2327 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been betrayed.
2315 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been...
2315 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been...
Business Venture | RWBY AU
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001
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
2327 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been betrayed.
2315 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been sentenced.
2312 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been placed in this cell.
He knew this, because he had taken the time to scratch the notches in the wall. Every day, as the sun came up and he was given his usual bowl of watery piss-gruel, he used the cheap tin spoon to scrape another line into the wall of his new home.
The rest of the morning would be spent counting these lines, over and over, until they seemed like they were gouged straight into his mind. Then would be lunch, another bowl of piss-gruel, followed by a few hours of stretches and light exercise to make sure he wasn't losing his limber. He would then be given dinner- another bowl of piss-gruel- before tucking in to bed, waiting for the next day, and the next repetition of his little routine.
Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every second.
Roman Torchwick felt hate.
On the 2315th day, the cell next to Roman received a new occupant.
"Fitting for the psychopaths to be put together," one of the guards laughed. Roman let his lips part and expose teeth, so that as the guards passed they could see. They didn't look. It didn't matter.
On the 2329th day, Roman's new neighbor spoke for the first time.
"What are you in for?"
The voice sounded a little rough and gravelly. Roman wasn't sure if it was an affectation, or a result of spending too long sitting silent in his cell.
After a moment of thought, Roman responded. "Between you and me? I trusted the wrong friends."
The cell next door remained quiet for a few moments, before it's inhabitant began laughing bitterly. "You and me both."
On the 2333rd day, Roman's neighbor gave him his name.
"I'm surprised you don't recognize me. I've made a bit of a name for myself these last couple of years," Adam Taurus said.
Roman shrugged, not caring that Adam wouldn't see it. "Been in here for a while." He didn't say how long. It wasn't necessary.
"How would you like to be out of here, instead?"
Roman's lips parted in a grin. "Oh, I'd love that," he said, "Be a real pick-me up, after all this time." He would especially enjoy the opportunity to find and meet his old friends. Why, after so many years, would they even remember good old Torchwick, and their days of shared violence?
He was sure they would. And if they didn't, well, he was sure a bit of violence would help jog their memory.
On the 2334th day, terrorists attacked the prison, and Roman met Adam face to face for the first time.
The night air was cold and crisp as Roman made his way through town. It had been too long. Far too long. Tipping his hat to the suited man standing outside of the bar, Roman made his way inside.
Mirrored walls and a highly open floorplan gave Junior's bar the illusion of being an endless expanse of milling flesh and strobing lights, a party that never slowed down or stopped. The bar itself was tended by one of Junior's toughs, a man hard to tell from any other tough given their common haircuts, uniforms, and builds. If Roman didn't know any better, he'd suspect that Junior had some kind of cloning vat in the back of his establishment, churning out an endless supply of worker drones to do his bidding.
Not that Roman would have cared if he did. He wasn't here for muscle- not yet, anyway. He was here for knowledge. And for that, he had to speak to the man in charge, not the droogs.
"I'll take a bloody Mary, with extra blood."
The bartender looked him over once from behind his red shades. "I'm sorry. We haven't carried those for years."
"Well, it's been years since I've been here to order one." Roman let his teeth flash in a grin. "Maybe if you tell the guys in the back that it's Torchwick asking, they'll be able to turn something up."
The bartender stayed silent for a moment, before stepping into the back room. Roman turned, let his arms stretch out to brace himself against the bar, and looked across the building.
Dozens of red glasses looked back at him from within the crowd, strobe lights gleaming off the reflective material, eerie patches of stillness within the throbbing mass of the dance floor. Torchwick's own grin remained still and steady, even as he felt the prick of a knife against the nape of his neck.
"You know, I didn't expect to ever see you alive again after that mess. Give me a reason why I shouldn't fix things so you aren't."
"Junior! Buddy! Pal! Amigo!" Roman's voice was filled with a fake cheer. "Is that really how you're going to treat your long-lost friend after he gets out of prison?"
The knife was removed from Roman's spine, and he turned around, leaving his arms wide as he came to face Junior. The man looked older than he remembered, but Roman supposed that was what happened when you were locked away for the better part of a decade.
"Friend is an expensive word these days," Junior observed. "I'm not sure if you've got the credit to pay that bill."
