Project 4

The Madness of Death:

Dreamstate

Scene 1:

Cookies.

A/n: Hello guys, I promised I'd have MoD: Dreamstate out in April, and I'm technically holding that promise.

So

Yeah...

also, if you haven't read Madness of Death, I encourage you to. It will make this whole thing make more sense.

Kind of.

Now, if you don't know what Dreamstate is, let me try to explain it.

this is going to be a dumping ground for one shots, what-ifs, and dumb ideas I couldn't get rid of, but am not doing in the main fic.

they're all going to be RWBY related, and probably all related to Madness

You also shouldn't take too much what I post here to seriously. If it's here, it's because it's either not good or important enough to go in the main fic, borderline crack, or it just couldn't happen.

or other

other is an option

now, this chapter right here, is more of a what-if, where I go"What if I made it follow canon?" but, in a crack kind of way

because I can

so yeah, don't take it too seriously

and if you haven't read Madness of Death, well, some of this might be really weird.

If you have...

well some of this might still be really weird.

but, that's enough dicking around.

Time for you to read.

Ozpin pov

"I hope you understand why you're here, young lady." Glynda said to her, standing over her form across the table.

She was young, a child really, and yet she was responsible for five men getting sent to the hospital in a coma, an infamous criminal getting arrested, and over 50,000 lien in property damages.

"Not really." The girl flatly responded, matching Glynda's normally quite fearsome glare with a blank stare

"You were responsible for quite a lot of destruction, and reckless endangerment of yours, and the lives of others." Glynda explained, doing her best to put the fear of god into the girl

It wasn't working

"And?" she challenged with a raised brow.

"And?" Glynda reiterated, speechless, her irritation growing.

I think that's one of the first times someone has talked back to her so casually when she's such an interesting shade of red. I silently commented from the other side of the one-way glass

"Nothing was technically illegal, it was all self defense. I've read the law thoroughly, and I know my rights. As a minor, and a huntress in training, I have the right to defend myself to the best of my ability when threatened, so long as I use appropriate force." She answered

"Honestly, I could have killed them, and it would have still been technically legal, considering they came at me with deadly force." She added.

"And the collateral damage?" Glynda questioned

"Most of it actually wasn't my fault. I didn't blow up the shop, nor did I blow holes in the buildings. Honestly, I'm pretty sure you actually did more property damage then I did." She answered matter-of-factly.

Oh. I thought, taking a sip from my mug of tea, That was not the right thing to say to her.

I could already see the

"Actually, speaking of which, why are you here?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"What?" Glynda said, speechless

I wonder if I should intervene?

"Well, you're just a huntress. You don't technically have the authority to do this, right? If I was actually in trouble I'd be interrogated by police, or maybe Watchmen if it was really bad, but you wouldn't be the one standing here if I was really in trouble." She explained

"Would you?" The girl questioned in response with another tilt of her head.

I should probably stop this. I thought

At the very interesting shade of purple Ms. Goodwitch was quickly becoming, and the way her aura was violently flaring, I thought about it again.

But this is hilarious. I thought, recording the whole scene with my scroll. I'm going to save this for a rainy day.

Then, I saw her take a deep breath, before letting it out. She recomposed herself, re-adjusted her glasses, causing them to reflect the light in them with a blinding white gleam. She straightened up, and her once wild aura became focused.

My eyes widened once I realized what she was going to do

Oh no

"Ms. Rose, I don't believe you have fully considered the consequences of your actions." She began, giving the girl a hard glare from behind her gleaming glasses.

I could already tell, she was about to give a lecture. A Ms. Goodwitch lecture. A very demeaning, very soul crushing, and most importantly, a very long lecture. It would probably take at least an hour.

It was the worst possible scenario.

I have to stop this before she gets too far. I thought, grabbing the plate of cookies on my way out, because once she really gets started, not even I can stop her.

I opened the door to the room just as Glynda said, "Your actions were reckless and short-sighted-"

"I think that's enough" I said, cutting her off.

