52

Chapter 52: Stoke

Downtown Vale, Torchwick's Safehouse

"Okay, so the cameras are there and the vents are along this wall… Gaurds'll swap out at quarter till, so I go north… no, east. Yeah, less foot traffic along the east side. Then…"

Neo watched from her seat at the kitchen counter as Roman paced in front of his large dry erase board. Various pictures and blueprints were hung haphazardly all over its white surface, little notes scattered around each one, written in red marker. Roman kept mumbling to himself as he paced, adding and erasing notes every few seconds.

It had annoyed her to no end when he asked her to go bring the damn board to their rundown little apartment, which had been their impromptu home for the past week. Sneaking an object that bulky and awkward across the city had been a complete slog, and she made sure Roman knew her feelings on the matter quite clear. Though, she did have to grudgingly agree with his logic. He couldn't exactly go back to the warehouse and get it himself, give the utter insanity he had dedicated himself to.

He was turning on the White Fang. Not just betraying them. Actively plotting out the best way to put a bullet into Taurus' skull. And it wasn't just that. Neo had been involved with this twisted operation long enough to know that, whatever Cinder's end goal was, Taurus and the Fang were an integral part of her plans. If Taurus went down, Cinder was going to lay literal hellfire down upon Roman.

And the most bizarre part of the entire thing was that, Roman knew. For all his eccentricities, Roman was a smart man. He had to know just how badly this was going to end for him. Between Cinder, the White Fang, and possibly Taurus himself if the 'just-shoot-him' plan didn't work, everything Roman had worked towards the last few years was about to go up in flames. Yes, he could make a lot of money reselling the equipment he'd already given the White Fang (assuming he could actually get any of it without getting shot, sliced, and diced a thousand times doing it), but it would be a fair less then he made right now, doing what Cinder said. If he even lived that long.

Yet, here he was, plotting his own demise. Why?

Because he wanted to keep a group of teenage girls from dying, despite already trying to kill them himself.

Neo pouted, sighing deeply as she focused back on her scroll. She'd been keeping an eye on the news sites all week long, listening to people talk and theorize about Roman's little rampage the previous weekend. They'd been all over the story at the beginning of the week trying to figure out what exactly happened besides 'Mech-Wielding Madman Wrecks Freeway', but they were already petering out. With no deaths and the people hurt on their way to recovery (even the one guy in a coma had woken up by Tuesday), people were losing interest. There were only so many times the news anchors could say 'No leads on Roman Torchwick have been found', before they started getting repetitive.

Growing bored of the news anchors inane chatter (Yes, the Vytal Festival is happening next month. Let's go watch a bunch of teenagers kick the crap out of each other. Woohoo…), Neo let her eyes drift around the stark apartment. Given just how little was actually in it, her eyes turned almost instantly to the only piece of new furniture the place had seen in decades: a folded out cot in the corner of the room, a small travel bag sitting at its foot.

Neo frowned at the reminder of their 'guest'. To her utter shock, Roman had offered to share their semi-safe space with the strange woman who had literally appeared from thin air. No hesitation, not even a real damn question. All it took was him asking where she was staying and receiving no answer, and the next thing she knew, Neo was sharing space with the most terrifying woman she'd ever met.

Okay, perhaps that was slightly harsh. Raven was almost never in the apartment, usually out in Vale 'patrolling'. And even when she was, Raven hadn't really been mean or anything. The few times she'd spoken to her, Raven had been polite, if blunt. She hadn't even commented on her disability, save for yelling at Roman for making a joke of it (which went a long way towards gaining her good faith). There was just something… unsettling about her. It was a little like how Cinder made her feel. But unlike Cinder, who wore her emotions on her sleeve, Raven was reserved, not showing anything.

Unless she was speaking to Roman. Then things got… weird.

Neo had known Roman a long time and had seen him interact with all manner of people. His slyness when thought he was being clever. His exaggerated smarminess when he got the better of someone else. The sheer exasperation he exuded when he was convinced everyone around him was an idiot. She'd seen him act in all kinds of ways she'd just come to accept as 'Roman'.

But with Raven, he did none of that. Outside of that initial conversation, they never yelled, never truly angered each other. No, instead, Neo was treated to something entirely new from her semi-permanent employer. When Roman and Raven butted heads, they didn't fight.