Roman shrugged, before gesturing at his shirt. At Junior's nod, he reached in and produced a stack of cards as thick as his hand, throwing them on the table. "I think you'll find I have plenty of credit these days- enough to make being my friend a very good idea." At Junior's completely straight face, Roman let out a chuckle. "A much better idea than the alternative, anyway."
"Perhaps we should talk in the back," Junior offered, picking up the cards and tucking them into his pocket.
The back rooms were, if anything, the opposite of the main room. Instead of a vast and pulsing infinity of flesh and smooth crystal rock, it was a series of small, cramped rooms of cheap wood, with the ever-present stench of cigar smoke and boiled cabbage baked into the very walls.
"Ah, how nostalgic," Roman reminisced out loud. "I remember back in the days, the things we'd get up to in back rooms like these-"
"Don't get so caught up in the past you forget why you're here." Junior paused. "Why are you here?"
"I'd have thought you would have guessed." Roman leaned against a wall, as casually as he could manage, hiding his hand in his pocket to hide how it trembled. "Who was it?"
"… You called me a friend a minute ago." Junior reached into his shirt pocket and produced a pack of cheap cigarettes. Tapping one out, he lifted it to his lips and ignited it with a bit of Dust. After sucking in a deep breath of smoke, he let it out slowly, and then shook his head. "I'm going to give you a friend's advice. Forget your past. Get out of this city. Go to another Kingdom. Start a new life with your new money."
"That isn't going to happen."
Roman had thought that Junior looked old before, but now he looked ancient, smoke leaving dark lines of shadow across his face. After a moment, Junior sighed.
"It was all of them, Roman. Dim, Pete, and Georgie- They were all in on it."
[] "Where are they?"
[] "Why did they?"
[] "How dare they?"
2315 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been sentenced.
2312 days ago, Roman Torchwick had been placed in this cell.
He knew this, because he had taken the time to scratch the notches in the wall. Every day, as the sun came up and he was given his usual bowl of watery piss-gruel, he used the cheap tin spoon to scrape another line into the wall of his new home.
The rest of the morning would be spent counting these lines, over and over, until they seemed like they were gouged straight into his mind. Then would be lunch, another bowl of piss-gruel, followed by a few hours of stretches and light exercise to make sure he wasn't losing his limber. He would then be given dinner- another bowl of piss-gruel- before tucking in to bed, waiting for the next day, and the next repetition of his little routine.
Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every second.
Roman Torchwick felt hate.
On the 2315th day, the cell next to Roman received a new occupant.
"Fitting for the psychopaths to be put together," one of the guards laughed. Roman let his lips part and expose teeth, so that as the guards passed they could see. They didn't look. It didn't matter.
On the 2329th day, Roman's new neighbor spoke for the first time.
"What are you in for?"
The voice sounded a little rough and gravelly. Roman wasn't sure if it was an affectation, or a result of spending too long sitting silent in his cell.
After a moment of thought, Roman responded. "Between you and me? I trusted the wrong friends."
The cell next door remained quiet for a few moments, before it's inhabitant began laughing bitterly. "You and me both."
On the 2333rd day, Roman's neighbor gave him his name.
"I'm surprised you don't recognize me. I've made a bit of a name for myself these last couple of years," Adam Taurus said.
Roman shrugged, not caring that Adam wouldn't see it. "Been in here for a while." He didn't say how long. It wasn't necessary.
"How would you like to be out of here, instead?"
Roman's lips parted in a grin. "Oh, I'd love that," he said, "Be a real pick-me up, after all this time." He would especially enjoy the opportunity to find and meet his old friends. Why, after so many years, would they even remember good old Torchwick, and their days of shared violence?
He was sure they would. And if they didn't, well, he was sure a bit of violence would help jog their memory.
On the 2334th day, terrorists attacked the prison, and Roman met Adam face to face for the first time.
BUSINESS VENTURE
A RWBY Quest
A RWBY Quest
The night air was cold and crisp as Roman made his way through town. It had been too long. Far too long. Tipping his hat to the suited man standing outside of the bar, Roman made his way inside.
Mirrored walls and a highly open floorplan gave Junior's bar the illusion of being an endless expanse of milling flesh and strobing lights, a party that never slowed down or stopped. The bar itself was tended by one of Junior's toughs, a man hard to tell from any other tough given their common haircuts, uniforms, and builds. If Roman didn't know any better, he'd suspect that Junior had some kind of cloning vat in the back of his establishment, churning out an endless supply of worker drones to do his bidding.