She gave me an angry glare in response, but acquiesced.

Well, that was close. I thought, suppressing a shiver and a grimace.

I turned to the young girl on the other side of the table

"Ruby Rose…"I began, looking into her unusual hollow silver eyes as I set the plate of cookies down on the table.

"You have silver eyes…" I said distractedly, thinking out loud.

Not exactly a common feature, and the old forgotten stories about them… I thought more internally.

I wonder if they hold a grain of truth?

Given the strange feeling I got from her, just by looking into her hollow eyes, I'd be willing to say yes. Though, considering how incredibly old and vague the legends are, what that actually means is up for quite a lot of debate.

Maybe I'll find out for myself? I considered.

Another thing I found unsettling was the incessant quiet buzzing going on in the background. Normally, I'd say that it was just the sounds of the machinery around the building, the speakers or the AC. But, considering it was oscillating in resonance with Ms. Rose's Aura, I was willing to bet that wasn't a coincidence.

But what does it mean? I wondered.

Then I heard Ms. Goodwitch clearing her throat, shaking me from my thoughts. I then noticed that as I had been silently scrutinizing Ms. Rose, so too had she been observing me.

"Ms. Rose…what did you do to those men?" I asked

"None of the cameras were intact and able to show us anything, nor did you leave any serious wounds on them. And yet, all of them were bleeding from various orifices and unconscious." I stated.

"I stopped them." She replied simply

"Stopped them how?" I asked.

"They tried to hurt me, so I hurt them back." She answered cryptically

I hummed in acknowledgment as I thought about what she said.

She's being rather evasive about it. Unless she just doesn't know how to explain it? Perhaps something with her silver eyes? I considered

Then, glancing down, I noticed something

The pile of cookies was smaller than it was before.

I had brought in 16 cookies with me. But, as I mentally counted them all out, there was only 12 on the plate.

I glanced up at Ms. Rose to see any sign of her involvement, whether it be a small smirk, or some crumbs on her person.

But there was nothing.

I looked at Glynda to see if she saw anything, but she was still just glaring angrily at Ms. Rose.

I turned to my watch for a second to see what time it was, and found that it was 8:17, and I had entered the room at 8:12.

Have I really been in here for 5 minutes already? I wondered.

When I turned back to Ms. Rose to begin questioning again, I noticed that another two cookies had gone missing.

How-?

Shaking my head of paranoid thoughts, I returned to the matter at hand.

"Regardless, Ms. Rose, what you did in front of Ms. Goodwitch was very impressive for someone so young. Especially with such an elaborate and dangerous weapon." I said.

"In fact…" I began with a small smile, knowing full well who her uncle was

"I only know one person to be capable of using a Scythe like this. A dusty old crow…" I commented, trailing off and expecting her to fill it in.

Instead, I heard her mutter, "More like cheap drunk bird."

At that, I couldn't help but give small snort of surprised mirth at her bluntness.

"True, he is that." I said, smiling as I looked down

To a plate of 8 cookies

What I thought blankly, my eyes widening

I glanced over to Glynda only to see her eyes wide, staring at the shrinking plate of cookies, just as surprised and confused as I was.

"So." Ms. Rose began, shaking us from our confused thoughts.

"Why are you here?" She asked

"pardon?" I asked

"as I said before, you aren't police, so can't have arrested me. The fact you can even use this room is a little suspicious. As is the fact the headmaster of Beacon himself came all the way down here to see little old me." She expounded, smirking slightly to the very end.

After another moment to process what she said, I gave a short bark of laughter.

"it seems your uncle wasn't understating you at all. You're quite perceptive for someone of your age." I said with a chuckle.

"So you are part of uncle's little club." She mused in quiet realization and vindication.

At that, I raised a brow.

"So you know about us?" I wondered out loud.

"Did Qrow tell you?" I asked

"Not explicitly, no." She answered cryptically.

"I've just always had thing for mysteries, curiosities, and the unknown. And uncle Qrow wasn't as subtle as he thought he was." She continued.

