of the city. "... but some things are universal." He groans. "Boys in blue chasing away."
The orange haired nuisance eyes a few closed shops. A quick glance around as he makes his way downtown. No need to really hide. These people damn sure don't know who he is.
Half an hour later, he arrives at the docks. "Hmm. So cliché it's boring." He looks around, goosebumps appearing. He'd memorized the address, but that only brought him to the docking yards. Where to now? A minute of searching, and he stops, his face looking done with the job already. "Gee, I wonder if it's here."
He glares daggers forward, face hardening. Taking in the scene before him. A rather small boat shack. A break area for dock workers or a place for documentation. Roman doesn't know, but given the very obvious broken door. The hinges are broken, the glass window in the door shattered. Yet, someone took the time to put it back in place.
"Amateurs." He mutters, beginning his trek towards the shack. Deep breath. Breathe. His growing nerves were getting to him. He arrives at the door, hair standing on end, eyes narrowed. Something... was off. Is that..? He slowly turns the knob, pulling the broken door just slightly. The whole door inches forward, just enough for Roman to see the trip wire connected to the top of the door. Ah, booby trapped. Pull the broken door, it falls forward and triggers the trap.
Roman pushes the door back in, walking around the perimeter. Sure enough, he finds the back door, locked. Easy, he picks the lock in seconds, opening the door and entering. He moves through the back storage room and into the open area filled with tables. First thing he notices are two dead bodies left in the corner. Next, across from him, he sees three people. One stands behind the tables, another leaning on the back wall. The last sits on the table top, feet resting on the bench seat of the table. "Well, well, well... what have we here?"
The lights brighten, Roman's hat shielding his eyes well enough. The man sitting on the table top had tanned skin, hazel eyes, and a blonde mohawk. He wears a gray open duster with a bare chest underneath contrasting several golden necklaces. He wears tight black pants and combat boots. He flashes a grin as a scaly brown tail slithers out from behind him.
His grin widens as a wave of color flashes over him, skin going purple and hair white before returning to the prior color. The smile turns sinister as he cocks his head to the side. "Nice eye on the front door, but I see that you're... missing some parts here." He gestures towards Roman with his hand.
Roman's eyes went wide, realizing who he was face to face with him. Well, time for the deep plunge. He gives a smirk, meeting the hungry gaze aimed at him. "Senior sends his regards, Mr Gonzola." He starts, taking a pause to make sure he speaks clearly. "Unfortunately, the agent you requested was occupied with a job in Atlas."
The grin on Killa's face warped away to a look on outrage. "Oh? So I get sloppy seconds, then?" His body tenses, eyes narrowing. "A cut was offered to Senior if he actually gave valuable help! I needed an actual worker, not some grubby human. So what the hell are you?"
"Good looking, intelligent, and able to spot a shoddy door trap scenario." Roman states plainly, though the nearest of the two other figures lurches forward. Senior DID say to use his, erm, charm.
"Shoddy?!" The man standing charges, throwing a punch. Attached to his fists are twin katars. Roman reacts in time, twisting his cane up and parrying the blade with the tip. The man is redirected to the side, Roman side stepping away and squaring off with him. "I'll show you 'shoddy', punk!"
The man turns. He's sleeveless, a yellow open vest over light skin, green pants and brown boots. He has short black hair and brown eyes. Around his eyes is blackened skin. It's almost like very thick eye liner, but Roman can tell it's his skin. Oh! A raccoon faunus! "Well, you're showing me shoddy, alright." Roman states with a condescending smirk. If he's going to die, he'll make it fun.
The faunus snarls, crouching ready to pounce. Roman simply stares him down. The two are about the same size and build, fairly lean. Just as the faunus is ready to charge, laughter breaks the two from their focus.
"Woo!" Killa claps, eyes wide along with his large grin. "I will admit to being surprised. Here I thought Senior was the only good human and kill all the rest, but I like the cut of your jib!"
The raccoon faunus narrows his gaze, eyes looking like small slits within the natural black mask look. His eyes remain on Roman, anger radiating off him. "Come on! Let me just give him a gash!" He seethes.
Roman relaxes as Killa finally gets up, approaching the faunus. "Whoa, whoa! We're all detestable filthy people." He holds one hand, gesturing towards Roman. "Some with less... well, less to love than others."
Roman smirks. "I prefer to think of it as less to hate."
"Hoo hoo! Some bite in the words." Killa sends a hungry glare his way. "Senior didn't cheat me, after all. What's your name?"
A twirl of the red cane, Roman nods. "Roman Torchwick. You're Killa... so, who are the help?" He gestures towards the remaining man leaning on the wall.
The man at the edge of the room huffs, stepping into the light. Like the skinny raccoon, he was dressed rather simply. A dark blue closed vest, a brighter blue pair of pants with black boots. He had dark gloves, a weapon on his back. Upon further look, it's a sledgehammer with a trigger just under the hammer head. The end of the handle is a gun barrel with the handle having a pump action slider. A shotgun hammer. His arms are slightly too buff to fit with his already above average build. Hairy forearms... a gorilla faunus? His short brown hair connected with his full beard. Strangely, he wore sunglasses indoors. One of those guys...
Killa gestures around. "Meet my most reliable chump- friends!" Killa corrects quickly, though Roman and the two others all raise a brow at him. Killa gestures to the gorilla. "Earl." Then pats the raccoon's shoulder. "And Cal."
'Cal' flinches at the touch, jittery and wired. "Whatever! Let's get to the job! I've got payments to make!" He growls out. Roman recoils slightly. More than likely, those payments are to some token dealer in an alley somewhere.
"Ah, yeah. I'm hard up for cash and need a good payment." The one called 'Earl' calls out. He stretches as the group of four stands closer. Roman realizes that Earl is a whole head taller than him.
Killa smirks, rubbing his hands together with a sickening grin. "Alright, friends. Let's get down to business."
