Chapter Text
Ruby Rose finished tying the red laces of her boots in her room and completed the transformation from her Pharos Academy uniform to her much more preferred Huntress outfit. Or what would at least eventually be her Huntress outfit when she was older and had graduated from Beacon. The black dress with the red underskirt, her leggings, boots, her long cape, and most importantly, her silver rose emblem on her belt.
“Okay, ready!” Ruby cheerfully exclaimed to her own reflection in the mirror hanging from her closet door.
And then immediately deflated as she sighed down at the floor.
“What am I even doing? Acting like I’m the one about to head off to Beacon?” Ruby rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed in the otherwise empty room. “Today’s Yang’s day to celebrate… I’ve still got two more years left.”
It was a Friday night in Vale, in the Branwen/Xiao Long/Rose household. However any of them wanted to call it. And today was a special Friday as this was the start of the final weekend before her big sister Yang went off to Beacon Academy. Ruby was proud of her sister, but she couldn’t deny that she really wished she could be going too. It wasn’t jealousy, just impatience, Ruby had dreamed of becoming a Huntress since as far back as she could remember. Just like her father, her uncle, her aunt… and her mother most of all.
Ruby’s eyes drifted over to her nightstand, where a photograph of her family sat. What used to be her family.
She was young, four years old maybe? Standing next to her sister who already towered over her, while her mother and father stood arm in arm behind them. Smiles all around.
“Guess you can watch me wait for a couple more years,” Ruby sighed. “You’ve both been watching me for a long time… what’s a little more?”
She remembered the day, despite barely being five, when they learned her mother had died out on a mission. “Disappeared” officially but everyone knew what it meant. She remembered the tears they all shed. And she remembered barely a year after that when her father died as well. Almost leaving her all alone if it wasn’t for her sister. But it hadn’t made her stop wanting to be a Huntress too. It hadn’t made her stop wanting to be like the heroes in the stories her mother would always read to her. But… it had made her realize, even as a child, that life wasn’t always like a fairy tale.
Ruby tore her eyes away from the photo and stood up with a big stretch. She still had things she wanted to do tonight and thinking about all that stuff wasn’t going to help with nothing. She put a smile on her face and walked over to her desk, grabbing Crescent Rose and strapping it to her back. Her baby. Ruby looked back at the nightstand for a moment, the photograph, and next to it the old worn copy of The Girl Who Fell Through the World that first belonged to her mother sitting there.
“Bye, mom. Bye, dad. I’ll see you later,” Ruby’s smile grew a little warmer as she turned and stepped out her door.
Walking down the hall, Ruby quickly popped into the living room, she was only planning to say hi and then bye before anyone could stop her, but things didn’t end up being so simple.
“Ruby!” Raven said, catching sight of her adopted daughter as she almost zoomed past the doorway. “What are you doing?”
Ruby sighed and walked back into the living room, making sure to roll her eyes out of sight first, and waved. “Hey, Raven. Just going out. Oh, hey Yang.” Ruby said as she saw Yang on the couch in front of their television.
“Sup!” Yang smiled and waved over at her. In her other hand was grasped something that Yang had practically been unable to put down for weeks: her letter of admission to Beacon. No surprise she was still obsessed with it and reading it over and over the closer she came to actually going there. Yang sat up and placed an arm on the back of the couch, turning and facing Ruby directly. “What’s up? What are you going out for?”
“Yes, what are you going out for?” Raven asked, a slight knitting in her brows as she looked at Ruby. She stood tall, the kitchen behind her and an apron tied around her waist. “This is our last weekend we’re all going to be together for a while… I was thinking we could stay in tonight.” There was a brief glimmer of sorrow in her eyes as she spoke before they returned to normal.
Neither Ruby nor Yang knew exactly what had led Raven and their father Tai to separate from each other, but it apparently hadn’t been enough to ruin everything between them. Even as a young girl, Ruby could remember her Aunt Raven coming by and visiting every now and then, though she didn’t learn Yang was actually Raven’s daughter until much later. She didn’t get back together with dad after mom died or anything, but once dad died too she swooped in just like her namesake to take care of Ruby and Yang. Ruby might not have had any real relationship to her, but the woman adopted her all the same. And it was something Ruby was always grateful for. Always.
