A/N: Well, here I am, I'm back. Sorry I took so long, I've had school things to deal with. This would've actually been out about a week ago, but then Nier: Automata came out; get it, it's a masterpiece. Hopefully I can set up a dedicated day of the week for me to get more writing done (I mostly work on this while I'm on break at work). I want to get this story out as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality.

Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy the story and please leave a review.

Chapter 1: First Time for Everything

It was early morning in the Kingdom of Vale, the sun just starting to rise over the capital city. The only people up at this hour were certain city officials, workaholics, and people who wanted to avoid everyone else. One such person was a criminal, strolling through the seedy part of town, letting the morning fog wash over him.

The man walked with purpose, his brown oxfords leaving a firm tap against the pavement with every step. His brown slacks and gray scarf complimented his red-lined, white jacket perfectly. A metal cane and a feathered bowler hat completed the look, giving the man a signature style that everyone in the criminal underworld could recognize.

The orange-haired rogue rounded a corner, walking down one of the more disreputable streets. His green eyes glanced over hood-rats, drug dealers, and prostitutes, shutting themselves into sordid buildings as the last remnants of the nightlife winded down for the day. The man let them be and continued on his way. He stopped at the bar on the corner, The Hammered Ursa, and went inside.

The door hit a small bell, letting the owner know that someone had just entered. The man stood behind the bar, cleaning glasses with his back turned to the door. The only defining characteristic one could see of him was his greasy, black hair with rainbow-colored highlights.

"We're closed." said the barman, in a sleazy voice.

"A drink's not quite what I'm looking for." responded the man at the door.

"Torchwick." said the owner, turning around and pulling out a beer.

"Slick. How's my favorite info-broker on the South side doing?"

"Oh, y'know; same shit, different day." replied Slick, pushing the beer towards his orange-haired guest. "How 'bout you Roman? Figured you'd be by. You here about that job you asked me about?"

"Cutting right to the chase? Business must be worse than I thought."

"Well what d'you expect, the younger crowd tends to skip the bar and go straight for the whores outside."

"Ugh," Roman grimaced, "kids these days, always rushing into everything. Y'know, a few years ago guys would actually buy a girl a drink before taking them home, even if they were paid company."

"Easy there, Roman. You start talkin' like that, people'll think you're an old man."

"Well an old man taught me everything I know, including class and respect, two things this younger generation just doesn't have. Is it any wonder none of them can find a woman that wants to be on their arm?"

"Speaking of, that little lady friend o' yours still hangin' around?"

"But of course, I inspire loyalty in my coworkers, after all." said Roman, with a prideful grin.

"'Coworkers,' sure." said Slick, with a wry smile.

"Anyway, enough small talk, let's get back to business."

"Alright, alright. So, the museum?"

"Right, how's security look?"

"Pretty lax, just like I said it would."

"And no one else knows about this?"

"Far as I know. Watch your back either way, never know when someone else might be casing the place at the same time."

"Good to know." said Roman, downing the rest of the beer and slamming the bottle down on the counter. "Thanks for the help, and for the drink." he continued, leaving payment for both on the counter.

"Good luck, lemme know how it goes." said Slick, taking the bottle and money.

"I'm sure you'll hear about it one way or another." said Roman, as he turned and left.

After leaving the bar, Roman made his way through the back alleys, sidestepping the filth as he headed for his next destination. He came to a shabby-looking building with a back door that read 'condemned.' He knocked on the door in a specific pattern; three knocks, one knock, two knocks, three knocks. A metal slot on the door slid open, allowing a pair of reddish-brown eyes to look out at Roman.

"What's the password?" asked a gruff voice.

"Seriously, we're doing this again? You know who I am already." said Roman, irritably.

"What's the password?" asked the voice again.

Roman sighed in exasperation. "A Dog Day Afternoon."

The slot in the door slid shut, followed by the sound of several locks being undone, before the door finally opened. Roman walked in and looked up at the massive man that let him in. He stood at seven-and-a-half feet tall and was built like a pit bull; an apt description due to the fact that he was a dog-Faunus, as one could tell from the floppy ears on his head.

