"She's quite the slippery little minx."
"Tell me about it." Roman never really liked having to stand within Cinder's presence, but when your paycheck - and livelihood - relied on the princess getting her way, you're damn well better off hunkering down and gritting through it. Tolerance did not equate to enjoyment, although when it came to Cinder, he wasn't sure she cared for any emotions directed towards her.
There were two types of people in this world: those who were useful, and those who were not.
Roman liked to think he belonged to the former, but Cinder was very well making him wish he'd been stuck in with the latter; a simple life of worthlessness would have had her skipping him over. But no, he wanted riches and excitement, and so he just had to become one of Remnant's most popular - and handsome, might he add - criminal romantics. Although, the only romance he left in his wake was a Cheshire grin and a wink, just enough to make the proverbial ladies at his beck and call a little hot and bothered.
As of now, it had yet to really produce any results with regards to Cinder; if it did, he probably wouldn't even be in this mess.
Speaking of Cinder, she was giving him one of her patented looks, one that screamed 'I've got an idea.' He didn't like it, but after swallowing his rationality, Roman dove into her pond of probably life threatening mischief. It was a shame she was so bloody bonkers when it came to setting up a consistent and livable crime routine, otherwise he could genuinely see both her and Neo getting along swimmingly.
Both were ridiculously off their rockers.
"Emerald wouldn't quit with the apologies." She chucked; that shorter kind just shy of a snort, and so obviously fake that even the wannabe gangsters roaming the streets would call your bluff with balls of steel - or, rather, aluminum in their case. "As if I really care about how she looks. I've told her over and over again that we only need Neo to appear natural and normal. So long as there are no suspicions, she can go walking around in lingerie for all I care." She grumbled a little near the end. "Although I'd prefer she not; we'll have enough eyes on us already."
"Their first mistake was thinking she'd take anything under a couple hundred." Roman snorted, half real, and half jokingly. "Being the best of the best, we naturally accumulate a lot of burnable cash. Saying we've spoiled ourselves a tad would be... a bit short of just how much we generally splurge. The only difference is I tend to keep a low profile when I can help it. Neo, though? Bah." Relaxing in his seat, he rolled his eyes. "She does what she wants, when she wants. Not even I can really control her."
Cinder casually rose, making a point with every step as she waltzed around the table they shared this evening. This singular, maybe even damning sign of him messing up royally, had most likely drawn the eyes of the entire establishment. Having requested his presence at Roulette, one of the most expensive and esteemed diners in Vale, Roman was expecting talk of another job. While Neo and him were wanted criminals pretty much everywhere in the kingdom, Roulette, as well as several other high-end establishments were more than willing to continue doing business with them.
After all, several of their places only gained the funds and support needed to become so big and fancy due to the criminal element favoring them.
In exchange, they became funnels for laundering money, underworld dealing, gatherings and celebration of all styles, and most importantly of all: information trading. This place, to some small, although not solely limited, degree made a killing on swapping backwashed rumors through the wine its occupants enjoy so frivolously. It was stupid easy to spread myths with the ilk who sat their posh behinds on its fine velvety surfaces. The regularly rich boys and girls went on throughout their dinners totally unaware that the stupidly personal and petty woes they so often bitched about were being picked up and stored away as blackmail by nearly every criminal in the city worth a damn.
But luckily for those fools, most of the time such complaints were completely worthless.
By coming over so directly, by slithering along the outer rim of the table and reaching down to take his hand, Cinder made it crystal clear she saw nothing here as a threat. She never hushed, and looked more than content to let all the greedy ears of their onlookers drink in every single word uttered, should they choose to strain their ears to do so. Heck, she even smiled at him as she spoke; burrowing the look of barely restrained sadistic glee into the black of her pupils.
"I know that, and I respect the courage it takes to tell me you're completely incapable of wrangling in your savage little poodle. However, I'm not such a fan of owners who can't be bothered to train their pets, and even less so of pets who continue to misbehave."
"Misbehave?" Roman leaned back, obscuring his unsteadiness with false serenity and unfitting humor. "Woah ho ho. How about we slow down a bit, eh?" Cinder kept up her smile, but her steady advance locked into place. Taking this as a sign he could continue without fear of an immediate fiery demise, he cleared his throat. "Now, as playful as the girl can be, I haven't once had to deal with her misbehaving."
"So you're saying she is trained after all?"
"Splendidly." He put on his best, wholesome smile; teeth for show in the hopes it would make any difference. Roman wasn't lying either: Neo was trained... just, not by him. Granted, when he found her, the skills she put up for display when trying to pull a fast one over his eyes were enough to perk his ears, but the little popsicle knew when to fold from the heat. Misbehavior was a claim with nothing to back it up - in their line of work anyways.
"Then tell me: why is she so meddlesome to my minions?"
