"It appears we have arrived at our destination." Penny was ecstatic to be on track with their mission, cataloging it within her memory banks as a crucial moment in her career of criminal apprehension.
"Seems like it." Roman appeared jovial, which was a joyous thing for them all as it meant he'd fight better than ever; a less happy Roman is more keen on making mistakes, and while he may be her adversary in Mantle, he had yet to cause harm to the people, as opposed to his time in Vale where he was reported to leave some people injured from time to time - a wonderful change in her eyes.
"Maybe we have the wrong address?" Clover attempted, only to be denied by the crook in white.
"No no, give me a second." Roman walked up the steps and went for the doorknob. To Clover's apparent shock, and Penny's internal bewilderment, he casually pushed open the door. Stepping inside, he was hit with a fairly heavy scent, one that was so potent in fact that even the pair outside caught it. "Augh. Boys, you're killing me here."
"What is this?" Clover asked, only for Penny to supply the answer.
"I'm detecting a thirty percent increase in minor toxins in the air, however much of it does not appear to have any available evidence in its current gaseous state. Analysis dictates that these are a result of chemicals being exhaled through a means similar to Roman's cigar."
"Hooh boy." Roman let out a series of coughs. "Whatever they're smoking, it's some heavy stuff I tell you that."
"Shall I head inside alone?" Penny asked, drawing the eyes of both partners, and Neo who was fake gagging on the side for added visual effect.
"Nah." Roman said, restraining another cough. "I think we can all handle a little odor; after working with the Fang, I'm pretty sure I can deal with anything by this point."
"Oh." This piqued Penny's interest. "Did they routinely lack self-hygiene?"
"No, but they spent most of their time in the sewers, and let me tell you: it does irreversible things after a while... for about a month."
"Do these irreversible things happen to you on the regular?" Penny did not have any data recalling quirks or strange scents permeating from Roman Torchwick, and so she was curious as to the legitimacy of his claim; she didn't doubt him per say, but she wanted to know just what exactly he meant when he said that.
"What, me?" He stood aghast, his hand above his chest in a mocking fashion. "I'd never. Who do you take me for?"
"Notorious wanted criminal and commonly dubbed gentlemen thief Roman Torchwick." Penny answered acutely, and Roman in turn smirked and tapped his heel, whipping out his cigar with a chuckle.
"You got that right." He raised the smoke to his lips, only to stop and stare at it before ultimately putting it away again. "Actually, it's probably best I don't light one up in a drug den."
"You don't say." Clover wasn't so much taunting as he was stating the obvious, but before Roman could counter, the man started past him. "Hello!"
Roman slammed his hand against the guy's mouth, whispering through gritted teeth.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Testing if our targets are aware of their surroundings." Clover said as he pulled away, smiling calmly. "It's as you said; this is a drug den, and from what I recall, people who are doped up aren't usually the most aware of what's around them."
"Yeah, but think of it like this: what if there are people not off their rockers inside?" Roman crossed his arms. "Do you really think criminals willing to rob the military aren't the type to take precautions?"
Clover's smile twisted into a puss, and his eyes rolled back and forth for a second before the smirk straightened out into its fully formed bliss once again.
"Well... we're not dead."
"Okay."
"And I don't hear any noise."
"Uh huh..."
"Thus, based on the present evidence, I hereby conclude that they have little, or hidden defenses."
Roman saw the way Clover bounced as he claimed such, and held back a raspberry.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, kid. We don't know what surprises lay inside. They can have a whole army right around the corner for all we know."
"Current area scan dictates there is two individuals in this building on the upper floor, however one has their aura inactive, and the other doesn't seem to even have it unlocked." Penny stated, drawing the gazes of both men.
"Huh... yeah." Roman recovered his sensibilities around the same time as Clover - although the latter was mostly faking his own shock. "Kind of forgot you were a robot and all." He set his hands on his hips. "Well then, good going Agent P."
"I am glad to have been of service!"
"Well then..." Clover got up nice and cozy, much to Roman's dismay. "Believe me now?"
"Yeah yeah." Roman waved the man away with a grumble, and yet there was still acknowledgement in his tone. "Forgive me then for having the caution to be ready for anything. Clearly I've forgotten we're dealing in morons around here."
