Booze, beauties, and the sway of the night life: all in one questionably legal package.
Had this been any other night, Qrow wouldn't mind sucking down a few drinks and getting his 'ladies man' on. Problem was, it was the middle of the afternoon... and he wasn't currently sitting in Junior's for the sake of a quick buzz. No, unfortunately he was on a business trip, and it started with the man sitting right in front of him.
Junior knew the drill, and so Qrow cut right to the core of why he was seated almost questionably alone at the bar, and so early in the day to boot - unless it was past 7pm, it was too early to club.
"Heard you got a new lad on the town: some squirt who's looking a lot like an up and coming red-head up at Beacon."
"Let me guess..." Junior didn't appear all that concerned, meaning Qrow was either going to get exactly what he wanted, or the man had no idea what he wanted. "You're worried the boy's a stalker."
"Kind of." Qrow wouldn't lie, it was his first assumption, but that was the least of his concerns now. "But that's not what I need."
"Then enlighten me." Junior was wearing that critical eye, and Qrow made no effort to hide his serious tone. Being the leader of one of Remnant's largest criminal organizations meant he had access to more resources than your average information broker. And with Junior being who he was, it meant that every 'trader' of the information variety was in service to him.
All brokers in Vale answered to Junior, or they wound up in a box.
"I just want to know about him, and I'm willing to pay." Qrow was more than well versed in this knowledge, and seeing as he had a bit of a good thing going with Junior already over the years - as well as all the other top crime families to some extent - he knew it was crucial to cut the shit. Junior wasn't a fan of people trying to weasel their way around him; it was actually the quickest way to get on his bad side, and so Qrow chose to go it straight.
"Yeah? Well, get in line." Junior almost looked to spit out a laugh, although he held it in. "You're not the only one."
"I take it you're not fond of selling out employees?" This was new. Junior usually just denied people when he wasn't willing to sell... or asked a stupidly steep price; sometimes both. Telling him directly that he wasn't the first searching for dirt on the guy was something Qrow hadn't been prepared for.
Seeing Junior hand him a small card, a driver's license actually, kind of threw him for a loop.
"Read that, and then tell me what's wrong with it."
And so Qrow did; needless to say, he wasn't exactly sure what to make of it.
"Everything."
"You've got that right."
Qrow squinted a little more as he ran it through again, but nope: none if it rang true, or even the slightest bit familiar. Yeah, the name wasn't exactly following the color rule, but that could be explained away, whereas nothing else could. Nothing about the little card made sense, other than it was a driver's license. It wasn't like Vale's, Mistral's, Atlas's, or heck, even Vacuo's.
Uniform and clean, but filled with bogus information.
"Let me guess: nobody else knows a thing either?"
"Nothing." Junior actually looked irritated as he said that. "I've sent word to every single broker in the city, every snake and snitch alike, to look for dirt on the kid. I've looked through everything I had, and found squat. So far, nobody's reported back on my request."
Sheesh. If Junior himself had nothing, then it meant nobody in all of Vale knew anything about the kid.
"Shit."
"You can say that again." Continuing to clean the mug in his hands, Junior shot his head towards the distance, and following up on it, Qrow saw one of the man's girls talking with a guy. "All except him."
"Him?"
"Yep." Junior hid his scowl, but Qrow still saw.
Damn... what the dust is happening here?
"So, do you-?"
"I've got nothing on him either."
"Of course." Qrow settled down, realizing he should have seen that coming. "He knows the invisible man, so clearly we don't know him either."
"I don't normally do this, but I need to ask: why do you need info on these guys?"
No, Junior didn't normally ask that type of question; he always kept information on a 'need to know' basis... for both parties. With this in mind, Qrow knew he didn't need to say anything to Junior, at least not unless this was a pure information trade, but seeing as neither of them knew anything, there wasn't much to trade with.
"One of my acquaintances is worried the kid might be involved with some shady groups... although seeing as he's situated with your crew, I'll just go out on a limb and assume it's partially true." Junior wouldn't ask how he knew the kid was involved with them; seeing as his girls hung around with him, it was obvious for all to see...
To all who were involved in the criminal underworld anyway; simple beginner policemen and small-time crooks were none the wiser.
