Roman's Angels V

All the world is a stage and the one who stands in the center is the one everyone has their eyes on

Roman turned off the TV and sat back in his chair.

So, Vale had its own band of merry thieves running around and they sure made chumps of the police and the Huntsmen here.

Roman could respect that.

'A shadow and an illusion Semblance.' Roman brought a hand to his chin. 'Normally, I'd say Semblances are overrated but these gals caught that mummy's attention.'

And there is the downside: DiZ is in Vale.

As soon as Malachite heard about it, she'd have him, Chameleon and the Brats on the lookout, wanting DiZ to be brought in for his actions against the criminal gangs back in Mistral. Normally, Roman would be up for it but he didn't have any plans for returning to Mistral. He'd rather just kill the bastard when he had the chance, but Malachite would want her own ten pound of flesh. However, right now he had to focus on the job.

The name Jimmy Vanille sounded familiar so Roman looked over the pile of information Honey had supplied him.

That's right, Ansem Schnee was meeting a lot of potential and confirmed heavily rich clients here in Vale with the name Vanille being close to the top of the list. A member of the Council and the City Manager who just got robbed by four young ladies and judging by the look on his face, he recognized the one with the illusion Semblance.

Roman was suddenly glad he got forced onto this job.

Things were getting interesting…

Very interesting.

"That bastard is in Vale?!"

Roman already had earplugs on when Brats 1 and 2 heard that the man who humiliated their mother had shown up at a press conference at the First Bank of Vale. Chameleon had stepped back, just letting the Malachite Twins vent their anger.

"So, you plan on going after him?" Brat 1 asked.

"Nope." Roman simply answered.

"WHAT?!" Both girls shouted with enraged looks on their faces.

"Look, I understand you want to go out, find the bastard and do all sorts of unspeakable things before likely killing him and under normal circumstances, I'd be all for it. In fact, I would love to lead a mission to track him down and kill him, but we are still on a mission that was personally given to us by your mother." Roman calmly explained. "Not to mention, we're not in Mistral so we can't just simply start prowling the streets until we find him. We need to be smart about this."

"So, what do we do then, Mr. Smarty Hat." Brat 1 crossed her arms in irritation.

"Why thank you, I think my hat makes me look smart too…Well, smarter than usual." Roman dodged a punch aimed at his face. "Look, if DiZ is doing things here in Vale like he did in Mistral, he's likely already got contacts with over half or nearly all the crime gangs here. And Malachite's biggest rivals, the Hei Xiong family happen to be the top family of the crime syndicate here in Vale. So, the odds are likely that they've done business with DiZ like Malachite has."

Both twins calmed down, thinking over Roman's explanation and reluctantly agreed that he had a point.

"Ergo, we just need to speak with the Hei Xiong and see if they have any info on DiZ while at the same time, we can't ignore our mission with Ansem Schnee." Roman continued.

"What do you suggest then, Roman?" Chameleon asked.

Roman brought a hand to his chin. "Well, it's bit of a stretch but it might involve a little splitting up here."

Brat 2 scowled. "Oh, I see. You suggest we split up, then you ditch mother like you tried to do before."

"Actually, no. I am not considering it this time." Roman said and shrugged. "Not when I know DiZ is somewhere in this kingdom. Whatever ideas I might have, he'll muck them up like he did back in Mistral. I'd prefer to make sure no one gets in my way before I decide on any…side businesses."

The brats didn't look convinced but didn't press the subject.

"Now, that red mummy showed himself to Ozpin and that Jimmy guy who happens to be the city manager and a very wealthy man, meaning he's likely to meet Ansem Schnee since the man is looking for potential partners here." Roman began. "So, I'll take my chances and follow Mr. Jimmy and he'll lead me straight to Ansem and maybe even DiZ. The bastard practically gave him the opportunity to gain a real useful informant after that press conference. Chameleon on the other hand, be a dear and go ask the nearest Hei Xiong about anything his family knows about DiZ."

"And what about us?" The Brats asked, both arms crossed.

