Of Black Hats and "Cats"

"Nice of you to join us, Roman."

Roman Torchwick shrugged entering the meeting room where everyone was already assembled. "Whatever. Unlike you, Cinder, some of us have important business to take care of that demands our attention besides," he smirked heading for the head seat. "It isn't like any of the higher-ups are coming all the way down here so you can suck it and keep your yap shut until I take my... seat?"

He knew he'd blundered by the vicious smile on her face as she patted "Puppy"/Ruby and the way all eyes but hers turned away from them to look at the seat at the head of the table. It was turned away from him and a figure sat in it looking out the window wearing a black cowboy hat. He gulped. "Boss?"

"Yes, Roman," said a deep man's voice dripping with dark amusement. "I came "all the way down here"."

"So I see," he glared at Watts who shrugged, shaking his head. Apparently it was a surprise to everyone. "*Ahem* Sorry, Sir. Can I get you a drink?"

The figure waved his hand towards a coffee cup on the table next to him. "Too late for that... and I already found it... unsatisfactory. Weak and disappointing. Sit."

Roman quickly took the last seat left open... the one to the Bosses left. Which also meant he was sitting in the most advantageous and disadvantageous seat in the room. The Boss would be a friends close and enemies closer kind of guy... if he had any friends. Friends were a weakness... but he certainly had favorites. Roman was one until recently but...

"Tell me about our recent loses," the man said.

Roman took a breath but nodded. It wasn't the subject he'd hoped to discuss but it was the Bosses show. There's always a bigger fish and the Boss was one hell of a shark. "Yes, Sir. Dispite other recent gains and acquisitions it is as you say and we've incurred a few losses-"

"Like the remaining members of Team RWBY," the Boss stated before raising one finger. "With the one exception, of course."

Cinder smiled and patted Puppies head where she knelt at her mistresses side, obediently.

Roman sighed and came clean knowing the Boss likely already knew everything. If he was in trouble, he was already in it up to his hat. "Alright, yeah. You got me. I lost Yellow using her on the decoy plan. It worked as intended but a loss is still a loss. And those damn liberation meddlers got White. We're still not sure how they found her-"

"Fate," the Boss said.

"Fate?" Roman asked surprised.

"Fate?!" Cinder said incredulously. "Surely you don't believe that! It's obvious that he bungled-"

"Cinder Fall," the Boss said. "I wouldn't mention bungling, if I was you given your recent... under performance. Under performances that are still pending reevaluation and... correction. Also don't interrupt if you're only going to waste my valuable time." He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't had too. Cinder was one of his favorites but he wouldn't be cutting her slack. Characters were things to be used. Those that were useful and performed well in their current positions were valuable and to be rewarded and even favored... those that didn't would find disfavor and... other uses.

"I'm not happy about the losses. We always expected some but these, compounded by the previous errors of the late Mr Kelly, have become costly and closed certain avenues to us." He swiveled in his chair to face them all with his cold blue, eyes. Eyes that had all the mercy of a gun barrel and the humor of a gallows. "Losses are acceptable and to be expected." His gaze swept from Roman around the table until landing on Cinder. "Unnecessary losses however are not."

Roman and Watts both strive to keep from smiling. Translation: They were still in favor and Cinder out of favor... for now, but that could change. "On that note, Sir. We have the completed inventory and assessment list of the merchandise from Marvel that you wanted." Roman nodded to Watts who elbowed Richards who stretched his arm out handing the Boss the list.

He whistled lowly looking it over. "It might not be every little thing and asset we wanted but it's impressive. And I see that indoctrination is coming along nicely despite a few hiccups. And the I see the revenue stream keeps pouring in... good work. Nice to have you with us, Richards."

There's a few smiles and nods... but Cinder frowned. "Just like that they get a pass? They lose several valuable characters, our enemies no less, and they don't even get punished?!"

The Boss frowned and she gulped... but he didn't say anything. He didn't have too as the room darkened. The shadows grew and the gloom deepened as a voice said, "Dear Cinder... so much potential... so much room for... disappointment."

Salem had entered and several faces blanched. Her unnatural and disturbingly... alien... presence was unnerving to them... except for the Boss.

He smiled as she slowly glided to his side. "Yes, having them slip from our grasp is unfortunate... but it isn't the end. If we wanted simple ends for them we would have done so. Why do you think we didn't feed them to my children in the first place? Because that would be too easy and over too quickly."

Roman swallowed. "Speaking of the figures for all the "Grimmed" porn are in there as well, Boss."

The Boss smiled. "That's even higher than expected. Saturate the market with it before moving onto the next steps but go slowly with the darker stuff. We want them to keep coming back for more." He smiled at Salem and took her hand kissing it. "Your children have done very well, my dear."

She took his hat off and placed it on the table brim up, the way he liked, before affectionately stroking and running her fingers through his hair. "Thank you. I'm so glad you are pleased. In truth so are they... and I. What a delightfully entertaining and tawdry world like this one needs is even more depravity and corruption."

