Roman spent most of the next day removing the Dust based charges from around the theatre. They had been a pain to put up, and they were a pain to take down. Even with Neo's help, it took far longer than he would have liked. Still, bombs were expensive, and Roman wasn't going to let them go to waste. It was nightfall by the time he had finished, so Roman simply waited around until it was time for Gray to meet him. At the appointed time, Roman saw the fish faunus waddling towards him, flanked by two White Fang guards.

"Ah, Gray. Glad you could make it. I was almost starting to worry that you had blown off our deal."

"Yeah, yeah. Well I'm here aren't I?" Gray motioned for Roman and Neo to start following him. The group headed off towards the outskirts of Vale. Gray led them to a dilapidated ghetto a stone's throw from Forever Fall. Even inside of Vale, it was a dangerous area. Which probably explained why barely anybody lived there. It was the perfect location for a terrorist base. Gray paused in front of the door to a boarded up restaurant. "I hope for both our sakes that this meeting goes well." He rapped sharply on the front entrance. The door swung open.

Two White Fang guards stood in the waiting area. Roman's escort walked up to the pair. "Commander Gray and guest to see the big man. I have an appointment." One of the guards checked a scroll.

"That you do. And the guest…" He looked closely at Roman for the first time. "That's your guest? You really gonna bring him in to see the boss?" Gray hesitated, looking back at Roman.

"Well…" Roman looked back at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised. "Yes. We're going to see him. I assume everything is in order?"

"Technically it is but…" The guard shrugged. "Whatever. It's your funeral." The two guards stepped out of the way and pushed open the doors to the kitchen. The group had just started to walk through when the guard interrupted again. "Hold on. The meeting specifies one guest. I can't let all three of you in here." Gray and Roman both turned to look at Neo.

"So…" Roman began, struggling to keep a straight face. "You're saying that she can't be in the very important meeting? That she'll have to stay in the waiting room?" He turned towards Neo, a grin starting to break across his face in spite of himself. "Gee, that's too bad kid. Looks like you'll have to be patient while the grown-ups talk." His grin only widened at the icy cold glare she sent him. Knuckles white on her umbrella, she brushed past Gray and Roman and made for the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hold it right there! No one barges in on the boss." The guard grabbed Neo's shoulder and pushed her roughly back. He looked up at Gray. "The human's right. She'll wait here with us." Roman wiped the grin off his face and replaced it with one of mock sorrow.

"Aww. That's too bad." He moved closer to the guard. "She's quite attached to me, you know. Barely ever leaves my side. Still, I suppose it has to be done." He heaved a great sigh, then knelt down and put his hand on Neo's shoulder. "Hey. I know you don't like to be alone, but it's going to be okay. I'm just going to be in the next room. You can stay here with these nice men. I won't be gone long." Neo knocked his hand off her shoulder, but not before he could feel her quite literally shaking with rage. Roman stood up and patted her head. "There, there. Don't cry." 'Dependency issues' he mouthed to the nearest guard, making sure Neo could see full well what he was saying. The guard looked at him blankly for a moment.

"Whatever. Just get in the damn kitchen." As he and Gray moved forward, Roman threw one last look over his shoulder. Pink and brown orbs locked onto his own. There was murder in those eyes, Roman thought. If the girl insisted on being his bodyguard, she was going to have to get used to this treatment. Besides, what was she going to do about it?

Inside, the kitchen had been transformed into what Roman could only describe as a war room. Maps detailing every district of Vale covered the walls, as well as what appeared to be trade routes and shipping time tables. In the center of the room, one large map of Vale covered a table, with several locations, including their current one and the old theatre he met Gray at, marked with White Fang symbols. Standing at the table were two men, both talking softly. Roman's eyes were immediately drawn to the larger of the two. He had to be at least seven feet tall. His full face Grimm mask and shaved head gave him an intimidating look. The giant chainsaw strapped to his back certainly helped with that, too.

"A-hem." Gray cleared his throat. His gills were flapping nervously at his neck. "Roman Torchwick, may I present the leader of White Fang operations in Vale, Adam Taurus." The second man at the table turned around. Like the rest of them, he too wore a Grimm mask, but one that was more stylized than the normal grunts. His red and black clothing matched well with his red hair. Roman noticed he had two long black horns sticking out of his head. He also carried a long gun, but kept it strapped to his waist like a sheath.

"A human?" His voice was deep and gravely. "Gray, your visitor to this meeting was a human? And a criminal at that. You'd better have a good explanation for this." The fish faunus quelled under Adam's glare.

"W-well, sir. He said he had a, um, proposition. About working together. It sounded like a good idea to me, sir, so I didn't think there would be any harm in bringing him here." Gray has started to sweat by the end of his sentence, his gills opening and closing rapidly.

"A proposition? What help could a human offer the White Fang? Talk quickly before we throw you out." Roman pulled his lighter out of his pocket and flicked it open, lighting up a cigar before he continued.

