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“You cannot be serious, Headmaster!” Goodwitch burst into the room just as Headmaster Ozpin made his offer of early entry into Beacon. Ruby couldn’t help but grimace at the Huntress’s words - they hurt, especially since they came from someone she admired so. 

“Oh? But weren’t you singing praises about young Miss Rose earlier?” Ozpin spoke with a hint of joviality. “What was it? Amazing potential, excellent coordination, sharp eyes, animalistic instinc-”

Wait wha-

“All of what I spoke is what she could become in the future,” Goodwitch objected, “She’s still too young. Hasn’t even completed her training back at Signal. If you bring her to Beacon, she’ll just be building on an unstable foundation - who knows when she’ll topple over?”

“There’s too much she’s lacking in, “ the Huntress continued, “She hasn’t developed the muscle mass to fully control her weapon. And her situational awareness is poor, especially when she tunnel visions like what she did tonight.” 

Ozpin nodded his head at Goodwitch’s assessment. The gesture made her feel like a rock settled into her stomach, and the man’s following words didn’t help.

“Excellent points,” Ozpin agreed before he turned his head to her, “What do you have to say Miss Rose?”

Her eyes were like a deer in headlights, open and wide. She couldn’t lose this chance. She wanted to fight against the Grimm. And a day sooner she got into Beacon was a day sooner she’ll become a Huntress. She could stay at Signal, but… 

“I know Professor Goodwitch is right,” Ruby agreed hesitantly, “I’m lacking in a lot, probably so much that I don’t even know what I’m lacking. But Signal… Signal won’t help me.” She closed her eyes and sighed, “I’m tired of watching from the sides because the teachers are afraid I’ll break my fellow students’ confidence.” She trembled before gritting her teeth, “I’m tired of being left alone because the teachers think I’m already in a good place and there’s so many others that need help. They just tell me that everything will come with time and to practice on my own.”

“There’s only so much I can do learning through books and training by myself,” Ruby quietly said, “And my dad and uncle are busy with Hunter business and teaching. I can’t take too much of their time just because I want training.”

She shifted her feet uneasily before repeating, “I know I’m lacking, but Signal will not help me find those things. So please let me into Beacon.”

“All I ever wanted was to fight the Grimm. I want to become a Huntress. I never wanted anything else,” she bowed her head quietly, not able to meet either of them in the eyes, “Please give me a chance.”

The silence in the air was palpable, almost as if it could be sliced. It lingered, and she could feel Professor Goodwitch’s gaze pierce through her. Seconds felt like minutes as time dragged on, and before she could speak to get rid of the unnerving quiet, Goodwitch spoke first. 

“Beacon Academy’s Initiation will start in two months,” Goodwitch sternly stated, rapping the table with her riding crop. The woman looked straight into her eyes. “You will inform your family and then report to Beacon Academy tomorrow. Be forewarned that if you do not have what it takes, I do not want to hear anything more about early entry. Understand?”

Ruby lifted her head, eyes shimmering in excited tears. Professor Ozpin looked both amused and perturbed as he looked over at Professor Goodwitch and then herself. Professor Goodwitch looked every bit the strict disciplinarian waiting for her answer.

“Yes, I’ll do it! I won’t let you down. Thank you Professor Goodwitch. Headmaster Ozpin!”

—-

Training

Metal barrels and chunks of asphalt flew swiftly through the fields, trying to tag its red-clad target. Meanwhile, bullets shot through the air trying to pierce into her Psychokinetic assailer. 

A sniper bullet managed to avoid her barrier of floating debris, forcing Glynda to step back to dodge it, the air in its wake stinging her eyes. Clearly, Miss Rose was getting used to this level of attack - the local masonry was no longer adequate. It seems that after three weeks of training this girl in the guise of testing she’ll yet again need to bring another element into play. 

The Disciplinarian - her weapon - swung towards the ground, her Aura channeled deep within the earth. 

“Ah!” 

The red-cloaked girl stumbled half-way from the miniature earthquake that was created. Large chunks of dirt and rock, larger than Miss Rose herself, floated into the air courtesy of her Psychokinesis before rushing to crush the girl in their midst. 

And just as she expected, Miss Rose performed marvelously. 

The girl quickly found her footing and bounced amidst the floating debris. A slice subtly cut through one of the boulders, so fine that she failed to see it at first - followed by a bullet from her blind spot. Glynda had already moved to duck under that follow-up bullet, and she couldn’t help but mentally complement Miss Rose’s tactics, which were only inadequate due to not knowing the depths of her opponent. Had she been a student at Beacon instead, that would’ve been a fight-ending blow. 

Miss Rose would’ve been wasted at Signal. This girl was not meant to be a greenhouse flower, safely nurtured until she was ready to be brought out in the world. She was a wild rose, meant to grow in hardship and become all the more beautiful for it. Her presence in Signal - the other teachers must’ve sensed it somehow - was detrimental to the class; to them, she was like a weed that had to be kept in check lest it strangle the rest of the greenhouse. 

She knew this because she was the same way when she came into her Semblance - Psychokinesis - and became all too aware of the differences in capabilities between Hunters. 

Two more years at Signal would’ve ruined this girl. They would’ve dulled the girl’s sharp instincts like when she and Miss Rose first met. 

…Truthfully Beacon might not be the right fit for her either. 

“Argh, shit Glynda. Is beating on me really that fun?” the girl yelled accusingly as she bounced off against a floating rock. 

Oh whoops she was smiling. Glynda shifted her expression to something more neutral, but she couldn’t help but internally grin.

Their relationship had gotten a lot more casual a week in. Politeness tends to go out the window when exploding barrels were involved. 

“I’m only happy that I’ll be sending an inadequate student back to the institution she needs to go back too,” Glynda replied in a deadpan, flinging a volatile-marked barrel into the battlefield. 

“Oh fuck y-”

Boom.

—

Hunt

“What do you think, Peter, Bart?” Glynda said almost proudly as if introducing a prized student to an audience. Peter gazed upon the red-cloaked girl amidst the pack of Beowolves, many of which were turning to smoky wisps from her scythe blade. Even at this distance, she could see the girl’s every move, every strike an efficient take-down. 