But Ruby still knew deep in her heart that there was one line she would never cross with Raven.
“Well… yeah, but like, the two of us are still going to be here together for two more years,” Ruby shrugged nonchalantly. “And we still have the whole weekend and everything.” She poked her finger into her ear and rubbed it around. “So, didn’t really seem like a big deal if I went out...”
“Oh...” Raven’s mouth tugged down in the barest of frowns. “Well, I still thought you’d want to celebrate with your sister as much as you could before she left. And you still haven’t told me where you’re going out to.”
“Yang and I celebrated a ton when she got accepted, right, Yang?” Ruby asked her sister.
Yang, perhaps slightly oblivious to her mother’s consternation, gave Ruby a happy thumbs up. “Right! That was the most pizza I ever ate in one day. I’m still feeling it.”
Ruby smirked at her sister, fondly remembering that day as well. “And anyways, I was just heading out to From Dust Till Dawn tonight. I’ll be back later,” Ruby shrugged.
“The Dust store? Why are you going there?” Raven raised an eyebrow.
“It’s because Yang is going to Beacon soon. I’m not going to have a sparring partner anymore, I need to work even harder now to get better. So that means getting all the weapons and supplies I need from the start. I’m kicking my training into high-gear from here on out!” Ruby smiled proudly and pumped her fist in the air. “Also figured I could look around some Vale Hunstman shops for better materials for Crescent Rose or, I dunno, ideas on improving my baby. Doubtful, cause it’s hard to improve perfection, but still.”
“You could try making it a sword like Harbinger! Or a whip-scythe! I don’t think those are real yet, but you could make the first one!” Yang suggested, exuberantly jumping over the back of the couch and giving Ruby a high-five.
“Exactly!”
“You’re already the best student at Pharos though—well, now that I won’t be there anymore—so I think you’re maybe going a bit overboard,” Yang winked.
“Pff,” Ruby snorted and crossed her arms. “When it comes to learning to kick butt as a Huntress you can never go overboard.”
Raven sighed deeply and brought a hand up to her forehead. “The two of you… what a handful.” She calmed herself down and looked at Ruby. “Alright, Ruby, you can go do that. But can you at least eat dinner with us first? We were just about to start.” She gestured to the kitchen behind her where Ruby could indeed see a smorgasbord of Raven’s homemade food gathered on the counter.
Ruby briefly looked at all the food before she grinned and gave Raven a thumbs up. “That’s a-okay with me!”
As the three of them sat down at the living room table just a few minutes later, chowing down, Raven’s attention was firmly glued on the news program that had just started at the hour. While it had previously been talking about the usual things—the weather, the Grimm, etc., it had switched over to a special segment on Beacon Academy. Specifically about a very special student that was going to be starting there this year. Ruby, seeing Raven’s rapt attention, followed her eyes over to the television.
FAUNUS AT BEACON: THE FIRST OF MANY OR THE MISTAKE OF VALE?
The chyron was impossible to miss, they wanted to be sure everyone watching saw that word: Faunus.
Two people sat facing one another in typical news debate format, one middle-aged woman and one older man. Neither of which Ruby recognized even when their names briefly appeared on screen.
“Headmaster Ozpin may have wanted this, the Council of Vale may have voted for it, but do the people of Vale want it?” The older man said, the question clearly hypothetical. Ruby could tell from his tone he didn’t want a real answer.
“I think the people of Vale are sick and tired of seeing the Faunus treated like a universal second-class,” the woman responded. “No other Academy has yet to accept a Faunus in to be trained as a Huntsman. Beacon is lighting the way forward.”
The man huffed. “If one thinks the Faunus can be trusted. There are reasons for why they’ve never been allowed in the Academies.”
“And what reasons are those?” The woman pressed.