. . .
The school bell rings the next day. Young students pour out of the school, several to parents picking them up. Within the crowd, Carmine walks out, backpack held in front of him. He fishes through it, frowning. An annoyed grunt and sigh before he zips it up and puts the back on his back.
The students continued to pour out, two buses in front of the main entrance. He begins walking towards the second one, but stops as people continue walking all around him. His brow scrunches, a tingly nag in the back of his head distracting him. He whips his head around, looking and seeing the usual, a few teachers monitoring the students leaving.
His eyes scan around, but find nothing of note. Shaking his head, he claps his hands on his face, snapping himself to what's important. With a smile, he runs towards the bus, getting on. As he sits in the first open seat, the boy frowns again. Carmine gazes out the window, looking everything over again.
The bus takes off, leaving the school property. As it disappears, a pair of eyes opens from a tan wall, a Cheshire cat grin with it. A silhouette colors and forms the natural look of Killa. He pulls up a scroll, walking down the street. "Brat left on the second bus. Stay on him." He puts the scroll away, a low grumbling laugh coming out and he marches away.
. . .
Twenty minutes later, Carmine hops off the bus just a block from the hospital. Two other children hop off the bus into the company of families. The redhead with silver tips, however, simply heel turns to the right and marches on. His eyes narrow, still put off by something. What, he can't pin a name to it.
He comes to an intersection, waiting for traffic to stop. A few strangers stop near him, but none pay him any mind. Carmine's wary eyes flick between them all before his shoulders hunch up like he's trying to hide. Ah! An opening. Carmine and the group of move through the opening in traffic.
The boy marches on, walking faster and faster to get distance from the strangers ignoring him. He makes it across the street, looking over his shoulder. All the strangers seem to be tapping away or talking on their scrolls. With that, he turns his head for- OW!
Carmine hits an object, falling flat on his butt. A few papers spew from a pocket of his backpack, making him panic. First thing he notices is the pair of legs in front of his eyes. He'd nearly run right into someone. Second, he noticed his papers around him. Panicked, he pulls his backpack around. "Sorry! Sorry, sorry!" He calls out.
The boy manages to gather every paper except one, which blows with a gust of wind. He takes a swipe, but misses it, only for the tip of a red cane to pin the paper down by the kid's side. Carmine blinks at the rounded tip of the cane, following it up the length. There was a lined black mechanism near the handle. The white handle had a rounded club side and a curved ice pick pointed side. It looked sharp.
Carmine gulps and looks the rest of the way, blue eyes meeting green. The boy stares at the orange haired teen who looks more than a little annoyed at him. The boy simply stares, the strange guy raising his brow at the boy. "Um..."
Roman scoffs, lifting the cane off the paper for the boy to get. As Carmine scrambles to pack the paper in, the teen speaks. "Word of advice. When walking forward, actually be looking forward. You'll avoid looking like a fool."
Carmine's eyes widen at the rude insult before he scowls. He looks away once he realizes... yeah, he's embarrassing himself. He stands with his pack on again. "Sorry..."
"Sorry is only a word. Means nothing."
Carmine pouts and scurries off towards the hospital main entrance. He disappears into the doors, Roman still staring at the hospital entrance. His hard stare remains on the doors before he walks to the nearest alley. Upon making the turn, Cal stands in his way.
"What was that? You could've just grabbed him!" The wiry criminal scowls at him. His katars hand on his thighs in holsters.
Roman raised a brow. "In broad daylight? In a crowd? By the town's only hospital? Surefire way to cause a scene and be seen." He scoffs, walking around Cal. "Plus, we know he'll be here for a while, so I'm off to prepare for later."
Cal twitches, still glaring at the conman. "You think you can actually pull it off? Alone?"
Roman looks over his shoulder, giving a smarmy grin at the raccoon faunus. "IF I need help, I'll call Earl. He's a lot more subtle than you." He turns and walks away from the now seething criminal. Not that he cares. His smile washes away as he walks down the street.
Kidnapping? Well, he knows it happens, though he was under the impression Senior was above that sort of thing. Child trafficking was always more an issue of Mistral. Hell, or even Vacuo. Vale was just more... not classy, but honorable than that.
That got a snort from the conman. He cares very little about honor, but still. When he'd first heard the general premise of this job, he felt uncomfortable. It wasn't what he's about. He always cared more about stealing what he needed to benefit himself. It's not like there's that much he has a moral stance on. Hell, only reason he isn't a hit man is because he doesn't like the idea of cleanup.
No, there's only one true reason he's not particularly excited over this job. It hits just a bit too close..
Roman shrugs, a forced smirk coming on. "Aw, well. Tough break, kid."
. . .
"You need to watch where you're going." Senaya lectures. She and Carmine stand in an elevator, the mother still wearing a white doctor coat. One hand holds a purse close to her side, the other brushing the boy's head affectionately. "Not every stranger will help you out like that."
Carmine pouts, annoyed with his mother's hand brushing through his hair. Feels nice, but it's just embarrassing! "He was really rude about it." The kid twitches his head away as his mother ruffles his hair.
She smiles at him. The elevator door opens, the two walking out into a parking garage. The two walk out, Senaya still doting on the kid and straightening the hair he'd just messed up. "Well, that aside, was he wrong? You need to take any helpful advice given."
Carmine raises a brow. "Dad said you didn't give someone pain medicine cause they said your hands were cold."
"Well, that's because telling lies isn't helpful." Senaya's smile was still there, though a certain tenseness came. She'd had as close to a success rate with patients that anyone could manage... but that doesn't seem to stop her from punishing patients who make her angry.
Stopping at the car, Senaya glances around. A brow raises as she sniffs the air a bit. Odd. The two entered the car. With Jared out of town, Senaya now had his car to use personally. Carmine got into the passenger seat, already digging into his backpack again. His mother glances at him. "Did you finish all your homework?"
