RWBY: Crimson Shadow

Chapter 14: What Matters To Us

Chapter 14: What Matters ToUs

Aza, Cinder, Roman, and the hooded man sit around a table. Members of the White Fang are walking around them, piling the weapons and equipment brought back from the train.

"My apologies for the delay, Cinder," Aza respectively says. "We were attacked by Slater, then ran into some trouble with the Atlas Military. They weren't any match for me, however."

Cinder smiles.

"That's quite alright. Roman," she turns to him. "Is everything coming together as planned?"

Roman pulls his cigar out of his mouth.

"You're talking to a professional, of course it is. Good to see animals working hard."

Aza grinds her teeth at Roman, but a chuckle distracts her. Everyone looks toward the source of the laughter – to the hooded man.

"You know how to play with fire, Roman. Literally. But, Aza, leave him alone. You'll be taking orders from him once Cinder and her little posse leave for Beacon. That's less than a week away, no?" He asks, getting back to a serious manner.

Cinder lightly nods.

"It is. But... I assumed you would take command while I'm gone."

He lets out a single laugh.

"You think I want to lead your little brigade? No. I have my own business to attend to. Roman will suffice. Speaking of good enough," he leans on the table, closer to Aza. "I hear you and Neo couldn't defeat Slater."

Aza growls at him.

"I did what I had to do."

"You outsmarted the ignorant, and even still some of the suits were damaged in the process. What happened to killing him no matter what?"

Aza summons fire in her hand and shoves it towards the hooded man. She stops right before his face, which is still shrouded by the cloak. He doesn't move, despite the heat.

"Threats, hm? Very well," he pushes off the table as he stands. "Perhaps you want to fight me."

Aza nervously looks at the towering man before her. She turns her head away and allows the fire to go out.

"Hmph, that's to be expected. Cinder, I'm leaving. You all know how to contact me, if the need arises."

With that, the hooded man begins walking away, his every step echoing through the building. It's a heavy step, almost like a condensed earthquake. It shows power – power to destroy everything around him. Cinder angrily shakes her head at the man.

"He is difficult to work with."

"I like'em," Roman declares. "Anyhow, if you ladies are done bantering, I'd like to get back to work. Dust isn't going to steal itself you know?" Roman stands up and turns around. "Neo!"

Neo seems to almost materialize out of thin air, as nobody even knew she was in the room, and approaches Roman. "Let's go. We're leaving."

"One moment," Cinder calls out. Both Roman and Neo turn around. "Neo... how did Slater best you?"

Neo smiles and holds up her fingers, displaying a zero and a one, then winks at Cinder before turning around and walking away. There's an extra skip in her step as she walks, Cinder notices this. Something has her riled up? Excited? She's unsure. It's hard to tell with Neo, as she's one of the most difficult people for her to read.