July 30th, 73AW.

PARK ROW, CITY OF VALE

The day their duo became a trio began with Roman being robbed.

Roman Torchwick wasn't a crime boss, since it was easier to be a 'contract criminal'. He and Neo could be working for the Blacksail Fleet one week, and the Malachite Cartel the next. They made a point to never work for the Iron Circle, though. The night that a Snatcher attacked them stuck in their minds, and no matter how much Lien the Circle offered, the Glennite pair steadfastly refused to accept any of their jobs.

Besides, the Circle were truly vile bastards and keeping a considerable distance from the slaver scum was just good sense.

Aside from ticking off one of the Big Five of the Criminal Underworld, life was pretty good. They had garnered a reputation for being a pair of reliable, if overly theatrical, for-hire agents. He'd call the pair of them mercenaries, but that was dressing them up as something they weren't. Like it or not, they were criminals. Professional criminals, but criminals all the same.

They'd moved from their crappy basement apartment in Little Vacuo to a small but comfortable house in the same neighbourhood. Not only did it make sense to get somewhere bigger, but so did not moving away, since it kept them surrounded by people that they could trust and who trusted them in turn.

They would always be Glennites in their hearts, but Little Vacuo had become home, its people were now their people.

Neo's semblance had evolved, allowing her to create glass-like illusions and change her own appearance at will. He called it 'Glassblowing'. She called it 'Overactive Imagination'. As for his own semblance, he called it 'Charm', which simply made it easier to convince people to do minor things. He primarily used it to get discounts on things, or to get out of tight situations.

It was some entirely ungodly hour in the morning, early enough that not even the sun had risen, that saw Roman and Neo finally returning home.

As profitable as their most recent contract had been, and by the Brothers had it been profitable, neither of them appreciated having to drag themselves back home through now silent streets when they really should be asleep. They were the only ones around, with the possible exception of a random cat that crossed their path, and scampered down an alley as they passed it.

He felt a phantom something brush by him, and he came to a halt. Neo followed suit, and peered at him with clear confusion on his face. Because that 'something' had stolen his wallet, and judging from the gentle breeze, it had headed down the alley after the cat.

Which should be impossible, since the air didn't need lien. Which suggested either a ghost, some stealth tech, or more likely, a semblance.

He made a gesture to Neo, who proceeded to block off the alley as he strolled into it. "Alright!" He called out. "I know someone's down there. I know you have my wallet. Come out, come out!"

After a few moments of silence, a small figure appeared. Quite literally, in fact. She 'popped' into existence right in the middle of the alley. Clearly, the girl had grown up on the streets. She was small, thin and grubby. Her clothes were little more than rags and were several sizes too big, and her shoes were mismatched. Her mint green hair was long and unkempt. If it had ever been cut, it had been some considerable length of time ago.

"That's a neat trick you've got there, Kid." Roman said as he knelt down to speak to her face to face. "But unfortunately, Neo's is similar enough for me to guess at the general gist of it. Let's you fuck with people's perception, right?"

The girl nodded silently.

"Good to know." Roman told her. "Probably makes it easy to keep safe from Snatchers, huh?"

Another nod.

"You got a name, kid?"

The girl's eyes darted around the alley, before she answered. "..'m Emerald."

"Emerald huh?" Roman smiled. "A gemstone of the streets I see….Emerald who?"

"Who's asking?" The girl fired back, slowly backing her way further down the alley. Roman almost applauded. She at least knew the unwritten rules. So many kids didn't, and their fate was sadly obvious. Snatchers were everywhere

"Roman." He answered with a flamboyant bow. "Roman Torchwick. I am sure you've heard of me."

When Emerald nodded the affirmative, Roman fought back a gleeful laugh. "Sooo? Emerald who?"

"Sustrai."

Neo's fingers were suddenly a blur, but after all their years together Roman could translate it with ease. It hadn't yet got to the point where she could communicate with him entirely through body language, but Roman doubted it'd be too long before that point.

"A Vacuan slur meaning thief, huh?" Perhaps it was not Emerald Sustrai then, but Emerald the Sustrai. Did that mean that she was from Vacuo initially? She did have an accent, but not one that he could place. How in the name of the Brother Above and the Brother Below had this kid managed to smuggle herself across either the Malikid Trail or the Shallow Sea? Both were dangerous due to Grimm, not to mention thebandits on the Trail and pirates on the Sea. But more importantly..

"..How the hell do you know that off the top of your head Neo?"

She grinned, and her fingers were moving again, and he had an answer. A wholly unexpected answer, but an answer nonetheless. I do crosswords!

Roman blinked, and looked at his partner in genuine surprise. "Huh, you learn something new everyday I suppose."

Neo grinned, and all but skipped around the alley, passing an upturned industrial garbage bin that Emerald was clearly using as a makeshift shelter. Before she came to a dead halt, and plucked something from a pile of clearly stolen goods next to it, and offered it to her partner.

His eyes widened. "...Is that..?"

A Bowler Hat.

Almost with awe, Roman took it from her, and made a show of dusting it off. With a broad grin, he placed it on his own head, and looked around for a window to see his reflection in. It was a little battered, and would need refitting a tad, but he knew a good milliner on Cutters Street that owed him a favour.

"Well, I've got myself a souvenir." He beamed, turning to Neo. "I consider this detour to be worth it. Grab something for yourself and let's get outta here. I either need a bed or a coffee."

He made to walk out of the alley, but stopped to glance back at his partner. Only to see that Neo was pointing at Emerald.

"No." Roman shook his head. "Not just no, but hell no. She isn't a pet, Neo."

Neo pouted.

"No."

Neo's hands were moving again. Please.

"No."

Neo gave him a look, both of her eyes suddenly brown and pleading.

"Fiiine." He groaned. He could never deny Neo anything when she broke out her brown eyes. "Hey, Emi? Want to come with us?"

"..What's in it for me?" She fired back. "No such thing as a free ride."

"Food. A roof over your head. Warm clothes…and safety." Roman answered. "All you need to do is keep up with us, and follow the 'unwritten rules' Sounds fair, right?"

The girl's eyes widened at that last word, and when Roman offered her a hand, the girl didn't hesitate.

And she took it.