Not that Roman would have cared if he did. He wasn't here for muscle- not yet, anyway. He was here for knowledge. And for that, he had to speak to the man in charge, not the droogs.
"I'll take a bloody Mary, with extra blood."
The bartender looked him over once from behind his red shades. "I'm sorry. We haven't carried those for years."
"Well, it's been years since I've been here to order one." Roman let his teeth flash in a grin. "Maybe if you tell the guys in the back that it's Torchwick asking, they'll be able to turn something up."
The bartender stayed silent for a moment, before stepping into the back room. Roman turned, let his arms stretch out to brace himself against the bar, and looked across the building.
Dozens of red glasses looked back at him from within the crowd, strobe lights gleaming off the reflective material, eerie patches of stillness within the throbbing mass of the dance floor. Torchwick's own grin remained still and steady, even as he felt the prick of a knife against the nape of his neck.
"You know, I didn't expect to ever see you alive again after that mess. Give me a reason why I shouldn't fix things so you aren't."
"Junior! Buddy! Pal! Amigo!" Roman's voice was filled with a fake cheer. "Is that really how you're going to treat your long-lost friend after he gets out of prison?"
The knife was removed from Roman's spine, and he turned around, leaving his arms wide as he came to face Junior. The man looked older than he remembered, but Roman supposed that was what happened when you were locked away for the better part of a decade.
"Friend is an expensive word these days," Junior observed. "I'm not sure if you've got the credit to pay that bill."
Roman shrugged, before gesturing at his shirt. At Junior's nod, he reached in and produced a stack of cards as thick as his hand, throwing them on the table. "I think you'll find I have plenty of credit these days- enough to make being my friend a very good idea." At Junior's completely straight face, Roman let out a chuckle. "A much better idea than the alternative, anyway."
"Perhaps we should talk in the back," Junior offered, picking up the cards and tucking them into his pocket.
The back rooms were, if anything, the opposite of the main room. Instead of a vast and pulsing infinity of flesh and smooth crystal rock, it was a series of small, cramped rooms of cheap wood, with the ever-present stench of cigar smoke and boiled cabbage baked into the very walls.
"Ah, how nostalgic," Roman reminisced out loud. "I remember back in the days, the things we'd get up to in back rooms like these-"
"Don't get so caught up in the past you forget why you're here." Junior paused. "Why are you here?"
"I'd have thought you would have guessed." Roman leaned against a wall, as casually as he could manage, hiding his hand in his pocket to hide how it trembled. "Who was it?"
"… You called me a friend a minute ago." Junior reached into his shirt pocket and produced a pack of cheap cigarettes. Tapping one out, he lifted it to his lips and ignited it with a bit of Dust. After sucking in a deep breath of smoke, he let it out slowly, and then shook his head. "I'm going to give you a friend's advice. Forget your past. Get out of this city. Go to another Kingdom. Start a new life with your new money."
"That isn't going to happen."
Roman had thought that Junior looked old before, but now he looked ancient, smoke leaving dark lines of shadow across his face. After a moment, Junior sighed.
"It was all of them, Roman. Dim, Pete, and Georgie- They were all in on it."
[] "Where are they?"
[] "Why did they?"
[] "How dare they?"
BBBence1111
Harbinger of Bad Luck
- Location
- Magyarország
[X] "Where are they?"
Why care about the why? They did it. They suffer.
Why care about the why? They did it. They suffer.
- Location
- U.S.
exactly, we find out the why and find a way to make it pointless. money, we'll take it all, power? we'll take it all from them one little bit at a time from their grasp, etc etc
- Location
- nz
[X] "Why did they?"
- Location
- USA
[X] "Why did they?"
This looks fun.
This looks fun.
- Location
- Castle Oblivious
A punishment is beter If it has meaning, it is kind of ironic.
Time to show Then Why they don't mess With this suave villian.
I wonder, this is an AU but wil snippers of cannon be involved? I assume this is before the main cast Goes to beacon and stuff...
Which means Neo is running around, She would make for a good ally.
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
[X] "Why did they?"
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
[X] "Why did they?"
- Location
- Philippines
[X] "Why did they?"
[X] "Why did they?"
He did just bust us out of prison. Maybe we don't have to back his more insane moments, but there's solid reasons to try and be friendly.
He did just bust us out of prison. Maybe we don't have to back his more insane moments, but there's solid reasons to try and be friendly.
