Chapter 2: Ruby Rose
After meeting a popular Hunter that worked at her favorite academy and fighting alongside her, the girl was now sat down in a room that looked suspiciously like it was meant for criminals.
"How didn't you know that man was Roman Torchwick? He's considered the prime suspect for a chain of robberies of Dust shops over the past month in Valorie, and he's one of the biggest criminals around here, in the capital. Honestly, we've had trouble with him for a long time, but in the past month he's been particularly active. Someone actually preventing a robbery is a pretty big deal considering his recent activities."
The female Hunter, Glynda Goodwitch, paced back and forth across the room in front of the desk the girl was sitting at.
The girl looked up with a gleam in her eyes with those words, hoping to be showered with praise.
"That would make your actions tonight quite heroic…" said Glynda, showing a hint of a smile.
The girl was becoming increasingly expectant of praise. "No, no, that shouldn't be the case at all!" she said, giving off an awkward laugh, trying to seem polite.
Suddenly, Glynda's smile melted. "…that is, if you were an official, licensed Hunter, and not a fifteen-year-old student, little miss Ruby Rose." The expression on her face shifted from kind to terrifying in a matter of milliseconds.
The girl, named Ruby, now sat there, her face frozen (in a smile) with terror.
"On this night, you, a student from Signal, fought in the middle of a public street and on top of a residential rooftop against an infamous criminal and his mysterious yet powerful aide. No, no, that's not courage, that's recklessness. You put yourself and those around you in danger. Did you even know that pulling out and activating a Hunter-grade weapon and using a Semblance in a public area without permission or a license is against the law!?"
As she was saying this, cold sweat was raining from Ruby's forehead as she quaked in terror at the might of this fearsome Goodwitch.
"Well, the police are practically useless anyways, and when the police don't do it, it's up to people like me, Hunters, to uphold the law. But, since you're underage to be thrown into prison, I would much rather prefer to just send you home with a pat on the back…"
Ruby gave another open-mouthed smile.
"….and a slap on the wrist." As Glynda said this, she smacked her crop on the table, where Ruby's hands had been resting before they were pulled to her chest in fear.
Ruby's smile faded, her face once again expressing fear.
"However, before I can enact upon that, it seems someone wishes to speak with you."
Glynda then walked to the side to make way for a tall, slender, middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and small, shaded glass spectacles along with a light complexion and a sharp face. He wore an unzipped black suit over a dark green buttoned vest and a green shirt, over long, dark green pants and black trouser shoes. He also wore a green cowl around his neck that had a small, purple cross-shaped pin on the front. He walked in with a cane gripped in his left hand with a white hilt and a black shaft, although it didn't seem like he needed it to walk, as he appeared perfectly healthy. In his other hand, he held a white mug with the emblem of the Kingdom of Vale, two axes placed in a diagonal cross upon a laurel wreath. This mug seemed to contain coffee, judging by the gentle smoke rising from it. From Ruby's point of view, this man appeared like those posh, rich middle-aged men in the novels she always read. They were usually the bad people, but Ruby didn't think the man before her was bad.
'Isn't that how the good guys got betrayed though? By believing the bad guys aren't bad?' she idly thought to herself.
Before she could proceed along that chain of thought, the man spoke to her.
"Greetings, miss Rose. My name is Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, right here in Vale. You may have already known that."
Ruby suddenly became self-conscious and embarrassed. A person she admired more than any Hunter, even Glynda, was standing before her! The Headmaster of her dream school, one of the only four Hunter Academies in the world, was standing before her! He was famous! Pretty much anyone not living under a rock knew his name!
"Hello, sir! It's a pleasure to meet you!" is what she mustered, a bit louder than she intended, while stuttering.
"Oh, please. The formalities aren't all that necessary. The lecture is over. I just want to ask you a few questions. Don't worry, they're not really related to recklessness or breaking the law." replied Ozpin, giving a cheery smile.
Glynda pulled up a small tablet, a larger version of the personal communications technology everyone used nowadays, the Scroll. It had an angled view and was slightly blurry, but it displayed the fight that had happened on the street quite well.
"Before you ask," said Glynda, "all streetlights have cameras. It's how I was able to discover Roman's appearance and save you in time. Beacon is quite far from the main city by foot, you know?"
True, Ruby was going to ask, but she honestly was not worried about Glynda's complaints.
"First, where did you learn to do that?" asked Ozpin, gesturing his head towards the dangerous, albeit cool, moves Ruby had pulled during the fight.
"Cool moves, aren't they!?" exclaimed Ruby, excitedly.
"While impressive, especially for a teenager, yes, the point is that I've only ever seen one other person alive to this day who has wielded a scythe with that kind of skill." replied Ozpin, "A dusty, old crow."
"Ooooohhhhh!" said Ruby. "That must be my uncle!"
Ozpin looked at her, confused.