“I’m feeling sorry for those Beowolves. Did you teach her how to be so…?” Port said quizzically as he saw the girl flip onto the back of a Beowolf, scythe at its neck - a single click later, and the Beowulf’s head was sailing over her.

“So?” Glynda questioned.

“So vicious. She’s really not scared about close combat” Peter commented, “Bit unusual, given her weapon’s part sniper rifle.” He observed as the girl rolled underneath a Grimm’s legs, only to swing the scythe from underneath. Urk. He squeezed his legs together at the phantom pain brought from that strike - Bartholomew did the same. 

“It wasn’t me. She came like that,” Glynda shrugged her shoulders, snorting briefly at the males’ sympathetic reactions, “Honestly, I didn’t expect this when I let her loose.” 

“…She was born to Hunt,” Bartholomew commented as he relaxed and then sipped from his thermos, “Probably more than me and either of you. Look at her face. She’s smiling. 

“…She’s smiling,” Glynda said quietly.

All three pensively watched as their soon-to-be-charge gleefully tore through the Grimm with a grin on her face, scythe reaping through them like they were wheat on the fields. 

—-

Meeting

“How do you feel?” Headmaster Ozpin asked with a smile, “I heard you had an exciting two months.” Ruby and the Headmaster were standing together at the landing hall, observing the other students arrive for orientation. 

“Like coming out of a dream,” Ruby sighed happily as she hugged Crescent Rose’s folded form. “It was everything I wanted and more.” 

“I wouldn’t have thought you would look fondly on what other students call Professor Goodwitch’s Ego-Crushing Disciplinary Course,” he chuckled, “Of course, those students have far less friendly names for it.”

He couldn’t help but feel perturbed though when Ruby stared at him in confusion.

“Why wouldn’t I like it? She pushed me to my limits and more,” Ruby stretched, “Same with the other professors.” Her gaze shifted away from him, a little hesitant and guilty, "But I’m having a feeling that Beacon regularly isn’t that exciting.”

“No, it isn’t,” the Headmaster said, “But you’ll be provided opportunities to go into the field as needed, though you’ll still be required to join a team and interact with them.”

“Those never did go well back when I was at Signal,” she grumpily said.

“You’re speaking as if that were ages ago. You’ve only been in Beacon for two months,” Ozpin chuckled. 

“It felt so much shorter. Guess time flies when you’re having fun,” Ruby laughed before rubbing her hand against a silver badge on her chest.   

“Hmm, what’s that?”

“Bar- I mean, Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port were joking about how I deserved a reward for surviving Professor Goodwitch,” Ruby laughed, “So they gave me a badge that’s been defunct for a while, back from when Vale determined the seniority of a Hunter based on Grimm kills. Apparently this is the highest accolade.”

“Oh, should I be worried then about my position, Professor Rose?” Ozpin quirked an amused eyebrow. 

“Maybe~ I don’t know. I’d rather be out in the field. Never did like the classroom, “ Ruby grumbled, “Even more so now…Hopefully, being with the other students won’t be too bad.”

”Looking down on your peers already, Professor Rose?”

”Stop calling me that, Headmaster,” Ruby hopped up and down angrily, “People might get the wrong idea. And it’s not that I’m looking down on them. I’m just not used to competent teammates. Don’t worry though. Professor Goodwitch stressed to me the importance of a team. No good Hunter hunts alone.”

”Wise words. Perhaps you should hold some classes.”

”Stop joking around.”

“Who said I was joking?”

Little did the fuming Ruby know that there were some people that caught bits and parts of their conversation and that they were prepared to take those words very seriously.

——

Rumors

“Holy shit. Did you see that video of that girl decapitating that Nevermore?” 

“Yup. Can’t decide whether the Deathstalker kill by Team JNPR or the Nevermore kill from Team RWBY was better.”

“Probably team JNPR’s kill, since they’re actually a bunch of students. I heard team RWBY’s leader is already a professor here.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“No joke. They say she just can’t get full professorship because of her age. Apparently she’s a combat prodigy from Signal, and she came to Beacon two years early to fast-track into a professorship. I mean, do you think the team being named after her is a coincidence?” 

“Hey, guys! You’re talking about Professor Rose, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So I personally heard the Headmaster call her Professor Rose before. A lot of people have during orientation actually. It’s just that it’s all supposed to be on the down-low. She’s on first-name basis with all the professors. Heard her call Professor Goodwitch by her first name when they’re in private.”

“She has balls. If I called Professor Goodwitch by her first name, I’d probably end up missing both of mine.”

“I didn’t need that imagery thanks. But if you want any proof, take a look at her badge. That’s a Vale Hunter’s badge if you search online for it. Old and dated, but it exists.”

“Guess I shouldn’t ask to copy her homework then. Can I copy yours?”

“No. Go do your own.”

“Dang it.”

Chapter Text

Perspective :: Weiss // Becoming 

Weiss remembered the brunette clad in red when she first arrived. At first, she thought the overly energetic girl was Ozpin’s kid. Free and expressive without any of the reverence a student should have for an esteemed Headmaster of a combat academy.

And then she heard the Headmaster say something very scary.

“Professor Rose.”

At first she couldn’t believe it. This Rose was younger than her and still had the baby fat on her face, but as the Headmaster and Professor Rose spoke about the months prior to today, she became more and more astonished.

Cutting down a pack of Beowolves on her own.

Taking down a Boarbatusk with her bare hands.

Collaborating in a Hunters mission.

A normal student at a preparatory academy couldn’t do any of these things. Even students at combat academies didn’t start participating in missions until 2nd year, but this girl - probably not older than fourteen - did it.

But what really got her was the smile the girl wore when the Headmaster spoke of her exploits. Her demeanor wasn’t arrogant but shy and excited - as if she couldn’t wait to head out to fight even more.

It’s just that the girl needed a team to do so.

Heh. Pyrrha. Who’s Pyrrha? What champion of Mistral?

This was the person she needed to partner with.

—–

“And that’s not to mention all the connections you can make knowing the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company,” Weiss explained hastily to the pajama-wearing Ruby Rose who just gave her a blank, unmoved expression.