"Y'know, Dog, that password is starting to sound stupider every time I say it."

"That's Big Dog to you Torchwick."

"Your alias needs work, too." Roman muttered under his breath.

"And I don't really care if it sounds stupid, the point is that it works." continued the behemoth, as he made his way behind the counter in the back of the room.

Big Dog pushed a button hidden under the counter. The rotting walls of the room spun around, revealing row after row of tools and weapons. The wall behind the counter parted, opening up an additional storeroom. Even the top of the counter flipped over to reveal an array of illicit goods.

"So, whaddya want, Roman?"

Roman looked up from eyeballing the merchandise. "Do you still have it?" he asked, warily.

Big Dog grunted, he walked to the back room and came back with a metal briefcase. "One state-of-the-art Atlas-Tech Circular Plasma Cutter." he said, putting the case on the counter.

Roman reached for the case, eagerly, only to have it pulled backwards by the very man offering to him.

"Y'know, you're lucky you give me good business, Torchwick. This is my last one, and I held it for you. Think of it as a courtesy for your customer loyalty." said Big Dog, slowly sliding the case forward again.

"Why thank you, you're so thoughtful." responded Torchwick, reaching for the case again.

Big Dog's massive hand slammed down on the case once more. "No really, do you have any idea how difficult it was to get my hands on one of these things? I want you to understand just how much trouble I went through for this."

Roman narrowed his eyes at the larger man. "What do you want?"

"Extra, as in double. Price is five-thousand now."

"What!? Are you kidding me!?" asked Roman, incredulously.

"I don't do reservations, but I still held this for you."

Roman grimaced, before reluctantly pulling out his wallet. "Ugh, you're lucky I came prepared for this, you price-gouging mutt."

"I'm sorry, you are gonna talk to me about price-gouging?" said the Faunus, as he began counting the money. "How many people did you rip off in that scam you pulled last Christmas?"

"That was a legitimate business venture."

"You were charging six Lien for water bottles."

"Everything's more expensive in the city, that goes double for the best holiday festival the city has ever seen."

"Hmph, whatever helps you sleep at night." said Big Dog, sliding the case back towards Roman.

Finally able to touch the case without interruption, Roman opened it and inspected its contents. Finding everything to be satisfactory with the device, he nodded to the Faunus and closed the case.

"Now, about the Dust you'll need to use it…" said Big Dog.

"Ha ha, luckily that is one thing I don't need you for; I made the mixture myself." responded Roman, with a sly grin.

The Faunus grunted in response.

"Aw, I know, big guy. Who knows, one day I might not need you at all." said Roman, tauntingly.

"Yeah right, just try and find another black market dealer in this city."

"Oh, there are others; you just have better stock."

"You're damn right I do. Now, you done here?"

"Actually, I just ran out of security sensor spray and I don't have time to make more."

"Lucky for you, I make it better anyway." said Big Dog, pulling a spray can out from under the counter.

Roman paid for the spray and made way for the exit.

"Don't expect favors like that cutter to be a regular thing!" shouted Big Dog, as Roman opened the door.

The orange-haired thief waved him off, apathetically, as he started walking towards his last stop of the morning.

His final errand brought him to a cash house on the edge of the slum district. He knocked on the door, prompting to be opened slightly while still chained to the wall. A bald man in a suit looked him over, not quite concealing a handgun behind the door.

"I'm here to see Ash," said Roman, "she should be expecting me."

The man brought a finger to his ear, listening through the communicator that was just barely visible. He unchained the door and tilted his head towards the back of the building.

Roman walked down the hall, looking through the one-way window at the twenty-or-so people counting thousands of Lien. He was ushered into a back room that had two more suit-wearing guards standing outside. His escort followed him in and closed the door behind him.

Roman walked up to one of the chairs in front of the desk, as he watched a dark-skinned blonde woman pace around the room filing papers away. She would occasionally tug the business-skirt she wore with her suit back into place, as she frantically moved about. Roman couldn't help but notice her shirt had three buttons undone, giving him a generous view of her bust. She seemed to have caught on to the rogue's staring, as her attention quickly snapped to him.

