Not uncommon was it for a broken man faced with doom to stare death in the eyes and smile, accepting of his fate and no longer willing to run.
Qrow had seen these looks many times before, with close friends of his dying on the field of battle. The average person can have a wide array of expressions and ways of dealing with the unknowable end that was the concept of death. With nothing left to lose, and feeling as though you've achieved what you needed to achieve; such a strange sight.
From the sidelines he, Oscar, and Maria sat in wait, watching as the warriors stared themselves down. They were speaking, reacting, debating even, and yet Qrow wouldn't exactly call himself as being 'there' in the moment. He paid no attention to the words, to the expressions, only the feel of the battlefield; so familiar, as many times before. Some part of him, his soul perhaps, knew they'd not be leaving the scene without death having taken a life.
All movements cut, and everyone had taken their stances for the soon to be duel. A 'one versus four' type battle, with clearly unfair odds, and somehow this didn't bother the outweighed man, who even looked to somewhat enjoy such a setting, if his expression was anything to go off.
It was only during that single certain motion, taken to begin the duel, that returned Qrow's senses to the current way of things.
Adam was fast, faster than he should have been, and that was coming from a man who's whole life was littered with speed. His nieces and friends were just as quick, with three separating as the crimson sword locked with the ebony blade of the feline one. Her ears hung close to her head, eyes locked not on his weapon, but he.
Quick as a whip Adam forced the blade down as he brought up a knee, but it met with air; an illusion, and something Qrow honestly forgot the girl could even do. From the smoke Yang made her play, and her fist came close to the man, but only close. Adam's body had twisted to the side, allowing a sort of roll away from the oncoming fist, who's impact with the dirt shadowed the scene in snow and dust.
The messy fog was soon thrown about as familiar red petals littered the storming air, turning the very dust into a series of razor sharp projectiles, flying out in all directions. The small rocks and stones would do next to no damage to aura, however the distraction would be enough to muffle all sound, and it seemed Blake was willing to take advantage of that, all the while a Ruby slowed to a near stop by the edge of her chaos.
Instantly Adam was upon his niece, catching her off guard and sending a dirty kick to her ribs. Blake -who had been about to leap again it seemed - stalled at the sight, and was thus surprised as the horned warrior's sword ripped against the dirt, sending a spray of snow to blind her. The snow would pass through the girl, revealing the image a fake, and Adam would bring said blade back to his side to block the series of slashes sent forth, all the while Ruby recovered a few feet away.
It only took a second, but the youngest of his best friend's children regained her composure, sending a quick glance somewhere, before looking to the man once more.
Blake's slashes were levied high and low, in a mix to force Adam into an awkward series of blocks which saw him using his bare arms to cover his weaker areas where his blade couldn't easily maneuver. This was further made difficult as Yang came in from behind with her own mixed variation of martial arts, locking the boy into taking intentional hits to minimize damage overall, whether he liked it or not. It was an interesting strategy, one reliant on lowing his aura over time, as opposed to dealing a few massively damaging blows. Adam appeared more skilled than them, and they seemed to realize that; keeping him on the defensive was their only real choice in such a scenario.
In a way Qrow was enraptured, to see what amounted to his family giving it their all.
Once upon a time, Ruby and Yang didn't even understand the concept of taking wildly different fighters and choreographing their styles together. But here they were now, little Yang and her cat friend, timing their moves in such a way that Adam couldn't even fight back; he'd spend the rest of their battle blocking if this kept up.
Too bad it didn't.
Adam was a clever bastard, and while Qrow didn't like the terrorist - being a terrorist was worse than a bandit, and he was already disgusted with them - he had to give the lad props. Adam, be it from desperation or divine understanding, slammed his sword into the ground. The stab firmly planted it in place, unmoving as its master let go. Yang had gone in for a punch, Blake sent her sword again for a slash, and Adam's arms extended past both their limbs.
He gripped them.
The shock on both their faces was momentary, and the subsequent pull planting those parallel expressions together with an audible crunch was enough to have Qrow flinching. A second was all it lasted before Adam flung both arms outwards, letting go and sending them off with the throw, at which point they rolled across the dirt. This left both women slightly dazed, with Blake losing hold of her shorter sword. Given the chance Adam would have taken his blade again.