The man coughed, ignoring the question. “Faunus terrorism has been on the rise for years now, and the people see us answering that by appeasement. Allowing a Faunus into Beacon, the daughter of the man who started the White Fang at that, is going to embolden these terrorists. It will tell them that violence works, it will tell them to become more extreme, not less.”
“Ghira Belladonna has not let a day go by without decrying the current White Fang. The organization he created is vastly different from what it has been corrupted into.”
“I see you don’t refute the point I was making.”
“Oh you-”
“I can’t listen to this crap,” Raven grumbled and switched the channel over. A frown on her face as she looked across the table at Ruby, while Yang was still eating and hadn’t been paying attention at all.
“I uh… I think it’s good that Beacon’s letting Faunus in,” Ruby awkwardly grinned and shrugged.
“As you should, your parents and I raised you right,” Raven smiled back. “It’s about damn time this happened if you asked me. Oz, he would’ve done it years ago if it was only up to him but… well, that’s politics. The Faunus situation… it’s always been really complicated and there are still a lot of people who...” she trailed off as she glanced at Yang. Who was still eating. “Feel free to join the conversation at anytime, Yang.”
“Huh?” Yang finally perked her head up. “Oh, uh, what were we talking about?”
Ruby snorted, fighting back a laugh.
“I worry about you… well, actually, it’s not like either of you is that responsible,” Raven groaned. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes at Yang, seriously gazing at her. “Look, Yang, I know I don’t need to tell you this, but if you meet that Faunus girl who’s going to Beacon you better make a good impression. Alright?”
“Hey, it’s me,” Yang leaned back and shrugged with a grin. “I’ll be the best friend she’s ever had if we ever actually run into each other. You think I’m gonna care she’s a Faunus? Hell no.”
Raven sat back. “I guess when it comes to you I’m more worried you’ll come on too strong and make her feel weird.” She crossed her arms under her chest and looked up at the ceiling. “Hm… you know I also heard that the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is attending Beacon this year too. What a crazy year. You practically couldn’t get too people more important and yet more different attending at the same time.”
“Hey,” Yang stood up, putting her hands on the table, for once she looked almost serious. “Heiress, or Faunus, or whatever, the fact we’re all going to Beacon to learn how to kick Grimm butt makes us all way more than similar enough in my book. Right, Ruby?”
“Yeah!” Ruby pumped her fist for her sister. “Huntresses!”
“Yeah, alright,” Raven rolled her eyes. “I’ll try not to worry so much.”
“And on that note-!” Ruby started with a grin as she pushed out her chair and stood up, grabbing Crescent Rose from where she left it leaning up against the wall. “I’ll be out!”
“Fine—just be back before too late,” Raven says, waving Ruby off.
“Have fun at the Dust shop! Get some real good explosive Dust!” Yang grinned.
“Start my new training off with a bang?” Ruby’s eye twinkled.
Yang—unable to let the set up pass—grinned wider. “Yeah, just like how I always start my training out with a Yang!”
Raven sighed and shut her eyes, feeling a headache approaching.
Ruby couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking her head as she put on Crescent Rose and made to leave the living room, heading out towards the front door. “See ya, Sis! See ya, Raven!”
“See ya, Ruby!” Yang waved her goodbye. Behind her, still at the table, Raven’s mouth opened and closed before she slowly and sullenly stared down at her lap. And Ruby was off.
From Dust Till Dawn was open all through the night, one of the few Dust shops in Vale that serviced customers at these hours. It was a matter of convenience. The owner saw it as a way to separate his Dust shop from others and let customers know that there was one place that could always suit their needs at any time of day. However, that did lead to one other small issue. From Dust Till Dawn was also the most robbed Dust shop in all of Vale. The reason was obvious: It was a lot easier to rob someplace and get away in the dead of night than during the day.
And that was why a rather dapper fellow in a bowler cap spinning a cane around in his hand and humming a carefree tune was currently walking down the street towards said shop. The streetlights could only illuminate so much.