They bickered.

For all the sense of danger Raven gave off, Roman seemed completely immune to it. Instead, he took every chance he got to rib into Raven about the stupidest things, from taunting her fighting skills, her social skills, to something about 'molting.' Yeah, that last one still made no sense to her.

And yet, miraculously, despite how very, very successful Roman was at pissing Raven off, never once did they come to blows. Instead, Raven would fire right back, either by defending herself or throwing something equally moronic back in his face. Cue an hour, bare minimum, of them going back and forth, constantly laying into each other over a never-ending supply of useless topics.

The weirdest part was what always happened after. The fight(?) would always end with Raven throwing her hands up and storming off via her own personal red storm cloud. Roman would just watch her leave with a satisfied smirk, then keep smiling for the whole rest of the day. Raven would eventually return, and the two acted like nothing happened. At least, until it all happened again.

It's almost like they enjoy getting on each other's nerves.

Neo bit back a groan, folding her arms on the counter and putting her head down. She'd given up trying to make sense of anything after the first day, resigning herself to just putting up with this new insanity until she could return to their regular insanity.

As if to taunt her at just how unlikely that was, one of Raven's storm clouds phased into existence at just that moment, just above the couch.

Neo lifted her head, her shoulders stiffening. She'd grown used enough to Raven's Semblance that she didn't jump every time her portals appeared, but they still unsettled her. Every time one formed, the air seemed to charge with electricity, as if lightning was about to strike. However, unlike the last few times she'd watched one appear, this one seemed… smaller.

Neo frowned at that. Huh… that's odd. I wonder why-

Her thoughts ended when a small black blur shot out of the portal. The storm cloud faded away, and as Neo focused on the blur, she quickly made out the shape of wings and a beak.

...what? Neo tilted her head as she watched the black bird circle the living room.

Roman, only just then taking his eyes off his board, looked up at the bird as it landed on the couch.. He grinned at it in bemusement, checking his watch. "That was quick. You were only gone an hour."

Neo was even more confused, wondering why Roman was talking to a bird… when the bird suddenly started to vibrate, it's form blurring and stretching. Seconds later, Raven sat where the bird once was, pulling her mask off to show her wide red eyes.

...O-kayyy… Neo thought, blinking rapidly. That's new. At least the molting crack makes more sense now.

Raven didn't answer, instead just throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. Roman's brows pulled together, his grin slipping. "The Rosebuds okay?"

Raven let out a huff of a laugh, filled with shock and disbelief. "Oh, they're fine. They're…" She covered her face with her hand, groaning. "I just… I had to get out of there."

"What? Get a cramp perching on their windowsill?" Roman said, his voice going back to sly mocking in an instant.

Raven didn't take the bait, just letting out another slow breath.

Getting no reaction from her, Roman frowned, stepping away from his board to face her fully. "Okay, I'll bite: What the hell happened?"

There was a short moment where Neo thought Raven would just ignore him, but it passed when Raven let her hand slip down her face. She gave Roman a sidelong look, sighing in resignation. "Nothing happened. When I got to the window, Ruby and Yang were by themselves, talking to each other. I only listened for a few minutes before it started getting... awkward."

Roman raised a confused eyebrow. "Awkward how?"

Raven turned her head back towards the ceiling and… okay, Neo had to be seeing things. Raven's face was turning pink. "They were discussing how they were going to be... intimate, as a group."

Roman blinked. He looked off to the side, then gave Raven a 'did I hear that right?' look. "By intimate, do you mean…?" The glowing glare she gave him was all the answer he needed. "Yeah, stupid question… wait…"

Roman paused, eyes narrowing in thought. Then his face screwed up, eyes tightening in apprehension. "If those two were the only ones talkin'... they ain't…?"

"No!" Raven sat up straight, quickly shouting before any thoughts of any kind could dwell. (Which Neo was thankful for, as she was suddenly aware of how much her face blazed.) "No, thank the gods, no. I think that's actually why they were talking. They were trying to work out how to avoid…" She buried her face in her hands, a mortified blush all over her face. "Gods, I did not need to hear that. Seriously, sharing a relationship?"

She pulled her head up, her expression a mixture of exasperation and regret. "Why can't anything in this family be normal?" Neo wasn't sure if she was asking Roman or herself.