"You two are going to stick to the plan." Roman leaned forward. "You're going to go to school."

"Hmph!" Both girls turned their heads away from him.

Roman hadn't been lying when he said he would like into Jimmy Vanille but first he needed to get a layout of the land and find out who might be contact with DiZ. If Roman knew that red mummy bastard, he probably was already aware of Roman being in town. DiZ had an annoying ability of somehow knowing everything that was going on in every kingdom.

From the criminal underworld in Mistral to tribe skirmishes in Vacuo.

Plus, starting here would be as good a place as any.

JUNIOR'S

Seriously, how unoriginal could you get when naming a bar?

Roman rolled his eye as he strolled inside, taking a good look at the surroundings. The club was located in an industrial district of Vale. The building itself was an old brick building with arched windows. Entrance was via a pair of large sliding doors that open automatically. The dance floor was directly ahead, down a flight of stairs.

Six large crystalline pillars surrounded the floor, with the DJ's booth located on the opposite side from the entry stairs. A long bar was along the left side of the dance floor. There were several balconies along the walls overlooking the dance floor, connected by stairs. Above the dance floor on the ceiling was a rotating ring-shaped rig of light, laser and holographic projectors.

Additional projectors were mounted on fixed rigs between the columns. The music was a little too disco for his taste but it could draw in a crowd so he could respect it from a businessman's perspective. He came up to the counter, seeing a man at the counter already watching him. He wore a black vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves and black dress pants. He had gray eyes, short black hair, along with a matching beard and mustache.

"Well, you look like the man of the house." Roman said as he grabbed a stool and sat down.

"And you like you're wearing eyeliner." The man drawled while cleaning a glass. "Do you need something?"

"Well, first I need a bottle of your finest refreshments, top shelf if you don't mind." Roman put a small stack of Lien on the counter. "And a good bonus to you, the so-called best informant in this kingdom in exchange for a little wisdom to this lonely stranger."

Junior eyed the stack of money, putting the glass down. "Okay, what do you need to know first, stranger?"

"Well, first off, what you can tell me about the so-called Gullwings?" Roman asked politely, eyeing someone taking out a bottle and pouring a glass for him.

"Only that they're the talk of the town whenever they rob someone blind." Junior answered.

"Oh, come on, there's got to be more than to that to these so-called famous thieves." Roman prodded.

"They don't call themselves thieves."

"Oh?"

"They call themselves treasure hunters." Junior corrected as a glass full of red wine was placed in front of Roman.

"Treasure hunters? Hm." Roman hummed as he took a sip. "Well, it's not far off. I mean really, who really can say they own whatever they buy and say it's theirs forever? Practically anything worth of value can be considered treasure."

"Pretty much." Junior shrugged.

"So, they are treasure hunters who go around the kingdom, taking treasure." Roman mused. "I saw the news on their latest stunt."

"Yeah, stealing the money on the way to the bank and leaving an illusion in its place." Junior laughed a bit. "I got to admit, I actually clapped a bit at that. Seriously, you'd only expect a magician to do a kind of trick like that."

"Well, any good stunt is deserving of praise." Roman took another sip. "So how long have they been at this?"

"Oh, a few years now." Junior rubbed his chin. "They started out small, but they got really big in the last year or so. The city council, especially the very rich people who got robbed have been screaming for more competent police to track them down."

"So, no one has actually seen them?" Roman asked.

"Oh, they've been seen but they are always wearing a disguise of some kind." Junior replied. "They like to put on sorts of outfits that hide their identities, and it doesn't help that one of them has some kind of illusion projecting Semblance."

Right, the one who created that fake pile of money that later disappeared inside the vault.

Roman had a feeling that one would be dangerous.

"Okay, know anything about them? Like their names?" Roman asked, gesturing for a refill of his glass.

"Well, there are four of them, all girls in their late teens. The leader of the Gullwings goes by the name Yuna," Junior began. "Then there is Rikku with two 'k's. The third one is named Paine and the fourth one Neo."