- Location
- Castle Oblivious
About Adam.
Look, the downside here is that his edgelordness is against humans.
That is a waste of edgelordness, Because If steered correctly they can be usefull. Their angst fuels them to push beyond.
We already kind of befriended him, but That was before either of us knew What we look like.
If we tone down Torchwick rascism and show our smart side we can have a strong ally.
We shouldn't Ignore the edgelord, we should weaponize his edge to cut open the guys Who double crossed us.
...
Now I can only Imagine Roman wielding adam like a shiv.
"Imma cut ya with this edgelord, I sharpend him With extra angst!"
Look, the downside here is that his edgelordness is against humans.
That is a waste of edgelordness, Because If steered correctly they can be usefull. Their angst fuels them to push beyond.
We already kind of befriended him, but That was before either of us knew What we look like.
If we tone down Torchwick rascism and show our smart side we can have a strong ally.
We shouldn't Ignore the edgelord, we should weaponize his edge to cut open the guys Who double crossed us.
...
Now I can only Imagine Roman wielding adam like a shiv.
"Imma cut ya with this edgelord, I sharpend him With extra angst!"
Last edited:
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
A ROMAN TORCHWICK quest? Count me in!
[X] "Why did they?"
[X] "Why did they?"
Last edited:
[X] "Where are they?"
When we find them, we can ask them why ourselves. Pointedly. Or bluntly. Or some combination of the two.
When we find them, we can ask them why ourselves. Pointedly. Or bluntly. Or some combination of the two.
Dromeosaur
Feathery Raptor of snowy planes and frozen sea
- Location
- The land of Trees and Squirrels
[X] "Why did they?"
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
Unnecessary tally
002
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
"Why did they do it?"
Junior took another drag on his cigarette. "I can't say what any of them were thinking. I'm not psychic. Given how things have shaken out, though... they must have made a deal with someone, given how they've moved up in the world."
Roman clenched his hand tightly inside his pocket, and forced a grin onto his face. So that was it, then. "So they're doing well, then?" He asked. "Good, I'd hate to have gotten back and found them already dead in some ditch. Now, if you'd be so kind as to tell me how they've been keeping themselves busy, perhaps I can schedule a little... visit with them. Catch up on old times."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm going to tell you again- Stop this. They aren't just two bit thugs any more. There's no way that you'll be able to do anything on your own-"
"And what makes you think," Roman asked, "That I'm on my own?"
Junior raised an eyebrow. "You look pretty alone to me," he said, but Roman could see a glint in his eyes- A familiar look, one he'd seen before. "But then, you never were one to show your hand all at once."
"I have made some new friends since I got out of prison," Roman allowed. "Interesting folk, who were very happy to meet someone familiar with the local nightlife, who knew where to go and who to talk to for... useful information."
"Ah. And these friends... They must be very good friends, if they're okay with you spending their money to catch up with old friends." Junior leaned forwards. "So, tell me- what sort of information are your friends looking for?"
Roman unclenched his hand, reached deeper into his pocket, and pulled out a large chunk of crystal. As Junior's eyes widened and he dropped his cigarette, Roman swaggered towards him, and put the crystal in his suddenly grasping hand.
"They are good friends," Roman said. "And they want all of it."
Junior stared at the chunk of rock in his hands. "Do you even know what this is- A chunk of raw dust like this costs more than this bar makes in a year! What have you gotten into?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. But hey, for old time's sake- Can you throw the information on my old friends on the top?"
Several hours later, Roman arrived at his new base of operations- An old warehouse deep in the ghetto. Even at this late hour, the ghetto wasn't sleeping- Night-dwelling creatures wandered the street, milling here and there, occasionally giving Roman an odd glance as he made his way through the neighborhood. He smiled back, and wished he had a handkerchief to keep the smell out.
Fortunately, he'd lost his tails an hour ago- He would rather die than letting Junior know that he was willingly associating with- ugh- Faunus. Living with them, even.
"You're late." And, of course, that was his new friend, waiting up for him. So kind. And trusting, too-
"Sorry about that- There was a bit of a mix up. Can you believe, some of my old friends thought I was dead? And then this... thing..." Roman pulled a small bit of metal out of his pocket and flipped it open. A cold blue glow filled the room. "Back in my day, we kept our secrets in little books and folders, not... Whatever this is supposed to be."