Carmine blinks at her, shrugging. "Yeah..." She narrows her gaze. He realizes his mistake. "Um, math is done. Science is done. Mrs Merkin is making us read this weird dumb book, but we have a week."
Senaya nods, smiling at him. She ruffles his head again, not as rough. Just gentle scratches. "Good boy. Let's get you a treat on the way home." The bright smile on the kid's face melted the dog faunus' heart. The car started and off they went.
One fast food meal and some car show tune singing later, they were on their way home. Stopped at an intersection, Senaya spares a glance at the boy. They'd eaten in the car, each getting ice cream cones before continuing home. However, Carmine sits in the passenger seat waiting. He holds his vanilla cone as it was starting to melt over the cone.
Senaya raises her brow at this. "Something wrong, Carmine?"
The boy startles from the attention, shaking his head. "Um, no, Mama. Just trying to do something." Holding the cone out from him, his seems to concentrate. All his focus goes onto his ice cream. Senaya watches intently, getting an idea of what he was doing.
Even after Jared explained Carmine's semblance to her, she'd rarely seen the boy use it. Maybe after her panic over his hospitalization a couple months ago, he just wasn't using it. Still, she knew he should.
A faint aura pulses around his hand, a grunt of effort coming from the boy. The aura colors an ethereal green around his treat, and she sees it harden. The ice cream rewinds itself, no longer melting! It's like he just received it from the restaurant cashier. The boy releases his breath, slightly ragged from the effort.
Upon looking at his work, he looks with no small bit of wonder, a small grin forming. Senaya chuckles. "Now, THAT is a cool trick." Her praise brings the boy to a beaming smile. "Nothing short of fresh will do for you." She looks at the dessert treat more closely. She chuckles. "Amazing, Carmine." The light ahead turns green, the car moving again.
He giggles, finally taking a lick of the ice cream. "You think if I eat it, I can rewind it out and eat again?" He brightens at the idea. Literally shaking with excitement, he closes his eyes to concentrate-
Senaya's closer hand slaps onto his shoulder, stopping him. Her other hand remains on the wheel. "Do. Not. Do that in a moving vehicle." Her stern order makes him stiffly nod. "Your dad says when you rewind yourself, you physically move to that place you were?"
Carmine raises a brow, confused. "Yeah? I was right here."
Senaya chuckles. "Of course you were right here... ten blocks back that way." She points her thumb to behind the car. "I'm not having you recall back to 15th street, popping into place and getting splattered by a van."
He gulps, eyes wide. "It-... it wouldn't do that, would it?"
Senaya side glares at him. "We're NOT testing it."
Carmine pouts. "Aw..."
7:30 comes to pass as the car comes to a stop in their driveway. Gathering her things, Senaya speaks up to him. "Go get a bath and start getting ready for bed."
He pauses at the car door being open. "But mo~om!"
She rolls her eyes. "You can play games for an hour AFTER your bath." The boy's protests were immediately gone. A bright smile replaces it as he takes off towards the house, using her key to open the door. "Stop running. You'll fall." Her call out is ignored as he's already inside, likely rushing so he can game. She shakes her head, getting out and making her way to the house.
However, she pauses. Just outside the front door. Inhale... exhale... a few rapid sniffs. Her eyes narrow. Her eyes twitch, focusing on hearing. Although, nothing out of the ordinary. She opens the door and steps inside. Slowly shutting it, another whiff of the air.
The door lock latches into place as she secures it. She walks calm towards the hall, verifying that Carmine is gathering a pair of pajama pants and a t shirt for bed. He rushes towards the bathroom to begin his bath. She takes another whiff. A few sniffs while walking the house.
Nothing out of the ordinary... inside, anyway. However...
A quick stride to the kitchen and she withdraws her scroll. Immediately, she hits call, bringing it to her ear. Her answer was a busy signal. She growls out a curse word, but decides to leave a message. "Jared, I know you probably just arrived to the infested area about an hour ago. You're probably having a heck of a good time, but there's something concerning." She began walking the house over, shutting the blinds.
She continues. "Carmine and I just got home. Nothing wrong with the house, but... there were two new scents around the outside of the house. Not typically an issue, but the problem was the scents themselves." She whips her doctor coat off, now standing in her sleeveless scrub top and brown pants. One hand begins taking off any jewelry. "I smelt both of them as Carmine and I left the hospital. Whatever I was smelling at the hospital was also here, or in the area."
"I didn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary, though, but the scents were strong enough that I knew something, or someone, was both at the hospital AND are around our home nearby as we speak." She pauses, taking a calming breath. "If anything further happens, I'm calling for some of your friends to come here. Not that I'm in danger, just... If it's Carmine, ya know?" She shakes her head, rubbing her temple. "Get back to me when you're finished up. Something fishy is happening. Love you, bye."
She hangs up, placing her scroll down as she heads towards her room. In just a few moments, she has a case on her bed, shoving it open. She mutters to herself. "Best to be prepared."
. . .
Night time had come in full. The clouds overhead blocked much of the moonlight. The suburban style neighborhood was shrouded in darkness, trees and growth in the surrounding area. Down the street, behind a few trees, a shadow moves.
Cal appears from behind a shrub, katars out. He grumbles, sitting and waiting. Earl stands nearby, looking over the shrub towards the target house with a technical scope. Through the scope, he sees heat sources within the building. The woman seems to be sitting in the living room. The smaller heat source, the boy, is in another room entirely, as expected.
Earl shakes his head, grumbling. "Mm. Mm. Mm... Damn shame. She's quite a catch."
Cal rolls his eyes, scowling. "No one cares about puppy love, Earl. Where's Killa? I wanna get this over with!" He twitches, throwing shadow box punches with his katars. "Give em' the gash!"