"Roman, you're late!" she said, adjusting her glasses so that he could better see the anger in her amber eyes.

"Ash, baby-"

"Don't 'baby' me! You were supposed to be here seven minutes and twenty-two seconds ago!" she said, looking down at her gold watch.

"Right, sorry, my last two stops held me up."

"Irrelevant," she responded, sitting at her desk, "let's get down to business."

Roman nodded and took his own seat across from her. Ash pulled a folder out of one of the drawers and began flipping through it.

"What exactly do you need from me, Roman?"

"Well, I've got a job coming up soon. Simply put, something very valuable is going to come into my possession, before getting sold off to the highest bidder."

"And you need someone to launder the money."

"Precisely."

"Just tell me where you want it and I'll make the necessary arrangements."

"I was thinking…half to the Mistral account, and…a quarter to my holdings in Vacuo."

"And the rest?"

"The rest stays here with me, of course." said Roman, with a grin.

"Don't forget the cut I'm taking for my services." said Ash, sternly.

"Of course, of course, I could never leave you out. Who knows, I might even be willing to spend a little more of it on you; I know this great club that-"

"Tempting, Roman, but I know better than to go clubbing with someone like you, especially given the company you already keep."

"Heh heh, right." said Roman, tugging at his scarf.

"Well, with that, I believe we're done here."

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Ash." said Roman, getting up and making his way for the door.

Ash merely mumbled a response, as she started working around the room again.

Roman exited the building and started the trek back to the more developed part of the city. With his morning errands completed, he could finally head back to his safehouse to relax for a while.

Roman arrived at the safehouse without any trouble. He unlocked the door and walked in, making sure to lock it back up behind him. He stripped off his coat and scarf, intent on staying in for most of the day.

"Neo, I'm home!" he called out, as he walked down the hall.

No response. There were no signs of forced entry or struggle around him, which could only mean she must not have heard him.

"Neo!" he called again, slightly quickening his pace. "I swear, if you're still sleeping I'm gonna-"

Roman's train of thought was cut off as he entered the main room of the small apartment. Lying on the floor, coffee mug in hand, was the young woman he was looking for; but it was the position she was in, and what she was wearing, that caused his mind to go blank. The pink-and-brown-haired girl was dressed in nothing but a skin-tight pink sports bra and matching pair of thigh-length training shorts. She was propped up on her elbows and lifting her body up in a gymnastic pose; specifically, she was arching her back, and one of her legs, over her head to push a button on the television with her toe.

"How on Remnant is she that flexible?" Roman thought, as more of his body than he would've liked started to go stiff at the sight. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

Having heard his earlier calling, Neo responded by waving a hand at him dismissively.

"Um…Neo, why don't you finish up your…stretching, I've got a job for you."

Neo turned her head this time, looking up at Roman with her heterochromatic pink and brown eyes. She did a handstand and arched her back further, standing on all fours with her stomach facing up. She made sure her flattened abdominal area gave Roman the barest glimpse of her hip-bones through her training shorts, before pushing off the floor and standing up straight.

The short young woman walked up to her boss, still wearing barely anything, and looked up at him with rapt attention. Roman forced himself to maintain eye-contact as he addressed his partner-in-crime.

"Right, Neo, the museum heist is finally happening tonight. I need you to do one final sweep of the building to make sure there are no surprises."

Neo simply smiled and nodded in response.

"Good, now go." said Roman, pointing towards her room. "And for god's sake, put some clothes on!"

Neo quietly giggled to herself as her flustered boss turned away. She did as she was asked and made her way to her room. She opened up the wardrobe and got out her favorite ensemble; after all, if she was going out on the town, she was going to do it in style, even if no one would see her that way.

She put on a brown pair of jeans and matching corset, followed by a white tailcoat lined with pink on the inside. She rounded the set out with a pair of black gloves and a pair of high-heeled, white knee-boots. She added a couple of personal touches, a loose belt and a scattered array of necklaces, and then walked out into the main room.

Roman looked up from the chair he was sitting in as she entered. "You going out looking like that?" he asked.