Argh. What did this girl want?!

Ruby didn’t care about the educational pension she offered nor did she care about sponsorship by the Schnee Dust Company after graduation. She didn’t blink an eye either about having her weaponry supplemented with all the recent Dust research the SCD could offer. And the only time she did react was when she offered free expert weapon maintenance during her stay at Beacon, and the girl gave her such a disdainful stare that she got flustered and stuttered through the rest of her recruitment speech.

By the time she finished, she was red in the face, embarrassed by this girl who didn’t seem to care for this valuable opportunity at all.

Was she just playing hard-to-get, trying to get more out of her? Or were all prodigies like this?

As though she noticed how awkward she was being, Ruby sheepishly rubbed her head with an apologetic look in her face.

“Uh…Weiss, right? That’s great and all, but I don’t think you’re what I’m looking for in a partner,” Ruby said hesitantly with a bow of her head.

Was this pipsqueak looking down on her? Professor be dam- whatever.

“What are you looking for in a partner then?” Weiss asked, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.

Ruby’s friendly demeanor turned serious at the drop of a hat.

“Can you fight?” Ruby replied without missing a beat, “And can I trust you to have my back?”

Those two questions made her mouth gape her like a goldfish. 

It was clear that all the things she cared about - connections, money, power, opportunity - were worthless in front of this fourteen year old girl. And Ruby was being genuine, not trying to negotiate more out of her like businessmen were wont to do. She could feel the conviction in the other girl’s words as if nothing else truly mattered in that little world of hers. 

It was such a shock to her own worldview that she just stood there, even after the young girl shook her head and walked away.

The girl was right.

In the end, weren’t those two things the only things that truly mattered when fighting the Grimm?

It was the first lesson she’d learn from Professor Ruby and certainly not the last.

——

Have to find Pyrrha. Have to find Pyrrha.

Dashing through the Emerald Forest at top speed, she charged towards the gold and red blur that she saw flying above earlier. Sure, maybe she wasn’t able to give her recruitment speech to the Invincible Girl, but after learning the rules of forming a team, she realized she didn’t need to.

If she had known about the absurd manner of how they’ll find partners, she wouldn’t have thoroughly embarrassed herself last night. 

Eye contact? Really?!

Well as long as she didn’t get the pretentiously suave blond guy Jaune as a partner she would count it as a win. Seriously, if she heard Snow Angel one more time, a name she couldn’t escape from when she was at Atlas or those stupid high-society parties her father favored, she was going to shove her heel into a place where the sun didn’t shine.

…Being around Ruby may or may not be worse. Sure, she’s a Professor-in-training, so she’s going to be experienced, but it would be weird having to listen to someone two years younger than her. Not to mention she thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of the gir-

As she burst through the treeline, her eyes widened as she caught a familiar crimson-cloaked figure. That figure turned its head towards her.

Silver eyes met hers, and Ruby wore a surprised expression for a moment before it quickly turned into a grimace.

“Oh.”

—-

“Ah. Thank you for getting me down from that tree, Ruby,” the blond thanked, holding the spear-shotgun in his hands.

“Don’t mention it,” Ruby replied back, a genuine smile on her face. One that she never saw when the girl spoke to her. 

“I still don’t see why you got him down there,” Weiss said grumpily, “He should be able to figure out how to land himself, not need another Hunter’s help. Do you like him or something?”

“Huh?” The blond in question looked to her and then Ruby.

“I think I just like Crocea Mors.”

“Wha-?” Jaune said, glancing over at his blade and shield-scabbard.

“I thought about why I felt really good about Jaune when we met at orientation,” Ruby spoke, not really paying attention to the other two’s reactions. It seemed she was used to monologuing; Weiss couldn’t help but picture Ruby as a lonely girl despite all her outward bubbliness. “And it has to be the shield. People who use shields are either scared of death or have something to defend. And since Jaune’s here despite being unstealthy, walking in a manner that’ll easily catch him flatfooted, and not having unlocked his Aura, he’s clearly not scared of death.”

“Uhhh…” Jaune laughed nervously. Weiss could only gave him an incredulous look.

“Honestly, if I had the choice, I’d rather pick him than you, Weiss.”

That hurt in more ways than one; was Ruby’s opinion of her that low? Her gaze locked back onto Ruby.  

“Why?”

“Nothing personal. But Bart once said you can teach someone to fight, but you can’t teach loyalty,” Ruby quietly said, “And I don’t really know you well, and Jaune. Well, he has a shield.”

She was so annoyed that she wanted to laugh. Here she thought Ruby was thinking of her as completely unskilled and worthless, only for this reasoning to pop up. 

“Aren’t you being a bit arbitrary?” 

“Arbi-wha?” Ruby asked confusedly.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth before growling in frustration, “…Argh. How do I explain what that means? How can you be a prof-”

Ruby suddenly stopped and drew out her weapon. That alerted her and made her draw Myrtenaster right away. Jaune belatedly drew his blade and shield moments later. 

“Grimm are coming,” Ruby hopped upwards into the trees, “I’ll handle long-range fire. You two engage.”

——

She darted through the battlefield using her Glyphs as platforms. Her precise bladework aimed for necks, eyes, and hearts, each one efficiently dispatching the Grimm that surrounded them. Occasionally, Myrtenaster would glow with an icy or fiery light, her favored attack elements holding and destroying the Grimm that got into her range.

From above, she could hear the tinkle of fallen bullet casings as Ruby provided sniper fire. She had an eerie feeling that every bullet the girl fired lethally found its mark. 

“Hurggh!” the blond slashed down again and decapitated another Beowulf, probably the fourth or fifth compared to her dozen. Ruby was right. He was uncoordinated. Wrong foot out with his attack, sabotaging his gathered momentum. But against the young Beowolves, it was enough. And though his blade skills were poor, his body itself was pretty well-developed - if he ever started training for real, he had a really good foundation to start from. 

Weiss mused to herself. Loyal people tended to be grateful, right? Maybe she could attract that sort of loyalty to her if she were to train him, but alas she was smart enough to know she was far from qualified. She’s more likely to lead him down the wrong path and wouldn’t that generate resentment instead?