"If he were dangerous, you know I wouldn't afford him the freedom I've demonstrated." Junior seemed adamant on that, but Qrow then grew curious.
"Then why keep him?"
"So far, I've tolerated him because one of my girl's is fond of him." Junior nearly mumbled the next part. "Despite how much of a pain in the ass he is."
"Annoying?" Qrow could understand how that felt; Yang used to have lots of irritating friends before coming to Beacon - heck, some of them followed her there.
"More like inconsistent." Setting down the mug in his hand, he poured a quick round from one of the bottles behind; seeing it in action kind of made him thirsty. "He's a coward through and though, and then, out of nowhere, he somehow pulls something off that even one of the girls has trouble doing."
"Care to elaborate?"
"On this one, no. Sorry, but until I'm certain that what she saw is actually what happened, I'd rather keep my mouth shut on this one." He chuckled. "Been a while since I've denied something by my own choice."
"Yeah... it has." Qrow twisted a brow. "Not even offering up a price?"
"Nope." Qrow felt some irritation bubble up as the man downed the drink, all in one go. Junior always had a high tolerance for liquor, so really, he could drink a hefty bit even on the job.
"Well then pour me a drink, will you?" Qrow, realizing he wasn't about to get anything solid via word of mouth from the man - at least not yet - decided he might as well relax a bit. Keeping an eye on the kid would take longer, sure, but at least he'd be able to start profiling the man.
That was for later though, because right now, Qrow was taking his own share of brew to his lips. And low and behold, two hours later he had stumbled his way out, on a journey to the nearest hole he could sleep in. Watching the kid could start tomorrow, because really, what was he gonna do in only a day?
.
.
"You know... sometimes I really wonder if we can just, I don't know, get a job that isn't some form of unpaid tomfoolery."
Roman didn't normally bitch so early in the night, just at the cusp of dusk, but considering Neo and him had been 'requested' by Cinder to check out some buddy seen around Junior's crew, he felt it was a good enough time. Neo, although just as irritated at being ordered around by that woman again, looked to find amusement in his suffering, courtesy of the fact she wouldn't stop silently prodding him.
When her eyes swapped hues along the following blink, he knew she agreed. Sighing to himself, he agreed to the unasked, and yet very straightforward question she might have implied.
"You're right: easy work is better. If we're not being paid for it, the job may as well be a breeze."
Stepping into the establishment, Roman was greeted to the minimal presence of bodies rummaging around. Nobody was really partying all that hard, but there were a few staff who appeared to be on break, and were mingling about. Roman would have rolled his eyes, but these guys got paid for their services, and were allowed to rest; something neither he nor Neo could attest to.
"Alright, you know the drill." He whispered, and the little killer nodded. Nobody could see her right now, so as far as everyone was concerned he just strolled on in by his lonesome. Her semblance was so damn convenient. With her out of sight, he felt it time to make his way over to the bar and take a seat. Neo would make her way to one of the tables on the other end of the place, meaning she had a free view of everything going on.
"Roman..." And there he was, the man of the hour walking down the bar towards him. "So we meet again." Junior came to a stop. "Let me guess: more dirt on dust transport?"
"Sadly, not this time." Spinning himself to face the man, Roman was sure the plain look on his face was an easy enough tell that he wasn't all that excited to be back. Junior picked up on it, as he always did when it came to reading the situation, and motioned for him to continue. "I'm looking for dirt on someone: a new kid in town apparently."
Junior twitched for a second, before collapsing his head back and sucking in a sigh. He puffed out, very visibly fed up. Nevertheless, despite his questionable reaction, he spoke.
"Has he really made that much of an impact by just existing?"
"You know of him then?" This made things easier. All he needed to do now was ask the price, and get the info in a nice little envelope: packaged neatly for presentation to his overlord. What he did not expect, though, was Junior giving a brief, and rather curt, response without so much as a care towards discretion.
"Name's Jay: a cowardly nobody without even a lick of aura. Found him passed out on the street one night, and one of mine took a liking to him." Junior then raised up a hand and began listing off 'features' which had Roman finding the situation a little more than strange.