"I mean my uncle Qrow! If you say you've only seen one other person and he's some old crow, then it's got to be him! He's the oldest young person I've ever met! And he talks like a crow with dust in its throat! Kind of suits him, because of his name, you know? Other than that, he has some even cooler moves than me at the scythe!"
Ozpin continued looking at her, his expression showing a new understanding, insisting her to go on.
"He teaches at Signal Academy, where I am. Or, he used to, I think. I used to be horrible at everything until he took me under his wing! That's how I can pull off those amazing moves."
"Ahh. Now it makes sense. So Qrow taught you and guided you on using the scythe." said Ozpin, drawing a conclusion.
"Then that makes me want to ask this next question even more. All things considered; you seem like a capable Hunter already. So, let me ask you…what do you think of joining Beacon? I overheard that your dream is to graduate from Beacon, right? So, why do you want to join my academy?"
Ruby hesitated for a second, thinking of her answer. "Well…aside from my life goal of being a heroic and legendary Hunter…I guess it's because my parents both went to Beacon. Even my uncle Qrow. In fact, they were on the same team. It makes me want to experience the kind of academy life that they lived, y'know? I feel like experiencing the same things as them could allow me to become as great of Hunters as they were. Plus, I heard something about my sister joining this year, and I have no doubt that she'll be a great Hunter too, so that could add another person to the list. Oh, and, I don't want to be just any hunter. I want to be a Valkyrie!"
The shock on Ozpin's face was clear. "Could you possibly mean..."
"Yep! The Valkyrie Order! The strongest female Hunters across Remnant, and the greatest heroes known!"
"Hmm…an unexpected yet interesting answer. Very well." said Ozpin, after briefly contemplating what the ambitious youth said. "You see, I'm very much willing to accept you into Beacon two years early. I would love to see a student of your caliber among the ranks of the new students of great skill this year, and it would be even better if you were with your sister, right? And, more than that, I would like someone like you to grow and become worthy of that Hunter's License, and the Valkyrie Order, as soon as possible. Of course, then you can also have many more street fights." He smiled at her on the last line.
Ruby was shocked by this response. She still had two years more of education left at Signal before she could apply to join Beacon…and yet, here she was in Valorie. She came to find her sister, got in a fight with criminals, met the headmaster of the very academy she wanted to join, and was given the opportunity to join said academy two years early and, better yet, alongside her sister. This was her dream opportunity, arriving at her doorstep. An opportunity to attend her dream academy this instant and become a Hunter two years before anyone ever did. There wasn't any window of choice here. She already knew her answer.
"I would love to. More than anything in the world."
Ozpin smiled at this response.
"Well then," he said, "Welcome to Beacon."
***
Hours later…
"Ozpin, why did you decide to let her in? Aside from her being too young and immature to be a Hunter yet, she also doesn't have a clear goal in mind! She says she wants to be a hero, that too a Valkyrie, and while all that kind of talk is fine, a hero is not one who puts others in dangers as well as themselves in the process of helping them!"
"Glynda, Glynda. Calm down. It's not as if joining Beacon immediately means she's a Hunter. Besides, four years at any of the Academies, especially Beacon, changes everybody. I'm sure she'll change quicker than you realize into a Hunter you will approve and be proud of."
Headmaster Ozpin continued trying to calm Professor Glynda off her disapproval of the events that had unfolded. Because she was unable to communicate her disapproval earlier, as soon as they returned to Beacon and entered the Headmaster's Office, Glynda had been on fire.
"Besides, it isn't that I'm giving her entry due to simple partiality or fighting ability. The thing with miss Rose…aside from being the daughter of that Summer Rose, and a spitting image of her at that, I sense a prodigal talent from her. A strength that should be preserved, that can protect this world from the shadows lurking out of view. Something I should have sensed sooner with Summer, but by the time I did, it was already too late. I never had a way to help her after all that she did for my sake, and I don't intend to make the same mistake with her daughter. Especially since she's her spitting image and aiming for the same status as her. Feels like I'm rewinding time to help Summer herself." Ozpin said, letting out a soft chuckle at the last line.
"The girl has the Silver Eyes, Glynda. You must have noticed too. The sooner we teach her to defend herself, the higher chances she has of surviving out there and being able to live a full life, instead of leaving things behind, like her mother did. That person will come after her, and it won't take her long to find out. Speaking of, having her graduate as soon as possible will add another useful asset to our forces."
"Ozpin, I get what you mean, but don't you realize you're making her skip two precious years of learning at a facility meant for people her age?"
"Glynda. You fought alongside her. You know she's already a notch above the people of her age at Signal. Those two years, personally, I think will be a waste of time. Besides, Qrow has already been pulled out of Signal. If he was still teaching there, then there would be good reason to keep her there, as she still could have more to learn from him." As he says this, Ozpin walks to the full-length window behind his desk that provides him with a constant view from afar of Valorie.
"And, if she proves to me that those two years at Signal will be useful to her even without Qrow there after all and that she truly is too young to attend Beacon, I will not hesitate to throw her out, and will ensure she only ever shows up again after two years have passed."
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