Still, it’d be interesting to see if he could gain the skills Ruby expected him to get in the futur-

Wha- wrong Glyph?

She stumbled and slid into the ground instead of onto the Glyph she wanted to create. Lifting her head up, she saw the Beowulf she landed in front of about to deliver a haymaker onto her frame. 

“Weiss!” 

She saw the blond’s back as he stood in front of her, shield protecting them both. Her heart fluttered for a moment. Despite her cruel words and rejections, Jaune still took up her defense. 

Loyalty.

The blond stumbled to the ground as he absorbed the blow, his hasty positioning too unstable to withstand it. Struck flat into the ground, Jaune groaned as his shield arm fell out of position with the Grimm about to strike down again.

“No!” she screamed.

Myrtenaster glowed white as she brought herself between the fist and Jaune, a White Glyph manifesting in front of her. 

But then a flash of white suddenly bisected the Grimm, and its figure dissipated into red petals. Ruby came into view, slowly folding her scythe back into its portable form - the one or two Grimm that remained seemed to have been cleaned up by her. 

Before she could thank the girl, Ruby started speaking. 

"Ahh sorry. I knew you had it,” Ruby said apologetically before grinning, “I just wanted a chance to get up close and personal.”

It made things a bit awkward to be misunderstood like that, and she paused for a moment trying to find tactful words before realizing what she should actually be doing. 

She lent a hand to a dazed Jaune and helped hoist him up. 

“Hey,” Weiss said shyly, “Thanks for blocking that blow and s-saving me.”

“Ha. No problem. If there’s one thing I can do, it’s take a beating,” Jaune laughed, patting his chest with his fist. 

His casualness brought a smile to her face, and it was nice to see another somewhat normal person in their group of three. Their companionable silence lasted for a moment before it was broken by Jaune. 

“Ruby, why’d you fight long-range?” Jaune turned his head and asked confusedly, “I thought you’re a pretty good scythe wielder.”

Ruby lightly kicked a pebble on the ground as she frowned and grimaced, “I don’t want to be levitated out the Admin Tower by my foot again.”

Huh?

“For messing up another collaboration. Like umm… I use a scythe. I hit very wide, and you two fight in melee range and we’ve never fought together,” Ruby animatedly swung her hands to mimic her motions before finishing, “so things could get really bad, and Glynda said if I ever fought like that again, she’l-”  

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” 

Pyrrha finally appeared. 

—

Pyrrha and Jaune went their separate ways, having rejected their offer to travel together. When she asked Ruby about it, Ruby simply said, “I think we’ll be surprised by Jaune when we meet him again.”

As she said this, the girl rubbed her cheek against her weapon as if drawing comfort from it. It was oddly familiar, and she remembered her doing the same back when the girl was with Headmaster Ozpin at orientation.  

“You really like your weapon, don’t you?” Weiss teased. 

“Crescent Rose,” she closed her eyes and didn’t stop hugging her weapon, “She’s the promise of the life I want to live.”

Weiss shut her mouth. 

What could she say to that?

“You haven’t maintained your own weapon yourself for a long time, have you?”

The other girl’s expression was soft, and when paired with the almost loving expression she had for her own weapon, her words seemed more patient and guiding instead of accusatory. In fact, ever since their fight against the Beowolves, Ruby seemed less standoffish with her as if…

…she finally earned the other girl’s approval.  

“You’re right,” Weiss admitted, deciding that she didn’t want to harm their fledgling relationship with fake blustering. Ruby’s right. She left it to someone she thought an expert. “How could you tell?”

Ruby held her hand out, and she knew what she wanted and handed Myrtenaster over to her. 

“What’s your weapon’s name?”

“Myrtenaster…?” Uhh. Why’d Ruby want to know?  

“Myrtenaster,” she nodded her head before saying, “Myrtenaster’s cylinder kept moving less smoothly during your fight, and it’s been throwing you off. You don’t trust in Myrtenaster’s mechanism anymore.”

Like what she was doing before with Crescent Rose, Ruby held the weapon’s guard against her cheek. Weiss couldn’t help but feel astonished.  

How good was Ruby’s eye of discernment to notice that small detail while they were all fighting? 

“So you keep using your eyes to check what dust color you’re using,” Ruby continued, her hand slowly turning the Myrtenaster’s cylinder, “And you’ve gotten so used to it that you don’t think it’s a problem anymore, except that the lapse in your attention nearly got you hurt today. 

“I think Myrtenaster would be sad if that happened, even more than your lack of trust in it,” Ruby opened her eyes sorrowfully before holding the weapon, hilt out, back to her, which she graciously accepted. 

“Whoever your expert is is probably remedying the quirk with a good amount of oil, which solves the smoothness but not the unreliability,” she sighed, “Myrtenaster must’ve taken a very nasty blow to the blade in the past, which probably misaligned the cylinder column. You probably only noticed it after you’ve used it for a while - a detail your expert probably wouldn’t have noticed because they don’t actually wield your weapon.”

Weiss recalled a phantom pain against her scarred eye, a Giant Armor’s fist crashing against both her and Myrtenaster. She had the blade itself repaired, but Ruby was right - she never noticed the cylinder’s problems until recently, and her expert kept saying it was in perfect condition despite her concerns.

“I get what you’re saying. I’ll maintain my weapon on my own from now on,” Weiss acquiesced.

“I’m sure Myrtenaster would like that,” she smiled, genuine happiness on her face once more before slight awkwardness returned to it, “Uhh. Hmm. Come on. Let’s get the chess pieces and finish up this Initiation. Maybe we can fight something along the way!”

Ruby already started dashing through the forest, and Weiss gave chase. 

Weiss couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden switch in demeanor.

What a strange girl. 

Chapter Text

Perspective :: Yang // Becoming

—

“I’ll be sure to set aside an office for you, Professor,” the Headmaster spoke with mirth as he and Ruby spoke at Beacon’s courtyard, watching the students arrive for orientation. 

“Stop calling me that! I just wanted to know if students could have their own private rooms!” Ruby stomped on the ground.