"Huh..." Clover's smirk grew playful, in a way that had Roman on edge again. "I've always called them criminals, but I suppose to each their own."
"Right..." Roman once more restrained a growl, and yet he couldn't help but feel the littlest bit amused; the kid was catching on quick with his wise-cracks, to the point where Roman was starting to find it fun. Old Ironwood wouldn't approve of his soldiers acting out of place, and yet all it took was the great thief of Vale to spoil one of his closest pawns. "Call 'em whatever you want; besides, the winner's always got the hand.
Yes, he was now linked to Ironwood and the other 'heroes' via their shared interest in not dying, but that didn't mean he couldn't dismantle the more uptight habits of the crew in favor of some more... 'enjoyable' amusements.
Keep up this quick learning, and you'll be throwing snark like the best of 'em.
Roman was going to enjoy molding his newest sidekick.
The inside of the house was... well, horrendous would be a fairly tame description. 'Like a moldy block of cheese covered in fermented cow urine' would only scratch the surface of just how badly Roman wanted to vomit upon seeing it all; worst of all too, the scent of drugs was entirely replaced with an unknowable odor of raw 'many things died'. Either the hall was decked out in a terrible and utterly tasteless carpet, or said covering was anything but choice. Once his shoe crushed down on the 'grass', leaving a squelch to echo... no, vibrate against his eardrums, Roman knew he'd hit rock bottom.
"Okay, Neo." The woman tapped him on the hat, sitting on his shoulder and apparently unwilling to touch the filthy floorboards below. She had her lower face and nose covered with a hanky, as if that did anything to repel the stink. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one suffering, even if it was Neo who was also experiencing the terror. "Can you scout out any-"
The rabid shaking of her head shot the idea down before it even fully left his mouth, and Roman grumbled and sighed.
"Right... guess I should have known better." He took a deep breath, and immediately started hacking and coughing. "Okay, terrible idea." After a few more wheezes, he cleared out his lungs, now making sure only to take tiny controlled breaths. "Think you can offer up some air freshener instead?"
Neo disappointingly denied that too, which was a bummer as the little minx was usually able to 'acquire' anything they needed in a given moment. However, seeing as she was bound to his being - still not willing to touch the floor - he opted to just, as the kids say: man up. Suck up was more like it, as for every second he spent not high-tailing it out of there to find a gas mask, he was in a world of agony.
Shooting a look over to Clover, Roman noticed with an intense revulsion how the man appeared entirely unaffected by the stench.
"Hey, boy-scout; how come you're not keeling over from this... this putrid and probably puss filled air?"
"I've smelled worse."
"What the heck can be worse than any of this?!"
Roman would never know of the warlike flashbacks ringing through the man's subconscious right now as he unwillingly recalled the last time Harriet tried to do laundry - how a single woman could toxify an entire quarter of the dorms and laundry room was a mystery, but to do so with soaps and detergent was the stuff of legend. This scent before him now was comparable to daisies in regards to what his teammate unleashed on them all that day. Needless to say, the woman's laundry rights were revoked.
"You'd rather not know; that I can guarantee."
"You know what? I'll take your word for it." Roman really didn't want to think about what could be worse right now, so he wouldn't.
"I have found someone." Penny called out in a less than pleasant voice, yet somehow it still sounded the same as ever, but Roman could tell the difference.
"What have we here Penn- Oh fffffgnmm..." Roman put a lid on it as he saw the man. The guy was alive... barely - according to himself anyway.
The man was ragged, covered in some sort of rash, and had what appeared to be most of his arm nearly rotted off. This... this couldn't be one of the Merry Few, right? There had to be a mistake. Taking a second to place his hand on Penny's shoulder, Roman gave a few pats to draw her attention.
"Well... I've an inkling he won't be much of a talker." Sending a disgusted glance back, he could feel nothing but pity for the man; drugs were dangerous things, and addicts like this were the reason he himself never once turned to them. Roman would much rather die of lung cancer in forty years anyway.
"It would seem so." Penny followed that up with a banger immediately. "He appears to have passed away.
"Just now?"
"My current readings are telling me he's been dead for at least an hour."
"Great, just our luck." So the druggie wasn't even alive… that wasn't exactly a great sign.