Roman snorted, answering anyway as he went back to his board. "Normal is for the weak." He could evidently feel the annoyed glare Raven sent his way, as he looked back with a raised eyebrow, challenging. "C'mon, Rea, let's be real here. Between Silver Eyes mom, Bandit Queen mom, bad luck uncle, and conman uncle, not to mention Taiyang 'wouldn't-hurt-a-fly-but-can-crush-a-freaking-mountain-with-his-pinky-anyway' Xiao-Long…" He laughed to himself, shaking his head in bemusement. "Even if everything had gone all sunshine and rainbows for us, those kids were doomed to weirdness from day one."

Raven glowered at him, before looking off out the window. "Tch."

Roman chuckled, making another note on his board, "That's what I thought."

As the pair fell back into comfortable silence, Neo shook her head, rolling her eyes. She had officially given up trying to understand how the hell these two worked. She went back to her scroll, deciding to just fill the time streaming TV shows.

A few minutes past, before Raven started to fidget. The woman obviously was not used to sitting still. She looked back towards Roman, who was engrossed in his planning. "So," she asked. "How far are we on this plan?"

Roman scoffed lightly, looking at her in mock-offense. "Uh, we haven't gone anywhere with the plan. I, however, almost have everything figured out."

Raven rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "When do you think Taurus will call?"

Roman shrugged. "Before Monday. Anything more than that, I don't have a clue." He paused a moment, then asked, "Think they know that Taurus is gunning for them?"

Raven stiffened, her shoulders tensing half-way through putting them behind her head. She finished the motion like nothing happened, but there was a new intensity in her eyes. "No," She said bluntly. "Their biggest worries right now are combat training and figuring out who goes where when the lights go out."

Roman resisted the urge to snort, rolling his eyes instead. "Well, it'll be one heck of a surprise then." He then took a deep breath. His eyes turned towards the ceiling, something Neo had come to recognize as him about to do something he knew was a mistake. "Sure would be nice if we could just, oh, I don't know. Warn them? Give'em a scroll call, like semi-normal people?"

In an instant, Raven's eyes bored into Roman. "Roman…" She droned warningly.

But Roman met her gaze head-on, green eyes burning. "Well, we need to do something!"

"We are. We just have to take down Taurus…"

"And if we can't?"

Raven jerked back like she'd been slapped, and Neo couldn't blame her. She felt the same way, staring at Roman with open-mouthed shock. Roman normally oozed confidence to the point of stupidity. But now... D-Did… Is he suggesting that…

"You don't think we can do this." It was a statement more than a question., Raven's voice faint as she stared up at Roman.

"Oh, we can definitely do this," Roman assured, a dangerous glint in his eye. "If everything goes perfectly." He threw his arms up above his head, grinning maniacally. "But, when it comes to us, when does anything go perfectly?"

Raven goggled at him. In the next second, she was up on her feet, nose to nose with Roman as she yelled, "Are you kidding me!? Why… If you don't think we can win, why are you even doing this?!"

"Well, I don't have much other choice, now do I?"

Raven's head jerked back, the glow in her eyes fading as they widened. "What?

Roman gave her a flat stare, like she was being purposefully obtuse. "C'mon, Rea, you know me. If this was for any other reason, I'd be running right now. I'd be halfway to Vacuo with every Lien I have, ready to spend as long as I could lazing on a beach, forgetting about this whole mess." He briefly gazed off into the distance, no doubt imaging such a scenario. He frowned deeply seconds later. "But, seeing's how I'd like Red and Sunshine to live long enough to deal with this craptastic world of ours, that's not an option.

"So, what's our backup plan? 'Cause, I hate to admit it, like, really hate to admit it, but unless we get lucky with my 'shoot-him-in-the-back' idea, were gonna have to deal with him and at least a hundred of his White Fang lackeys. A hundred would-be Hunters versus just the two of us. How do you think that's gonna end?"

Raven bristled at his condescending tone, unwilling to back down. "What about Neo? Your crew?"

Roman scoffed, rolling his eyes. "My crew jumped ship once I started working with the White Fang. Something about being criminals, not terrorists." He waved a hand flippantly, like he barely cared that his crew had left him. "Wouldn't matter anyway. They were only as loyal as their pockets were full. And considering how pissed my employer is after Sunshine obliterated our mech, I've got nothing to offer them."

