35

Chapter 35: Smoulder

Downtown Vale

Far from the quiet peace of Beacon Academy, flashing lights of red and blue lit up the darkened streets of Vale. Police cars had blocked off a large section of the main freeway, only moving to let a near constant stream of ambulances pass. Destroyed vehicles of various makes and models littered the wide road, some of which were burning in the moonlight. Below the freeway, a platoon of Atlas soldiers surrounded the twisted remains of a prototype Paladin warmech, gawking at both the many modifications made to it, as well as the extensive damage it had suffered.

Even with the late hour, civilians all around the city gathered as close as they could to the carnage, trying to get an idea of exactly what had happened.

From within a rundown apartment a mile away, however, two people ignored the lights and sirens, both already knowing exactly what had happened. And one of them was suffering for it.

"Watch it, watch- oww, OWW! Dammit, I just said- gah!"

Neo rolled her eyes, ignoring Roman's moaning as she dabbed at his split scalp with an alcohol soaked cloth.

Roman groaned, his eyes darting around the room as he tried to ignore the sharp stinging across his hairline. The benefit of knowing a guy who knows a guy meant that he always had a safe house within a few blocks of anywhere in Vale. The downside was that those safehouses tended to be complete crap.

The apartment Neo had taken them to was one of the nicer ones, though that term was used loosely. It consisted of all three rooms; a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room with a kitchenette crammed in the corner. The paint of the pale green walls was peeling, and the carpet was a shade of brown that had likely started life grey. What passed for furniture consisted of a rickety coffee table, a busted recliner, and the lumpy couch Roman was currently laid up on, shirtless.

As Neo swapped the cloth for a roll of bandages, Roman glanced at the table. At its center sat a black metal box, covered in scorch marks and frayed wires. A thin cord connected it to his scroll, the device's screen filled with a multitude of data, all scrolling past faster than anyone could read.

Least I managed to grab the box, Roman thought wryly. I'm lucky it didn't get smashed when Sunshine… yeesh…

Roman moaned, this time due to the bruises covering every inch of his body.

All that armor and weaponry, yet none of those Atlas big shots considered seatbelts. Felt like I went through a damn washing machine.

Roman felt a slight tug on his arm. Neo had finished up with his head wound, and moved on to a cut across his bicep.

"Leave it, Neo," Roman grunted. She shot him a scathing glare, which he ignored. "It doesn't hurt and it ain't bleeding anymore. I'm good."

Neo kept glaring, which Roman met by raising an unimpressed eyebrow. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes again, tossing the roll of bandages back into the basic first-aid kit, then walking over to the kitchenette.

Roman ignored the various clunks and thumps as Neo rummaged through the refrigerator, likely trying to scrounge up whatever food was still edible. The conman instead fell back fully against the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

Jeez, those kids are something else. There is something really weird about Laser Lass. How the hell did an EMP of all things take her down? Monkey Boy and his friend weren't too bad, either. Didn't get to do much, though. Little Red and her girlfriends really stole the show.

Roman didn't notice the small smile that formed on his face until he felt it fade away. Yeah… Little Red… Sunshine, too…

The moment kept replaying in his head, over and over. Those blazing red eyes, the soft silver, both aimed at him, side-by-side. For that brief moment, time rewound. He felt fifteen years younger, got that feeling of smarmy satisfaction from when he pulled something off, not for any kind of gain, but just for the fun of it.

Roman couldn't help but chuckle, earning an odd look from Neo as she stuck a spoonful of peanut butter into her mouth.

Small world, ain't it, Rosebuds? He watched the ceiling fan spin lazily for a moment, sighing tiredly. He pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to groan. What the hell do I do now?

A loud ringing sound startled him from his thoughts. He looked over at the table, seeing his scroll vibrate across the coffee table. He picked it up, grateful he'd changed out his old ringtone, if only to see the disappointed pout on Neo's face. He flicked his thumb across the scroll's surface, mindful not to unplug it from the box. A window popped up, saying: Caller Unknown. Audio Only.

Roman did groan now. Great, Cinder's going to rip me a new one over this. Just what I don't need. He stared at the scroll, seriously considering just ignoring the call, putting the scroll on silent, and going to bed.

He heaved a defeated sigh. If only. I'm starting to wonder if the pay is worth dealing with Matchstick. Before I met her, I didn't have to worry daily about getting set on fire. With one last groan, he accepted the call, figuring he should just get it over with. Smirking slightly, he put the scroll to his ear. "Before you start, it wasn't my fault."