"Roman." Clover's voice echoed out across the room, and looking on ahead he was able to see the guy waving him over. After a quick jog the professional ex crime-lord came to a stop. The head of the Ace-Ops just pointed, and once again Roman shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"For the love of-" He quit it right there, apparently it was exactly what he was thinking: every gang in Atlas was tied to drugs of some sort, and it appeared as though the Merry Few - if these were the guys anyway - were no exception. In truth, it begged the question as to which drugs Robyn and her crew peddled, unless of course she was the one patron saint of Atlas; free of the drugs which appeared to have consumed lower Mantle.
"Oh..." Penny tilted her head. "This woman is deceased as well."
"Yeah... we can see that." Roman kept his voice plain as he looked at her. "New plan." He turned his head to look at Clover as well. "We find the stolen junk, and we leave; Sound good?"
"Of course." Clover nodded, turning an uneasy look to the half-naked woman who's mouth looked to almost foam around the corners. The scent alone confirmed her death, but the bluish tint to her skin was the real kicker - at least the flies buzzing around appeared to enjoy their new meal, much to the despair of whichever family the woman belonged to. "Once we get back I'll send in a report; they'll clean this up."
"Yep." Roman was done with this, and turning to Penny he asked. "Seen anything that looks important?"
"Nothing down here."
"Then we head upstairs."
Nothing else was said, and after making their way up top they soon found more of the same. Dead bodies here and there... all except one.
"Hey, hey!" Clover called from the corner of the bedroom, drawing the bodies of both Penny and Roman who were out inspecting the hall and bathroom respectively. "We have a live one!"
Roman was the first on his knees, taking the man's hand in one of his own and lightly shaking his shoulder with the other.
"Can you hear me? Are we all there?"" The young man just blinked, sluggishly moving his lips as if to speak, and yet no words came out. Roman scowled, but he steeled himself. "Listen, we're going to get you out of here, alright. Now, I'm gonna need you to keep a keen eye; no sleeping."
"Mmbrb…"
"Good, speaking's good. Can we do words, or just gibberish?"
"Brnhg." The boy tried to move, and while Clover looked about ready to step in, Roman signaled for him to wait. Reluctantly, the soldier listened, and Roman followed the boy's hand as it outstretched and pointed. It was a closet, and from the way the hand shook pointed desperately despite how much pain the kid appeared to be in, anyone would understand that whatever was inside most certainly wasn't good.
Roman turned to Clover, raising a single finger to his lips. The man nodded, and readied himself for a potential fight. Standing, Roman creeped over to the closet as quietly as he could, with Neo even appearing to have dampened his footsteps; she too was ready for battle, and actually stood on the floor now, across from Clover. Laying his hand upon the handle, he gave a fast yank and leapt back with his cane at the ready. The urge for battle died however, and instead his stance hardened out of pure surprise.
The little girl wriggled in her binds within that closet, fully clothed - something they were all thankful for - and staring at him with teary eyes. Filthy as can be and covered in a nearly black muck, the girl continued to shift as Clover rushed for her. He untied the binds, and as he did so bits of mud and such went to work ruining the once pristine white uniform, but this was fine; the man was much more concerned with freeing the child. Roman turned his face back to the dying young man, however he could see that the boy was gone, albeit with a softer look about him; relieved even.
"Can you hear me?" The little girl kept her mouth shut, but nodded at the man's question. Clover relaxed a little, but not by much, and he went to work with as gentle of a voice as he could. "Okay, can you tell me what happened?"
The girl shook her head no, and nobody made any attempts to press her.
"Roman." The man never even turned around to address him, instead scooping up the young girl in his arms and standing, starting his trek towards the door. "You and Penny continue to look for the stolen item. I'm going to take this girl back to Dr. Polendina; he's not perfect, but she'll be safe there until I get a report ready and locate her parents. The doctor knows the basics when it comes to first aid, so he should suffice until I can get her to a proper hospital."
"Right." With that Clover trailed out completely, and Roman tensed his jaw, feeling a sourness fill his gut. "Damnit..."
"Physical scans dictate minor wounds at best." Penny came up next to him, and he turned his eyes on her, seeing how she stared emptily at the door. "Minor bruising around the arms and throat, but nothing around the more sensitive areas of the body. Evidence points to the kidnappers dictating her safety as a priority."