"So you know of the maidens?" I said, concerned about how good my spymaster could be at his job, if his niece could figure him out.

But at my remark, her grin simply grew ever wider and more predatory.

"Now I do." She said simply

At that, I could hear Glynda facepalm loudly behind me, as well as the feelings of disappointment rolling off her soul.

Well. I thought that could have gone better.

As I did, I looked downward, and once again noticed the plate of cookies. Six cookies, to be precise.

I looked up, narrowing my eyes at the girl in front of me.

She may look young, but she's nothing to underestimate I thought

But it was driving me crazy how the were disappearing.

How is she doing it from right underneath both of our noses? I wondered.

Taking a moment to look at my watch, I saw that it was now 8:43 pm.

But, I couldn't have been in here for a half hour...could I?

I looked up again at the girl in front of me, still wearing that crooked grin.

I sighed, realizing I might have underestimated her too much. That I should have headed Qrow's warnings about his dear niece. He loved her, that was beyond a doubt, but he also spoke, at length, about how inquisitive, crafty, and downright devious she could be.

Still though, all this was really just proving that I was more right in my decision than I thought.

"Ms. Rose." I began, trying to start a new conversation.

Based on the way she seemed to sober up, she understood that.

"based on the exploits of what you've done tonight, Glynda's praise, as well as your uncle's, I feel that your talents are being wasted at signal. I'd be willing to bet you find it boring." I stated.

"Am I correct in that regard?" I asked.

With that question, she lowered her head, taking on a more solemn and shameful look.

"It's worse than that. Not only are all my classes too easy or boring, but nobody likes me, not even the teachers. They always think I'm creepy or too weird or something. And I'm just not very good with people, so I don't know what to do about it."

" The only person who makes it better is Yang. But now she's leaving too, and with her gone, I know the next 2 years at Signal are going to be hell." Ms. Rose confessed.

I hummed in thought.

It was worse than I thought. It seems as if Signal is a downright painful experience for her, as opposed to to being simply boring. I pondered

But, that should make my next offer all the more inviting.

"Well then, Ms. Rose. You should be happy to know that I would like to extend an invitation to you, to attend Beacon. A place I believe you will feel more comfortable, or at the least, a place where you can truly be put to use." I announced

I could see her hollow silver eyes light up at that, getting filled with a measure of hope.

"Really?" She questioned, a measure of suspicion still lying within her.

"Really." I answered sincerely.

She hummed in acknowledgement, thinking on it for a moment, her eyes fluttering to the corner of the room.

"What makes you think Beacon would be so much better than signal?" She asked.

Her question momentarily took me off guard. Most would jump at the chance to go if given this opportunity. Ms. Rose especially seemed like she'd be inclined to go more than most.

But here she was, once again shattering much assumptions by playing the game cautiously.

"What do you mean?" I cautiously asked

"As helpful as Yang and Qrow were at signal, without them, signal was mostly terrible. Sure, it was interesting for a while, but then everything either became boring or dreadful. Either way, there was nothing for me to look forward to other than going home." She explained with a flat look.

"What makes you so sure Beacon will be any different?" She questioned

"Sure, it might entertain me for a while. I might learn some new things here and there…" She began

"But people will still see me as the weird creepy girl. I'll be unwelcome and unwanted, the pariah of the school in months if not weeks." She explained

Seeing she had something of a point, I looked down towards the table, taking careful note of the five remaining cookies as I considered my next course of action.

"So, Professor Ozpin." She said, raising her voice to shake me from my thoughts.

"How do I know this won't turn out just like signal? With Yang being my only refuge in the ocean of boredom and hate I will get?" She asked

"What's so special about Beacon?" She finished.

This time, she gave me a moment to consider my answer. Glancing at my watch, noting that it now read 8:56 pm, and that only four cookies remained on the plate, I got the feeling I was running out of time and chances. I got the feeling that if I wasn't careful, that if I didn't play this right, I would lose this girl of incredible talent.