The criminal mastermind (in his opinion) paused briefly as he walked by the window of another store, catching his dashing reflection there and grinning. Of course, that grin was somewhat dashed as his… companions… walked into view on the window.
Roman Torchwick, with his green eyes and bright orange hair, sighed and planted his cane between his feet, looking at those he was leading tonight. “You know, I’d complain about how… eye-catching… your uniforms are for what should be a discreet robbery, but I do suppose that would make me just a teensy bit hypocritical.”
Reflected on the window was a red emblem, the head of a wolf that was almost Grimm-like in appearance, with three slashes through it.
“If we are seen, we want people to know it was us who did this,” one of the White Fang soldiers told Roman. One of four that had joined him tonight in all their fanatical glory. Wearing their typical uniforms and masks that were not for the concealment of one’s identity at all.
“Ahh...” Roman nodded, smirking at him. “A win-win situation is it? If things go off without a hitch, well good! We have a whole bunch of Dust gathered without a problem. If things go bad? Well, then people see the White Fang terrorizing Vale some more, and they become more afraid of you. I see. It’s stupid, but I see.”
The other Faunus growled at him but their apparent leader held them back. He had dog ears of some sort, like a doberman.
Would he be offended if I called him their pack leader? Roman mused to himself.
“What you think doesn’t matter, Torchwick. We are allies of convenience. Nothing more. Now let’s hurry up and hit that Dust shop,” the man said, striding past Roman.
“Lead the way, guide-dog,” Roman chuckled.
Ruby’s trip had taken a lot longer than she originally planned. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she just didn’t really feel like going home yet despite what Raven had asked. So she ended up browsing the rows at From Dust Till Dawn again and again, wasting hours in the store. Tuned out, zoned out, looking at vials of all types of Dust. She had bought some already, and might buy more, but for the most part she was just casually wandering.
She didn’t pay attention when the bell at the door rang and more people walked in. Sure, it was later than usual for that, but she was here so it’s not like it was impossible for more customers to come in.
“Hmm hmm hmm...” Ruby hummed to herself, vaguely hearing someone talking up by the front desk. She was about to turn the corner and walk down an aisle she had been down half a dozen times already, when she bumped into someone first.
“Oops, sorry,” Ruby said automatically and looked up at the tall man.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh.”
She had never seen this uniform in person, only on the news. It was recognizable to every single person living in Vale. Probably all of Remnant. And even behind the Grimm mask over the dog Faunus’s face, she could see the hatred in his eyes as the White Fang soldier glared down at her. From his hip he pulled out a simple long knife and held it threateningly up in front of her face.
“Little girl, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hand over all of the Dust you have on you and I might be merciful,” he growled.
“Wait,” Ruby held up her hand, frowning, not showing any fear in the slightest to the surprise and confusion of the White Fang threatening her. “I need to say ‘never mind’ first.”
“What?”
She coughed.
“Never mind, I’m not sorry,” Ruby said.
And before he could react the small girl had kicked him hard enough in the gut to send him flying out through the glass window of the store. The glass shattered on contact and the Faunus rolled out onto the street, groaning in pain. Ruby smirked, even as three more White Fang gathered in front of the store, staring right at her. She also saw a very frightened shopkeep and some weird guy with a weird hat looking at her with bemusement.
“Okay,” the man in the hat blinked. “I guess this is a publicity mission now.”
“I don’t know what that means!” Ruby shouted with glee and placed a hand behind her back on Crescent Rose. “But you’re not robbing this store!”
He rolled his eyes and glanced over at the other White Fang. “Right. Kill that kid.”
The three White Fang pulled out knives of their own and charged Ruby, but Ruby’s smirk merely grew as she ran to meet them, pulling Crescent Rose out at the same time but not opening it just yet, there was no room in the store for that. Right as the four were about to ram into each other, Ruby activated her semblance and burst past them with a scattering of rose petals, carrying them all with her speed right out the window. She landed on her feet, skidding over the asphalt on the street, while they all tumbled painfully onto the sidewalk.
Then she opened up Crescent Rose.