Neo rolled her eyes, turning them a deep blue color in the process. She twirled around, as what appeared to be reflective shards of glass materialized around her body. Neo now stood as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing a red plaid, pleated skirt and matching beret; she wore black knee-boots, a black tank-top, and a denim jacket. Her disguise complete, she presented herself to her boss.

"That's more like it," responded Roman, "try not to cause any trouble while you're there."

Neo pouted in irritation, upset that Roman would even imply that she couldn't reign in her more mischievous side. She turned on a heel and left with a huff.

The now blonde Neo made her way through the streets. The sidewalks were packed with people, completely clueless to the fact that a dangerous criminal was walking in their midst; to them, she just looked like a typical college girl. It was by far the biggest benefit of her Semblance, she could go all over the city and no one would ever know her real face.

She walked by a few interesting sights on her way: an ice cream parlor she considered visiting, a clothing store she considered stealing from, and a White Fang flyer she considered to be a waste of space. Neo didn't understand the point of the White Fang, fighting for Faunus equality. From what she could tell, the Faunus already had that, particularly in a kingdom as laid back and tolerant as Vale. Sure there were a few assholes around, but that would probably never change. Her boss was more than willing to degrade a Faunus if they happened to be an incompetent henchman, but Roman was like that to everyone, not just Faunus; that's why he had her around, because he knew that quality work was assured. She was lucky to have Roman, no activist-turned-terrorist group was going to try and save her from society's cruelty. She had only herself to rely on before Roman came along.

In her musing, Neo almost didn't notice she had already arrived at the Vale Museum of Art and History. She walked in the front door and showed her scroll to the receptionist. The brunette woman saw an ID in the scroll for an art student at Vale University, another product of Neo's Semblance. The receptionist let her in for free.

"Like taking candy from a baby." Neo thought.

She made her way through the museum, looking interested in the exhibits so she didn't look suspicious to the security guards. The Historical Wing contained ancient artifacts from lost civilizations, as well as speculation about what human culture must have been like back then; some of the relics looked quite valuable, definitely something to look into in the future. The Natural History Wing contained a lot of information about animals and other living things, even some Creatures of Grimm were part of the exhibit; nothing worth stealing, although the handcrafted models of the Grimm could fetch a pretty penny from certain collectors. The Modern Art Wing contained a wide variety of different pieces, some more well-thought-out than others; no one would give them anything for this, it was amazing what some people considered art these days. The Classical Art Wing featured paintings and sculptures from the greatest artists in Remnant's history, every display was truly a masterpiece; these works were priceless, people would kill to have them in their own private collections.

Neo was not just admiring the pieces on display, she was also casing the place for later that night. She had the layout of the museum more-or-less memorized, and made particular note of the locations of security cameras. She eventually made her way to the Special Exhibition Hall, a section containing limited-time exhibits that were moved to different museums around Remnant; the items were usually on loan from wealthy collectors, including the object she would be holding in her hands later that night.

There, in the center of the room, sat a gleaming emerald. Other minerals in the green gemstone caused it to have many different other colors inside of it. It was the largest precious stone of its kind, the Gaia Emerald, on loan from the Gaia Mining Family of Atlas.

"Jackpot." thought Neo.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?" said a voice from behind her.

Neo turned around to find an older man with glasses, dressed in a brown suit.

"It took us years to convince the Gaia family to allow us to host it here." he continued. "Oh, forgive me, I haven't even introduced myself; my name is Terra Antiqua, I'm the curator of this gallery. You're a university student, I take it?"

Neo nodded at the man.

"Hm, good to see there are still young people who come to museums. Well, enjoy the rest of the exhibits." he said, before walking off.

Neo smiled and waved at the man as he left. While she couldn't speak for the other exhibits, she would certainly enjoy the one right in front of her once she held it in her hands; and considering it was worth more than everything else in the building, including the building itself, that was all she could ask for.

Her work inside now finished, Neo left the building and ducked into a nearby alleyway. With a shimmer of glass shards, her college girl façade was exchanged for a janitorial uniform; her hair had changed, now being jet black and tied up in a ponytail. With practiced ease, she hopped up the walls in acrobatic fashion and landed on the roof.