Both hired men flinch at a hand on their shoulders, Killa grinning behind them. "Far be it for me to deny that! Who is ready to party!"
Cal grins, excited, but pauses. A sudden scowl. "Where's the brat in the hat?"
The ringleader snickers. "He messaged me that he's finished preparations. He's set to start in..." He looks at his scroll. 8:34 pm. "a little over twenty minutes."
"You trust the brat?" Cal snidely asks.
"Hell no. I don't trust you either." Killa grins wider. "Now, let's get rich, chums." He pats both their shoulders, stepping away from them. "We got twenty minutes til show time, so let's do some recon."
. . .
Senaya sat calmly, staring at the television. She chuckles at a burst of laughter from it, a stand up show. She takes a swig of wine from a glass. Around her forearms are two apparatuses, seemingly just gray-black arm guards, fairly thick. She smiles as Carmine walks into the room.
"Mom? Can I get another drink?" He yawns, rubbing one of his eyes.
"Your father snuck you another drink last night, didn't he? You didn't sleep much." Senaya raises a brow as he looks away. She sighs. "Only water. No more pop tonight. You need your rest, okay?"
"Okay, Mom." He scurries off towards the kitchen. She can hear him getting the stool so he can reach everything he needs. A small laugh leaves her. However, it's all interrupted by a knock at the front door.
Her eyes narrow dangerously, a hateful glare at the entrance. She hears Carmine finish getting his glass of water. He exits the kitchen as she watches him go back into the hall towards his room. She waits until she hears the faint click of the door.
Now sure of his location, she gets up from the couch, walking slowly to the door. Her hand ghosts over the locks as she closes her eyes. A whiff of the air. She sniffs twice. A new smell, unfamiliar. However, one of the smells... She opens her eyes calmly, unlocking the door and slowly pulling it open.
Killa and Earl stand side by side at the front door. No weapons, each carrying pamphlets with the three claw marks of the White Fang symbol. Killa's duster jacket is buttoned, skin now milky white with black hair. With a bright smile, he starts.
"Hello, madam! Have you heard the good news of the Fang?"
SLAM! The door is shut once more in their faces.
Senaya stands on the other side of the door with a scowl. She could tell the scent she'd smelt before came from the large lug on the right, but captain mohawk screams bombastic.
Earl's voice sounds through the door. "Mm. Mm. Mm... Talk about guard dog mode."
Killa's chuckle sounds. "It's endearing, but we don't have time. HEY LADY! WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT FAUNUS- RIGHTS!" His speech gains volume as the door flings open again. Senaya stands with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. "Oh, madam, I'm so dreadfully sorry to butt into your day." His accent changes to a nasal posh tone, super obvious.
Senaya glares at the two. "Ten second explanation. Go."
Killa laughs. "Ah, you're funny-"
"9." Her voice dips.
Killa frowns, getting to it. "Uh, we found in the town directory that you are a Faunus supporting house hold. We wished to get a survey of your satisfaction living in this wonderful neighborhood."
Senaya meets Killa's eyes with her glare. Killa's bombastic confidence remains with his smile while her eyes scream death. Her dog ears dip back just slightly. She speaks low. "Town is great, now get off my lawn." She moves to shut the door again.
This time, Earl's foot stops it from closing. He speaks up, a pleading, almost genuine tone coming from him. "Now, now. Our survey requires some time of signature for it to count." The large gorilla man holds up a pen and paper.
Senaya's glare focuses on him, and the gorilla man flinches slightly. "Remove it... or I will." Earl immediately backs up, dropping the pen and paper and holding hands up in surrender.
The door slams again, locking this time. Killa stares with wide eyes, then looks at Earl in disapproval. He shakes his head while speaking. "You're such a pussy."
Earl doesn't acknowledge him, turning and walking. "No. She's just scary."
. . .
8:57. Roman walks briskly down the darkened street. He smiles wide, proud of himself. It's amazing what one could accomplish in only five hours. Why, there was almost a spring to his step. All he really needed was to visit and plant in six different stores. He wasn't even required to take anything, but papa doesn't raise quitters.
He walks to an alley, opening a garbage can. Instead of trash, the entire can was filled to the brim with dust containers, jewelry, clothes... Roman tilts his head at the articles of clothing. A red ascot matching with the red on his bowler hat.
Thinking on it, the pros and cons are weighed. Would an ascot make him look too much like a posh sh*t head? Nah, it would be fine. He removes the red cloth from the can, tying it in place around the base of his neck. "Ah, there we are." He fishes into his pocket, withdrawing a remote.
"Now..." He begins with a sadistic grin. "Example one of how to make the entire police department run crazy downtown..." He holds the remote up, looking at the time. 8:59. "No backup for dog mama, today." He pauses for only a second. A sigh comes out, but he presses the button on the remote.
A minute later and he hears the fire alarm coming from the store down the street. He smirks. "Well, remote works." He chuckles, putting the lid back on the trash can. He pats it. "I'll be back for you, small fortune." Who knew he could shoplift so much with the stores open!
. . .
Cal lights up, a wicked grin on his face while looking at his scroll. "Police channels are lit like a fire! Cops are everywhere responding to six store fires!" He looks up at Killa and Earl, both having returned to the shrubs they'd previously occupied.
Earl grins with him. "Aw, yeah! Kid came through."
Killa chuckles. "Alright, boys. Cavalry ain't coming for them. Little Roman should be here in a bit! Now, let's do this!"
. . .
Senaya sat at the dining room table, scroll on the table top. On her screen, she scrolled through face after face. "No..." She swipes to another page of images. Her eyes trail over the the next page. Then the next. The next. Another. "No... No... No..."
Her eyes flick side to side, looking at search parameters, notes and details listed in one line under each face. "Damn it... No..." He continues trying and trying... Until her body goes rigid. Her eyes widen, the image on the screen reflecting off her eyes. Reflected in her eyes is the top of a head with a platinum blonde mohawk. "Shhhhit..."