"I'm glad you decided to hear me out. I am Roman T-"

"I know who you are. Roman Torchwick. The man who nearly got caught robbing a tiny Dust store last week. Get to the point." Two sentences in and his pitch had already been interrupted. This wasn't going to go well, Roman decided.

"The people I represent require manpower. And not just any manpower. We need the best." He blew a cloud of smoke across the room. "So, we would be willing to pay in Dust and in lien for a partnership with the White Fang."

"And what would my men be doing in exchange?"

"We're going to be robbing Dust shops." The tip of his cigar glowed orange as he grinned at the terrorist leader. "All of them."

"Robbing Dust stores?" Adam scoffed. "The White Fang are not common thieves. We are a force of revolution! We fight to defend the faunus, not for our own gain." Roman expected an answer pretty similar to that. Fortunately, his semblance provided a handy backup.

"Listen, I know you don't like the idea at first, but the White Fang needs resources. How are you supposed to fight for the rights of the faunus without the money or weapons to support yourself? At the rate you're going, the White Fang is going to be toothless. You can only keep stealing form the SDC for so long. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of Dust shops out there that treat faunus workers badly. Instead of blowing them up, why not just take their stock? Trust me, it's a win-win." Roman could make educated guesses on whether people would submit to his voice based on what he knew about them, but he could never be sure until he spoke the words.

"We have been hurting for resources for the last several years, especially since the Schnees have started cracking down. And if we started to do this, we would need the help of someone who knew what they were doing, like you. This could work out."

"Adam!" The taller man stepped forward. "We don't need help. And we definitely don't need to work with a human. Get this scum out of here!" Adam held up his hand.

"Stop. I am the leader of the White Fang. Not you. I will decide what is best for this organization. And what this human says makes sense."

"Yes, sir." The White Fang lieutenant backed off. This was going even better than Roman anticipated. Who knew that Adam was so single minded in his devotion to the White Fang that he would accept any suggestion that might help them, with only the slightest push form Roman.

"The White Fang is not a small organization. How much Dust and lien could you offer?" Roman's reply was cut off by a shout from outside the room.

"Hey! We said you couldn't-hurk!"

"What? You-" There was a burst of gunfire, cut off by a scream. Everyone turned to stare at the door as it burst open to reveal Neopolitan, parasol thrown open over her shoulder. Behind her, Roman could see the two guards lying unconscious and bleeding on the ground. She stalked over to Roman, stopping beside him and turning to face Adam.

"What. Did. You. DO!?" Roman's cigar had dropped out of his mouth and fallen to the floor, forgotten. A motor revved somewhere behind him.

"Human treachery!" The giant of White Fang member advanced towards Neo, chainsaw sword at the ready. Adam remained where he was, gun pointed at Neo. She took a fighter's stance as the brute approached, umbrella held out in front of her.

"STOP!" Everyone in the room froze, except for Roman, who instantly sun down on his cane, panting heavily. Issuing a mass command always exhausted him, and he wasn't sure if he trusted his legs at the moment. "Now, if everyone would like to take the time to relax, we could talk about this like civilized people." Movement gradually returned to the room. Adam turned and locked eyes with Roman.

"You claim to be doing this to help the White Fang. Then this. Explain yourself." Roman gritted his teeth and shot a glare at Neo.

"I…apologize…for the actions of my associate. She will be dealt with, I assure you."

"You are extremely lucky that I am inclined to accept your deal. Otherwise you would most likely be dead right now. I will agree to work together, but you need to prove yourself. To demonstrate your sincerity towards helping the White Fang, you will assist us on a mission of our own."

"Help you on a mission?" Roman didn't have time to play terrorist. Cinder wouldn't be happy if he didn't stick to the schedule. "I shouldn't have to help you out with that. We're already helping you enough. And trust me, this one," he said, gesturing at Neo, "won't be a problem anymore. She won't cause any more trouble." Roman risked putting a bit more of his semblance into his voice. Anything to get out of this situation faster.

"You come into my territory, attack my men, and then expect me to ignore it completely? No, you will be helping the White Fang on a mission, before a single Dust shop gets robbed. Now leave! I will send you the information you need with the details of your mission." Roman struggled to control his temper.

"Very well. If that's what's necessary to gain your allegiance, I won't argue any further." Damn this man and his stubbornness. Couldn't anything go right? "Thank you for your time. Come on Neo. We're going to leave to go have a talk." Grabbing her by the arm, Roman walked her out of the restaurant.

Roman slammed the warehouse door behind him. The walk back had been long and silent. "What the hell," Roman said, shoving his finger in Neo's face, "were you thinking back there?" Shrugging, Neo pulled out her scroll and typed out, Just doing my job.

"Your job? Aren't you here because Cinder thought you could help? Instead, you attack the people I'm trying to get to help us! I seriously doubt Cinder told you to stand next to me at all times, no matter the situation!" She said never let you out of my sight or you might do something stupid. Besides, you deserved it.