Much as Neo hated to admit it, Roman wasn't wrong. The old crew were kind of spinless unless a stack of Lien was thrown in their faces.

"Same with Neo."

Neo blinked, her eyes shifting between brown and pink at the sudden call of her name. Then Roman's words really sank in. She looked at him with something akin to disbelief, then scowled. She got up from the counter.

Roman took no notice. "So right now, we either need to warn the girls, or find someone else that- Gah!"

Raven jerked out of the way as Roman stumbled forward, something hard and heavy whacking him across the back of his head. Gripping his head in pain, he spun around, turning an angry glare on the offender. "Neo, what the hell?!"

Neo, still holding her parasol in a tight grip, crossed her arms and glared right back at him. Raven's brow rose in mild surprise, both at the girl's sudden attack and the odd, almost pained look on her face.

Roman blinked at her, then sighed. "Look, kid, I'm sorry. I just don't have the cash to- youch! Will you stop that?!"

Neo reared her arm back again, her eyes blazing with her strongest 'Just-how-stupid-are-you?' glare. Without breaking eye contact, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a large yellow envelope. Scowling, she threw it right at Roman's head.

It bounced off Roman's nose, eliciting a yelp from the man before he fumbled to catch it. A few loose Lien notes fell out of the envelope's opening. He stared down the money in confusion, his eyes bouncing between it and Neo. "Uh…?"

Off to the side, Raven's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the two criminals. After a tense minute, she chuckled lightly. "I think she's saying she doesn't care about the money."

Neo pursed her lips, still looking into Roman's eyes as she gestured wildly to Raven with both arms. She gave a nod so sharp her whole body shook.

Again, Roman could only blink. He looked from the money, to Neo, then to Raven, and then back to the money. He cycled like that for a moment before giving Neo a skeptical look, lightly asking, "Really?"

In response, Neo's face contorted with fresh anger as she raised her parasol over her head.

Roman threw his hands up in an instant, backing away from the small teen in mock-fright. "Okay! Dumb question! Got it!" Seeing Neo lower her arms, seemingly placated, he still asked, "But you do realize we're probably going to die, right? Pretty sucky mission to be throwing me a freebie."

Neo just rolled her eyes, resting her parasol over her shoulder.

"Hmm…" Roman hummed to himself, not sure what to say. "Well… thanks… I guess," He eventually replied, Raven smothering a chuckle at his awkwardness.

The quiet laugh brought his attention back to her, however, and he wasted no time going back on the offensive. "Still, even with Neo, that sits our chances at one-in-three. That's not counting Taurus himself, mind you." He shook his head as he thought back. "I've seen him fight, Rea. I've never seen anyone get back up when he puts them down."

Raven scowled, unwilling to give in. "We'll think of something."

At that, Roman smirked. "Well, lucky for you, I already did." At her cautious curiosity, he continued. "Well, I just figured, if you're not willing to call the girls, how about you call the guys?"

There was a pregnant pause as Raven went from confused to pure disbelief. He whole body seemed to slump as she gave a weak scoff. "You... you're not serious."

"Much as it pains me, yes. Yes, I am. We need help, Rea, even if it's only as a backup plan." When Raven just kept staring, he upped the ante. "Either you call them, or I will."

Raven gave a miniscule flinch, then narrowed her eyes, sneering. "You're bluffing. You said it yourself, Tai and Qrow are pissed at you."

To her consternation, Roman just shot her that insufferably smug smirk. "Oh, I know they're gonna kick my ass. But the thing is, knowing what I do about the White Fang, I'd rather take a beating from those two then get annihilated by whatever Taurus throws at us."

Raven balled her fists, her shoulders hunching. "You wouldn't."

In response, Roman pulled out his scroll. His smirk was still in place, but there was a certain… sharpness in his eyes that put Neo on edge. "Try me."

Raven said nothing, staring Roman down with her blazing gaze. Tense seconds ticked by as Neo looked between the two, wringing her parasol in her hands. Was this the big blowout she'd been expecting? And if so… what should she do? Fight Raven? Grab Roman and run?