Immediately, she homes her scroll screen, hitting call. While it rings, she yells out. "CARMINE!"
Immediately, a door opens in the hall, Carmine coming in wearing a pair of blue pajama pants with birds on it. With it is a black shirt with a blue jay bird on it. He looks up, sleepiness in his eyes, but trying to widen them. "Mom? I was going to bed like you wanted-"
Senaya hushes him, kneeling beside him with the scroll to her ear. "Baby, I need you to go to my room. Lock the door. Enter the attic room, and close it behind you. Understand sweetie?" She speaks quickly with wide eyes, already looking at the windows, despite the blinds being closed.
The boy's eyes go wide, alert, with fear. "M-Mom? What's going on?"
Senaya shushes him, a finger on his lips while she kisses his forehead. She strokes his hair once, looking him in the eye. "Carmine Uhlric, please do as I say. Do NOT come out until I or your father come."
Carmine stares at his mother, not processing anything other than her instructions and his growing anxiety. "U-um, okay. Okay mom." He backs away from her, running down the hall to his parent's room.
The call on the scroll finally answers. Jared's voice comes in. "Sen, I just got your message and called Marcus. The department is dealing with six fires that just started all across town. Are you okay?! How is Carmine?!" Urgent and attentive when he can be. She smiles slightly, but still...
The lights suddenly flicker, the entire house going dark... power was cut off.
Senaya starts. "There are men, at least three. I don't know if they're after me or Carmine, but two approached the house. They were faunus." She looks at her scroll screen. "I looked through records of mug shots from the Atlas database and identified one. It's Killian Gonzola, nickname Killa."
Senaya crouches, moving and ducking around the hallway corner. Jared's voice comes in, still processing. "I'm calling Marcus, DO NOT FIGHT HIM! Not if you can help it. I'm coming back. Stay put, and we'll be okay."
Senaya nods, looking at the phone. The video call showed Jared's face as he was already entering the side of one of his squad mates cop car. "I'm already ahead of you."
"Be safe! I love you."
"I will. I love you too." Senaya ends the all, pocketing her scroll.
At that moment, a blade pierces through the front door at the lock. Senaya peers around the corner, eyes locked on the blade. Six slots on each of her arm guards light up, each showing a dust vial of different colors. Around each wrist, the top metallic plates containing the top two dust vials constrict. The sound of a suction sounds, the top two dust vials on each guard emptying, all red dust.
The veins in her arms show, then shift from blue to red. Her hands flex, emphasizing claws on her fingers, a faded red sheen around them.
Down the hall, inside the last room of the hall, Carmine sits, back on the door. He hears the wood cutting hits against the front door, his eyes wide. Another impact on the front door sounds, Carmine flinching.
. . .
Cal snickers. "Alright! Time to gash em'!" With one katar jabbed through the door lock, he uses the arm and weapon as a crow bar. Behind him, Earl stands at the sidewalk of the street, hands reaching for the war hammer on his back. Cal rips back, breaking the door open to reveal the dark interior. "HAHA! Time for fun-"
A smashing impact sounds as Cal is struck in the chest. He's launched back, skidding through the grass on his back. "Ow... huh?!" He lurches up to a sitting position, hand over his aching chest. He looks to the front door of the building.
Senaya walks from the shadowed out doorway, veins dimly glowing red. Her hands come together, cracking her knuckles. She twists her neck, popping it as well. All with her eyes fiercely glaring at the two.
Earl, the large gorilla man, wilts under her gaze. Cal looks back at him, doing a double take. "Oh, GROW A PAIR!" He staggers to his feet, both katars aimed forward. Both weapons split at the middle of their blades, revealing gun barrels. His grip on the katar handles reveals a thumb trigger as he pulls.
Earl follows suit, using the hammer head as a stock and aiming the end of his hammer handle. He cocks the handle for a shotgun shot.
Senaya quickly ducks around the corner of the door way, lowering herself. Gun shots fly wild through the doorway, the door frame ripping apart. She reaches towards the coffee table, red dust emanating from her hand. Her bracer weapons, Infizieren Perfekt, begin to lightly glow orange-red. Instantly, the table is set ablaze in searing flames. She whips around, throwing the table through the doorway.
The table flies out. Earl shoots it with a shotgun shot, the burning wood flaring around him as he shields himself. Cal charges, leaping through the living room window and rolling to a standing position.
Immediately, he ducks back, burning red claws swiping just by his face. He aims his katar guns, but Senaya is already casting a burst of flames. He blocks, getting rocketed back over the couch and into the dry wall, his back sinking into the brick outer wall beneath.
He climbs from the wall, suddenly launching to the side. Senaya's fist crashes into the hole Cal had been, a blast of fire exploding out the side of the house. Cal's left katar closes to a blade as he punches. Senaya rips her hand from the wall, bashing the blade aside as she throws her own left hook.
Cal reacts, closing the blades of his right katar onto Sen's left guard. The punch is halted, but Sen wrenches down, clamping her clawed hand around Cal's wrist. Her fire burns against Cal's protective aura.
So, they have aura unlocked...
Senaya pulls in. Both go for a knee strike, clashing. She kicks Cal's forward leg back, throwing his balance. She pulls in again, her other leg kicking his gut. She keeps her grip of his wrist, other hand grabbing his vest. In one move, she heaves him over and launches him through the far wall, into the kitchen.
The wall between the front door and window breaks in, Earl swinging his great hammer in a spin. Senaya manages to turn and put up a cross guard before getting bashed through the television into the bathroom. Earl looks to the hole leading into the kitchen. "Yo, Cal! You alright?"
Cal's pained voice shrieks from the kitchen. "KILL THAT BITCH!"