“Students, no. Professors, well…” 

“Argggh!” 

Yang was treated to the sight of her normally shy, bubbly sister hopping up and down angrily, pointing impolitely at the man that’ll soon be their Headmaster. Ruby’s uncharacteristic actions shocked her brain so thoroughly that she needed a moment to reboot.   

“Wait! Yang?!” Ruby exclaimed upon spotting her.

“Hey, Ruby.” Yang replied dazedly before internally wincing at her unenthusiastic-sounding response - too shocked from her sister’s prior actions. 

Luckily though, Ruby didn’t notice anything and was in fact enthusiastic enough for the both of them. Her sister’s eyes lighting up was the only warning she got before she felt Ruby pounce onto her, the other girl wrapping her in a tight hug. 

“You made it!” Ruby happily said, “I missed you!” 

Yang couldn’t help but hug her back smiling, not quite sure what’s made the other girl so affectionate, especially in such a public showy way. 

“I missed you too, sis,” she replied warmly, patting her head. Come to think of it these two months have been the longest they’ve been apart in years. Even when she took mini-missions at Signal to prepare for Beacon, the longest interval was 48 hours. Curious at her sister’s sudden change, she asked, “Yeesh, what happened to you over the past two months?“

"Eh, you know. Landed a blow on my teacher. Got myself blown up a couple times,” Ruby started counting on her fingers, “Got dangled out of a tower. Accidentally made a mess of things when I fought in a real team for the first time. Uhhh, not exactly in that order. “ Ruby scrunched up her face, which made her laugh.

“Sounds like you’ve been having fun,” Yang replied with a grin, though she gave the girl a quick onceover to make she’s truly alright - which it looked like she was.

“Yup. At least when they’re not sticking me in a classroom or hanging out with this old troll here,” Ruby resentfully gave the Headmaster a glare.

Yang choked on her spit at her sister’s audacity.

“What did you say? I’m hard of hearing, Professor Rose,” Ozpin blandly stated, “I think I heard someone asking me that she wanted to have her professorship announced tonight.”

“Don’t you dare!” 

She listened as the two bickered back and forth. Well, more like Ozpin speaking and Ruby reacting. Hearing Ruby talk like this to an authority still frazzled her brain, and it was only Ruby saying something even more unusual that brought her out of her daze.

“And you still won’t tell me their name!” 

“Huh, whose name?” Yang asked reflexively, slightly worried about that little tidbit. Did oblivious-to-everything-but-weapons Ruby find someone she liked? At least someone will share Dad’s overbearingness when she started dating too. Ha. 

“His weapon’s name,” Ruby pointed at the cane Ozpin was holding. “His cane. It’s really something special, but you can’t tell unless you get your hands on it.” She then smugly grinned, “which I managed.”

The Headmaster quirked up an eyebrow before retorting, “you wrapped your hands and legs around it like a sloth and then refused to get off.”

“AND his weapon’s heavier than it looks but in a way I can’t really describe - like something more than physical. And there’s something like a heart ticking away, and it’s been ticking for a long time like an ancient clock,” Ruby said animatedly, her words speeding up with her excitement, “it’s like watching one of those films before scroll technology or recalling a really long memor-”

Well, at least some things didn’t change - like Ruby’s weapon obsession.

"You know, it’s rude to talk about other people’s weapons without their permission, Prof-” Ozpin cut her off.

“Ah, sorry, Headmaster,” Ruby bowed before lifting her head, “Wait, stop calling me that!” 

She had been so focused on her sister that she missed the Headmaster tightening the grip on his cane and the quickly-hidden shock on his face. 

======================================================

She couldn’t move, her limbs locking under the beady red gaze of the Beowulf in front of her. It lifted its claw into the air, about to deliver its death sentence. 

“Don’t hurt my sis!” A small five year-old ran in front of her, placing herself between the claw and herself.

“Ruby!” 

Somehow, someway, she found the strength to move. She stumbled onto her sister and wrapped her arms tight around her, turning away and preparing to protect the younger girl with her body. To protect her from the consequences of the mess she created. She closed her eyes, prepared for the pain. 

——

Yang groaned and slowly opened her eyes, lifting herself up to look at the other students snoozing around her. Ugh, she would have that nightmare again before Initiation started tomorrow. Or was it today? Crap.  

Sleepy eyes shut closed as she flopped back into her sleeping bag, waiting for oblivion to claim her. And for a minute or two, she managed to be still as a rock. 

“Argh. It’s useless.” She sat back up. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” 

The blonde quickly turned her head towards the raven-haired girl sitting by the windowsill, a book in her hands. Blake. 

“Can’t sleep obviously. What about you?”

“I’m used to staying up at night. I’m reading an interesting book after all,” Blake replied cheekily. 

Yang snorted, given that Blake had used that excuse to ignore her when she first tried to strike up a conversation. 

“The Schnee Dust Company’s heir seems to have taken a liking to your sister,” Blake said casually, “If it were me, I’d treat it as a bad thing, but I guess it’s good to have someone’s backing.”

“Nah. I was listening in on that conversation. The moment that girl spoke about having an expert maintain her weapon was the moment she lost Ruby entirely,” she laughed. 

The scathing look Ruby gave the Schnee Heiress could’ve peeled paint. If there was an equivalent of a horse whisperer for weapons, it was Ruby. But as much as Ruby had disdain for those who didn’t respect their weapons, she wouldn’t show it - at least the Ruby of two months ago. She would’ve buried it deep inside and just be happy with the fact that someone was talking to her. 

Yang sighed. 

“…Ruby. She’s changed so much.”

“How so?” Blake inquired, closing her book shut. 

“Hmm. Why so curious?” Yang pouted, holding her heart, “Especially when you didn’t want to hear anything about little old me?”

“Well, the opportunity to learn more about Beacon’s youngest professor is hard to pass up,” Blake then added playfully, “don’t worry. You’re still interesting.”  

“I thought the professor thing was a joke,” Yang said in confusion, “Isn’t it?”

Was it though? She never heard Ruby outright deny it, just requested vehemently that the Headmaster not publicly announce it. Huh.