Neo surveyed the museum from up high, jumping across the rooftops to view the building from multiple angles. She took note of every potential entrance and exit, just in case they needed a more conventional exit route. She was observing the last corner of the museum when the rooftop door opened behind her. A young man wearing business clothes walked out, holding a cigarette in his hand. The man looked up, surprised to see someone else on the roof.

"Uh, who're you?" he asked.

"Window washer." replied Neo in a quiet voice, pointing to her janitor uniform.

The office worker shrugged and lit his cigarette.

Neo frowned, knowing she would be stuck on the roof until he finished his smoke break.

The man looked over, halfway through his cigarette. "Y'know, you're…unusually cute for a window washer."

Neo rolled her eyes. "I'm also spoken for." she said, curtly.

The man grit his teeth slightly, lamenting both Neo's response and his own terrible attempt at breaking the ice. He threw what was left of his cigarette onto the gravel, before grinding it out and heading back inside.

Satisfied with this turn of events, Neo smirked before looking back towards the alleyway she was in before. In a flash of white light, she vanished from the rooftop and reappeared in the alley. She looked around, making sure no one had seen her use her Semblance's secondary ability. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she used its first ability one more time to appear as a green-eyed red-head, and headed back home.

She stopped by the ice-cream parlor on the way back, enjoying a cone of the Neapolitan flavor she got her name from. She paid for it like a regular customer, she had to keep her vice in business after all. She figured Roman would probably treat her once their job was finished later that night, but saw nothing wrong with indulging herself a little. She walked back to the safehouse, polishing off her treat on the way.

Roman and Neo snuck through the back alleys in the dead of night, making their way to the museum, its doors having long been closed at this hour. Seeing that the coast was clear, they rushed across the street to the back wall of the building.

"You're sure you've got the blindspot right?" asked Roman.

Neo simply smiled and nodded.

"Okay, take us in."

In a flash of white light, the criminal duo vanished from the streets and reappeared on the other side of the wall.

Roman turned to see a startled security guard, dumbstruck by the sudden appearance of two complete strangers. The guard reached for his radio, but a strike to the head from Roman's cane made his mind go blank. Roman hooked the unconscious man's collar with the cane's curved handle, before lowering him to the floor quietly.

"Maybe we should've taken our chances with the door alarm after all." said Roman, sarcastically. "You know the plan; you disable the security system, I'll take care of our hosts."

Neo nodded, as glass-like shards enveloped her, causing her to vanish from sight. Roman could still see her transparent form by a slight shimmer in the air if he looked closely, but the cameras would never be able to spot it in the dark.

"And don't kill anyone." said Roman, before he forgot.

Neo sighed and proceeded to the security room. The door was ajar, and the guard inside was preoccupied with the monitors. Neo shed her concealment and tapped the man on the shoulder.

He turned around. "Huh…what the-" was all he managed to say before Neo's boot connected with his skull.

With the guard out of the way, Neo lazily took his seat and looked over the security console. The whole system was controlled through keycards. Neo looked over at the dazed guard and spotted his card hanging on his belt. She hooked the card with the curved handle of her pink parasol, and pulled it to her. Slotting the card into the console, Neo looked over her options. She immediately spotted the camera and alarm controls and disabled them.

Meanwhile, Roman was waiting patiently in the hallway, still in the cameras' blind spot, when he felt his scroll go off. He checked a message from Neo that read 'all clear,' then headed into the rest of the building with a smirk.

Neo watched the console, noting that it displayed the badge information of every guard on duty. Not counting the two they already took out, there were only three left.

Roman moved silently through the halls; hearing footsteps around the corner, the thief stopped and waited. As the lone guard came around the corner, he was knocked out by a briefcase swing to the temple. The man collapsed to the floor, drawing the attention of another guard nearby. Roman hid behind a pedestal displaying an art piece, he put the briefcase down, and then choked the guard from behind with his cane.

