Roman had gotten pretty good at manipulating people throughout the years. Growing up in the Torchwick household, he had learned to string his father along and mislead the man with varying levels of success just to survive. Upon reaching Beacon Academy and beginning to occasionally run work for Jacques, he had gotten better and better at distracting and buttering up his targets. While carrying out petty theft, property destruction, and other such misdemeanors in retaliation for Kali's brief arrest, Roman had learned to pick said targets and identify weaknesses in his prey. All the same, just because he could recognize someone trying to play him didn't mean that he was entirely immune. Certain tactics also worked better than others.

In the very brief time that Roman had previously seen Cerise, he had committed her features to memory. Even without the foreknowledge that she was about to ruin his day, he couldn't help but appreciate some of the details of her rather unusual body. Seeing her again sitting at the table across from him as she suggestively bit into a fry from his basket, Roman noticed that some things were different. The young woman had rolled her sleeves slightly higher, perhaps to show off her toned arms for intimidation. Her multicolored hair had somehow gotten longer in a way that Roman couldn't quite explain, despite the fact that it was tied back. Most telling was the fact that the shape of the neckline of her blouse had changed to dive deeper into her cleavage. Whatever she was doing to change her appearance for their second round, Roman knew that it was a calculated move. He also knew that it was totally working as his eyes felt glued to her chest, and that notion frustrated him greatly.

"…what the hell is wrong with you?" Roman demanded, more forcefully than he had perhaps intended. He flipped his fringe out of his face to show off both of his stone-cold eyes as he tried to glare the woman into compliance. "You just up and steal from whoever passes you by? You had to know that I'm a huntsman from the weaponry and the fact that I'm obviously a foreigner. We don't just give up when people jack our shit."

"Vacuo is wrong with me," Cerise said lightly as she offered Roman a teasing smile. The gesture only served to aggravate him further, and she took note of it as she rested her elbows on the tabletop. "And yeah- you're pretty obvious. You're also obvious with your wandering gaze- I watched you long enough to know that you'd be easily distractable if I just made myself alluring enough for you. Huntsmen carry more lien. You carry a lot."

Roman watched as Cerise clasped her hands together and rested them between herself and the fry basket. The woman pressed her forearms into the sides of her breasts, squeezing a bit to make them even more pronounced. Roman clenched his teeth as he forced himself to look away. He could feel her smile widen in response.

"Yeah, well, you aren't getting any of it," Roman snapped as he pulled out his wallet and began to count the bills. "Got nothing else to say for yourself?"

"Don't rush me," Cerise advised. "We've got all afternoon and night, if you want. I've only got a few minutes right now, but I've got a small apartment not far from the restaurant."

"Seriously?" Roman asked. He laid out the final bill on the table, finding that it was all there. With a roll of his eyes, he looked up to see Cerise still in the same pose. "And what makes you think I have any interest in going back to your place?"

"Literally everything about your body language, and what's probably going on underneath the table," Cerise answered. "That, and I should probably make this all up to you somehow. I know a way that usually gets people that are upset with me to come around."

"Yeah, I bet you do," Roman replied, sounding unimpressed as he started putting his lien back into the wallet.

"Not only that, but the festival's real," Cerise added. "I'll be there, BASS'll be there, and I'm betting your team will get dragged along. Why not take a date? I have a funny feeling the two of us could get along if you just let it go."

"Let it go?" Roman repeated incredulously as he cast a hand out to the side. "You haven't even apologized for stealing my shit!"

"And why would I?" Cerise asked as she leaned back into her chair, taking a few more fries with her as she did so. "I'm just surviving, same as BASS and all of you. We just do it in different ways. The only thing I'm sorry for is ripping off the wrong guy. If you're in with Ghira, then you and yours don't have to worry about me pilfering your pockets from here on out. I'll just need to meet the crew so I know who not to hit."

"Oh, no," Roman said immediately as he shook his head. "No. You're not worming your way into our group and causing trouble. We've got enough of it on our hands already. We don't need you."

"Well, well," Cerise said with a sigh of resignation. "It always does just come down to wants and needs, doesn't it?"

"What are you getting at?" Roman asked. "You know what, I should just go…"

"But you won't," Cerise said lightly. "Because you're curious. You want to know if there's something else here that's worth your time. Even if there isn't, after I've said my piece… you're not just about to walk out on Fox after you pissed him off, are you?"

"…fuck," Roman cursed as he crossed his legs and adjusted his seating. "But you don't know me. You have no idea what I'm thinking."

"Well, maybe I'd like to," Cerise countered, her mismatched eyes full of mischief. "Maybe I find you just as hot as you find me. I like it when a man gets a little flustered."

"And I like it when women are straightforward instead of playing games with me," Roman said with narrowed eyes.