“I thought so too, but Ruby’s a bit special, isn’t she? Early entry to Beacon, taking solo missions, acting super casual with the Headmaster,” Blake replied, looking over at her, “It’s hard not to wonder.”

“I don’t think she is? I mean she would’ve told me, her sister - but…” Yang hesitated, “she’s changed a lot in the past two months. It’s like I don’t recognize my own sister anymore.” She grimaced, running a hand through her blonde bangs, “Ever felt that way about someone you’ve known for a long time and then bam what happened?”

Blake glanced outside the window and into the starry sky. 

“Yeah, I know a bit about that… But what about your sis? Might as well get it off your mind,” Blake sat crosslegged, staring expectantly and sincerely, clearly ready to listen.

With some hesitation, she glanced over at the sleeping girl several tables over with the Schnee girl sleeping a couple sleeping bags over, not quite ready to give up trying to recruit her. Good luck, brat.  

“Well my sis didn’t really have friends at Signal. She’s a loner but not really by choice. She tried so hard to fit in, but she never really clicked with anyone. No one really understood her or made the effort to.” Yang trailed off guiltily, “Maybe that’s why she could make the decision to come to Beacon so easily, because she had no one.” 

“I… I kinda expected I would have to give her a pep talk when I came here,” Yang admitted, “because Beacon required its members to form a team, even more so than Signal. I thought I would have to cheer my sis on about how she’ll find the right team but also telling her that I can’t be her partner and she needs to learn how to work with others.”

“But instead I see a confident girl who no longer seems afraid to let others know who she is. I see a fish in water. I see someone who’s found their place in life and is holding onto it with her own two hands. And also apparently making small talk and arguing with our Headmaster till she’s red in the face. Ugh, I don’t even know if she’s a professor. ” 

“Wait, so you seriously don’t know if your sister’s a professor?”

“Is that the only thing you took out of this?” Yang dropped her jaw, appalled, “I just poured my heart out to you, Blake! You have to take responsibility.”

The ebony-haired girl flushed wonderfully at her choice of words before grumpily rebutting, “W-who asked you to do that?”

A moment of silence passed between them, neither of them knowing what to say. 

It was Blake who broke the silence. “I think…you’re just having complicated feelings on seeing your younger sister grow up. I mean you seem like a good older sister, so you’ve probably protected Ruby all this time. And now that she no longer needs your protection, you probably feel a bit lost but also a bit of pride too.”

“Huh,” Yang blinked several times pondering what Blake said for a couple seconds, and then she smiled, a bittersweet feeling in her heart, “I think you’re right. I’m happy she’s grown up, but I also kinda miss the girl who’d cry when her toys would go missing. Haha.” 

She then gazed playfully at Blake, “Oh Blake, why are you so wise?”

“Eh, I read it in a fortune cookie once,” Blake deadpanned without missing a beat.

“Ugh, and somehow my reverence for you has been lost,” Yang sighed before smiling, “But seriously, thanks for listening. Do you… Well… I heard you mentioned someone that you feel the same way about?”

Blake paused before shaking her head. 

“Ah, sorry. It’s a long story, and it’s late, and…” Blake said before adding in a dramatic baritone, “you haven’t progressed enough on the Blake Belladonna social link to know about that yet.” She stuck her tongue out before turning over to the side to go to bed.

“Oh come on! Pour your heart out to me now!” Yang said dramatically but upon seeing no response from the other girl, she snorted, “Fine. I’ll get to bed, and I’ll totally unlock more of the Blake storyline in the future. Does it end in romance at least?”

“Ugh. I’m not dignifying that with an answer. Good night, Yang.”

Yang laughed. 

——-

“And now even my sister thinks I’m a professor!” Ruby wailed at Headmaster Ozpin, pointing a finger back at her. Yang could only give the Headmaster an apologetic grin - probably should’ve asked Ruby in a more subtle way - as Ruby ranted on, “And no one else believes me when I deny it. That’s your fault!” Ruby groused.  

“Don’t worry, Miss Rose. I’ll be sure to do something about the rumors this evening,” the Headmaster spoke warmly, “You can walk back to your seat and see how I resolve this.”

As soon as Ruby sat down, Ozpin stood up tapping his glass with the back of his fork. All the students fell into silence upon noticing who was making the commotion, and all the attention quickly fell on him.

“Ah-hem. I have an announcement to make,” Ozpin spoke calmly, “I would just like to say that Ruby Rose is not a professor at Beacon. The fact she is on a first name basis with all your professors or participated in a mysterious extracurricular activity two months prior to her entry to Beacon is completely irrelevant,” Ozpin continued on before pausing briefly, a spark of amusement in his eyes, “And I suppose the fact she graduated from Signal two years early is also not that important. That and her impeccable display with her team during Initiation. Alright, that is all. ”

The man glanced over at Ruby, his gaze clearly asking ‘are you happy?’ to the girl.

Ruby only beamed happily in satisfaction.  

Oh my god. 

Ruby was right. 

Ozpin is a troll. 

And she could only facepalm at Ruby’s complete obliviousness to the fact that Ozpin’s wishy-washy way of explaining things probably made things a lot worse. 

Well, at least no one is going to call Ruby Professor to her face now. 

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sometime after Ozpin’s announcement of Ruby not being a professor that no one really believed - within Beacon’s machine shop::

“How about if I exempt you from homework for the next few months?” Ozpin bargained jovially as he watched the girl work, a dismantled Crescent Rose whose pieces were stacked on the table. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the curious students gather in, trying to be clandestine with their eavesdropping and utterly failing.

Luckily, Beacon was raising Hunters and Huntresses and not spies.

“I don’t think Gly- Professor Goodwitch is going to accept that,” Ruby replied doubtfully without giving him so much as a glance. Instead, the girl lifted the muzzle of her weapon and looked down the barrel.

“How about a month free of classes?”

“I’m a student. I can’t be a professor,” Ruby replied as she gently pulled a wire brush through the barrel and cleaned the inside. “Besides, are you sure that’s really going to fly with Professor Goodwitch?”