This wasn't Junior's style.
"He can barely speak straight; has no fighting experience; has no identifiable past; had no legal tender; no aura, as I've stated; for dust's sake, the boy can barely even navigate his own surroundings." Junior paused, sending a cross look to Roman. "Need anything else?"
"Uhh...?"
Yeah... What the heck have you been smoking? Despite being a bit hard headed, Junior wasn't one to act stupidly, and had he not known better, Roman would call this course of action stupid. But what was he to make of it all? What did Junior have in mind that made spilling all the - strangely direct, and yet ultimately barebones - information without so much as even a price?
"A... basic description would be nice... I guess?" Roman didn't really know what else to ask, and seeing as Junior was upset, he chanced a vocal guess as to why. "I'm not the first to come for him, am I?"
"No, you're not." Junior again sucked in a breath. "And as for a description: he's the spitting image of that new Beacon student who made it to the news for interrupting your 'business'."
"What?" Roman paused for a second. "You mean little red?"
"If that's what you're calling her."
A few short chuckles passed, and Roman shook his head.
"I... don't know what you mean by that?"
"How about I let you two shake hands?"
"Okay, that's enough." Roman stood; that final offer was the straw to break the beowolf's back. Facing him hard, Roman decided to make his next point clear. "What's going on? You never, never offer up even a taste of your goods without striking a deal." He dropped his palms on the bar, half whispering the next bit. "And you sure as heck don't do it in the open either."
Junior stayed silent for a bit, and then a cheeky smile filled his lips.
"You're right. Had this been anything I considered worthwhile, I'd have charged you." He let the smile drop. "The thing is, however, that you being here is already enough 'payment' for me."
"You're not making sense."
"To you, no, but then again: that's none of your business." Junior waved for him to follow, and cautiously, Roman did. "You want to see him up close, and confirm for yourself if he's worth much?"
"What are you getting at?"
"I'll be blunt then." Junior faced him again. "Look at him; that's all I ask. Look at him, and tell me what he is to you."
Neo… I think we're a bit screwed right now. Roman was, quite literally at this very moment, disturbed. The levels of wrong this whole scenario was pumping made his senses rush into overdrive. A part of him was screaming that this was a trap, a trick to potentially capture him. But this was Junior: a man whose whole thing was information. He lent out his goons to those who paid, but Roman knew they weren't a threat to him, and Junior himself especially knew this. They were fodder at worst, and a convenient distraction or helping hand at best.
A trap of those idiots wouldn't work, and seeing as both men knew this, it put Roman even further on edge.
Coming upon a door and right as Junior was about to reach for the knob, Roman had his hand hovering defensively over his cane. Should things have turned sour, he was more than ready for a scuffle. When the door opened on its own, though, Roman felt his heart nearly stop. One of Junior's girls was there, sending the man a stern look and appearing to shush him as she stepped out.
"He's taking a nap."
"Sorry, but we-"
"I said, he's taking a nap."
Well I'll be.
Roman's ass was apparently saved by one of Junior's own, and not a second sooner at that. Junior wasn't nearly as relieved as he was though, crossing his arms and biting back a sigh.
"We just need to look at him, only for a second."
Little lady, skeptical as she was when her eyes shifted over him, nevertheless seemed to relent. With a mild sigh, she set her hand back on the door she just shut, over the knob and twisting silently.
"Only a look."
Junior nodded, and Roman himself merely breathed. This was fine though. The fact they were being so quiet meant that, at the very least, it wasn't actually a ploy to 'deal' with him; once again, he'd dodged the consequences of his own actions. With that piece of good news in the back of his mind, Roman followed Junior inside. And there, lying covered up in the bed before him, was a sight that had Roman wanting to slam his head into a wall.
"Familiar, isn't he? Just like her… supposedly." Junior whispered, and with the muttering of 'he', Roman was forced to relinquish the idea that this was just little red taking a nap.
Fuck me, they're multiplying.
This carton of milk that was his life just went sour, and Roman was in no mood to walk back to the store.
.
.
"Hello?"
Neo wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do, especially when the guy was looking her right in the eyes. At the very least, and what some might have considered a consolation prize, the woman beside him had no idea what he was doing.