With no other guards in sight, Roman retrieved the case and quickly made his way around the perimeter of the museum, checking to make sure he got everyone. He was stopped when he rounded the corner and saw a guard looking straight at him from the other end of the hallway. Roman raised his cane, uncapping the end and preparing to fire an explosive round. Luckily, he didn't need to, as something caught the guard from behind. Roman walked up to the struggling guard to find him with his neck in a leg lock, courtesy of Neo.

"Well, it's about time you showed up." said Roman, sarcastically.

With a smirk, Neo finished strangling the guard.

"Now, on to the main event." said Roman, satisfied with his partner's work.

As they approached the Special Exhibition Hall, Roman held out his hand, signaling for them to stop. He took out the spray can he bought from Big Dog earlier that day, and sprayed the smoky aerosol into the room. Infrared tripwires, normally invisible to the naked eye, faintly revealed themselves to the thieves.

"They're on a separate grid," said Roman, "rich folks that donate things to this place were savvy enough to want some extra security."

Neo simply shrugged, walking up to the lasers with her ever-present smirk. She bent over backwards and moved forward, slipping under the first beam with the skill of an expert limbo player. She righted her posture, then leaped between the next few beams, landing in a handstand. Finally, she lowered herself to the floor and slid under the next tripwire, before jumping between the last few in a sideways triple-axle. She stuck the landing like a gymnast before turning to Roman and giving a grandiose bow.

"Yes, yes, very impressive." said Roman, clapping halfheartedly. "I prefer a more conventional solution." he said, loading a shell into his cane.

Roman fired the shell along the floor into the middle of the laser array. The space between him and his partner began to fill with thick black smoke. When the volume of the smokescreen looked sufficient, Roman walked forward. The smoke blocked the beams, allowing the thief to casually stroll over to his prize. He gave a bow to his partner, who responded with a derisive pout.

"You're no fun." she thought, giving Roman a look that said as much.

"Well, we are here on business, after all." he responded, sarcastically. "Cut the alarm on the case."

Neo nodded and began inspecting the pedestal for a panel that she could remove. The disadvantage to demanding one's own security measures was that they were often self-contained enough to be easy to find. It took Neo less than thirty seconds to find an opening, before she wedged the panel off with a pair of screwdrivers. She inspected the alarm system inside, quickly saw what each wire was connected to, and cut the power cable with a pair of scissors. She turned to Roman and gave him a thumbs-up.

Roman opened his briefcase and took out the plasma cutter. "All right, let's see if this thing was worth the price." he said, as he fired up the machine.

A blue flame sparked to life, as a canister of Burn and Shock Dust slowly fed its contents into the device.

"Neo, if you would."

The short woman nodded and attached a handle to the glass display case with a suction cup. Once the handle was locked in place, Roman mounted the plasma cutter over it. He began cutting into the case using the machine's circular guide. The reinforced glass was no match for the intense, focused heat of the plasma. After a minute, Roman had cut a perfect circle in the glass. He pulled it free and put it aside, eager to claim his score.

It was at that time that Neo's eye was caught by something odd, a faint glow was present despite the plasma cutter being powered down. She looked over and noticed it was coming from inside the pedestal. As Roman reached through the glass to take the emerald, Neo rummaged through the wiring to inspect the mysterious light. Upon locating the source, she gasped in horror; there was a Dust crystal and a small computer board spliced into the wiring, a secondary power supply. Neo looked up at Roman. Too late.

As soon as Roman lifted the emerald off its stand, a cacophony of noise rang out through the room. Red lights flashed and security gates closed, as the alarm continued to blare.

"Shit! Neo!" yelled Roman, pocketing the gem.

The two thieves ran for the door, leaving the plasma cutter behind. In a flash of light, they warped right past the steel gate sealing the room.

"To the back!" Roman shouted over the alarm, noticing the flashing red and blue outside the front door.

They ran through the museum, flashing past any security gate that got in their way until they reached the hallway they entered from. With one last flash, they appeared on the other side of the wall, outside the museum.

Red and blue flashed from all directions, as a veritable fleet of police and SWAT vehicles surrounded the front of the building. Roman could hear booted footsteps around the corner, prompting him to make a break for the alley. He felt a weight drop out of his pocket, followed by a clink on the ground. Neo looked back to see the Gaia Emerald lying on the sidewalk.