Senaya roars through the wall, holding up an entire bath tub. She throws it at Earl, who swings through it with his hammer. With a flourish, he twists the hammer around and down swings at Senaya. She brings her arms up, blocking the hit and getting pressed down to a kneeling position. Both faunus growl at each other in effort. Her arms glow with fire as she blasts the hammer strike back up.
Earl brings the hammer down again, Senaya dodging to the side. She stops, and uses fire to propel herself into Earl, spear tackling Earl back through the front of the house and into the lawn. The two separate, tumbling into the yard. The two roll to their feet, Senaya turning back to the house.
From the house, Cal exits, launching himself up. His katars separate and fire down at Senaya. She dodge rolls towards Earl, dodging the shots. Cal lands behind her, katars closing into blades.
Earl swings his hammer from one side, Cal goes for a bladed jab from the other. Senaya brings both her arms up, a burst of concussive flame bursting as she blocks both attacks. The fire blows both fighters off balance. She capitalizes, twisting and bashing both fists into Cal. A burst of flame propels him into the car, smashing the vehicle.
Senaya turns and dodges Earl's hammer. Earl goes through a flurry of swings, Senaya falling back and dodging each one by hairs. Her arms cease glowing.
A sudden pain makes Senaya halt her movement for a second. It's enough for Earl's next side swing to bash her out into the street. She roll to all fours, growling and snarling with ears pinned back.
On her arm guards, the next two pairs of dust vials, colored light blue, compress with the containing plates. Her veins now glow the same light blue. She looks up to see Earl bringing his hammer down again. "Aw, yeah!"
A mist of cold air forms as Senaya releases a burst of ice dust. From the flash, Earl's hammer and arms are halted, covered in ice. Earl looks horrified. "Aw, nah..."
Senaya pushes Earl back, leaving his guard open. She throws a hook punch into his chest, a burst of ice dust propelling him back.
Cal pulls himself from the wreckage of the car, staggering. He shakes himself off, running towards Earl while firing at Senaya. The former Huntress creates a small ice wall, blocking the bullets. Cal makes it to Earl, who breaks the ice around his weapon and arms.
Senaya roars in effort, ripping the ice wall from the ground and launching it at the two like a projectile. The two thugs side step it, bringing their weapons up and charging. Senaya snarls, charging them in kind, now truly enraged.
. . .
Carmine sits, back still to the door. Strikes, impacts, gun shots, and explosions could be heard from the streets outside. His arms wrap around his head, unable to comprehend what's happening. The sound outside alternates between loud bombastic booms, shaking the room, and quiet far off sounds of metal against metal, rock, and dirt.
A large impact rattles the house, Carmine shaking and eyes clamping shut... Then he catches another sound. Foot steps... someone else is in the house. But if his mother is fighting outside...
The boy starts shaking, breathing going ragged. He looks around for something. Anything. Finally, he looks up. The ceiling is lined with creases... all to assist in hiding the fake drop entrance to the attic. A panic room. His ragged breathing, grows as he rushes to the corner of the room, grabbing a long metal rod. He uses it to push into the ceiling. "Has to be one of these." His higher, panicked voice spoke out loud. He pushed another crease, then another. "Oh... which is it?!"
He hears the foot steps moving through the house. It's creeping closer, each sound pushing the kid further to panic. At that moment, one of the creases gives, pushing aside to reveal a hook.
"YES!" He whisper screams. The boy wrenches the ceiling section down, revealing a ladder to the attic. He does so a little too quickly, a light thud as the ladder hits the floor.
The footsteps get closer.
Carmine rushes up the ladder, bringing the rod with him. Getting into the attic, he hears the door knob to the bed room turn and stop. He'd locked it! He looks down and sees a darker shadow from under the door, illuminated by the growing fire in the living room.
Carmine quickly pulls the ladder up. Once the ladder is up, he pulls the drop down ceiling up, sealing the entryway into the attic as fast as he can.
… then he hears a crash just under him. Someone broke into his parent's bedroom. Someone was directly below him.
His breath stutters, ragged. He slide steps on the wood of the attic, moving towards a corner while holding the rod up for defense.
Suddenly, a shotgun spray breaks out a section of the attic ceiling, through the roof tiles. Carmine squeaks in fright, looking at the hole, dusty smoke puffing into the room. The fighting outside has died down, less bombastic explosions and shots.
Carmine moves as quietly as possible towards the hole. He looks outside, to see what's going on, and it's a wreck. The lawn is on fire, dug trenches in the grass and pieces of the house littered about. The car is shattered, partially frozen.
The street is mangled, shattered concrete, blown out holes, and structures of ice with holes and broken sections. It's a complete battlefield.
In the center of the street, he sees his mother, standing ragged. Her clothes are torn at several spots, a trail of blood down one arm and from her head. Across from her are two men.
One is HUGE with a hammer. He's very hairy, with fur on his arms. Parts of his body are coated in ice, bruises and a bloody spot on his chest. His hammer rests on the ground, his grip tired. Beside him is a much smaller man, smaller than dad. His arms hang limp by his sides, shaking cold. He's hunched over, catching his own breath.
Carmine's wide eyes look on.
. . .
"Alright!" Cal's ragged tired voice calls. He staggers next to Earl. "Okay... I'll give it to ya." He sends a tired, half lidded look to his large hairy friend. "Bitch is scary."
Earl takes several deep large breaths. "Told." He inhales deeply. "You..."
Over with the dog faunus, Senaya breathes heavily, but stands tall as she recovers. She regains her hateful glare, staring dead at the two. "You get one chance. Tell me why you're here."
"Woo!" The familiar bombastic voice calls from behind the two henchmen. They part the way, revealing Killa. He smiles wide as he walks between them.
"Now, that's the kind of dog fight I love! You're fiesty!" He holds his hands out, looking apologetic. "Okay. We get it. Tensions are high, and you don't know what glorious ideas we're trying to act on. Heck, why not join us?! You're plenty qualified."
