Intelligence B3C9

"Anything else I can help with?"

"No, I think that's all." Weiss turned away and motioned with her hand for me to follow. I did, and nearly walked into her as she paused in the doorway. "Oh, there was one thing," she said, speaking out loud. "I believe you offered my Guild mates a deal on a Staff. Is that still on the table? We might take you up on it."

No, we damn well wouldn't. I opened my mouth to complain, but froze when Weiss shot me a furious look. My teeth clicked together instead, and I looked away.

"I'd still pay eight thousand for it, yeah," Roman said. "Sadly, I don't think you have it anymore, do you?"

Weiss blinked. "Oh, you're right. Well, it's a shame but never mind. Thank you for your time, Roman. I'll hope to see you again with money for repairs. Have a good day." She nodded and made her way up the stairs without waiting for his response, and I followed in silence.

Neither of us spoke as we came up from the basement, nor as we made our way outside. It wasn't until we were several minutes away – and definitely out of hearing range – that I dared speak up. Even then, I kept my voice quiet.

"What did you think?" I asked. "I wasn't sure at first, but he did cut our rent for the month, and it makes sense he'd be in trouble if the hall was taken away." It hurt to admit it, especially after everything I'd claimed, but admit it I had to. "Maybe I was wrong."

"You weren't. He was lying."

"He was? How could you tell?"

Weiss looked behind her and around us, and then stopped by a babbling fountain attached to the side of someone else's Guild. She let out a long breath, and the pleasant – ever polite – expression on her face faded. It looked like she'd been forcing it on through the entire meeting.

"I hate politics," she said, frowning just because she could. "I hate people like him, too. People who say one thing but mean another annoy me. Compared to that, it's a blessing to deal with you lot, even if Yang winds me up on al almost daily basis."

"I… think she does that on purpose because your reactions are so..." I trailed off as she glared at me. "So, you said he was lying? How? I didn't spot anything."

"I'm not surprised. Roman Torchwick is good, I'll give him that. A Thief naturally has a D Stat for Charisma, so I've no idea how he's so charismatic, but I felt it affect me. His arguments made sense. His demeanour seemed sincere, and he was welcoming. Too welcoming…" Her eyes narrowed. "What really gave it away was how it ended. I asked him about Kaedin's staff, and he knew it was no longer in our possession. How could he have known that?"

"Well, it might have been part of the report from the teachers."

"And yet Miss Goodwitch never mentioned it to us," Weiss pointed out. "Beacon would also not have known what we had stored there, or in what quantities. If they had record of the staff being stolen, then surely they would have also informed us of it. There was no such report. Miss Goodwitch only informed us of the damage that was done, and of her attempts to find out the full story. She would have focused on that long before she considered stolen goods. She'd no doubt wait for us to submit a report of what was stolen. After all, we're the only ones who would know."

"We're the only ones who should know," I finished for her. "Which means Torchwick was aware of what happened – and of what was taken." My eyes widened.