Ruby saw fit that he didn't.
She was on him rabidly, with her scythe tearing through the air like a fan on a hot summer day. Most of the strikes were... partially aimed; honestly, Qrow was having doubts. Ruby's flailing - that was the best way he could describe it - had next to no real aim, at least from the look of it. Many of her attacks were wildly off, and yet Qrow could see a sort of smile on his nieces lips as she slowly but surely pushed the man away from his weapon. She sped up, faster and faster, with the fighting quality remaining mostly sloppy, but reaching unseen speeds; she'd quite literally become invisible, only distinguishable by the fluctuations in light around her general area. She'd never been so fast before, and Qrow was half tempted to question if it was due to her purposefully reckless style.
The light glow was enough draw his focus.
Ruby instantly backed off, and Qrow's eyes fell on the odd purple pulsing across the palm of her hand. He never got to question it though, as instantly Adam shot off towards his weapon, only to be cut off by... himself? The figure was a mix of light blue and white, with glowing hollow eyes. Somehow, this strange mirror felt... warmer than the original. Qrow's vision changed, and he saw that Weiss was off the main battlegrounds, panting as she propped herself up on the rapier stuck upwards in the snow.
Such a strange sight indeed.
Qrow knew of the Schnee family semblance, curtesy of Winter's constant babbling on legacy and order over their many meetings and bickering. However, according to the elder Schnee, their family was only able to summon felled foes and the inanimate; summoning the living was theoretically possible, but none had done so yet. Here was Weiss however, having brought up a duplicate before its living counterpart. She sported that awful and familiar glow along her neck.
Hold on...
She seemed to be... in control? He was confused now, and it was only here, free of his fixation on Adam's haunting acceptance of demise where he noticed how the girl appeared to be fully in control of her body. The slight bend of her brow and focused creases along her facial twists and turns; lively and opposite of the ghastly plastic doll that she mimicked in her seemingly drowsy states. Certainly better than the haunting affair back at the Vytal Festival, as even he could see she wasn't of the right mind during that bout, even if many others could not.
He'd need to question it later.
Adam - naturally - wore a look of shock, bore his battle stance; sporting a more intrigued look than anything else. The figure mirrored him, only this one held himself lighter, his arms and legs giving off the same powerful locking, but looser and more able to respond, as opposed to the raw power the real Adam strived for.
"Interesting..." His lips began to twist upward. "You don't remember, and yet... is this how you saw it?"
That statement had once again confirmed how the man knew something, and shooting a quick look to Weiss, Qrow noticed how her expression shifted, with her eyes twitching in just the such to show she'd heard what he said. The girl never got the chance to question anything though as Adam moved in on his double.
Blow for blow they matched each other, with the copy only ever being responsive, leaving Adam to be the instigator always. Its subtle shifts were designed not only to block, but deflect Adam's bare-handed blows, making Qrow wonder if it was more than a simple puppet. The thing appeared mostly automated in its motions, to the point in which Adam backed away. The thing remained still, calm in its breathing as Adam slowly began to circle it.
It never made any moves, even as Adam took his sword from the snow. Looking around Qrow was able to see Ruby helping Yang and Blake up, with each looking not too injured, yet they too were absorbed in the sight. Each had a tense look, all aside from Weiss off in the distance, who was slightly shaking as she stared at her creation.
Disregarding all outside spectators Adam dove in again, violent in his assault now. His blade tore across the fake's arms, and for some reason it never dodged. The copy, as if trying to doom itself, made sure to block each and every blow without fail. It reminded Qrow oddly of himself, and the way he'd block his opponents with the large blunt of his blade. However unlike himself this clone looked to be deliberate in its moves, as while he may have been blocking the whole time, Adam had yet to encroach on its position.
Then everything fall apart.
Something had changed; Qrow would even dare say something 'clicked' for Adam. He pulled back on his rampage against his duplicate, and once more it remained stationary, that was until the world darkened. As if all the light had been sucked from the air itself, Qrow bore witness to the crimson hue briefly lining Adam, and saw how his very hair looked to glow against the dark, like a blazing fire in the dead of night. With movement so fast it left an afterimage trail, Qrow felt his tensions spike as the wave of scarlet shot towards his nieces.
The duplicate failed.