“I am the Headmaster, Ruby,” Ozpin replied mildly as if chiding her, though the amusement in his voice killed its effect.

“I can’t tell most of the time,” Ruby said as she focused on her cleaning work, “Usually you just act like a creepy old man.”

Ozpin frowned as he scratched his chin. “I’m not old. I’m young at heart, and that’s all that matters.”

“The fact you didn’t deny creepy disturbs me,” Ruby grumbled as she put down the barrel and pulled a small screwdriver from her satchel. Carefully she started opening up the receiver, her weapon’s heart, with unconcealed reverence. “Anyway, I’m doing something important, Headmaster. Did you actually need something?”

“Are you really going to dismantle your weapon completely?” Ozpin said, more amused than insulted by his charge's sudden directness, looking at the girl dismantle the most complex part of her weapon without batting an eye.

“How else am I going to make sure Crescent Rose is alright?” Ruby replied as she began pulling out the multiple gears and pins from the receiver and placing them onto the table.

“Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to put her back together?”

Ruby lifted her gaze and stared at Ozpin blankly. Even for someone that had a whole lot of memories and an ancient personality stuffed into him, Ozpin couldn’t help but feel as if he were being looked down upon.

“No? Why would I?” Ruby returned her attention to her work, casually flicking a finger at her weapon’s firing hammer before placing it back into the assembly, “I could put her back together blind if I needed to. Isn’t that the basic quality a Huntress should have?”

The fact she said the words without a hint of arrogance made him want to choke. If all the students had that standard, he’d be a lot less worried.

Though, he could use this, can’t he?

“Sadly, not every Hunter and Huntress treat their weapon the same as you do,” he sighed.

“Why not?” Ruby stared at the firing pin she pulled out, flicked it once with her finger, and shook her head. A new one was quickly put in its place. “If you don’t know how to treat your weapons well, you can’t blame them if they fail you when you need them most.”

“I think most students just don’t know how. You’ve probably seen it back at Signal,” Ozpin said with a shrug, “Most of them probably chose a weapon template, added some cool features to it, and then let a 3D printer do the rest.”

“Not many people are like you and designed a weapon completely from scratch,” Ozpin said somewhat incredulously, “How did you find the time anyway?”

“It wasn’t a chore if that’s what you’re wondering. I like the way things click and turn, and...” Ruby then averted her gaze and added, “...seeing new weapons is like meeting new people but better.” The girl frowned before shaking her head, continuing her work a little less spiritedly than before .

Ozpin quietly sighed. He didn’t meant to dredge up bad memories.

“So, among the students, how would you rank yourself when it comes to weapon knowledge and maintenance in the school?” Ozpin changed the subject into safer territory.

“Honestly? If I said I was number two, no one else can call themselves number one,” Ruby said with a hint of smugness. Deft fingers started to bring the dismantled pieces of the receiver back together.

Hook.

“Do you think implementing a more focused weapon knowledge and maintenance elective might benefit the students in the long run?” Ozpin rose his head, scratching his chin as if pondering.

Line.

“Well yeah. Knowing the odd thing your opponent pulled out is useful, and making sure your weapon is in top condition or at least know when it’s less than ideal is even more so,” Ruby tilted her head as she continued assembling Crescent Rose, “I mean I see half of the upper year class with weapons that look like they haven’t been maintained for months and my fingers itch so mu-.”

She stiffened.

Ruby finally looked over at Ozpin, who was grinning like a cat that caught the canary.

“No. No. And No!” Ruby, who suddenly realized the giant hole she dug for herself, exclaimed, “I’m no-”

“Didn’t you say it yourself? The students could benefit more from knowing about weapons and their maintenance,” Ozpin chuckled, “And your knowledge in this matter is second to none.”

“I’m a student, Headmaster,” Ruby growled, “I can’t just run an electi-”

“Then just run it as an afterschool club. You can do that as a student, right? And you said it was important - you can’t take back your words.”

“But...” Ruby said in dismay.

“Besides, think of all the weapons that probably haven’t had a good maintenance session in months - years maybe,” Ozpin faked a pout as he leaned forward on his cane and putting himself closer to Ruby, “Can you really let that travesty go when you have the power to change it?”

Sinker.

“Urggh,” Ruby gritted her teeth, fingers twitching, "I know what you’re doing, headmaster.”

“Is it working?” Ozpin smiled genially as he leaned back.

The girl grimaced like she got punched in the gut. A minute passed as she practically squirmed in place, her desire to stay out of the limelight combating with her enthusiasm and love for all things weapon-related.

“...Fine you win,” Ruby finally spat out, shooting him a glare that would’ve ignited him if it were capable, “But I'm not going to be a professor. It’s just gonna to be a club, and I’ll run it the way I want it, okay?”

“Sure. Sure,“ Ozpin said generously, “I have the utmost confidence in you, Student Ruby.”

The girl glanced over at the oil-covered rag on the table and his face for a moment before she reluctantly shook her head and returned to her reassembly.

“How did I get suckered into this?” Ruby bemoaned at Crescent Rose while pointedly ignoring her happily-beaming headmaster.

Chapter Text

It had been an awkward couple of weeks after Forever Fall.

He had expected Cardin to leave him alone after saving his life. He did not expect him to try and get all cozy instead. It was just extremely awkward, having Cardin try to include him in all of his team's activities and, you know, pretend like the whole blackmailing stuff never happened.

What's worse was that Cardin was genuinely sincere about these invitations too, which made it really hard to decline.

His team noticed his frequent absences and, upon discovering the cause, were adamant on protecting him. Nora in particular was getting really hyped up on breaking Cardin's legs this time around.

No one believed him when he said that Cardin was trying to play nice instead of harassing him.

Which was why he was in this situation now. In the middle of the hallway. Stuck making small talk with Cardin and the rest of his team. Under the watchful eye of Ren and Nora a classroom away.

As for Pyrrha, well, she was suffering with him. Even her normally brilliant smile started to dim after fifteen minutes of this awkward situation. What could she do when Cardin was genuinely trying to be nice?

Well, at least his team won't think Cardin's trying to bully him anymore.