"You know what, Penny?" Roman stared hatefully at the closet again. "I don't think these deaths were an accident; not when you're taking ki-"
He froze, his train of thought along with his body was now stiff as stone. The kid who pointed out the closet looked the same as all the others downstairs, and while it appeared he'd died of drug overdose as well, the fact that he pointed out a kidnapping had Roman suspecting he'd been here to rescue the little girl, but was stopped. That wasn't what shocked him though, no: what had Roman at his wits end was the symbol painted near the bottom of the closet, on the very place the little girl was standing.
"Bugger me... I thought they were blown to the wind."
"Hmm?" Penny looked to him, and as he ripped himself from the spot he'd been rooted in, her eyes fell to the same symbol which he now stood before, keeling down to get a better look. "Is that not-"
"Yes, Penny." He glared, nearly growing if not for his own self control. "It's them. And here I thought I'd never have to stare at that crimson mutt ever again."
Painted by who's blood? None could say, but the clawed slash appeared just as hastily made as ever, and Roman could only guess as to what they had in mind. All of the people they found here... all of them had been Human, even the little girl. This was no ordinary series of murders, this was a message, and now the question was: what was it, and who was it for?
The White Fang rarely left Humans alive for no reason, even children.
"Head on back with Clover."
"But we haven't fou-"
"It's not here: they took it." That, Roman was sure of. He then stood, pulling out his scroll and shifting through a few contacts, landing on one he'd used so often. "We won't find it, but I know someone who can."
"May I help?" Penny asked innocently, and Roman could only smile disappointedly.
"As much as I'd love to continue our partnership, I can't risk my cover." He let his smile settle into a playful smirk - as playful as he could muster after all of this anyway. "Sorry Agent P, but I'm breaking out again."
Penny felt a tingle in her chest, and assumed she must have experienced a fault. Yet, as she looked at his grin, she couldn't help but admit to herself of the odd sensation once again. The inorganic organism constructed her brightest smile, crafting her most appropriate salute as she acknowledged his unexpected decision. Looking at him, knowing he was doing something wrong, but also right, and to help people even; it made the tingle stronger.
Was this what Human's called 'feeling proud' of someone?
"Then we shall meet on the field of battle soon; I look forward to our clash."
His chuckle gave her a warm feeling in her chest, one she only knew as joy.
.
.
"Hey, V."
I turned my head towards the voice, seeing Ruby walking towards me. Curiously she didn't have any food in hand, then again, I was sitting here alone at the table, not eating either. I didn't particularly feel like training much, and so opted to loiter around in the cafeteria; my room didn't exactly offer the best comfort at the moment for reasons I couldn't quite put my finger on, and so I'd opted for the mild noise and livelihood of the cafeteria to provide a more familiar setting to think in.
"Yes?" However Ruby seemed keen on changing that, which was fine: I was not adverse to her company.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." She seemed to fumble a little bit, but not in an overly surprised manner; more indecisive really. It only lasted for a little bit though, and she regained her voice.
"I... just wanted to ask if you were feeling okay."
"I am well." Her face twisted as I said that, and once more a part of me 'felt', but not much.
"Well... you um... You say that, but..." She was struggling for words, but I remained patient. "We're worried about you. You haven't been the same since... since Jinn."
I knew exactly what she was referring to, but it seemed she was unaware of what she thought, and so I chose to correct her.
"You can tell..." I couldn't help it, raising my hand to look at it, and squeezing my fingers shut into a fist. It was so familiar, and yet different. Appearance wise I was the same, but clearly it was obvious just how 'wrong' I was, even to the others. "I found one of my obelisks."
"You did?" I looked at her again, seeing the curiosity painting her face. With that I nodded and set my hand down on the table.
"It did this to me."
"Did what?"
"What indeed? I haven't fully figured it out yet, but I know the immediate effects. It showed me another memory, or in this case... a nightmare, and upon my wake, I'd come to see my emotions robbed."
"Your emotions?" Ruby's face began to fall. "Are you saying, your... your actual emotions; feelings and all that?"
"Yes." Her eyes stretched wide, and I could easily see that something clicked in her mind.
"That's it... why you seem so lost recently..." Concern matted her brow, and I saw sympathy in her eyes. "How long have you been like this?"
