I stared down at my scroll intently as I studied a map of a small forested area outside of Vale and I wondered, was I really about to do this?

I snorted, shaking my head wryly, "Why not? It's not like I've got anything else going for me right now. Things have been dry lately and this one is just too juicy to pass up." I muttered.

I nearly dropped my scroll as it buzzed in my hands, a message appearing at the top of my screen. It was a voice message from Ruby, and I clicked play curiously, wondering what she wanted to tell me so late at night.

Hey Rei, if you're awake! I just wanted to say thanks for the cookies, they were really good! Hopefully I'll get to visit a lot more now that I'm going to Beacon! We can spend a lot more time together now that I'm not so far away. I-if you don't mind of course, I don't want to bother you while you work or anything. Even if I would probably get more cookies and hugs. W-wait, don't record that part! Stop! Yang! Stop laughing at me you butt! Come on you stupid scroll stop recordin-!" The message ended with the sound of hurried footsteps as the girl rushed to her scroll to stop recording.

I smiled fondly at the string of words from the hyperactive girl, shooting off a goodnight text of my own and teasing her lightly about what her message contained.

As an embarrassed flurry of texts reached my phone, I chuckled, before briefly wondering what Ruby would think if she knew about her best friend's true calling.

I frowned, mood turning slightly sour as I thought of the circumstances that had brought me to my secondary profession.

When my grandfather died two years ago, I struggled to keep the bakery up and running without his help. It just seemed to be one thing after another, bills stacked up, ovens stopped working, not to mention Junior's protection fee.

Eventually it all grew to be too much and what little inheritance my grandfather was able to leave me dried up. I was one bill away from losing everything for the second time in my life.

And so, to make ends meet, I had turned to stealing, thievery. And it turned out I was really good at it, my more prevent than normal faunus traits; namely my claws, ears, and night vision, making me a natural thief. It was laughably easy to build up money by taking it from those who didn't deserve it.

Oh sure, so far my heists had been limited to small things, paintings, precious jewelry, that sort of stuff. But I was extremely proficient in getting in and out with my quarry without much fuss, something that made my prospective clients very happy with me.

It was always harder to sell the things I had stolen when people knew they had been stolen, hot items don't sell, cold items do. Simple math.

"Still…I've never tried to steal something this important before." I muttered as I finished texting Ruby and read the info I had received from the buyer.

Apparently the Valean government was becoming increasingly unhappy with the stranglehold Atlas had on the dust market, and had commissioned some of their top scientists and researchers to come up with something that would give them an edge.

Apparently, said scientists had blown their expectations out of the water by creating an entirely new dust subtype, one that had yet to be discovered by even the Atlesian researchers who were on the grind nearly twenty-four seven .

This dust subtype, which they had dubbed 'Tundra dust' was a mix of ice dust, wind dust, and a special ingredient that was even more classified than the document itself. The two dust types, along with the secret third ingredient that wasn't included in the document the buyer sent, when mixed in juuust the right way, produced a reaction magnitudes more powerful than regular ice dust.

It was apparently so powerful in fact, that a single vial of the stuff was able to freeze over two hundred tons of water completely solid in seconds. If they were able to harness its power properly, it would make fighting sea faring grimm like the Sea Feilong much more manageable.

Needless to say, the council had been over the moon, and immediately increased the budget of the scientists responsible for the discovery, something my contractor had caught wind of.

They did some research into the project and took a vested interest in this dust, deciding that it would be better in more capable hands, namely theirs. And so had contacted someone to have it stolen for them.

Unfortunately the person they contacted was busy, having recently picked up a rather big contract themselves, and had instead recommended me after having heard about my recent escapades around the city.

How they found me, I was honestly too afraid to ask, but when they did they came with an offer. Two hundred thousand lien to steal the container containing a single vial of dust from a research facility in the middle of nowhere. I would have to be insane to refuse something like that so of course I accepted.

The details of the heist were left up to me, they just wanted the dust. So all I needed to do was get in, steal the dust, get out, and meet this anonymous buyer at the designated spot for payment, easy peasy. Hopefully.

Given that the entire project was supposed to be top secret, there should be very little in the way of security. I should be able to slip in, grab the container, and slip out without anybody the wiser.

Once again, hopefully.

I did one last check on my equipment. Combat knife; sharp, Sleep pellets; ready, Ball bearing pouch; full, Satchel full of assorted goodies; check, Trick; sitting on the table in front of me. All was well.