"You have your answer right there." Roman leaned back a bit, righting his posture as she silently challenged his assertion before pulling away. Cinder, now far less interested in bubbling blisters across his skin, took a seat once more; clearly ready to listen. Thankfully, he'd stoked her wonder, and it seemed he'd done so in a manner not insulting to her ears. And so, silently swallowing under his breath, he charged on. "Neo knows her place, and she excels with reading the values of others in comparison to her own. Whatever your buddies are up to, Neo surely feels she'd be better suited making decisions."
"Over little old me?" Cinder smacked her lips. "Such a naughty girl."
"No, not over you. Over them." Roman corrected, finally finding strength in his arms to lay them crossed on the table, vaguely into a position that might possibly be mistaken as relaxed. "You may be the head of their jobs, but Neo knows that. When she disobeys, she's not going against the job, she's challenging whatever ideas your grunts have conjured up to carry out the job. I'll say this, despite being at times a bit teasing, she values both success and survival above all else."
"So, in other words..." Cinder rolled her wrist, parallel with her eyes. "If she's making trouble for them, then they've done something foolish."
"That about sums it up."
Sweating under his collar a little, Roman met her gaze, hoping she'd buy it. Again, mostly true, but Neo would go out of her way to make chaos for absolutely no reason. Now the question was: would Cinder drink his bluff? Humming to herself, she spat a short breath, standing from her seat again and walking around over to him. She slammed her hand on the table, which got a faint jerk from him, but no harm was received. She lifted that hand, running it along his chest and, obscured from leering eyes, slipped something into his front pocket.
"Regardless of whether you're being a bad, bad boy and lying to me, I'll let you off for now~" She gave the pocket a few firm pats. "After all, you've got a job to do." Of all the things to come next, she gave him a wink; a Brother's damned wink! "Best get to it~"
And like that she was gone, footing him the bill and taking off with naught but a pleased wave as she stepped out into the hall. Roman, seeing his potential murder finally vacate his sight, let his head drop. Nothing could ever go easy when it came to that woman, could it? Then again, it was his fault for agreeing to take her up on her stupid jobs. But what could he do? She paid pretty damn good, and based on what he saw her do, and the things she was capable of, it left him thankful he had agreed.
Cinder was not one to just let you walk away; either you accept her offer, or you end up reduced to ash, which was an ultimatum Roman continuously thanked the stars he'd made the correct decision on.
Standing from his seat, he maneuvered along, beyond the overly decorated dining tables and past their occupants who were chowing down on meals three times overpriced and half as filling as the cheap twenty lien brand. Many still sent him looks, sorry ones, but annoying regardless. He didn't need these people's pity; he needed a way out of this mess, and preferably one which left his eyebrows a little less singed than most encounters with Cinder usually went.
He passed through a set of glass double doors, taking in the sight of the broken moon hovering above the city. The outdoor overhang, a secondary space tacked on to the main dining floor, allowed those who fancied a draw from their pipes a chance for reprieve. Breaking out his own, Roman lit it up. Normally he'd stick with a basic cigar, but tonight was far too stressful, and he felt he deserved something a touch more... refined.
"Rough night?" The scuffed, almost raspy voice came from his right, and a short turn presented him with a man he hadn't expected to see.
"You can say that." The figure didn't look to be making any overt moves, so Roman assumed he was just another sorry sack. "You?"
"Yeah, but that's nothing new." The guy, dressed in an unkempt shirt who's top button flopped freely in the breeze, swung his head back, downing a grand dosage from his flask before returning his eyes out to the city. "When you have my luck, you tend to get used to shit clogging up the drain."
"Really?" Roman gave a wicked, albeit formal smirk. "I figured a huntsman like yourself wouldn't be facing many troubles."
A snort rang out, and the guy turned his grizzled mug to lock eyes with him.
"And I assumed the Gentleman Thief of Vale wouldn't be so hard pressed as to end up sticking the bill." His grin twisted into a smirk, and Roman would have countered had the man not been so quick. "She's easy on the eyes, I'll give you that, although she seems like the type to walk out on you after emptying your wallet."
"You have no idea." While throwing away the idea of the crazy lady being attractive in any sense beyond ignorant leers, Roman rerouted the apparent conversation back to the jolly drinker. "But if you wanna take her, then by all means go ahead, you who have yet to give me a name."
"Call me Qrow, everyone does." Not a bad alias; was this guy a collector of sorts? He'd seen him routinely fancy a few bars some nights ago, and there isn't anything to be had from the places he visited other than information. Still, Roman wasn't quite done yet; couldn't let a fellow so kind as to chat up a notorious man like himself walk blindly into a deathtrap.
"Good to meet ya; now we're on an even level. And, about her, you should probably look for someone else. Take this as a short little freebie from man to man: she's not into kindness, and she'll break you over her knee with more than just some spanking."