The staff extended out as the heavy scythe blade that was pretty much just as big as she was unfolded. Ruby twirled her baby around before slamming the tip of the blade down into the street and pointing it at the remaining White Fang. With a yell, they fearlessly ran at her once more, not afraid of fighting or taking down some little girl. The first one, a female soldier, jumped at and swung at Ruby’s head, but Ruby pulled the trigger of Crescent Rose and with the recoil swiftly blasted herself out of the way of the blow. The woman stumbled after overextending herself and Ruby brought her scythe around and slammed the backside of the scytheblade into her gut.
“Guh!” The woman groaned in pain as the wind was knocked out of her, but that was hardly it. Ruby’s swing continued and carried the woman with it, throwing her back against the brick wall of the nearest building.
The other two Faunus came at Ruby’s right and left but a quick pull of her trigger, that ended with a tree down the street having a limb blown off, again shot Ruby backwards as they missed slashing at her with their knives. She ran at them, swinging Crescent Rose in a wide arc that was blocked by one of them. The other took the time to lash out at her, lunging forward and stabbing towards her chest. Ruby smirked and fired Crescent Rose once more, the sudden force yanking the Faunus who had caught her blade forward and making him smash into the one trying to stab her.
Their momentum almost carried them into her so Ruby hopped over them, deftly landing on the ground as they fell. Both of them were still in the fight though. They untangled themselves and ran at her to try and get the fight into their favor, wanting to take control of the flow. They came at Ruby with a barrage of swift slashes, trying to overwhelm her completely, but Ruby wasn’t just fast on her feet. Crescent Rose blocked each and every attack they made against her, sparks shooting off each time their blade’s clashed.
Ruby backstepped and lowered her hands down to the base of Crescent Rose’s grip while the two White Fang were still together right in front of her. She swung her weapon with full force, outside of a range they could really do anything to her with their much shorter weapons, and the blade slammed into and caught the first one—smashing him into the other—and at the apex of her swing, Ruby pulled the trigger for further momentum as Crescent Rose fired and the two soldiers were sent screaming down the street, sliding across the asphalt painfully for a good thirty feet.
“Yeah!” Ruby shouted joyfully.
Meanwhile, the doorbell to From Dust Till Dawn dinged behind her. Ruby spun to see the man, who she was pretty sure was a human, casually stepping out from the store.
“Useless animals,” the man shook his head as he looked around at the fallen White Fang. He then turned his gaze to her and glared. “Little red, you really shouldn’t be getting on my bad side like this.”
“Yeah, well, you really shouldn’t be robbing Dust shops! Whoever you are,” Ruby pointed at him.
The man blinked, jaw dropping as he stared at her. “Wait, you did all this and you don’t even know that? You seriously don’t know who I am?”
“Uh, should I?” Ruby shrugged.
“Yes! I’m Roman Torchwick! Vale’s greatest criminal! Of course you should know me and you certainly should know not to cross me!” Roman yelled.
“Okay?” Ruby shrugged once more, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, you were robbing a store, with terrorists, and they tried to rob me too. So that’s kind of all I needed.”
“Alright, you know what? I don’t care,” Roman seethed and picked up his cane, pointing it at her. “Goodbye, little red.”
He pulled a trigger up around the cane’s handle and fired an explosive blast of Dust right at Ruby’s face. Her semblance saved her from a nasty burn and scorch marks to the face as she fluttered into a stream of rose petals and flew around to his side. Instead only a portion of the street was blown up. But Ruby wasn’t paying attention to that as she swung her scythe at Roman. Immediately though she saw the difference between him and his White Fang cronies. Roman brought his cane up to block her scythe and turned it to the side, jumping at and trying to bludgeon her with it. Ruby had to jump back, her scythe a bit unwieldy when she couldn’t maneuver around too much, and Roman threw numerous jabs and thrusts at her that she had to block or parry with the long shaft of her weapon. He was strong like a Hunstman was. Ruby had sparred with both Yang and Raven, and her instructors plenty of times, but this was the first time she’d been in a real fight with someone like this.