Time seemed to slow as everything set in for those scant few seconds. The other Adam was still glowing its brilliant light, even as both halves flew away from one another; bisected across the waist. The blow had struck Yang, Blake, and Ruby, with the final of the three shimmering with red cracks as her aura shattered. Her falling appeared slow, as if it would take minutes for her to hit the ground below; it appeared Adam would afford her no such luxury. His arms locked into place, his blade was primed, and with a darker mask of monstrous calm Qrow was about to shoot towards the man in an attempt to save his niece; she wouldn't be taken away, Qrow wouldn't allow it. One Rose stolen was already too many, and he'd be damned if he allowed another one to go.
Weiss seemed to agree, and Adam locked up as time returned to normal, all the while the girl backed away, leaving the man of a pierced heart to turn her way. The blow had not only shattered his aura, but ripped through his flesh as if it were air. Qrow saw how the mark on her neck dulled, and how the fear on her face fell into a guarded calm.
Adam stood, and the light trail of blood dripped into the snow, yet even so he was on the move again. His steps were strained, but bit by bit he took the necessary three steps towards Weiss to reach her. She never ran; heck, she never even tried. Weiss stared into his eyes with an unreadable face, as if his next attempts against her would fail. It was an odd sort of calm, one Qrow knew damn well would turn to regret once she realized the true gravity of taking a life; what she'd truly done.
His hand cupped her cheek, and for a second Qrow could have sworn he saw a flicker of light in her eyes. A stark shiver creeped up his spine, and he watched in perplexed wonder as Adam leaned up and pecked her on the forehead.
The fuck?
Needless to say, Qrow was a bit lost, even more so when the man looked to say something, before he dropped to the fluffy snow below; a content looking smile plastered on his face. Despite being a monster, Qrow couldn't help but feel content for the man; everyone deserved peace in death, and it seemed he got that. Perhaps he was too merciful, or maybe he was just too tired from everything so far, but Qrow couldn't find the energy to hate anymore, at least now that the threat was dealt with.
It was then that Qrow got a glance at Weiss's face. He hadn't heard what Adam said, and yet it would appear Weiss had. She'd locked up for a second afterwards, only for her expression to calm again afterwards. It remained sturdy for a bit, and then the tears began to flow, all the while she stared out into the distance afar, apparently relaxed in expression.
Yep... the remorse is setting in. It was a common thing really. Sure, one could argue logically that they had no choice, and that Adam would have killed them if left alive; as he'd just tried with his niece. However, none but those who'd taken lives could fully understand the waves of regret and doubt afforded to the killer.
Anyone can argue logic and justice, but murder never felt good for any but monsters.
Qrow watched in a small amount of relief as the other three rushed over to check on Weiss, and while they took her into a deep embrace, Qrow would watch on as her lips began to quiver.
.
.
"Why are you going?" Weiss hadn't understood those words at the time, nor the reasons her childhood friend had left, only that he had to go.
"Sorry Weiss, but I can't tell you."
"Why not?" She'd been so confused. He'd been the only other child who actively made her feel like she mattered; who saw her as Weiss, and not some shy and silly little girl.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt?"
"Why would it hurt to tell me?" It was so perplexing, so incredibly difficult to understand, especially when he just chuckled.
"You'll understand one day." He'd turned, about to go, but she didn't let him. She clung to him, desperate to keep one of the few lights of her childhood. He looked back to her, back to her understandably sad look. He'd smiled and gave a small laugh.
"Please don't go." It had been so strange. She'd never experienced real loss before up to that point, and yet looking back this had been the first time she'd cried on her own, for reasons of love rather than hurt.
"Don't worry. I promise I'll come back to see you one day, okay?" His voice had been so calm, so sure of his declaration. It had hurt to hear, but she'd reluctantly let him go, choosing to believe he'd keep that promise. He'd look surprised when she popped up and planted a small kiss on his cheek, even going so far as to touch it afterwards with his hand.
"There, now you have to come back. You will... right?" She'd given goodbye kisses to her mother many times when she was little; it was a way of making sure her loved ones returned. You couldn't not come back when kissed, that was the rule her childhood self had made up. Her friend just smiled then.
"Okay, I promise I'll come back, and I'll even give you back your kiss."