I brought my left forearm up to my eyes, inspecting the small elastic bands held on the dark grey armguard. It was a makeshift slingshot, mostly meant to deliver my sleep pellets and ball bearings further away while maintaining my accuracy.

It looked fine, so I brought my attention to my other arm, inspecting the hook and line. A grappling hook was an essential for every thief, verticality was king after all. Mine was a special design, loaded with high tension springs to increase launch distance, with reinforced steel line instead of rope to decrease weight. A simple press of a hidden button would send it soaring several meters in whatever direction I was pointing it in, even straight up.

It also looked fine, good.

All of the simple stuff accounted for, I went on to checking over my more delicate equipment, starting with my goggles.

The goggles were the most delicate and important part of my arsenal. I had created them over the course of several painstaking months in preparation for my eventual career change.

I lifted them to my face, checking for any damage in the lenses or wiring and thankfully finding none. I put them on, just hand automatically going to the dial on the side as turning it slowly.

My sight was inundated with various colors as my goggles switched from regular vision to infrared, and I turned my head as I gazed around at the various warm and cold spots in my room.

Deciding that that setting was working fine, I turned the dial once more. Instantly the walls of my loft turned a pale blue, previously hidden electrical currents making themselves known.

Anything running on electricity would show up on this setting, batteries, semblances, wall outlets, it didn't matter. If it used electricity I would be able to see it.

I flipped through the settings, making sure the night vision was also good despite my really not needing it on account of my feline heritage. It was also fine, and I was relieved I wouldn't have to make any last minute fixes. That would take hours depending on what went wrong.

I turned my attention to my mask. It was simpler, yet no more important to my goggles, and not just in the fact that it concealed my identity.

The mask was what allowed me to use my sleep pellets without any harm to myself, as it constantly filtered the air around me to be breathable. With it on, I could enter a room full of carbon monoxide gas and be none the wiser, it was an integral part of my kit. It was also capable of shallow diving should the need arise, though that would wear on the filters much faster than usual.

I checked it over, making sure the light blue LEDs were in working order as they were what let me know the status of the air around me, while at the same time making sure I still had the spare filters in my satchel. It wouldn't do for a filter to expire without a backup on hand.

I rummaged around in the satchel momentarily, making sure the filters were where they always were and finding them instantly.

Everything was in good condition and I was as prepared as I was going to get. And yet I had to resist the urge to do another once over on my equipment.

I took a deep breath, I had stalled enough, it was time to get this show on the road. I placed my goggles on my head and the mask over my face, before turning and grabbing Trick from his place on the table and placing him in the holster at my thigh.

I have one last look around the room to ensure I hadn't left anything incriminating on the very off chance that someone might make their way up here. Ruby had been known to barge in on occasion, though she never came up here and was very apologetic when she did so. Finding nothing that would reveal me, I turned off the lights and made my way over to the window.

As I undid the latch and slipped out into the chilly night, I wondered what my grandfather would say if he could see me now...

Heh, he'd probably say something like, 'Rei, if you're really going to become a master thief, make sure you become the best thief Remnant has ever seen! No granddaughter of mine is going to half ass anything in life, even crime!'

I stood on the roof of my bakery, gazing around at the sleeping city around me, and grinned as I pulled my hood over my head.

I would do my best to make him proud.

The facility wasn't so much hidden as it was extremely out of the way, nestled against a mountain outside of the city and unlikely to be happened upon unless somebody was looking for it specifically.

Like I was.

The outside of the building itself was painted a dark green to better blend in with the surrounding forest, and large metal walls covered in moss and leaves had been erected around it to give some semblance of protection against any grimm that might happen upon it.

I gazed down at the camouflaged building from my place in the trees, goggles zooming in on the facility as I took note of the guards. There weren't many of them, only four if my count was correct, and they were just boredly walking around in a mock patrol route, clearly not really looking for any potential intruders.

I could tell with just one look that none of them really wanted to be there, faces placid as they boredly walked around the perimeter of the wa;l in predictable patterns. Two of them walked along the length of the perimeter, while another two walked the width. A simple to learn pattern and one that I had noticed in only minutes of observation.

And with only a few minutes more, I had discovered the weak point in said patrol route. While I obviously wouldn't be able to enter through the front gate, nor simply scale the walls themselves without being seen, there was a large tree growing right beside the wall that they had neglected to prune. And it was tall enough to hang directly over the base itself. That was my way in.