"Forget it!" said Roman, pulling her along.

The footsteps grew louder and more frantic just as Roman and Neo slipped into the side streets.

"There he is!" shouted a SWAT officer. "Pursue him into the alleys, cover all exits!"

Roman and Neo ran through the cramped streets, frantically looking for an exit that didn't feature flashing lights in the distance.

"Roman Torchwick!" called a voice over a megaphone. "We have the entire district surrounded, there is no escape! Surrender now or we will use lethal force!"

"Shit," thought Roman, "this was a setup. Somehow, they knew I was coming."

Roman felt a tug on his sleeve; he turned and saw his partner's pleading eyes.

"I know, I know. Let me think." he said, quietly.

Roman tried to come up with a solution, a way out, but kept drawing blanks. The police had a perimeter around at least the entire city block, too far for Neo to warp past. SWAT teams with heavy armor were actively hunting them through the alleys; even with their skills, there was no guarantee the thieves would be able to fight their way out, especially with the firing squad they'd run into if they did. The more he thought about it, the more capture seemed inevitable; it was clear the police did not intend to leave here without him in custody.

"Might as well embrace it." Roman thought, with a sigh. "Neo, I'm gonna have to take one for the team."

Neo looked up at him with a panicked expression.

"Oh, don't give me that look. We clearly have no clean way out of this." said Roman, in a hushed voice. "You remember what to do, right?"

Neo looked to the side, hesitantly, but nodded.

"Good, now go."

"Hey, I think I hear voices. This way!" they heard an officer say, nearby.

Roman and Neo took off in the opposite direction, weaving their way through the alleys until they reached a dead end.

"Do it." said Roman, handing her his scroll.

Neo nodded, then flattened herself against the brick wall. Reflective shards formed around her until a perfect replica of her surroundings stood in her place.

Seconds later, a tactical team rounded the corner to find Roman standing alone, back turned with his cane raised above his head.

"Alright," he said, turning to face them, "you got me."

The team moved in to surround him. They put him on the ground and bound his wrists with handcuffs; one of the officers relieved him of his cane.

"Roman Torchwick, you are under arrest." said the officer restraining him.

"First time for everything." replied the thief, with a grin.

The SWAT team dragged him away to an armored van that was waiting for them near the inner blockade of police cars. They shoved him into the bench in the back.

"Hey, watch the hat!" he said, before they slammed the doors shut.

The tactical teams began packing up, as an investigative team moved in to inspect the aftermath of Roman's activity. Medical personnel were rushed in to tend to the injured security guards, while officers swept the perimeter.

"Captain!" called a CSI. "We found this behind the museum," he said, holding up a bag containing the Gaia Emerald, "must've been what he was here to steal."

"Pack it up as evidence, museum boys can claim it when we're done with it."

"Yes, sir."

The young man dropped the jewel off in a forensic truck, and went back to helping his coworkers. Unbeknownst to him, an officer pocketed the valuable item as soon as his back was turned. The thieving officer left the perimeter with a smirk, satisfied that he left the others none the wiser.

Once the police presence had died down, the brick wall in the alley fell to pieces, revealing a still-concealed Neo.

"Roman." she said, forlornly.

She walked out of the alley, her destination already in mind. Roman wouldn't stay incarcerated for long if she had anything to say about it.

Alright, hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. There's more to come; the whole story is already outlined and I've already started writing the next chapter. Hope to get that to you as quick as I can.

In the meantime, I recently tore apart my old Twitter account, since I wasn't really using it for anything, and thought I could restructure it into something productive like community outreach; you can follow me there SoloRStudios. I'm not really active on there at the moment, but once I start actually getting some followers I'll start posting updates and other stuff. It's also got a link to my DeviantArt account if you wanna check out some of the other stuff I've been working.

Also, as a side note, the living room scene was directly inspired by this fan art (just replace the () with periods): silenticha()tumblr()com/post/114662886294/headcanon-that-neo-combines-practicing-gymnastic

Til next time, have a nice day.