"See? I... kept my promise..." Such a haunting statement; his last words before the life faded from his eyes, and the very words to bring it all back.
Weiss couldn't fight the draw, and her own eyes were pulled back down to the body laying in the snow. He'd kept his promise... he kept his promise... and she killed him for it. Her knees felt weak, and soon she was in the snow, hunched over as she stared at the rapidly staining blanket of frigid beauty. She could feel the others on her, hear their words and worries, yet she took none of it in.
A swirling torrent of disgust settled into the depths of her stomach, and she just wanted to spill out everything within. Breathing became difficult as the pressure beat intensely at the back of her throat. Weiss could feel the snow below, and the frost began to numb her fingertips. Regardless of this she clenched, watching as it melted from the warmth of her hands.
Something so beautiful, destroyed by her very touch.
Why you... why did it have to be you?. Desperately she wanted this nightmare to end; to wake up back home to a time where her family still loved one another. Weiss wished to be sitting comfortably with her grandfather, hearing his stories of the older days and how he rose the company from a small few workers united. She wanted to hear Klein open the door, and announce a visitor. She wanted to look up from her grandfather's side, and see her childhood friend, her hero, standing there with a smile to greet her.
Reality would afford her no such kindness.
"Why?" She spat, vengeful towards the life which tortured her heart so carelessly. "What did I do to deserve this? Was it because of my fear, was that it? Was being afraid of the people who hate me wrong?"
Weiss curled in on herself, attempting to shut out the world as she pondered the questions. First her father's cruel admittance at the age of 9, of only wedding her mother for the family company; next being hated for that same man's vile actions and choices, forever scarring the family name; third being branded and tortured based on her namesake, once more a display of her father's evils; and finally, perhaps most ironic of all, she'd murdered the one friend who made her childhood livable. This once great light of her life, twisted into a man of hate; was this what he meant? Did he remember her and their time as children? Regardless of it all, one thing was for certain.
Another small grace of hers was erased.
"Was it because I was born in the wrong family? Was it because of Atlas; did being born in a kingdom so full of corruption mean I have to suffer?"
Her chest hurt, worse that she ever experienced before; she couldn't breath, and yet she screamed out, as if accusing life itself for her despair.
"IS THIS HOW YOU PUNISH ME?!"
And she stilled, feeling the soft hands of one particular girl on her face, pulling up her head to offer a somber, but understanding look. Weiss looked into Ruby, and saw right then and there her understanding. She knew, Ruby actually knew; she understood how it felt. Weiss didn't know how, or why, but something about the girl helped to ground her.
Maybe she'd never understand why it was terrible things happened to and around her, but she couldn't ignore the comfort of Ruby pulling her in close, and so she allowed her tears to seep into the fabric above the girl's chest; letting the bad thoughts and worries to be absorbed by her partner's warmth.
She'd never forgive herself for what she'd done, but Weiss knew that at least she wasn't alone in her sorrow.
.
.
"So... you're him?" I looked up, seeing how the soldier flinched a little. From his nervous demeanor being a contrast from the other one driving the ship, a part of me believed he was a newer recruit; he just had this sort of... innocence to him.
"And who would I be?" I questioned, stilled of voice as not to potentially startle him. He was a trained soldier so I doubted he'd be afraid, but I didn't want him thinking I was immensely violent; something I suspected the rest of Atlas would no doubt believe. So far, those who'd seen me hadn't the courage to approach, yet I'd heard them murmur before. I wondered if this boy was the same.
"The terrorist, you know, Vermillion." He paused a second, his cheery expression swapping to one of embarrassment. "I-I mean, the falsely accused terrorist, uh..."
"Don't mind him." The pilot called from ahead. "He's just bad at speaking; no filter at all."
"C'mon man, not cool." The boy whimpered, only to steady his resolve a little as he looked back to me. "Anyway, you're Vermillion though, right? You match the description we were given, and look the same as what was broadcast... you know, before the CCT went down and all."
"I am." No real point in hiding it, although I was curious as to why he sounded so... happy. He was in the presence of an accused monster, and maybe it was said I wasn't one, but even then he had no reason to be as chipper as he was.
"Sick!" He paused again as the pilot sighed, and righted himself into a more professional guise. "Anyway, I had a few questions I wanted to ask, if you'd allow me."