“I’m telling you that I’m perfectly fine with a sword and shield. It’s what I practice with, it’s what I know,” Jaune said wearily, mostly just wanting this conversation to end.

Unfortunately, Cardin didn’t want to comply with his silent wishes.

“Look. You could definitely do better. Your sword and shield’s boring, outdated, and probably needs to retire in a museum somewhere. I know a couple shops where you can get a discou-Urk.” Any further words Cardin had wanted to add seemed to have gotten caught in his throat. The guy's gaze was no longer on him but past his arm, where he caught a couple of red fading petals blowing in from behind.

That’s when Ruby just walked past him - from wherever she came from - and straight towards Cardin. He couldn't see her face, but from the way she was trembling, Ruby was not happy.

“Y-you’re kidding, right?” The normal bubbliness in Ruby’s voice was replaced with sharp incredulity and simmering anger that he thought Ruby had beef with Cardin over something unrelated. It was enough that Pyrrha and he immediately walked to their side, prepared to defuse the situation. It'd probably look bad on Ruby if she started trying to throttle her fellow peer/ maybe student then and there.

At least until she dropped the bombshell.

“..Y-you’re seriously insulting Crocea Mors?”

Seeing the intensity in Ruby’s steel eyes was scary - almost like watching a wolf about to pounce its prey. And Cardin clearly thought so too because he stumbled trying to step back and knocked into the wall behind him.

It always confused him as to why Cardin would try his best to avoid Ruby after his duel with her - Ruby lost that fight after all. Actually, it was a little funny that Mr. Tough Guy was so afraid of shy, cheerful Ruby.

...But looking at the unhinged look in the younger girl's eyes, he’s starting to have an idea why.

“I-I-I wasn’t…” Cardin stuttered to the amazement of the other members of his team.

Ruby forwardly just stepped up and placed her hands on Cardin’s shoulders, which was comical given that the guy had over a foot of height on her.

“...Crocea Mors isn’t a weapon that you can ridicule,” Ruby whispered in dead seriousness, “It survived at least three generations in a Huntsman’s family. It survived the Great War. And it’ll probably survive you too.”

He’s…pretty sure Ruby didn’t say ‘and that might be sooner rather than later' but oh boy did he feel it. And from the deer-in-headlights look Pyrrha’s giving him, she felt it too.

“H-h-hey. Come on now. Let's not fight over that antique -” Russel remarked with a genial smile, sliding between Cardin and Ruby to try and make peace. And that smile wilted immediately after Ruby turned to him with a blank expression. Hell, even his mohawk looked like it wilted too.

Gotta give him props though.

What a true friend.

“That antique was made with the best that Vacuo's steelforging and Vale’s blacksmithing had to offer!” Ruby scathingly replied as she pushed Cardin away and stalked over to Russel, “Even today, blacksmiths and fabricator machines could only hope to match Crocea Mors’s durability and sharpness.

“You wanna pit Shortwings against it for a couple hundred swings?” Ruby stomped a foot down and swung her arm to punctuate her point, “I will bet any amount of Lien that Shortwings shatters first!”

Russell vigorously shook his head as quickly as he could like a grade schooler knowing he did wrong. Unfortunately for him, it was clear Ruby was determined to hammer the lesson home.

“More importantly,” Ruby lowered her voice once more, “that antique had more thought put into it than most weapons today.”

“Crocea Mors was created specifically with the hope that its wielder would survive the Great War,” Ruby confidently declared, “And to do that, it was made to be both strong and reliable."

"Do you know what sand or water does to intricate mechanisms?" , she prodded his chest with her index finger before deadpanning, "It gums them up and then makes them useless.”

“Now of course, I built Crescent Rose here with a wicking system to deal with that,” Ruby affectionately added with a pat to the collapsed weapon hiding behind her cape, “but back then, who would know how to make that kind of mod?”

“Furthermore, whatever joints Crocea Mors had were made so well that the shield appears seamless when deployed,” Ruby lectured on, clearly calmer after her brief aside about her weapon. It still didn’t stop her from prodding Russel’s chest every couple words though. “And as strong as every other part of the shield too.”

So entranced he and Pyrrha were by this super assertive version of Ruby that they didn’t even realize Cardin and the rest of his team had already skedaddled. Only when Russel desperately gazed over at where Cardin was - and the indignant disbelief in the guy’s eyes - did they actually realize that the rest of team CRDL was just gone.

“Do you know which kingdoms preferred guerilla and ambush tactics the most? Mantle and Mistral!" Ruby continued on, gaining steam again, “Under those circumstances, a sheath that turns into a heater shield is a brilliant idea! Not to mention there’s a robust spring-loaded mechanism that can deliver a counter blow when the shield is deployed or even create a makeshift barricade to block a passage.”

"As for the sword, its excellence speaks for itself," Ruby then huffed as she closed in on a shrinking Russel, narrowing her eyes, "but if you had any proper weapon knowledge, we wouldn’t be here right now."

“Keeping an edge that keen over three generations - an edge that can cleanly decapitate an Ursa Major in one swing - is a testament to both the blacksmith’s metalworking and Jaune’s family who maintained it well.”

…Well, now he was feeling guilty about stealing Crocea Mors again.

“Heck! Given how old this "antique" is, chances are it cut down someone who would’ve ended up killing your ancestors, giving you the opportunity to say such ignorant words today. ” Ruby continued on, “Really! You should be calling Crocea Mors your Granddadd- Wait Pyrrha, what are you-”

Pyrrha had begun pulling the younger girl up and away from Russel, elbows latched underneath the other girl’s armpits.

Yeah, probably a good place to end things.

It still didn’t stop him from trying to stifle a laugh at the uncharacteristic Yang-like insult.

Definitely sisters, alright.

Still staring at Russel and being restrained by Pyrrha, Ruby frowned as she nudged her head towards him, “Come on, Jaune! He’s insulting your weapon! You should be defending Crocea Mors's honor!”

“Errr…Ruby, I actually didn’t know all tha-”

Pyrrha shook her head violently, mouthing the word no in a loud fashion.

Russel meanwhile looked towards him with teary gratitude.

Ruby slowly turned her head towards him.

Oh. Crap.