An empty dorm room, devoid of most decoration and any company, was what greeted Jaune when he awoke, the same as always. The scraggly blonde curled his knees up toward his chest and ran a hand through his hair, a muffled sigh escaping his mouth as he tried to let go of the happiness of his dreams and face reality. He sat on his bed like that for a few minutes before getting up and beginning his daily routine.
Get up. Wake up. Train. Try not to remember. Eat. Don't think about how empty the dorm is, now that it's just you, alone, without your teammates and friends. Pack up your bag. Go to school. Don't recall how the four of you used to walk together, smiling and telling jokes. Nora would run ahead a little bit, a massive grin on her face as she challenged you to a ra-
Don't go there, Arc. Today is special, so you can't break down.
Doesn't make it any easier to forget.
His only greeting as he came back in from his training was Gennai, his Kwami, zooming around him and landing on his shoulder. Jaune gave the small lion a weak smile and a few gentle rubs, then set down his fencing gear and walked into the kitchen to put together his breakfast. "I was wondering if you'd disappeared, Gennai. Couldn't find you this morning before I left."
"No, sorry! I overslept a little." Gennai yawned, his tiny mouth stretching widely, and made his way over to the counter beside where Jaune was cooking. "How did your training go this morning, Jaune?"
"Well, you know, the same as usual. I did it the way Py- The way I was taught." At his slipup, Jaune's grip on the cereal box tightened and his eyes dulled. Gennai sighed and floated up next to him.
"Hey, cheer up, Jaune. I'm sure you're doing great!" Jaune's eyes softened at his Kwami's voice, and he took a deep breath to let the tension out of his shoulders. He continued about his routine, Gennai resting on his shoulder, and found that he had fifteen minutes of extra time to relax before he left for Beacon. With a sigh and a glance at his phone, Jaune sat down in his armchair in the living room. Gennai left his shoulder to go eat the treat Jaune had left for him, and Jaune's eyes roamed the room. Eventually, they landed on a portrait on the side table by his chair, which Jaune picked up.
In the picture, there was a tall girl with vibrant green eyes and long red hair tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in the Beacon Academy uniform, and she donned an excited grin. In her hand, she held a necklace with a small charm shaped like a fox's tail – /the Fox Miraculous./
Jaune stared at the picture as his mind drifted back to that day.
"Jaune, Jaune!" He turned around at the sound of his friend's voice to see her running up to him, a smile on her face. He returned her smile, one hand on his hip as he turned to respond.
"Hey there. What's got you all excited?" She stopped right in front of him, folding one arm behind her back as she held up a necklace with a fox-tail stone, and Jaune immediately recognized it. He gasped and shifted his eyes back and forth between the stone and her. "No way…!" She giggled at his happy tone before grinning even more broadly.
"Looks like we're partners now, Jaune!"
"Jaune? Jaune!" Gennai's voice snapped Jaune out of his reverie, and he blinked several times to clear his head before he felt water on his cheeks. He reached his hand to his face and wiped off his tears before gently setting the photo back on the side table. Jaune took another moment to compose himself before he rose up, gathered his things, and walked out of the dorm without glancing back.
Today is a new beginning.
"Okay, Ruby, stay calm. It's just a meeting," fifteen-year-old Ruby Rose attempted to convince herself to relax as she walked into Beacon Tower. "It's just a meeting… With Professor Ozpin, Beacon's headmaster! Oh man, what am I gonna do?!"
The girl was more nervous than she'd ever been. Beacon had been her dream school ever since she was a child; an academy where skilled students from around the Kingdoms could exercise both their special talents and their minds was just the place for her exceptional speed and crazy luck. She had been planning to apply in two years, when she was of age to, but Yang had come home yesterday with a letter from the headmaster himself, in which Professor Ozpin had expressed a desire to meet with Ruby in private.
So it was that Ruby found herself in the oldest building in Vale, headed toward the professor's office and hoping that nothing went wrong either in the meeting or on the way there. Of course, it did help that she was about fifteen minutes early, just like her father had advised her to be. She took one last calming breath before walking up to the information desk to find out where exactly she was headed. "Hello! I need to know where Professor Ozpin's office is-"
"Hey, you!" Before Ruby could finish her question, she was cut off by a voice from behind her. She turned around to see a tall, lanky blonde jogging in her direction, dressed in the Beacon uniform with a dark-colored bag hanging across his body. Ruby looked all around her and, seeing no one else in the area but herself and the info desk clerk, pointed to herself. The boy laughed softly and came to a stop right in front of her, offering her a smile. "Yeah, sorry. Had to get your attention, y'know? Are you here for the meeting with Ozpin?"