"No you don't," Cerise replied immediately.

Roman wrinkled his nose, letting his fringe settle back into place before his eye.

"…no. I don't…"

"That's what I thought," Cerise said confidently as she pulled out her scroll to check the time. "I have to get back too my dead-end job soon, so for now, take this food for thought- wants and needs. What else really matters, Roman? I can see the differences between us clear as day- I look out for number one at all times. What I want? I make a point of trying to get it. What I need? I don't stop until it's mine, no matter what's in the way. Everyone and everything else is either an obstacle or there for my benefit. Look at how miserable you are, and then look at me. Your head is full of overcomplications and anger, when all you need to think about is your next move and your next conquest. There's no other way to live."

"…what the hell are you talking about?" Roman asked, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. "What I need is for you to keep your hands out of my pockets, and what I want is to spend the rest of this vacation without having to look over my shoulder every few seconds to make sure people like you aren't bothering my friends and I."

"Then what you actually need is connections to prevent that from happening, and what you want is a friend like me who knows the people, the streets, and the way Vacuo works. I could make your stay here so much more interesting."

Roman leaned back into his chair, finally taking a few fries of his own. He knew that continuing to engage with Cerise would only lead to chaos, heartbreak, and illegal activity. The thought that such a thing wouldn't exactly be a change from the norm crossed his mind, as did the idea of burying his face into her cleave and never coming up for air again. Roman wasn't sure which of those terrible ideas excited him more.

"…and how about profitable?" Roman asked, cracking his neck to one side. "Vacuo's out to fuck me, eh?"

"Vacuo's out to fuck everyone," Cerise confirmed. "Why not fuck it right back, twice as hard?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Roman agreed as he began to relax a bit. "BASS know that you're like this?"

"Oh, they know," Cerise answered as she stood up from the table. "And they agree with my methods and philosophy. Everyone but Sage, anyway. He's too pure for this place, despite all appearances. I guess he's got too much muscle for this place to get to his heart."

"Right," Roman said with a roll of his eyes. "Maybe… I'll take you up on the offer to go back to your place. Things have been stressful lately, and I'm tired of everything being a constant complicated shitshow. You like things simple, right?"

"Simpler than most," Cerise agreed. "I've still got quite a while on the clock. Take care of Fox and hang out with the others while I hustle for tips."

"Can do," Roman replied. "Any chance you can bring Fox to me? I'm not exactly a fan of public apologies. It's humiliating enough one-on-one."

"…I'll see what I can do," Cerise offered. "But if he's not out here in 10, assume he's too pissed off to listen to me. See you soon."

Roman watched Cerise walk away, his eyes locked on the back of her skirt. He was absolutely convinced that she had somehow shortened it just enough to barely show off a pair of firm curves as well as her muscular thighs. It was enough to get him to forget about Kali entirely… at least, for a moment.

"Barty, I think he left the exhibit entirely," Qrow said in a frustrated voice as he and his friend continued to sweep the crowded, dimly-lit halls of the Land of Darkness displays. "He's probably somewhere else in the building, or he might have left the museum entirely."

"Should we try calling him?" Bartholomew asked as he squinted through the darkness, looking for the telltale horns of his friend. "We already checked outside of here and found nothing, but it seems more like him to hide in the dark if he doesn't want to be found…"

"He's not gonna answer if he doesn't want to talk to us," Qrow said with a sigh as he took out his scroll. "Let's at least get out of the tunnel before I make an attempt. It's hard to hear in here, anyway."

"Indeed," Bartholomew agreed. "This way. I do hope we can return and look all of this over later. It's fascinating…"

"Yeah, well, I'm a little more interested in finding Adam right now," Qrow said in a frustrated tone. "Even though we're inside, we're still in Vacuo…"

"Listen to your friend," an unfamiliar voice warned from behind the pair. "You two looking for Adam?"

Qrow froze in place and gave Bartholomew a wary look. The two boys slowly turned to regard the speaker, finding a tall man with features they couldn't quite make out standing in the darkness. He was tall, his hair slicked back and his build muscular enough to be that of a huntsman. Though neither of them could make out his expression, there was nothing at all malicious in his voice.

"…what if we are?" Qrow asked. "Is he in trouble?"

"Not quite, but he's looking for you," the man answered. "Or at least, my wife is. Come on, I'll lead you up to the offices. They're both waiting for you there."

"The offices?" Bartholomew asked as the man stepped between them and began to head for the end of the exhibit. "You work here…?"

"My wife and I own the place," the man answered as he stepped out into the light of the hallway beyond the exhibit. "Basil Oaks. You're in good hands, now."

Author's Note:

And that's just about the cast for Volume 2. Only one more key player to be introduced. The Watcher.

-RD