"Ha!" Slapping the railing, Qrow grinned. "I'll keep that in mind, although I guess it's lucky I ain't quite looking for a swing tonight." His look fell into what Roman could only describe as a stilled lake; a reservoir of pristine water unbothered by intrusion or rigorous flow. "But there is something I've been keeping an eye on, and seeing as you're the apparent master thief this side of the city, then maybe there's a chance you've seen it."
"Oh." Not this was something new. Roman leaned over the railing, eyes stuck firmly to this Qrow fella. "Now that's not something you hear everyday. Are you, an upstanding and lawful huntsman, asking the petty crook where to find goodies?"
"Upstanding? Depending on the day I can give you that. But lawful?" Qrow croaked out a chuckle, shaking his head. "When laws start working for the good of people's lives, and less for corporate wallets, then maybe I'll fall in line. Until then, though, I'm willing to ask anyone who shows even the barest bit of promise. So, what do you say? Spare a drunk some whisky?"
You are quite the interesting guy. And not one to play tattle-tale either; yeah, he could work with this. Besides, it wasn't like he had to tell the guy anything true if he did end up knowing what was sought after. Or, if it was something small and roughly innocent, then Roman could very well end up with an unlikely ally in his back pocket should the time come, depending on how grateful Qrow turned out to be.
But for anything to show itself, he'd need to get written up in Qrow's book first.
"Alright, pull up a seat, and I'll see if I have a flask."
"Smooth." Qrow shot a quick look back, confirming there was nobody else out on the balcony. Satisfied with their current seclusion, he fired off. "Amber. Does that name ring any bells?"
"Name... so you're not just looking for some sap." With a short wink, Roman settled into thought, genuinely rolling back into the past few jobs and weeks. Amber, it had to mean something, or belong to someone important, and yet he was coming up short. Still, at the very least, he could make a few assumptions. "Sounds like a woman's name. Would that be right?"
"Meh, don't worry about it. I can tell you don't know." Something shifted in Qrow's voice, something... dark. "Oh, and a word of warning: don't go saying that name out loud."
"Why?" Roman coughed up a smirk. "She's not a fan of people using her name? You know, I recall a sneaky little spider who feels the same."
"Oh, believe me, I'm more than acquainted with that bug and her posse." Qrow's tone never faltered, and Roman was starting to feel a little unnerved. "But this is different. To put it simply, think of it like a gang scuffle. There are people who know the name, and people who don't. And those who know, know who their allies are. As for those who aren't their allies?" A short few laughs, like dragging stones across some gravel. "We call those enemies, and enemies are killed on sight."
"Ouch." Roman grinned, hiding the jolt of dread stabbing him at the mention of 'killing.' "A trip to the time out corner isn't good enough?"
"Not in this game."
"And yet, you told me."
"What can I say: I'm a risk taker. Besides, all I did was ask you a question." Qrow took a short swig from his flask again before spitting out a smooth breath. "If you'd actually known anything, you wouldn't have even toyed with assumptions. At best, you'd lie and say you didn't know it, and at worst, you would have attacked me head on."
"You're no slouch when it comes to this, I take it?" Roman was all of a sudden thankful this guy wasn't after the bounty for his arrest.
"I've had plenty of years to adapt. Enemies are pretty predictable with how they dodge most unexpected questions; you just need to know what 'tells' to look out for." Pulling back, Qrow stretched. "Ah well, I've had my moment of clarity; break time's over for me."
"What, no parting gift to toss me before you go?"
"Already giving it to you." Cracking a wise-guy grin, Qrow snapped a few finger guns his way. "I'm not gonna make a stink and bring you in. I've seen your bounty, but luckily for you, that's none of my business."
"I'm touched! What a generous offer."
Qrow proceeded to shrug and settle his hands into his pants pockets. Keeping up his smile, he made for the door back into the dining hall, but not before tossing Roman one last quip.
"Better this than sicking a schoolgirl on ya."
Roman sucked in a steep, steady breath as the door shut, leaving him to silently wallow in his own withheld irritation. He watched, now suitably annoyed, as Qrow sent him one last cheeky little shit-eating grin before leaving out into the hall. A few of the guests shot quick looks in his direction out on the balcony. Roman ignored their peering through the glass wall, and instead returned his eyes out to the city, all the while letting himself slump on the railing as he bemoaned internally the recent changes in life he faced.
Great... My reputation is floundering.
Author's note
...
A shorter one this time, but focused entirely on Roman.
While Neo's adventures are good and all, we can't forget that both of our collected crooks are at play. Yeah, Neo's the focus, but from time to time we need to give Roman a moment or two to shine, and potentially figure things out on his lonesome. Qrow also made his first appearance too - keep that in mind going forward.
I'll leave it here; can't go spoiling everything in the note, now can we?
Until next time.