To her eternal relief, Neo never had to figure it out. Raven finally broke eye contact, her eyes still burning as she glared down at the carpet. "You really think we need their help?"

Roman grinned widely, Neo recognizing it as his 'I-already-won-you-just-don't-know-it-yet' smile. "Not unless you've got some other badass' we can get here at a moment's notice." Then he paused, a thought striking him. "Actually, do you? 'Cause, if we could get some of the clan over here…"

"I haven't bonded with any of them," Raven snapped, in a tone that all but screamed 'leave it.'

Miraculously, Roman did. "Then, yeah, we need them."

Raven glared at the floor. At this rate, Neo was waiting for it to burst into flames. "...they're not going to happy." She muttered, mostly to herself.

Roman answered anyway, scoffing. "When are they ever? Though, I would like to ask, how much more pissed do you think they'd be if we didn't tell them the Rosebuds were in mortal peril?" Raven's brief snort answered that for him. Roman just grinned even wider. "So, you calling, or should I?"

Raven looked back up at him, angry red meeting amused green. Her eyes flicked down towards the scroll in his hand, glaring at it with such intensity Neo thought it would start melting any second.

With a disgusted groan, Raven lunged out, snatching the scroll out of Roman's outstretched hand. Roman smirked in victory as Raven turned on her heel, stalking back to the couch. He went back to his board, in a poor attempt to give her some privacy.

When a few minutes had passed without Raven making the call, Roman gave a beleaguered sigh, rolling his eyes. "So…" He said loudly, turning back to see Raven scowling at the scroll in her hand. "Which one you calling?"

Raven shot him a look of pure annoyance, before staring back down at the scroll. "Qrow." She said after a moment's thought. "Tai would start charging over before he heard everything."

Roman nodded. "Good call. Though, given it's a day that ends in 'Y', Bird Brain's probably drunk off his ass by now."

Raven scoffs, not disagreeing. She gave the scroll a long look, then took a deep breath. She tapped the scroll a few times, then put it to her ear. She gave Roman one last glare as she did so, a hint of a grin on her lips. "First chance I get, I'm throwing you under the bus."

Roman smirks at his board. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Raven huffed a quiet laugh. Her humor quickly fled as she focused on the scroll. "Qrow? It's me…" She rolled her eyes, shooting Roman a look. Roman raised a questioning eyebrow, holding his pinky out and his thumb to his lips, miming like he was knocking back a drink. Raven gave a beleaguered nod, making Roman chuckle. Raven quickly went back to the scroll, her eyes narrowing. "No, this isn't a joke… Would I call you if it wasn't important? Look, I…" She looked towards the ceiling, steeling herself. "I need your help…. stop laughing!"

Neo watched as Raven quickly got more agitated, Roman smothering his cackles as the conversation went on. She leaned back against the counter, a seed of dread forming in her stomach. Not really for the fight with Taurus. She'd known from the get-go they'd be in for one hell of a fight once they turned on the White Fang. Between Taurus, Cinder, the legions of angry Faunus; it'd be a miracle if they made it out alive.

Just the kind of thrill she lived for.

No, what was starting to get to her was that Roman and Raven were calling in more people. More friends.

Roman had friends. Ugh, that would never stop sounding weird.

And if they were anything like Raven, things were just going to get more and more hectic as the clock ticked down to their personal doomsday.

Not to mention how those girls, Little Red and Sunshine, were apparently Roman's nieces. Which just added a whole new level of 'What the hell?'

With a sigh, Neo looked up at the ceiling, ignoring Raven's steadily rising irritation. ("How am I supposed to know what classes they have when? You don't even know that!"). She sighed deeply. We're never going to get things back to normal, are we?

Something Qrow said made Raven squawk with indignation, catching Roman's interest. Neo watched as Roman suddenly snatched the scroll out of Raven's hand ("Hey, Bird Brain, how's your day been? Finish drinking your dinner yet?"), continuing the conversation easily as Raven jumped up of the couch, prowling after him as he paced around the living room. She started shouting at him to give it back, while Roman just kept chatting away, grinning like a fool even as this Qrow person started yelling at him from the other end.

Neo watched this, and soon felt a smile tugging at her lips. She shrugged to herself. For once, maybe Roman was right.

Normal was for the weak.