"That would be depending on what they are." I didn't like the idea of throwing out all my secrets, but I was starting to get weirded out. Whatever it was that lay on his mind might shine some light on this... odd behavior, and so I waited and motioned him to speak with a wave.
"Well, we've seen snippets and all that, but I have to ask; is it true you can control the Grimm?"
So that's what this is about. Not quite what I expected, but in reality it wasn't as dreadful either.
"Yes." Everyone had known at this point, so in reality he was simply asking for confirmation. For most people this would be a dreadful realization, but this one looked thrilled, at least based on his general appearance.
"How does it work? Do you, like, get to order them around, or is it a sort of 'pet' type deal where they follow simple commands?" I never got to answer before the pilot spoke up again.
"Tone it down, you're sounding like a creep again." The boy froze for a second, and the pilot addressed me next. "Look, don't hold it against him; he gets excited about everything that catches his interest. Although I'll warn you now, don't go expecting the rest of Atlas to be so excited for your arrival. Many of the others heard the reports, but the Grimm have never been a good sign. In my personal off the record opinion, I don't see why the general trusts you."
"I see..." The man was giving me conflicting views. It was nice to be warned of such reactions towards me, and yet he himself didn't seem quite so bothered about my presence.
"Don't get it twisted, I don't trust you, but I don't have any reason to hate you yet either. Everyone has their way of seeing things, and for me... I like to watch what a man does in person before casting judgement. My types are few and far between here in Atlas, and as much as I love this kingdom and its perseverance, I'll be the first to admit to its many failings."
"I understand... thank you." What an odd thing to end on, 'thank you'. It was polite, yes, but it was also sincere; what was I thankful for? The warning he gave was what I expected to begin with, and so was everything else he stated. What specifically about our interaction had me feeling thankful?
I never got to dwell on it, as the ship suddenly shook.
"What was that!?" The boy before me yelled, standing from his seat and rushing up to the front.
"I don't know- wait, the controls-"
We shook again, and I almost felt myself floating upwards; we were falling. Not a great thing really, especially as the lights began to flicker. I took a few steps towards the front, however everything changed as the ship began to twist and our decent slowed. Very quickly the straight even path ahead became a hill, and seconds later a wall, leaving me to grasp at the edge of my seat.
"Someone's taken over!" The pilot yelled.
"Who!? How did they even do that!?" The boy returned, all the while the doors below opened up, leaving nothing but the snowy wastes below to claw at me with their frozen winds.
I held on tighter and focused on the land down under. Someone had taken over the ship, and while I had no idea as to who it was, I was almost certain I knew why. There were a few other ships I saw pass us as we went out, one of the few things visible out the windows other than the raging storm, meaning that unless the others were hit as well, we'd been targeted specifically. Maybe it was narcissism that ruled my mind, but seeing as we looked no different than the others, I had a sneaking suspicion I was the target of this attack
Somebody must have known about me, and so the question changed; who wanted me?
A pain shot through my hand, I'd been shot, and sure enough I was freefalling towards the snow below. I saw the ship suddenly take off, and whether they'd regained control or not would forever remain a mystery. Seeing as I didn't really have anything more to lose now I righted myself and braced for impact. This was a full blown attack, and as such I immediately prepared myself for the landing. Feeling the darkness warm my skin it took only a second before I was coated in bone again.
I landed in a fairly large patch of snow, and the fluff itself was flung out from my sudden occupation of its peaceful resting place. The fall didn't hurt as much as I believed it would, and was more of an annoying sting really, but then again I attributed this to the soft bedding of white now littering the air, only adding to the storm. My eyes scanned the area, and I saw nothing, that was until shadows began to encroach on my location.
Several clicks and mumbling confirmed they were armed, which wasn't even close to a surprise.
"Interesting; you were the reason the ship was unmarked." A figure walked towards me, and while I braced myself I took note of her appearance.
The first thing I noticed was her similar hair color to Weiss, however any thoughts of familial relations were dashed as I looked closer to how it was slightly tinted blond in comparison to the stark white of the woman I knew. This one appeared taller, and sported a small tan; complimenting her rugged attire. Her calm, yet fairly stern expression paired well with this.