It was kind of fun.
Ruby swung at his legs and Roman hopped over it, kicking her in the chest and making her roll away onto the sidewalk. She slammed Crescent Rose’s tip into the cement to stop herself, the barrel of the rifle inside it now pointed straight at Roman. Ruby smirked and fired.
He swiftly blocked the bullet with his cane, the ricocheting bullet instead shooting into the storefront and blowing up part of its sign.
“Well you’re just not a nice little girl, are you?” Roman snorted.
“You tried shooting me first!” Ruby threw out her hands in annoyance.
“Yeah, and I’m a criminal. But speaking of shooting-” he pointed his cane at her once more and tried to blast her with it.
Ruby jumped to the side, wrenching Crescent Rose out of the ground right as an explosion blew up that slab of the sidewalk. She activated her semblance and burst towards him, trying to win the fight with a single swing too fast for him to actually block. Still, as fast as Ruby was, Torchwick could still see her coming and he didn’t even try to block. Crescent Rose’s blade hit empty air as he launched himself away from her and ran out into the middle of the street. The both of them could now hear sirens coming from elsewhere in Vale—it seemed that whatever call the shopkeep might have made was finally being answered.
“Absolutely fantastic. Well this was a complete waste of time. Dumb mutts,” Roman groaned and shook his head. He spun his cane around and planted it by his feet, looking at Ruby with a smug grin. “Well little red, it has not been fun meeting you, so I think it’s about time I take my leave.” He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. “Neo.”
Ruby was confused for just a moment until a small figure jumped down from one of the nearby roofs and landed right next to Roman Torchwick. A girl—woman maybe—shorter than Ruby herself with pink and brown hair and matching eyes, holding a parasol, waved at her. She casually stood next to Roman and opened the parasol, resting it on her shoulder and giving Ruby a wink.
Ruby didn’t exactly care who she was or what this was about. If they were just going to stand there and not fight then so be it. She pointed the barrel of Crescent Rose straight at the duo and fired.
Instead of seeing them get hit, or dodge though, she instead saw what looked like a glass mirror shatter into a million pieces and the two of them vanish.
“Huh?” Ruby blinked. They were gone without a trace. She stood there for a moment, still holding Crescent Rose just to be sure, until she realized that they had indeed run away. “They… they ran.” Her face was dull with shock, but slowly a wide grin began to split her face as she threw up her arms in victory, proudly holding her beloved Crescent Rose over her head. “They ran! That means I won! I stopped a robbery! The day has been saved thanks to Ruby Rose: Huntress in training!”
She was breathing heavily in exuberance before she calmed down and really started to focus on everything else around her. There were holes in the street, blown up parts of the sidewalk, scorch marks on the ground, a broken window, a destroyed tree, the store’s sign was missing the “Dust” on it, and there were four unconscious White Fang terrorists lying on the ground around her.
“Ohhhhh...” Ruby lowered Crescent Rose and plopped the bottom spike of the scythe on the ground. “I’m about to be in so much trouble, aren’t I?”
“Yes.”
Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise and she turned around at the sound of the voice behind her. Seeing a very stern and very annoyed looking woman glaring at her. And this time, it was someone Ruby definitely recognized.
“You are,” Glynda Goodwitch said.
“Miss Ruby Rose. Citizen of Vale. Student at Pharos Academy. Daughter of Raven Branwen, legally at least. And sister to Yang Xiao Long, who will be attending Beacon in just a few days,” Glynda Goodwitch read off as she stalked back and forth in front of the table Ruby was sitting behind. “And for some reason when you found yourself in the middle of a robbery being committed by not just the most wanted criminal in Vale but also by the White Fang, instead of getting help you decided to take matters into your own hands and fight them yourself.”
“Well, I mean, I won, so...” Ruby shrugged, looking down to the side.
Glynda slapped her riding crop onto the table, making Ruby flinch and look up at her. “And you’re lucky I was there to clean it up. That was quite the bit of property damage you caused.”