"Not long. When I first came to Altas I was fine, but on an outing I came across it, hidden deep in the slave pens of a Dust mine."
"S-slave pens?" I nodded, and she bit back some of what looked to be horror, or disgust; it was becoming hard to tell the difference.
"When I crossed paths with Adam he gave me a key and pointed out one particular pen, hoping I might save those trapped inside and set them free." I saw her expression light up the tiniest bit.
"And you-"
"Failed." like that it fell again. "When I arrived, all those inside were already dead. The place was abandoned for years, leaving those inside to succumb to starvation or frost, with the ice preserving their bodies and leaving their final moments on full display."
I would have continued, however I noticed how Ruby was taking the news, and the moment I saw the inkling of wetness in her glassy eyes I cut it short. Ruby didn't need to know the nitty gritty, and for some reason I had been compelled to speak of it. She was shocked about the slave pens, and a part of me just wished to spill all the details; why was that? Why did I want to share so many details? I knew it was comfort, trust even, but why did I seem to have so much trust in the woman, and why did I seem to act so comfortable around her?
Even emotionless, I believed Ruby offered safety and warmth; why?
"I found the obelisk deeper in, and woke up later without feeling." I could barely feel it, but my being held concern for the girl, and so I reached out, laying my hand atop hers on the table. "Ruby, are you feeling well?"
"I'm okay." She pulled in a swift breath. "I was just a little shocked, that's all... heh, I don't know why though." Her face became chiseled with a sort of melancholy, but not without sneaking an eye to our linked hands. "We see this sort of thing all the time now; I don't know why it still bothers me so much."
"Because you're still Human; you're still you." It was such a simple and obvious answer, so much so I was surprised by just how little she seemed to have expected it. Her eyes gained a twinkle, and her cheeks puffed; I wasn't sure what it meant, but I knew what to say next. "I've told you before: it's a reminder that we remain ourselves; untouched by the infectious decay of cruelty seeking to overshadow our spirits."
"Ourselves..." Ruby slipped on a slight smile, and her cheeks were dusted a light pink. "I guess that makes sense. If we stop feeling bad when people get hurt, we won't care to help them, right?"
"Correct." For some reason I felt a smile of my own pull into place. "You remain fully Human, while I fall deeper into monstrosity."
I couldn't feel it, not completely, but the joke wasn't lost on me. I was becoming the very thing I claimed she was not: an inhuman thing. I should have been appalled, and yet, I couldn't really be bothered to care. For me, in this current state, the idea of losing what makes me 'me' was more of an afterthought. I found that I didn't mind losing myself.
Ruby's other hand laying over the top of mine reminded me that she, however, did.
"You're not a monster." Her voice held so much certainty that one would be forgiven for forgetting her previous worrisome state. "You're V: my friend, and a hunter like the rest of us."
"I cannot feel." Humans... Faunus... hunters and people of all types; they felt, and so they understood morality and justice. Right and wrong, these were the terms that made up ourselves, and our personalities were dictated by our willingness to commit to each with varying levels of severity. I could not feel, and so I could not commit to personality, nor properly understand morality and choice.
"That's not true." Ruby's eyes burrowed into mine, seemingly reaching inside to pull out whatever it was she sought. "Would an unfeeling person argue for someone's Humanity? Would a monster say things to make others feel better about themselves?" As she stared into my eyes, something changed, and I saw her own sparkle, nearly glowing bright with silver as mine burned in response. "Would a monster care enough about what he was to question it?"
I had no answer, but Ruby did, and she spoke clearly; weightlessly laying bare her heart.
"You're not a monster, not at all. You care too much about people to be a monster. Every single bad thing I've seen you do, I've watched you regret. You act out with so much heart and willingness that I've sometimes wondered if I could be as direct as you." Her hand squeezed, as if I'd slip away should she let go. "You're not a monster just because you can't feel anymore; there are people who can't feel, and they're not always bad. They have wants, dreams, needs and things like that."
"I..." Again I couldn't counter, and for one final time she pounced; her soul blazing with righteous fire.
"A monster isn't someone who can't feel... a monster is someone who can, and still chooses to hurt and destroy; to ruin everything they touch, all for themselves!"