"What. Happened?"

Roman sat up so fast the cut on his arm reopened. That… wasn't Cinder. A new smirk formed on his face, even wider. "You're gonna have to be more specific, Bully Boy. It's been a long night."

From the other end of the line, Adam Taurus snarled. "Do you think this is funny?"

"Normally, yeah, but- ugh!" Roman winced as his arm throbbed, blood dripping onto the carpet. Neo was by his side in an instant, bandages in hand, spoon still in her mouth, and a heavy glare of 'I-told-you-so!' on her face. Roman ignored her, continuing like nothing happened. "I'm pretty sure if I laugh right now, I'm gonna tear something."

Taurus growled. "Thanks to you, the entire rally was a failure. There are police crawling all over the slums. My men are scattered. We didn't get a single recruit. Everyone in the rally ran when you took our newest weapon, and went on a joyride."

Roman snorted, unimpressed, as Neo started wrapping gauze around his arm. "If they bailed as soon as crazy stuff started happening, I'm surprised you wanted them."

"What. Happened?" Taurus' tone dropped even lower, rage dripping from his every word. "My lieutenant told me everything was going well. You had them eating out of your hand. Why? Why did you throw it away?!"

Roman glanced at Neo, who had finished with his arm and had sat down on the coffee table, listening to the conversation as she ate another glob of peanut butter. Meeting his eye, Neo shrugged, motioning with the spoon in a 'well, go on' type of gesture. Roman rolled his eyes. "That cat brat was at the rally. I saw a chance to take care of her, and I took it."

"...who?" Taurus asked, confusion mixing with his anger.

"Y'know, the same one that caused that little scuffle on the docks last month?"

"No, I don't know. You said you already had a plan in motion and that 'those Beacon brats' were all yours. You told us it was a problem that would never happen again."

Roman blinked. "I did?" He looked over at Neo, who stared back with her biggest 'you're an idiot' look. Roman clicked his tongue. "Oh. Guess I did. Well, the plan didn't pan out. I had Kitty Cat cold like I'd hoped, but this time, she brought even more brats to back her up."

"...Kitty Cat?"

Roman huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, this cat Faunus that keeps poking her nose in my/our business."

"Why?" Taurus' voice lowered further, getting deeper, rougher.

Roman didn't notice, scoffing at the thought. "I dunno. Something about not liking the White Fang working with humans. I don't really care why she's screwing with us. It's just annoying that she keeps doing it."

"Describe her."

Roman blinked, giving his scroll a funny look. 'Uh… why?"

"Because I said so." Taurus snarled in a low voice that promised murder. Roman flinched a little at Taurus' tone, feeling his usual humor bleed away as he realized that, somehow, he'd crossed some sort of line. Real quick, Roman started flicking through his scroll, looking through the hodgepodge of photos he had, some of them still being downloaded from the Paladin's black box. He tapped on the first one of Kitty Cat that he found, snapped when she and Ice Queen had leapt at it.

"Okay, uh… black hair, yellow eyes… uh…" he squinted at the picture, not really sure how to describe Kitty Cat further. His eyes locked onto a small splash of color on her skin. "She has a tattoo on her neck-"

"WHAT?!"

Roman jumped at Taurus' feral roar, nearly dropping his scroll. He glanced at Neo, who tilted her head in confusion. Holding the scroll away from his face, just in case he prompted more screaming, Roman repeated. "...she has a tattoo on her neck? Right under her ear?"

For a few tense seconds, all that came from Roman's scroll was Taurus' deep, rage-filled breathing.

"That mech had cameras, didn't it?"

Completely thrown, Roman replied, "Uh… yeah. Why?"

"Send me a picture of this girl, now."

Roman blinked. What is his deal? The brat has some ink, so what? "Okay… do you know her or some-"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, alright! Yeesh! What's got your horns in a twist?" With a few taps of his scroll, Roman sent that same picture of Kitty Can and Ice Queen off to Taurus. "There, happy now?"

"...is this a joke?"

Roman actually swallowed. He'd seen the White Fang leader pissed before, but he'd never heard Taurus use that tone of voice. So cold and detached, yet still sounding enraged. Roman was starting to think he'd just been branded White Fang Chew Toy. "Bully Boy, I'm currently bleeding all over this wonderfully tacky shag carpeting. Despite my charming demeanor, I'm not really in a joking mood right now."