"Atlas always does like to hide its dirty laundry, or are you simply a prisoner." She looked me over before smirking. "Nope, not a binding in sight, and that was far too small a ship for one rumored to be as dangerous as you. You must be Vermillion, right?"
I offered no retort, merely upholding my stance. Her smirk never wavered; Dust, I'd say it deepened.
"Interesting you'd be given a personal transport. You must be quite valuable to them if you're brought in secretly."
"I'll warn you only once." I stated right as she took her first step closer. This stopped her, and for a second her smirk fell. "Get in my way, and I'll kill you where you stand.
The woman paused for a second, and then began to giggle, before heaving a fair chuckle.
"Really?" It died down, and she lowered her stance a little. "You're quite full of yourself. Tell you what, why don't you give it a try?"
"Or, and hear me out, we not immediately give Atlas a reason to launch a direct attack on Mantle, hmm?" I knew that voice, and sure enough the man walked in with all the sass I remembered. I couldn't help but feel a little comfort in the familiar face, even if it belonged to an adversary.
Roman Torchwick; seems you haven't changed a bit.
"We've already given them plenty of reasons to attack before, so why would this be any different?" The woman challenged, only for Roman to sigh, pull out his usual cigar, and light it. He took a few puffs before answering, all the while his eyes ran over me, only to settle on my face as he crossed his arms and smiled.
"We've taken junk and supplies before, yeah, but this-" He waved an arm towards me. "Is so much more than simple trash. Little Grimmling here was given personal transport to Atlas, and if I were a betting man, I'd say it was directly to general Ironwood himself."
"Atlas's little pawn; typical." The woman spat, a little more lax in her appearance now.
"See, now you're beginning to understand." Roman gave a little clap. "Good for you."
"Don't-" She pushed a finger into his chest, getting up and personal. "Push your luck." She stepped back, looking over me with some sort of irritated glare; it didn't matter. She was an irrelevant; a waste of my time, so there was no reason to care about what she saw in me. Roman however was a different story, especially considering he was an ally of Cinder.
"But..." He walked over, wrapping his arm around me. I allowed this, mostly because I couldn't see Neo, and didn't feel like dancing with her right now. "We can make use of him, at least for a bit. The general will get angsty if we keep him too long though, so of course we'll need to let him go in a little bit... you know, after we try him out."
"First time you've cared about what Ironwood wanted." The woman shot, only for Roman to roll his eyes.
"He's a paranoid nut who never had a reason to kill us before. We take a toy of his this powerful and we'll be lucky if even a little of our body matter hasn't been vaporized." He gave me a pat on the back. "Now come on everybody, let's head back and make use of our gracious new 'volunteer'."
The woman scoffed, but nevertheless nodded to him.
"Fine, seeing as you've been helpful so far I'll afford you this much. However if he even so much as scratches one of my girls, I'll personally ensure you share in his punishment."
"Yeah yeah." Roman waved her off. "Big bad Ronin is scary, I got it. Let's just go before Atlas wises up and sends down the cleaning crew to collect their 'laundry'."
And so we trudged through the storm, only for that familiar feeling to envelope me. I saw how Roman and I continued onward, all the while the haze covered real our bodies. Neo was visible, and offered a wave as I looked to her. I let my armor drop, however the copy ahead kept his up as the group walked on in silence - taking glances back to our clones.
"Quite the while since we've last seen each other." He started with a grin. "How's it been?"
"Eventful, I suppose."
"Not in a talking mood? Good, then you're willing to listen." He shoved on a serious gaze. "Look, I'm not sure what the Dust the general is thinking, but you're lucky Robyn thinks I give a damn about her little crew; it's probably the only reason she hasn't fired."
"She wouldn't have been able to hurt me."
"I know that, but this is bigger than any grudges or other nonsense." Roman took another puff of his cigar. "Look, Atlas and Mantle aren't doing so hot. Tensions are high, and everyone seems to have their own opinion on the lockdown of the kingdom. Now, aside from that, we're pretty damn close to full on civil war, and as I'm sure you can tell, Robyn isn't exactly in a great mindset."
"And?" I pushed with a flat look. "Why is any of this my problem?"
He sent a complex look of confusion mixed with annoyance.