Yuna

Rikku

Paine

And Neo.

Interesting names.

"Everyone's been after them, police, detectives, Huntsmen and even crime families. They are big around here." Junior continued.

"So how do you know so much?" Roman questioned.

"Well, even super…huh, treasure hunters need a place to unwind and maybe have a drink or two." Junior hesitated at first but when Roman presented another stack of money, he cleared his throat and answered clearly.

"True, true." Roman conceded with a nod.

"Well, I may have a special booth set up for just for the four young ladies where they can relax and meet potential clients. Strangely enough, they don't order alcohol, preferring ice cream or fruit drinks." Junior said slowly. "Because they have managed to get away with robbing any place or anyone without being seen, let alone caught, they've got a lot of people lined up to ask them to do a bit of…treasure hunting for them…At a fair and reasonable price, of course."

"Of course." Roman nodded again.

"There is only one rule the Gullwings make when it comes to accepting jobs." Junior held up a finger. "No killing."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, they might do it in self-defense cause, you know it's an occupational hazard and you have to be able to defense yourself. But they do not commit murder, aside from Grimm." Junior continued. "They clearly have had Huntsmen training, and they are damn good at what they do. I'd almost say they are more than a match for half the Huntsmen that come in and out of Vale."

So far, Roman was learning plenty about these Gullwings and so far it was both inspiring and concerning:

Two members with a Semblance that makes them perfect for stealth and infiltration.

They are possibly Huntress level skilled.

They are practically wanted everywhere in the kingdom.

And they have a private booth right here in this bar.

"If someone wanted to ask for these…professional treasure hunters on a job…Would you be willing to set it up?" Roman asked, producing stack of money.

Junior raised an eyebrow. "You looking for something…special?"

"Oh yeah."

Roman made his way to back of the back of the bar, making his way to a door. The security guards looked ready to attack but stopped when Junior's voice came over the speakers.

"Attention security, this is Junior. Do not attack a man wearing a bowler hat with a cane. Let him pass."

Roman flashed a smile to the security guards as they moved out of his way and allowed him to walk up to the door. He slowly opened it and peered inside, seeing a nice room and…

Nothing else.

"Hey, isn't there supposed to be four young ladies waiting for me?" Roman turned around to see…

"You mean we don't count, Roman?"

Brats 1 and 2 were right behind him, arms crossed.

"Wha-"

KICK-KICK!

SLAM!

CRASH!

The twin Malachites immediately kicked him in the chest, slamming him through the door that crashed into the floor of the room along with him.

"Well, it's nice to see a look of surprise on your face…" Brat 1 said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Other than that stupid swaggering smile you always show." Brat 2 finished.

Roman grunted as he sat up. "Was there a party I wasn't invited to?"

"Yeah, your funeral." Brat 1 answered. "You really think mom was stupid enough to let you off with just a warning after you tried backstabbing her in Mistral?"

"Well…"

"Brothers, you are stupid." Brat 2 shook her head.

Roman got up. "Oh, I see, Malachite sent you two brats not to keep an eye on me but to initiate the two of you into the Spiders…"

The twins grinned.

"By killing me." Roman finished, dusting his coat. "She wanted me out of Mistral so it can be pinned on someone else."

"You hear that, Militia? It almost sounds like Roman actually has a brain under that stupid hat of his." Melanie commented, crossing her arms.

"Maybe we'll find out if he had one." Militia replied, getting ready to attack.

Roman grunted and flexed his neck. Militia and Melanie were Lil' Miss Malachite's daughters, perhaps the only two she actually cared about in the world. The fact that she trusted these two of all people meant that she must have invested heavily in their training. Considering his own hellish training under that red mummy DiZ he had to wonder if any training they had would measure up to him.

Militia started first, rushing at him with her red claws aiming to cut him open. Roman twirled his cane at such speed it was a literal blur that blocked the younger girl's strikes, but he had to duck when Melanie jumped over her sister, twirling through the air as she launched a spinning kick at his head. Roman ducked and the white brat landed behind him. Turning slightly to keep both girls in sight, Roman relied on a combination of vicious kicks and cane combat to keep the girls back.