I deactivated my goggles and turned to face the trunk of the tree I was crouched on. I unsheathed my claws and stuck them in the tree, planting my boots on the bark in the same motion. I quickly made my way down to the floor below, landing silently among the leaves in a crouch.

I stalked up to the tree I had noticed, keeping an eye out for the nearest patrol, and started scaling it, reaching the optimal height in just a few seconds thanks to my claws. I crouched on the branch of the tree, looking into the interior of the walls in case there were any more guards nearby.

Luckily, there were only two, and they were currently preoccupied conversing with each other well away from the entrance to the facility. If I just stuck to the other side, I would be able to sneak past them no problem. I did just that, and within seconds, I was inside the base proper.

It was eerily empty, the stark white hallway echoing my light footsteps over its surface and I shivered lightly, resolving to get the dust as quickly as possible.

'I guess the researchers are all on break or something…' I thought to myself as I slinked through the vacant white hallway, 'Oh well, more time to find the dust I guess.'

I turned the dial on my goggles, setting it to thermal mode. If the intel I got was accurate, the tundra dust would need to be kept somewhere cold as a precaution, just in case the container holding it broke. Keeping the room around it cold would lower the speed of the spread of the ice the dust created drastically.

There! A few rooms up ahead was a room significantly colder than the rest of the base, that must be where they were keeping it. Seemingly unguarded too, unless…

I turned my goggles to search for electronic signals, and was rewarded with the revelation of several cameras hidden along the walls of the hall, all pointed directly at my destination.

'I'll have to deal with those cameras before I get anywhere near that room.' I thought as I silently made my way further down the hall.

I brought a hand to my waist, retrieving a ball bearing from the pouch and placing it in the sling of my arm mounted slingshot, pulling it back tightly as I aimed at one of the cameras. I took a second to steady my aim before letting loose, band snapping forward and sending the steel bearing sailing at the monitoring device.

It impacted the camera and shattered the glass face, rendering it useless. I did the same to the others in quick succession, destroying the cameras pointed at my quarry and leaving me free to enter the room.

I hurried forward to the door and opened it, thankful that it was unlocked, before entering it swiftly and closing it shut behind me. I was on a time limit now, if anybody walked down that hall they would no doubt notice the broken cameras and come to investigate. I had to get the container and get out quickly.

I looked around the blinding white room, breath fogging in front of my mask at the cold air, and spotted the container immediately. It really wasn't all that hard to find considering it was sitting literally out in the open, protected by a glass case in the middle of the room.

I walked up to the case, checking over its surface and finding no latch or anything that would allow me to open it. That was fine though, I had other options, and there were several gaps in the glass that looked perfect for one of them.

I reached down to my side, pulling my knife out of its holster and inserting it into one of the small openings on the face of the glass and attempting to lever it open. It took a few tries, but eventually the case obeyed, opening up and relinquishing my quarry without issue. I didn't waste any time, grabbing the white container holding the dust and stuffing it into my satchel.

Dust stolen. Now to get out of the base, hopefully without being caught.

My hopes were dashed as my ears picked up the sound of the door opening behind me. I whirled around, hand coming to the pellet pouch on my waist and retrieving a small glass pellet full of chemicals. It seemed someone had noticed the destroyed cameras.

"Hey! What are yo-?!" He was cut off as I chucked the pellet at the ground at his feet, the fragile casing splitting on contact and causing a plume of white smoke to bloom rapidly, "Agh! What the hell?" He staggered as the chemicals in the smoke immediately began taking effect, depressing his nervous system and depriving his brain of oxygen, slowly sending him to sleep.

It wouldn't be quick enough though, and I could already see him gearing up to call for help. Couldn't have that.

I rushed through the smoke, unaffected thanks to my mask, and slammed into him with my shoulder, my white aura flickering around me at the impact. As I made contact, I activated my semblance, grinning at what I felt.

Semblances were said to be the manifestations of a person's soul, and that was never more true than in my case. My semblance was perfect for my line of work.

I had discovered my semblance when a heist had gone wrong and I was caught by a crime boss who I had been stealing from at the time. He had found me in his office, rifling through his drawers in search of something valuable.

Needless to say, he was not happy at all and fell into a fit of range when he saw me.