"Okay, so you've changed a little too." Shaking his head he started again and leaned in close. "Doesn't matter. This is serious kid, and I don't mean the 'stop the bad people' serious, I mean 'we're capital 'F' fucked serious. People feel trapped with the embargo; the army's surveillance has more than tripled, which has only added fuel to the fires..." He pointed to the woman ahead. "And as you can well see, this bitch here is damn near off her rocker."
"She's arrogant." I gave casting a glance to her. "I fail to see the real insanity you make her out to be."
"She's a psycho with a hero complex; the type of girl who 'liberates' shit on a whim without considering how the city might react. She'll start a firefight on the mere rumor of injustice, and only question it after the fact. I've been in this game long enough to know her kind; she'll skin a puppy if she believes it's for the 'greater good', her definition of the term."
"People like her end up dead, usually sooner than later." I stated, crossing my arms. "Why not wait it out?"
"Because she has a following." He pinched the stem of his nose; his eyes shut in frustration. "Look, she doesn't think straight when angry, and with general Ironwood making restrictions tighter, she's always angry. People are actually behind her too now, cheering her on for her thefts."
"Are you sure it isn't just your jealousy speaking?" I accused with a smirk of my own. "Sounds like you envy her respect amongst the people."
Roman just scoffed.
"Like or hate me, I've only ever cared about Neo and myself. Let's be honest here kid, we both know I fight to survive, and if this continues on, we'll both be dead when the smoke settles."
"And what do you want me to do about it, huh? What makes me so special?"
"You are here, in Atlas, and if I were to assume, at the behest of the general." Roman spat with irritation. "That alone makes you an enemy of Robyn. You should be thanking me really, it's thanks to me that she backed off."
"I never asked for your help."
"And I never asked for all this political bullshit, but here we are. Look, you need to get to the general, and I need to find an excuse for you to reach him. However I pulled all of that back there out of my ass, and so I need your help coming up with something for you to do with us; to get Robyn not to flip and call my bluff."
"You didn't even have a plan?" I couldn't contain the chuckle. "You're off your game, Roman."
"Yeah, well I never expected to see you again so soon, so humor me a little. Not something mundane either, something 'heroic'" He said the term with air quotes, playing it up. "You were with the White Fang, and while I'm sure all the murder is fun for those idiots and all, there surely had to be something else they had going on. Didn't you, like, give out blankets to the poor Faunus and whatnot in your downtime?"
Roman had no idea how lucky he was, especially considering I did need some extra hands. If I had to guess, we were headed to somewhere in Mantle, meaning I could tick off one of my more... illicit objectives. I graced my hand into my pocket, feeling the key card sitting gently within. I didn't have a reason to carry out Adam's request, but I didn't see any reason to avoid it either.
Plus I had Roman at my mercy now; why not make use of these rogues?
"I may have something, but I'll explain once we get to wherever you're taking me."
Roman gave off a sigh of relief.
"Never had a doubt in you kid; still smart as a whip."
I held my tongue, but internally I wondered how amusing his face would be once I revealed just what it was we were going to do. Roman wanted to avoid trouble with Atlas, and I was about to run us directly towards it.
This detour might not be so bad after all.
Author's note
...
Once again we reach a critical moment, the end of Adam's story. Yeah, probably not the most exciting of battles, but I'm still getting the hang of combat writing. As I stated before I tend to bore when reading every little movement and shift of a character; other stories try to make the fights elaborate, but it feels more like a mess when reading, at least to me. Yes there are good ones, and I love them when they're good, but there are many which just tangle everything to the point you can't even tell what's going on.
Hopefully though this wasn't as boring or messy, even if there wasn't much said. Weiss gets to have a bit more trauma now, yay - or nay, depending on how you see it - so be ready for a little more development for our local ice princess - she's hogging all the character growth chief!
V also got his time, and we are once again graced with the joy of Roman, and his partially successful attempts at staying afloat. Robyn is here, and Roman clearly hasn't got the greatest opinion of our little robin hood, but hey, at least she hasn't done anything crazy yet; plus Roman's a criminal, so morality may vary.
Either way, things are picking up again; Atlas awaits our edgy boi, and Argus is only a skip and a hop away for our favorite - or least favorite if canon events are to be taken into account - team.
Catch you next time.