Militia and Melanie tried to coordinate their strikes to best knock him down but compared to how brutal DiZ was in training him, Roman could honestly this was starting to feel like a walk in the park. His fighting style revolved around the elegant style of cane combat combined with a brutal form of street combat, one that had been honed by DiZ who had a begrudgingly impressive knowledge of combat styles to help Roman hone and perfect his own skills.

Not that Roman would ever admit or even thank the bastard.

Roman saw his chance as he angled his cane up and fired three shots at the ceiling, blasting large holes and causing debris to fall. The girls stepped back to avoid being hit but Roman smirked and held up his hand, freezing the pieces around him with his Semblance.

"You know, I used to think Semblances were overrated and then the mummy taught me how to best use it. What to know how he did it?" Roman asked, twirling his cane. "By putting me in life or death scenarios without end, even going as far as to pull a gun on me and threaten to show me in the head. Really scared the living hell out of me and forced me to realize how good this Semblance of mine is. For example…"

Roman swung his cane at the nearest pieces of debris with his cane, batting them instantly as he deactivated his Semblance and sent them flying right at the Malachite girls, forcing them to duck and dodge. As soon they looked back at where Roman was he was gone…

"There!" Militia pointed to the open exit door. "Get him!"

Both twins rushed out the door to find their target.

Roman rushed out the door and ran down the alley, needing to get as far away as he could from the two brats. Unfortunately, at the end of the alley were unmarked cars and dozens of goons got out, training their guns on him. They weren't dressed in Lil' Miss's colors but he knew a Spider gang when he saw one, even if their tattoos were not visible.

"So, Lil' Miss is moving in on Vale. I guess that's another reason she wants me dead."

A laugh came from behind and he turned to see the Malachite Twins striding out of the alley, both of them having annoyingly smug grins on their faces.

"Get over yourself. You're not a threat; you're a distraction and she can't afford to be distracted." Melanie stated.

"So, who is going after Ansem then?" Roman asked. "Chameleon?"

"Don't worry. Mother's already got that covered." Militia stated. "So, Mel, ready to put him out of his misery?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Mil."

Before either girl could make a move the sound of gun shots made Roman jump, thinking the goons behind him were opening fire…

Only they weren't aimed at him.

Roman and the Malachite Twins turned to see the goons on the ground, groaning from bleeding wounds mostly on their shoulders and legs. The remaining ones wildly pointed their guns around to see who shot them when something rose up from the ground behind them.

"What an eyesore."

The remaining goons turned around in time to see a large sword before they were on the ground next to their friends. The newcomer appeared to be a young woman in her late teens, with red eyes and short, silver hair. She wore a black leather ensemble complete with high-heeled boots, elbow-length gloves, and a folded top. She wore a silver pendant threaded with a barbed wire chain.

The sword had a skull-motif at the base of the blade that also appears on the belt buckle. She took a step forward, holding her sword over her shoulder.

"We come to the club to relax and find it trashed. I'm guessing you all had something to do with that." The woman pointed her sword at Roman and the Twins. "Big mistake."

"Melanie, who is this girl?" Militia asked, scowling at the newcomer.

"I don't know, Militia but we should teach her a lesson." Melanie replied.

"Oh, sounds fun." A voice said from behind the girls. "But I think we're the ones who should be teaching you a lesson."

The pair turned to see another girl with long blond hair and wore a yellow bikini top and an olive-green mini skirt, carrying two pouches at her waist and wearing ruffle sleeves. A long yellow and red scarf hangs loosely around her neck. She held two red dagger-like blades designed with ring shaped guards around the handle. She also wore earrings with the top halves pink and the lower halves white.

"Like not trashing our neat little clubroom." The girl pointed behind her back at Junior's club. "That's not really nice."

"Who are you?" Militia snapped.

"Does it matter?" The girl in black with the skull shaped sword asked.