"Hn. Well, welcome back from the dead, old man," Adam said as he grabbed the device. "This is what we call a 'Scroll', by th-"
"Yes, yes, I got the whole lecture already. Weren't you just asking why I was late? That should have everything on it- Police rosters, gang activity, and all the dirty little secrets my friend was willing to part with."
"And now those secrets are mine," Adam mused, sliding his fingers across the scroll's holographic display, and then pausing. "And you're sure this is everything?"
The second scroll sat heavily in Roman's pocket.
[] "... He threw in a little extra for me. Personal business."
[] "... Yes, that's everything. No more secrets for you, heh."
Junior took another drag on his cigarette. "I can't say what any of them were thinking. I'm not psychic. Given how things have shaken out, though... they must have made a deal with someone, given how they've moved up in the world."
Roman clenched his hand tightly inside his pocket, and forced a grin onto his face. So that was it, then. "So they're doing well, then?" He asked. "Good, I'd hate to have gotten back and found them already dead in some ditch. Now, if you'd be so kind as to tell me how they've been keeping themselves busy, perhaps I can schedule a little... visit with them. Catch up on old times."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm going to tell you again- Stop this. They aren't just two bit thugs any more. There's no way that you'll be able to do anything on your own-"
"And what makes you think," Roman asked, "That I'm on my own?"
Junior raised an eyebrow. "You look pretty alone to me," he said, but Roman could see a glint in his eyes- A familiar look, one he'd seen before. "But then, you never were one to show your hand all at once."
"I have made some new friends since I got out of prison," Roman allowed. "Interesting folk, who were very happy to meet someone familiar with the local nightlife, who knew where to go and who to talk to for... useful information."
"Ah. And these friends... They must be very good friends, if they're okay with you spending their money to catch up with old friends." Junior leaned forwards. "So, tell me- what sort of information are your friends looking for?"
Roman unclenched his hand, reached deeper into his pocket, and pulled out a large chunk of crystal. As Junior's eyes widened and he dropped his cigarette, Roman swaggered towards him, and put the crystal in his suddenly grasping hand.
"They are good friends," Roman said. "And they want all of it."
Junior stared at the chunk of rock in his hands. "Do you even know what this is- A chunk of raw dust like this costs more than this bar makes in a year! What have you gotten into?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. But hey, for old time's sake- Can you throw the information on my old friends on the top?"
Several hours later, Roman arrived at his new base of operations- An old warehouse deep in the ghetto. Even at this late hour, the ghetto wasn't sleeping- Night-dwelling creatures wandered the street, milling here and there, occasionally giving Roman an odd glance as he made his way through the neighborhood. He smiled back, and wished he had a handkerchief to keep the smell out.
Fortunately, he'd lost his tails an hour ago- He would rather die than letting Junior know that he was willingly associating with- ugh- Faunus. Living with them, even.
"You're late." And, of course, that was his new friend, waiting up for him. So kind. And trusting, too-
"You and me both."
Roman paused, then shook the thought off."Sorry about that- There was a bit of a mix up. Can you believe, some of my old friends thought I was dead? And then this... thing..." Roman pulled a small bit of metal out of his pocket and flipped it open. A cold blue glow filled the room. "Back in my day, we kept our secrets in little books and folders, not... Whatever this is supposed to be."
"Hn. Well, welcome back from the dead, old man," Adam said as he grabbed the device. "This is what we call a 'Scroll', by th-"
"Yes, yes, I got the whole lecture already. Weren't you just asking why I was late? That should have everything on it- Police rosters, gang activity, and all the dirty little secrets my friend was willing to part with."
"And now those secrets are mine," Adam mused, sliding his fingers across the scroll's holographic display, and then pausing. "And you're sure this is everything?"
The second scroll sat heavily in Roman's pocket.
[] "... He threw in a little extra for me. Personal business."
[] "... Yes, that's everything. No more secrets for you, heh."
Last edited:
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
[X] "... He threw in a little extra for me. Personal business."
We are not the trustworthy sort. The only thing you can trust us about is that we'll stab ya in the gut. Not the back.
We are not the trustworthy sort. The only thing you can trust us about is that we'll stab ya in the gut. Not the back.
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
[X] "... He threw in a little extra for me. Personal business."
Adam is certainly the vengeful sort so he'll understand.
Adam is certainly the vengeful sort so he'll understand.