"Yeah! You tell 'em Rubes!" Ruby practically jumped, taking me with her a little. She bore a heavy blush as she let me go and whipped around to see Yang and the rest. The blond received a slap to the back of her head from Weiss, who most certainly did not approve of her outburst.
"W-when did you get here?!" The embarrassed leader cried, getting her answer from Blake this time, as opposed to her sister.
"Somewhere around when you started listing off questions about what separates monsters from men." Ruby looked to wilt in on herself a bit, raising her hood and shadowing herself away. Blake saw this, and tried to rectify the feeling. "It was a very good speech."
Ruby restrained her squealing, and Weiss walked up, taking the girl by one hand, and lowering her hood with the other.
"No hiding yourself away, and Blake is right; that was a very pleasant declaration."
"Heck yeah it was!" Yang shot up, slipping in place at the table to the right of where Ruby sat, and was now sitting again because Weiss brought both of them down. Blake took to the spot at Yang's other side, rolling her eyes and eventually settling them on me.
"So... it sounds like you're having trouble feeling things, yes?"
"That's true." I admitted, getting a nod from her.
"At least we know what's going on now... partially." Her eyes brightened a little as she slipped on a strangely pitiful face; yet for some reason, it felt more caring than insulting. "You can tell us if things aren't going well; you don't need to be so distant."
"You got that right." Yang interrupted, sending over a smirk. "Look buddy, if you keep bottling everything up inside, it's just going to spill over eventually. We're right her you know, so don't go hogging all that burden all to yourself; we want a piece of that pie too."
"Is that not what friends are for?" Weiss said next, and I noted how her face held a little bit more understanding than the others. "We've all had our ups and downs, but if there's anything I've learned since ending up with these children, it is that we can only go so far by ourselves. Why not let us give you a push, like we've done for one another?"
"I... can't." My teeth grit again as my jaw went rigid. "I... I'm..."
What was this feeling? It was strong, stronger than anything I'd been capable of so far. Was this the hate, the rage from back with Ruby, upon seeing her the first time again? No... no, when I looked at the four, I didn't want to break, or to destroy. Looking at their certain faces, their blatant display of desire to aid... I... I wanted to run away, to cover my own face so that none could see it. I didn't want to tell them, because of how they might react. This feeling, this emotion...
I knew it to be fear.
"I'm... I'm afraid." It was a statement aimed directly at myself. I didn't have any other explanation; that had to be it. "Afraid that if I tell you, everything we have, and know, will end."
Ruby reached out to me again.
"I'll never abandon you."
"Neither will I." Weiss was certain as well, and yet she seemed to still be floored by how intense Ruby's statement was.
"I won't run, not anymore." Compared to her usual cautious nature, Blake sounded resolute in her claim.
"If Ruby has so much faith in you, then what type of older sister would I be to ignore her?" Yang's smirk grew wild. "Get ready, because this is about to be a party."
As I looked over all of them, seeing the once four women who loathed me with all their being now declaring their undying will to support me in this endeavor, it left me with a strange sensation. It wasn't full blown emotion, no... this was something else. I could not describe it, nor even recognise what it might be, but with this masked pressure in my chest, I had the courage to see it through. Had I still possessed the full range of my feelings, I might have backed down, but here, in this state of limitlessness, I caved.
"Alright... I believe you." I took a deep breath, readying myself for what I was about to do. "I, Vermillion Rose, shall tell you everything: all of my drives, all of my sins, and all that I search for."
I noted the way Ruby's eyes lit up, and how curiosity mixed with the sights of the others. Despite my emotions being dimmed, I felt this need to go forth, and to not back down; no matter what the reaction.
"I shall tell you who I am."
Author's note
…
Well… that happened.
First of all, I know what some of you might be thinking, and no: Penny will not be leaving the party so soon - she's only just come back, and she's got her own part to play. Is she done with Roman though? For now, but if she's finished with the gentlemen thief, then there's only a select group she can end up with, now isn't there?
Ruby came in clutch this time, going on ahead with her older sister's plan, which seems to have turned out alright. They know V can't exactly feel the full range of his emotions, and now, they've talked him into disclosing everything - according to his own words.
What does this mean, and how will it affect all of them? Find out next time I suppose.
See you then.