"Who are you talking to?"
At least she was normal, and couldn't somehow see through the illusion Neo had crafted before even walking in; how did you even see through invisibility anyway? Unlike the jackass who could see her, the woman speaking was one of Junior's twins; the white one. Her expected and natural ignorance was a blessing, and meant Neo's semblance wasn't failing suddenly. The man still stared her down though, only now he was sending a confused face the girl's way.
"Her." He waved his hand towards her, and Neo just watched the fastly irritating face of the woman swing her direction, only to twist back.
"Who?"
"Her." The guy tried again. "Miss..." He shot back at her, leaning over and whispering, "what's your name?"
Neo dared not make a sound, as if she could speak anyway; but even so, the metaphor was strong in her mind, and that was good enough. Shifting away a little, Neo just kept watching the conflict brewing on the woman's end.
"How many drinks have you had?" That was a fair question, and would potentially provide salvation for the current predicament. If the bitch could convince him that Neo herself was just a hallucination, things could spin back in her favor easily.
"Only the ones you bought me."
The woman hissed, slapping a hand over her face.
"So you're crazy, splendid."
"I'm not crazy." He waved a hand her way. "I'm just trying to be nice."
"To what?! The fucking cushioning!"
"I don't-?"
"There's nobody there, dumbass!" Okay, so this lady was a tad bit more irritable than her male partner; Neo was actually a little thankful that it was him who could apparently see her, rather than the bitch.
"There is." He pointed her way. "She's right there."
Little Miss hotcakes looked about ready to pop, but when she got up out of her seat, Neo began to panic. She was making her way over, and if Neo were to guess why, she'd say it was to prove her point. This was bad, really really bad. Right as she was about to up and move, and just before the cunt got too close, a small ding came from her scroll.
Neo had never sighed so hard in her life - internally, of course.
"Hmm?" Mister eagle eyes heard it too apparently, seeing as his sights popped back to her once she pulled out her scroll. Making use of her new situation, she stood just as the other girl sat down in her spot. Seeing as he could... well, see her, she opted to just make a hand motion to him as she took off. The classic two-fingered call signal, which he appeared to understand by nodding. Normally her illusions would silence and blind her actions, so he was probably the only one who heard the scroll call - although even that was up in the air now.
The smile on his face at least proved he'd been none the wiser of her more... she'd say devious purpose sitting there.
Devious was a bit of a stretch really: she'd only been there to watch Roman's back, and nothing more. Ignoring that all, Neo opened up the device. She'd gotten a text, and considering it was only the words "meet up" from her partner, she figured it was pretty big. He never requested she step in unless it was something crazy, like, life threatening crazy, and so she took off just a little bit quicker. Roman's chats with the bar's owner were usually pretty swift and relaxed, which was why she had no issue just letting the pair leave when they did… right before the guy showed up and tried speaking with her.
That didn't matter now though.
With how Junior had taken him into a hall, it wasn't long before she came across the open door, with another bitch standing outside. Unlike her snow-dressed sister, this one seemed a bit less hateful. She never made a move as Neo slipped by - good; her semblance worked on this one as well.
Great, that guy back there had her questioning things now.
Ah well, there wasn't much time to wonder much, because once she stepped in, Neo saw exactly why Roman called her in - as if his fed up face didn't already say enough. Strangely though, Neo was more concerned about why "little red" - as Roman had come to call her - was lying in the bed of a backroom.
"Well?" Junior's voice was low, but Neo could hear him fine anyways. "Got anything to say?"
"Yeah." Roman pinched the bridge of his nose - AKA, he wasn't happy. "Why the dust does he look like her?"
Wait... he? Neo had to do a double take, but she didn't have time to examine 'him' further, because Junior was keen to reply.
"I wish I knew."
Neo was, rightfully, confused.
Author's note
…
Okay, so Monday… and on Christmas too.
Happy holidays I suppose. Sorry, but my writing spat still isn't over. On the bright side, I give you this. Not really happy with it, but it's all I can toss out after two weeks. Hopefully this will pass, and I can go back to writing good chapters.
Oh well, enjoy what you have... if you fancy.
Until later.