Senaya glares at him. "Killian Gonzola. Nothing you want could ever make me sympathetic to you."
Killa seems to frown at that. "Aw, don't be that way!" He gives cheeky grin, stepping closer to her. "Tell you what. You can get a fifth of the cut! Always room for a diversity hire!" He leans forward suggestively. "It's been a total sausage fest with these losers."
"Hey!" Cal cries out, defensively.
"Quiet chump." Killa mutters without losing his dirty grin. "Now, what do you say? You hand over the brat, and part ways happy."
Senaya snarls. "What the hell do you want with Carmine!" Her voice comes out have growling, animalistic.
"Oh, it's not HIM specifically. He's just a means to an end." Killa snickers, looking off to the distant with a look of yearning. "All my life, I've had just one beautiful dream." Eyes trail upward, looking at the exposed stars between the clouds. "To see the strongest man in the world... forced..." His gaze falls slowly. "To pay up, and kiss my glorious ass!"
He punctuates the statement finally looking at her with a grin. Suddenly, his head cocks back, releasing a psychotic cackle. "Then, maybe I'll start a casino. With Blackjack and hookers! Live the dream." He snaps his finger and points at her, clicking his tongue. "Wanna be part of my casino, baby?"
Senaya's eyes speak of nothing but hate. Her vision blurs with red as her teeth clench. Her boy. HER BOY as nothing but a bargaining chip?! A growl sounds from the back of her throat, catching the criminal's attention. "Alternative... Fuck off and die."
Killa looks taken aback by this statement, genuinely confused. "Oh? Well, that's just rude." He sighs, shaking his head. "Oh well."
His arm snaps out, aimed at her. The speed makes his duster sleeve pull up, revealing a three barreled gun attachment wrapped around his forearm. It opens fire, sending a bullet spray at the suburban wife. Senaya reacts, using the last of her ice dust to make a wall in front of her. The entire wall shatters from the bullets, but it stopped the attack. She glares at him, crouching into a combat stance.
Senaya glares at the man, the last two pairs of dust vials and metal plates compressing on her arm. The last dust vials injecting into her arm. This last set is colored indigo. Lightning dust. Her veins light up, the sheen of power coating her arms as arcs of electricity crackle in her fingers. "Come die, you bastard."
Killa's face lights up, enthusiasm building. He shrugs off his duster jack. "Yo, fellas." He tosses the duster to Earl, who catches it. "Keep it clean for me. I'll party with her alone." He reveals both arms to have the forearm mounted guns. He crouches low, long scaly tale writhing behind him. Suddenly, along the top ridge of the tail, spiky spines sprout up in varying lengths. He grins. "I don't have claws, but I hope these will do it for ya." The spikes continue sticking out of him, all the way up his spine just below a final tiny spike at the base of his neck.
The two square off, separated by about twenty yards. "By the way, have you ever looked up what my semblance is?" Killa smirks, cocky. "I know yours after all. It's called a Metabolize semblance. You can activate the burning up of energy, cell regeneration, and other nonsense." He looks at the metal guards on Senaya's arms. "After all, you can shoot up without any permanent drawbacks." He giggles.
Senaya narrows her gaze. "Get to the point!" He snarls out.
Killa cackles. "All I'm saying is that I want a clean street fight." He gives a toothy grin. "And for the record," Suddenly, his body darkens, hair and all, to a dark gray, blending into the night time concrete. "My semblance is called Color Transfer."
He sinks into the ground, disappearing entirely. Senaya looks around, alert, as the gray colored faunus spawns up from the concrete behind her. With a spin, he strikes her in the side with his tail, spines cutting into her side. He launches her off the street and into the half burnt, half frozen yard.
She staggers her way back to a standing position, her side gashed with a small trickle of blood coming from it. Her aura works on healing the wound, but she knows her aura is low. She gets to a guard position, glaring at the grayed out iguana faunus.
Killa just cackles at the defiant look, his body returning to normal coloration. "Ah! That's the rush I love." He crouches low. "Now, come at me with all you got." He whistles, clapping his thigh with one hand. "Here girl. Come on!" (Three loud bangs followed by vocals. "We've always been this to feel all this pain...")
Senaya growls out, completely overtaken by a need to KILL. THIS. MAN. Lightning dust crackles around her arms as she charges. She throws a punch, lightning a burst of lightning at him. (Three more bangs. "We've always been this to feel all this pain!")
Killa dodges narrowly as the lightning fires past him into a vehicle parked across the street. The car explodes, lighting the area in more flames. Killa watches with shock and excitement, turning back. ("PA~IN!" Metal guitar and drum beat begins.)
She's already on him, taking several several punches and claw swipes at him. Each swipe arcs electricity off her, scarring the concrete and arcing into bits of exposed grass, lighting aflame. He dodges back and uses his arm guns to block every other attack. ("this PA~IN!")
Killa ducks back, spinning and swinging his tail at her. She ducks, then throws up a flash of lightning, a burst. Like a flash bang. He flinches back, unable to see her plant her fist in his gut. ("Handy human, a handy human, a handy human, yeah!")
While he reels, he swings his tail violently, catching her arm and gashing it open with his tail spikes. However, she catches the tail with her other hand, getting a firm grip. ("Handy human, a handy human, a handy human, yeah!")
She hauls back, twisting around as she pulls him with her. She spins around, throwing him full force at a beige building across the street. ("Hurting, is it hurting? Is is hurting yet, human?!")
Mid air, Killa recovers. His body morphing to an identify beige to the build. He hits the wall, disappearing, then reappearing backwards from the same wall. He tucks and rolls to his feet, firing his arm guns. ("Hurting, is it hurting? Is is hurting yet, human?!")