The Boss grinned looking over the figures. "It seems our audience also agrees. Bless their twisted little hearts and deep pockets. You see Cinder? That's the bottom line. We could have used, degraded, destroyed and broken those girls... but to the viewers it doesn't matter what instances they're from. A Rose by any other name will still smell just as sweet when it falls. Y'all have personal beef with these ladies... it's better to draw that out. Don't want that over with too quickly. You understand."

Cinder nodded as she patted "Puppy's" head. "You're saying that losing them temporarily isn't necessarily the end."

"Precisely," he said. "Even if they end up with... "him"..." he said like it left a bad taste in his mouth before waving a hand dismissively. "It makes another potential weakness and point of vulnerability to attack later. At a moment of our choosing. Patience is essential in trapping ones prey... and it's important to take pride in one's work." He nodded towards Puppy.

Salem frowned just a little. "I do wish that you'd given her to me."

The Boss chuckled. "How many "Roses" have I given you and your children to play with? No. This one's special to our Cinder. She needs this... and giving her to Cinder is nearly the same as having her ourselves... isn't it, Cinder?" He stared hard at her and snapped his fingers pointing at the floor next to him.

Emerald frowned and "Puppy" whined with worry for her as Roman and Watts grinned but Cinder, seething, dutifully got up from her seat. She knew what was expected and had learned that hesitation simply made it worse. She drew closer to the Boss and Salem and then knelt down at his side. "Yes, Sir," she said clearly bowing her head.

He smiled and patted her head. "Good girl," he told her as Salem nodded. "She knows her place."

Watts cleared his throat. "*Ahem* I do hate to interrupt but speaking of "pets" we did aquire that thing you wanted," he said. "It cost us a few men however."

The Boss chuckled. "I'm sure it did. Is it here?"

Roman blinked. "You want it... now?"

Boss grinned and nodded. "Yes."

Roman nodded and so did Watts sending a message. It only took a moment for a Nichole V2.0 entered the room carrying a small pet carrier... carefully. She brought it around to set it on the table before the Boss who grinned reaching out to open it.

Reed swallowed. "You might want to be careful with "it". It ate someone just a little while ago."

The Boss smiled. "Then I'm sure it's happy to have been fed. Aren't you, little one? Anyone important?"

"Just a drone from sector 7-G," Reed said off-hand.

The Boss shrugged like it was inconsequential, opening the door and reached in as the others tensed up... and pulled out an orange tabby cat and started feeding it treats. "Hello, Little Gosling. We'll have to think of a good name for you."

"What an interesting creature," Salem said peering at it. "Why did you want it?"

He placed it in his lap patting it and Cinder tried not to flinch away from the purring flerken so close to her face... she'd already lost one eye and didn't want to lose the other. "Two reasons. The secondary one is it fits the villian stereotype of stroking a cat, or in this case a cat-like creature, which is amusing to me."

"Is that so?" Roman chuckled, amused by the Bosses sense of style. "What's the primary reason?"

"You, Roman," he said. "Helping feed and care for it will be one of your duties."

"Me?!" He asked surprised and gulped. "May I... ask why?"

The Boss stared. "Because it's a pet, Roman. Pets require proper care. I should think that's obvious. Obvious... that's it!" He snaped his fingers as he looked at the flerken. "Your mother is named Goose so we'll name you, Maverick. How do you like that, Maverick?"

"Meow," the Flerken now named Maverick said.

"I meant... why me specifically?" Roman asked adjusting his collar which felt a bit tight around the lump in his throat.

The Boss stood and picked up his hat placing it on his head before offering Salem his arm, which she took with a smile. "I should think that's also obvious. You were foiled by a dog. Ergo you need a "cat" counter to your canine conundrum." He walked around the table and placed Maverick in Roman's lap. "What do you say."

Roman to his credit didn't flinch but his colleagues all noticably leaned away from him. He swallowed. He didn't mistake the Bosses words for a question. "Thank you, Sir."

The Boss grinned. "You're welcome, Roman. Remember to be good to pets. Cinder, come. I'm feeling just a bit tight after dealing with that Juggernaut variant y'all brought in. Bring your pets, too." He nodded as she quickly complied to obey the order and "Puppy" Ruby and Emerald followed their mistress. "They can sit in the corner and watch us have some "fun". If they're good they might get played with nicely too. Play time is important too, Boy howdy."

"So that's the Boss," Reed said after they'd watched them leave and the door had closed.

"Yes, that's him," Watts said accepting a refill from Nichole.

"And now we know why Cinder got a pass," Roman said looking at the flerken, Maverick, in his lap. "He's got style... but questionable tastes."

Watts sipped his coffee and lifted an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say such things around Salem, if I was you. I don't know how he did it but she's utterly infatuated."

Roman nodded but smirked. "That one's easy, Watts. She finally found a "partner" who gets her." He shivered. "Honestly they both creep me out. Probably what makes them such a good pair." Maverick mowed and Roman sighed, carefully picking him up. "Yeah, yeah. Let's see about finding you some tuna... My flerken life..."