"I guess it doesn't." Militia replied, reading her claws. "Just two more soon to be dead bodies."

She lunged at the blond girl, slashing at her but the blond preformed a handless backflip, dodging the claws before lunging forward. Her daggers slashed with Militia's claws before she preformed a spinning that Militia had to duck under. The blond spun her body, becoming a literal tornado of blades that Militia barely managed to block but left herself open to a kick that knocked her back. The twin flew back, hitting the ground next to Melanie who prepared to charge but gunshots were heard again and she had to jump back as the spot she standing at was peppered with bullets.

Roman moved to run but the large sword of the girl in blocked his escape. "Huh?"

"Don't move." The girl simply said. "We still have questions and hunting you down after trouncing these hussies will add to an already cranky mood I am in. Trust me, you wouldn't like me when I am cranky."

The girl glared at him, her red eyes making him gulp for a second. "Well, if you want the short answer…It's all their fault!"

He pointed to Melanie and Militia who turned and glared at the pair.

"Duh, it's obvious they are responsible. I want to know what your part in it was." The girl scoffed. "So stay there like a good boy while we handle these hussies and just so you know, if you try to run I hope you're good at avoiding bullets."

That's right, Roman realized that whoever was shooting wasn't the girl in black or the blond one. There was someone watching them. In the meantime, the Malachite Twins were glaring at the red eyed girl for daring to call them 'hussies'…twice!

The blond jumped in, spinning her body in between the two and slashing her daggers at the pair who either blocked or dodged the spinning tornado of blades. Militia lashed out with a claw but the blond ducked, sweeping her feet out but both Malachites quickly jumped over the sweeping leg, aiming their bladed shoes and claws down on her…Only for her to vanish into the ground.

"Huh?!"

The red eyed girl shot forward, swinging her sword at Militia who blocked with the bladed gauntlets covering her arms…

SLASH!

CRASH!

…Only for the girl to swing with such strength that Militia was sent crashing through the nearby wall.

"Milita!" Melanie shouted in concern for her sister before turning and glaring at the red eyed girl with furious eyes.

She shot forward to attack, only for something to literally kick her in the face, causing her to stumble and skid across the ground pass the red eyed girl who twirled her sword and slammed the hilt down on Melanie's head before she could react.

Roman blinked…

These two young ladies single-handedly took down an entire gang of Spiders seemingly without much effort. Were they Huntresses? Probably from the way they fought.

"Good work, girls." A voice said from behind.

Roman turned to see another girl, holding a pair of pistols in her hands.

Was she the shooter?

This one wore a short skirt with a light blue apron like skirt with a wave like pattern down the side and she had heterochromia with the eye on the right green and the other being blue and had short brunette hair. She wore a white sleeveless top with a pink hoodie and golden bracelets on her forearms. She had a red braid traveling down her ankle that had a hair clip resembling bird wings. Her hair was brunette and short, reaching only down to the bottom of her neck.

"Good work with your Semblance, Neo." The girl said as another literally appeared next to her in a sparkling shower of pink light that resembled glass.

Roman raised an eyebrow. This last one, her hair color was half pink and half brown and her eyes were a sign of heterochromia like the brunette next to her. She wore a white cropped wide, broad tailed jacket with a pink interior, collar, a single pink button and large pink cuffs. In addition, she wore skintight brown leather pants with a dark belt that had a gray buckle and an additional narrow belt under it.

Under her jacket was a brown over bust whalebone corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, which exposed her hips. She also wore a multitude of black beaded necklaces, which hung haphazardly around her neck. Finally she wore black and white spat styled under the knee boots alongside black gloves.

"Now then," The brunette pointed both pistols at Roman who flinched, taking a step back. "Who are you and why did you crash our private room in the club?"

Roman raised an eyebrow. "I take it, you are the Gullwings."

The brunette smiled along with the tri-colored girl and the blond while the red eyed girl remained stoic. "Well, lookie here ladies. Sounds like we've found another fan."