Senaya reacts, spraying lightning dust from in front of her and incinerating the first wave of bullets. She ducks the second burst, only for Killa to already be leaping at her. She dodges a tail whip, but he fires a bullet point blank down, catching her at the calf. ("What's up. with these. Un-easy criminals-")
She recoils, throwing a desperate punch that catches the criminal. A burst of electric power shocks and launches him back along the concrete. ("Why so insecure?")
He recovers, throw the electricity still courses through him. "GAH! What the hell?" He tries to move, but his legs lock up. Senaya stagger limps, then charges. She ignores all the pain, roaring as she closes the distance. ("What's up with this trap of resentment-")
She makes it to him, all her leftover lightning dust forming into her hand. The pain of the dust leaving her slows her, just barely enough. Killa, still shocked and stunned, manages to twist and whip his tail spikes. ("you're falling in for sure!" music builds then cuts down.)
His tail hits her dead in the gut, her punch flailing out as the spikes along his tail dig into her gut. Her eyes shoot wide, mouth agape in sudden pain. Killa shudders, exhaling as that worked. ("Hey, hey, human sucker! You nervous human fucker! Love escapes, you're worried that you will suffer!")
Killa twists around, shaking off the shock stun. He looks the woman in the eye, his grin widening. He rips his tail and spines from her abdomen, her hands coming to her gut in shock. ("Hey, hey, human sucker! You nervous human fucker! Love escapes, you're worried that you will suffer!" beat builds.)
She staggers forward, halted as his hand catches her at the throat. He forces her face to look at him, taking in his sick growing smile. "Oh yeah. That's the look I want from Ozpin." ("Hey, hey, human sucker! You nervous human fucker! Love escapes, you're worried that you will suffer!" beat builds more, vocals start to scream.)
Inside the house, Carmine's mouth gapes, eyes widening. "MAMA!" Over the sounds of the burning and crackling battlefield of a street, all four, Earl, Cal, Senaya, and Killa turn their heads, seeing the boy's face in the roof's hole. (Music hits highest build, vocalist screams fully. "Hey, hey, human sucker! You nervous human fucker! Love escapes, you-")
A last effort, Senaya's hands snap around Killa's wrist and Killa's own neck. All her leftover lightning dust erupts out of her hands and into him. The cocky criminal recoils in her grip, suddenly screaming in pain. The dog faunus seethes in anger at the man in her hands as she pours all the dust into the shock. ("WHAT'S UP?! WHAT'S UP?!")
Earl and Cal throw their arms up, shielding themselves from the blinding light. Carmine recoils from the hole, unable to see through the strobe-like effect. However, he doesn't notice that the door to the attic is now open. ("WHAT'S UP?! WHAT'S UP?! ACK!")
Killa, still getting shocked, fights back, punching into Senaya's gut. His arm mounted gun fires three shots directly into her gut, through her mid section. The lightning sparks out, Senaya coughing out in agony. Killa, simmering hot with burns over various parts of his body, backhands the woman. She's knocked back, sprawled onto the ground. (Music dies down. Track ends.)
Killa stands tall, then takes a staggering step forward. Then another. And another. He releases pained gasps each inch he makes. Soon, he's standing over the woman. Senaya coughs out, a speck of blood from the corner of her mouth. She glares at him as he stands over her. Her growls out, angry. "Well, skank..." He aims his right gun arm at her, a smirk forming on his tired face. "It's been fun."
. . .
Inside the attic, Carmine stands in horror, shaking his head in denial. "No, nononono." He speaks quickly, voice squeaking and shaking. He backs up further... into the figure standing behind him.
Half of Carmine at that moment wanted to run, to flee and survive... But the other half didn't want to look away from his mother. This criminal standing over her. This... monster of a person who just mutilated his mother. "No... No.." He keeps repeating.
A hand clamps onto the kid's shoulder, finally stirring the kid to turn his head, agonizingly slow. He turns and sees the same man he'd run into at the hospital. Roman stands in the attic, having snuck inside. The teenager stares stoically, not making a crack or joke. He inhales, then exhales. Roman closes his eyes, mulling something over.
Carmine begins violently shaking, turning to look back to the street. Roman's hand grips harder. "Here. You shouldn't watch this."
Carmine snaps his head to the orange haired man. However, the last thing he remembers seeing is the man's fist closing in... and feeling himself hit the ground.
Alright, we got Roman. We got kidnapping. We got fighting. We got blackjack. We got hookers. Wait... No, some of that is wrong. Now that Roman is here, things might get less OC heavy, but I'm hoping it's still entertaining.
Song used: English cover of 'What's Up People?' By Jonathan Young. Original song by Maximum The Hormone.
Trivia:
So Roman's cane. It's not Melodic Cudgel. He doesn't have it here. His current weapon is named Velvet Valentine. Rather than the curved head of Melodic Cudgel, Velvet has one side for use as a hammer and one for a piercing pick. Both are trick guns, as displayed in the trailer chapter. I'm definitely not the first person to come up with a similar weapon for a younger Roman. I know other concepts are similar, and this isn't original. I just like it.
Killian "Killa" Gonzola. Uses wrist mounted machine guns and the spines that can come up on his tail. Semblance called Technicolor Transfer. He can pass through matter matching his own color and come out of another area within sight that is the same color.
Cal. Based on Clamps, also from Futurama. Fights with twin katars that can separate down the middle with scissor-like cutting. When split open, reveals a gun barrel.
Earl. Based on URL, also from Futurama. Fights with a war hammer that doubles as a shotgun, similar to Professor Port's blunderbuss war axe.
Infizieren Perfekt. Senaya Uhlric's weapon. Arm bracers that inject dust into the blood stream to empower Senaya, then inject a counter drug to stop permanent damage. Name draws from a German translation of Infect and Perfection, meant to emulate the saying Infection Perfection. Still using German since it relates to the naming of Jared's weapon.
Join next time: Chapter Four: When You Comin' Home, Dad?