And I couldn't allow that.

So I thought about what could possibly convince her to stay. What could possibly feed and entertain this girl of incredible curiosity and skill. What would possibly satisfy her?

Hmm...I considered. That might work.

"How about this, Ms. Rose." I began. "I'll give you two things."

I could see by the way she seemed to perk up, that I had her attention.

"First, unlimited access to the forge of the school. Something that is usually restricted to Seniors." I said. "I've heard from your Uncle that you have quite the affinity for engineering weapons. So, you would probably appreciate the freedom to really exercise that creativity."

"And the second?" She asked, in curious and eager tone.

Glancing down for a moment, I noticed that there was only three cookies remaining on the plate.

"The second, is an apprenticeship to one of the teachers." I announced.

With those words, I could immediately feel Glynda's burning gaze on me, and I could practically hear the aneurysm developing, not to mention the no doubt lengthy lecture she would have for me when this was over.

But it will all be worth it….won't it?

Ms. Rose seemed to consider it for a careful moment.

"Do I get to pick?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly to the left.

I paused, wondering what her game here was. The glimpse of the one remaining cookie on the plate told me what I needed.

"Within reason." I answered.

"Okay then." She said with a satisfied nod.

Then, she turned to looked at Glynda, and said, "I want her.", without a trace of subtlety or tact.

"What?" Glynda and I both exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Is there something wrong with that" she asked with a raised brow and tilted head.

I looked at Glynda, and she at me, having a silent conversation with her about it.

"No." I began, glancing toward Ms. Rose, and the now two remaining cookies on the plate.

"It's just… unexpected. Would you care to explain why?" I asked, curious

"I've always been somewhat interested in Dust and Aura control, Uncle Qrow and dad never really knew anything about it, and none of the teachers that specialized at it in school wanted to be anywhere near me." She explained

"So, I thought I'd take the opportunity given to me." She said with small, pleased smile. One that held the barest hint of a predatory edge.

Looking towards Glynda once more, I gave her the silent signal to just go with it.

By which I mean I gave her a helpless shrug.

Sighing angrily, Glynda pinched her nose in that "I hate you, but I'll do it" way of hers.

"Fine." She said unhappily.

Ms. Rose just gave a happy little smile in way of response.

"So I take that as a yes?" I asked

"Sure." She said with a shrug. "It sounds interesting enough."

"Well, we'll be happy to have you." I said, finally feeling free to smile again.

"Can I go now?" She asked with another one of those tilts.

"Yes, Ms. Rose, you may go. Your acceptance letter and accompanying list of requirements should arrive soon." I answered.

"Okay, good bye Professor Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch." She said with a shallow nod to the two of us as she got up from her seat.

On her way out of the door, she paused. She turned back to us, with another one of those tiny smiles, and said, "Thanks for the cookies."

And with that she took a bit out of a chocolate cookie held in her left hand, flashed another smile, and left the room.

I looked back toward the plate, only to see it was now gone entirely.

I could feel my eyebrow twitch and my jaw slacken at the antics of girl.

Well...this year should be interesting I thought, considering what went on tonight.

"That was my plate, wasn't it." Glynda said behind me, her voice tense with restrained anger.

At that, I paused. I realized what all I had done to her.

"I'm going to owe you for all this, aren't I?" I asked, not daring to look at her as I began to sweat bullets.

"Oh, you have no idea." She scoffed angrily.

Shit.

A/n:

K, so that's the first scene

cookies

I'm sure you can tell why I called it that

honestly, not the biggest fan of this scene.

But, at the same time, couldn't get it out of my head.

so I put it here, so my muse can stop bugging me about it.

Which will probably be the case for a lot of these Dreamstate things.

That said, some Dreamstate things won't actually be impossible things that couldn't happen in Madness. And I'll tell you which ones those are, but it'll be kind of obvious.

In any case, I'll be updating the main fic, Madness, soon enough, finally.

See you then.