"..."

Silence was the only response.

"Uh, Bully Boy? You still there?"

"...no…"

Roman raised a brow at the heavy whisper. "Taurus? Buddy, you okay?"

"...no… no, no, No, NO, NO… RRRAAAAUUGHH!"

Roman jerked back, nearly dropping his scroll as Taurus unleashed an honest to Dust roar. There was a split-second sound of crunching plastic and shattering glass, then the line went dead.

Roman and Neo stared at the scroll, equally baffled at what had just happened. The only sound was the hum of the ancient refrigerator, and a siren sounding off far in the distance.

"Well," Roman said, mildly perturbed. "That was… a thing. I guess he really doesn't like Kitty Cat."

Neo just nodded slightly, bending down to retrieve the jar of peanut butter she'd dropped.

Roman frowned. He was missing something. He tapped his scroll again, bringing back the photo he'd sent.

I don't get it. The cat got a tattoo, so what? It's not even that impressive, just a couple flowers and… wait. He squinted at the picture. A snowflake? Looks just like… ah. Okay, I can see why that would piss off Bully Boy, but… wait, why the heck would a Faunus brand themselves with the Schnee's calling card? His eyes drifted to Kitty Cat's own resident Schnee… and felt his eyes widen.

Oh. Matching tats. That's… different. I wonder if… well, that would certainly explain Bully Boy blowing his top. Guess Kitty Cat and Ice Queen better watch their backs.

Roman chuckled to himself, thinking that Taurus might take out his little cat-eared annoyance for him. But then… he thought of something. All humor drained from his face, a jolt of mild panic shooting down his spine. He quickly pulled up more photos, scrolling through them rapidly. There were hundreds, with more still being downloaded, enough that Roman was vaguely worried his scroll would run out of memory for them all. He zipped down to the most recent ones, looking for…

A-ha! Roman tapped on what he was looking for: Little Red, curled up on the gravel, clutching at her broken leg, while Kitty Cat knelt in front of her, glaring at the camera with eyes filled with fear and challenge. Roman felt his stomach sink.

Right. She and Little Red are friends. Whatever Taurus pulls on Kitty Cat, Little Red will involve herself, just like last time. Probably rope in Sunshine to help. Gah, why can't she just… WHAT THE HELL?!

Roman's mouth fell open as he noticed a familiar shape on Little Red's neck.

Why does she have that?! Wait, does the whole team have them? He backed up, scrolling through more photos until he found one of Sunshine. Dust dammit, they do! Why do they all have matching tattoos?!

A slight bump on his shoulder startled him from his mini-freakout. Neo poked him again, a questioning look on her face.

Roman groaned. "Nothin', Neo. Just making a bigger mess for myself, like usual."

Neo narrowed her eyes a bit, unbelieving, but eventually just shrugged, walking back to the kitchen as Roman flopped back on the couch. He ran a hand down his face, muttering to himself.

"Freakin' brats… making my life freakin' complicated." He looked out the apartment window, at the shattered moon peeking out from around the surrounding buildings. He let out a deep sigh. On a whim, he lifted his scroll, bringing up his contacts. It was a short list, just Neo's number, a couple of his usual lackeys, the pizza joint on 4th street, and…

Roman frowned. The last number was one he always programmed in his scroll out of habit, despite the fact that he hadn't called it in years.

Brainy Bird.

Roman felt a familiar annoyance flare up inside him. Why do I even bother? After all these years, she'd have ditched that number long ago. Not like I'll ever use it, either.

With a quick tap, he selected the number, bringing up a menu of options, chief among them being Call and Delete.

He stared at the two options, his thumb hovering over the screen. Then he let out an annoyed huff, tossing the scroll back on the coffee table. He looked back out the window, watching the moonlight gleam against Vale's skyscrapers.

Well, there's no denying it now, he thought. They're definitely your kids. He groaned in frustration. And I think I just sicced Adam Taurus on them.

Where do I go from here, Sis?

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Uh… I can explain?

RT have said before that Roman was only meant to be in the first Volume. He only stuck around because people loved him so much. That's great and all, but I always felt he was underutilized in later volumes since they had to come up with something for him to do, with very little payoff come the end of his run.

Since we're only at the midpoint of Volume 2 here, I have my own plan for everyone's favorite conman, while still keeping his usual charming personality intact. Here's hoping I can pull it off.

See ya next time! Semblance shenanigans are on the horizon!