Deserved it? "I deserv…?" The world went red. This time she had gone too far. Roman swung Melodic Cudgel around and into the side of Neo's head. Or he tried to. Even taken by surprise, the girl was fast. As it was, Roman only managed a glancing blow to her temple. She staggered back slightly. Looking him in the eye, she slowly shook her head. "You!" Roman hissed, his voice dangerously quiet. "You have been nothing but a hindrance since you came here. I don't care what Cinder says anymore. This stops now." He raised his cane and popped open the bottom cross hairs. "Alright kid, the hard way or the easy way?" Neo unfurled her umbrella, holding it in a defensive position. "Hard way it is."

Blasting her with a flare round from his cane, Roman rushed forward through the smoke to follow up. He noticed too late that the round had impacted harmlessly on the surface of Neo's umbrella. It was too late to change tactics now. Roman swung the end of his cane into Neo's side with a two handed grip. Spinning backwards out of the way of the blow, Neo moved quickly back into range, throwing two kicks at him. He caught the first on his cane, but the second landed on the side of his head. Crashing to the ground, Roman rolled to the side to avoid the kick that came flying down at him. He rolled back to avoid a similar kick, then swept his legs at Neo's She flipped neatly over his limbs, but couldn't avoid the strike to her knees with his cane. She was thrown off balance enough for Roman to jump to his feet. Gripping one end of his cane, he swung it around at Neo several times, aiming for her hands and neck. Much to his chagrin, she was able to dodge or block every blow he threw. Ducking under his last swing, she didn't expect the punch that landed across her jaw. The force was enough to send her small frame sprawling across the floor. Deciding not to close the distance, Roman blasted off several rounds at his opponent. Rolling to her feet, Neo easily dodged past several of the shots, catching the last on her umbrella.

The two fighters exchanged a flurry of blows, cane on umbrella, Neo spinning around Roman, using her more agile form to her advantage. Desperately blocking every attack, Roman felt himself being pushed back, despite landing a few tricky blows on Neo. He needed to throw her off balance again. Swinging at her head with an over exaggerated strike, he threw a kick at her side. Mid kick, he saw that Neo didn't react at all to his high feint, and instead leapt into the air, pinning his leg between her own. Spinning, she planted her palms on the ground and twisted, sending Roman crashing into the floor. The force was enough to bounce him back into the air. Pushing off with her hands, Neo planted both of her feet into Roman's stomach before hit hit the ground a second time. Roman went flying across the room, crashing through some wooden shipping crates and into the wall. The impact was strong enough to bring tears to his eyes. His vision blurred, Roman started to get up, only to feel a strange prickling sensation on his neck. Blinking his eyes, his sight cleared enough to reveal a sword at his throat.

Neo stood over him, having apparently pulled a blade from her umbrella. The expression on her face made Roman's blood run cold. Both of her eyes had turned pure white, with only tiny black pupils in the center. Her mouth was twisted in a predatory grin. 'Just try it,' the expression seemed to say. 'Just give me an excuse to cut your throat.' For the first time, Roman considered the reason Cinder chose this girl to work with. Continuing to antagonize her would most assuredly be a very bad idea. Moving as little as possible, Roman spoke.

"Alright. You win. Let's not do anything you'll regret, now." Fishing her scroll out of her pocket, she typed one handed, sword never leaving Roman's throat. Good. Glad to see we're on the same page for once. Now apologize. "Apologize? What for?" Neo's eyes narrowed and the sword poked deeper at his throat. "Alright! Alright." For the second time that night, Roman swallowed his pride and apologized. "I'm sorry for the teasing back with the White Fang." The sword poked again. "And for attacking you!" The pressure disappeared from his neck.

Neo blinked and her eyes returned to their normal pink and brown. The umbrella was back at its usual place on her shoulder. She smiled sweetly at him, then turned and walked away, heels clacking on the floor. Roman picked himself up and brushed off his bowler hat, muttering to himself the whole time.

"First Red, and now this. I need to stop fighting these kids."

AN: As always, praise/criticism is appreciated. So, remember when I said that I was on holiday break from Uni, and was going to be able to write chapters faster? Yeah, that was a funny joke. I kinda forgot about the whole 'holidays-are-busy' thing. And the whole 'spending-time-with-family' thing. Ironically, now that I'm going back to school, chapter will actually be coming out faster. I hope. If you're smart, you've picked up on the fact that I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Also, if you've been watching the newest volume of RWBY, you know that this story is officially not canon. Mmmmmm, yeah. Smell the AU! Yeah, I'm not going to change this story at all based on the new information. Although, I do feel the need to say that I had planned out the 'Adam is an unwilling participant in Cinder's plan' thing before I saw the flashback episode. It did give me some convenient canon dialogue to reuse in my story though.