Ruby sighed, it’s not like she could avoid causing damage when fighting in a place like that. Wasn’t it more important to stop the criminals anyways? And now here she was in a police interrogation room. Which she thought was a little bit excessive. Perhaps Glynda saw the discomfort on her face because the severe look on her face relaxed.
“However… you are correct. Not only was nothing stolen thanks to you, the authorities managed to apprehend four members of the White Fang. Which is why you will not be punished for what you have done,” Glynda said.
Ruby’s eyes sparkled as she smiled up at the teacher. “Thank-”
“Nor will I be congratulating you either,” Glynda frowned. “Your mother and sister have already been notified and will be here soon enough.”
“Oh,” Ruby deflated and sunk down in her seat. She then looked up, bothered by something even though she knew she really shouldn’t have taken such an issue with an innocent statement. “Also, could you not call Raven my mother?”
Ruby almost immediately winced. She shouldn’t have said that. It was unfair to Raven and so pointlessly small for her to get bothered like that.
Glynda raised an eyebrow. “Miss-”
“Rose,” someone else finished.
Glynda turned and Ruby looked past her to see a silver-haired man in the doorway to the interrogation room. He had an easy-going smile on his face and a pair of black glasses resting on his nose that didn’t cover his eyes. And of course—Ruby recognized him as well as he stepped forward and stood right beside Glynda.
“Getting involved in an armed robbery, fearlessly fighting off a band of criminals while outnumbered, and doing it before you’re even a student of Beacon? That’s exactly the kind of thing I could have seen Summer getting into when she was your age,” Ozpin said.
“Ehe… well...” Ruby blushed and grinned, humbly scratching the back of her head.
“Do you know who I am, Miss Rose?” Ozpin asked.
“Y-Yes. Of course,” Ruby nodded, doing her best to not be nervous. “You’re Professor—Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon.”
“That’s right. I remember personally writing the acceptance letter to your older sister not too long ago,” Ozpin rubbed his chin as he smiled down at her. “I have high hopes for her at Beacon considering her parents. Just like I have high hopes for you.”
“T-Thanks… still two more years left for me though...” Ruby said. “I-I know Yang’s going to be amazing though!”
“I believe you’re right about that. I also remember personally taught both your mothers and your father, though that was more than just a little while ago,” Ozpin chuckled before pulling out a chair on the opposite side of the table and sitting down right across from Ruby. He regarded her closely and it took Ruby a little more effort to not get nervous again. “Two more years you say?”
“Yeah… before I graduate from Pharos.”
Ozpin leaned back, humming to himself. “Is that so…? You know, this is quite the big year for Beacon Academy. It’s going to be the sort of special year for Huntsman and Huntresses not seen in generations.”
Glynda blinked, gaping down at him as she seemed to understand something he was getting at before Ruby did. “Oz...”
“You realize that, don’t you? How special of a year this is for Beacon and Vale? No, not even just them, but for every Academy and Kingdom on Remnant?” Ozpin asked.
“Y-Yeah. I do. It’s the Faunus girl… and I also heard about the heiress to the SDC being there...” Ruby nodded.
“And the daughter and niece of the famed Branwen twins. And Pyrrha Nikos, a prodigy not seen in years. And many, many, others who shine with untold potential,” Ozpin smiled. “And so I was thinking—it would be a shame if you couldn’t join them, wouldn’t it?
Ruby’s eyes widened further than she ever thought they could go. She sat there silently, stupefied, wondering if this was really happening. Was this fate? Dumb luck? She couldn’t believe it. Was the Headmaster of Beacon actually saying what she thought he was saying. Her hands shook with excitement, face brightening up as she smiled and her silver eyes twinkled. The elation was radiating off her in waves. He was going to. He was really going to.
“You defeated and brought to justice several members of the White Fang. You personally fought and held off the dangerous criminal, Roman Torchwick. And the timing seems almost like fate, doesn’t it? Ozpin raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, Miss Rose? Would you like to come to my school?”
“More than anything.”