If it wasn't for my semblance activating at an opportune time, I probably would have died there. The boss had a run of the mill strength enhancing semblance, but when compared to the strength of a fifteen year old lynx faunus, it was more than enough to do me in.

As he strangled me against the wall, and as my vision began to fade to black, something sang out inside me, begging me to take what I needed to survive. And so I did.

We were both shocked when his monstrous strength suddenly disappeared, while mine grew. Suddenly he wasn't the one in control, I was. I capitalized on that, knocking him out against the wall and escaping into the night before any reinforcements showed up.

Only once I got back to the safety of the loft did I realize what had happened, I had stolen that man's semblance, taken the manifestation of his soul and used it for myself with my own semblance. I couldn't stop grinning as I went to bed that night. Finally, things were looking up.

My semblance, Borrow, allowed me to take another person's semblance-active or not-and use it for myself for up to an hour. Not only that, but while I was in possession of said semblance, I knew the basics of how it works without needing to be told, as well as the name of the semblance in question. Mine was the perfect semblance for a thief.

The man's semblance that I had just taken was perfect for getting me out of the situation I was in. It was an illusion based semblance that would allow me to manipulate the perceptions of anyone who saw me in such a way that I stayed unnoticed. A name rang out in my head, Wall Flower.

I looked down at his groaning form, making sure he wasn't getting up any time soon, before I flipped the switch in my brain to activate the semblance, and just like that, I was free to simply walk out the front door.

I left the guard lying on the ground, slowly rendered unconscious by my gas, and strolled down the hall. Several other guards rushed past me, ignoring me and moving out of my way as they made their way further into the base.

I turned my gaze this way and that as I walked out of the base, making sure that I wasn't caught by any hidden cameras. I didn't know if the man's semblance worked on electronics after all and I didn't want to test my luck this close to success.

Luckily I didn't see any cameras, and I exited the base the same way I had entered, scaling the wall and jumping down to the forest floor, dust container held securely in my satchel. The moment I landed, I broke into a run, sprinting into the forest as the alarms of the base sounded behind me.

As I got several minutes into the forest proper, I pointed my right arm up at the trees, depressing a button on the side of my arm guard and sending a hook soaring upwards to catch on the branches above. I gave it an experimental tug, testing the strength of the branch, before pressing another button and reeling in the line, sending myself flying upwards into the tree in the process.

I grabbed onto the bark with my claws, unhooking my grapple from the branch beside me and resting my back against the trunk of the tree, chest heaving with my breaths.

I took my mask off to get some fresh air, mind racing with the heist I had just pulled off. I had never pulled off anything nearly as bi

Still…My gaze strayed to my satchel and I debated for a moment before relenting and reaching inside. I retrieved the container, placing it on my lap and staring at its stark white surface, hands idly toying with the latches on the side. Something inside me was screaming at me to open it. Should I…?

My instincts had rarely been wrong before.

"Couldn't hurt right? I'll put it back before anything can go wrong…" I muttered as I unlocked the latches on the container, pulling it open and gazing at the treasure inside.

As I opened the container, I was immediately blasted by a wave of cold, goosebumps spreading on my skin as the air around me dropped over forty degrees in seconds. This stuff was powerful.

And extremely beautiful as well. I nearly gasped as I pulled the vial out of its frost lined container, turning it his way and that as I was mesmerized by its beauty.

The powdered dust glowed a bright, brilliant blue in the dim forest light. Fractals formed on the glass vial as the dust inside cooled the tempered glass keeping it contained. It was incredible and I could feel my own aura sing out with…something as I stared at the vial. It was like whatever went into the making of this little vial of dust was resonating with my very own soul.

I wanted nothing more than to stare at the vial forever. Unfortunately I had a client to meet, and I imagined they wouldn't be happy if I kept them waiting much longer.

I admired the vial for a moment longer before regretfully putting it back into the case and closing it once more. I placed the container back into my satchel and began making my way to the edge of the branch I was sitting on. My eyes darted around before spying another branch of similar thickness to the one I was inhabiting. I aimed my grapple at it and released, successfully snagging it.

I tested the line before nodding slightly and jumping down from my branch, swinging down and landing on the forest floor with a roll before I kicked back up to my feet. I took a second to get my bearings, reeling in my grappling hook and looking around to discern which direction Vale was in before making my way towards the city.

Hopefully my client would be pleased.

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