"Uh, yeah, I am, actually. Did… did he ask to meet with you, too?" Ruby couldn't help but feel a little disappointed if that was the case, as Ozpin's letter had made it seem like a private meeting. The blonde shook his head at Ruby.
"Not… exactly. But he did ask me to help you find your way, and it looks like I showed up just in time! Follow me," he instructed before walking off ahead of her. Ruby followed him, thanking the receptionist as she went, and the pair entered one of the many elevators in the lobby. Ruby's guide pressed a button for the top floor before turning back to Ruby.
"Oh! Almost forgot. My name's Jaune. What's yours?"
"Ruby. Ruby Rose." She struck a pose, feet spread apart and thumb pointing at her chest, her eyes twinkling as she smiled brightly at Jaune. At her excited action, Jaune's face darkened for a moment.
"Ruby…" He trailed off, staring at the elevator wall, then quietly commented, "You remind me so much of her…"
"Huh? Sorry, Jaune, I didn't catch that," Ruby said a little worriedly, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she waited for Jaune to repeat himself.
"O-oh!" Jaune shook his head and turned his gaze back to Ruby with a small, sad smile. "I-It's nothing, don't worry about it. So, do you know why Ozpin contacted you?" At the mention of the impending meeting, Ruby sighed and pressed her back against the back door of the elevator.
"No, I have no idea. I can only hope it's not because I'm in trouble, Beacon's been my dream since I was a kid!" Ruby's fear and nervousness must have clearly come across in her words, because Jaune gently laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look.
"Hey, don't be nervous. Oz isn't so bad, y'know; he's a pretty cool guy. Besides, if you were in trouble, I doubt he'd have asked to meet with you in private," he commented, trying to make Ruby feel at least a little better. Ruby's face lit up at Jaune's insight.
"Oh, really!? That's great to hear, thanks, Jau- oof!" In her relief, Ruby had leaned even further back and shifted all her weight onto the door behind her, which opened once they reached their destination, dumping Ruby unceremoniously onto the ground in the small lobby they were now in. "Ow, ow, ow," she whined as she rubbed her sore rear before accepting Jaune's hand to help her up. When she looked up to thank him, however, she saw that he had stiffened and his expression had become very serious.
"Stay out here, Ruby. Professor Ozpin will call you in when he's ready." Without another word, Jaune opened the door to Ozpin's office and strode inside, leaving Ruby all alone in the lobby. She walked over to one of the chair-lined walls and chose a seat, staring at her feet as she waited patiently. Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting, the door opened and an unfamiliar voice drifted out.
"Ruby Rose." She jumped up at her name being called, half expecting someone to come out of the door.
"Ah! Yes, that's me!" Ruby answered the summons nervously, her hands folded politely in front of her. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a few seconds, but stilled when the voice came again.
"Enter, please." She slowly walked toward the door, becoming more anxious with every step, before she finally entered the office. Upon entering, Ruby gasped softly; the room was varying shades of green, and decorated beautifully. Antique clock pieces hung off the walls of the circular space, and the ceiling was glass; a mass of gears were spinning and whirring above it, the inner workings of Beacon Tower's clock laid bare for visitors to see. The back wall was one massive window, and a grand, worn wooden desk sat in the center of the room.
After taking in the office's appearance for a moment, Ruby's eyes finally came to rest on the man behind the desk. He sat in the desk chair with his legs crossed and eyes closed, a coffee mug in one hand and the other in his lap. His clothing matched the room: while his jacket, pants and shoes were black, the shirt underneath was a deep green color, with a large cross charm hanging atop it. He didn't look old, but his almost-white hair betrayed his true age, and Ruby found herself in awe. This man looked so peaceful.
"…Miss Rose?" The man, whom she assumed was Professor Ozpin, attempted to get Ruby's attention. She quickly blinked to bring herself back to what she was doing and continued walking toward the desk, stopping just before she reached it, with a glance to the headmaster for further instructions. Ozpin simply put his mug down and gestured toward the empty chair next to her, inviting, "Please, Miss Rose, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Ruby did as he said, turning and sitting in the chair that had been provided. As she sat, she noticed a figure next to Ozpin's desk, and recognized Jaune's half-shadowed form almost immediately as he stood looming behind the professor, his arms crossed over his chest and his face bearing a harsh expression. Ruby's brows knitted in confusion and she turned her head back to Ozpin for answers. The headmaster smiled at her before opening his eyes to reveal that they were the most brilliant green she'd ever seen.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Ruby. We have much to discuss."