"I'm trusting you to be responsible with these lockers," Glynda Goodwitch had said.
Ruby had nodded enthusiastically. Of course she'd be responsible.
"Use your best judgment with them," the woman had said.
Well, of course. No matter what people seemed to think, she wasn't a child.
"We've already had one incident involving a student… um… blasting off this year. We're trying to prevent any more. Do you all understand?"
The freshman girls of Beacon Academy all murmured their promise to be responsible with the rocket lockers and use them only as intended.
That was a week ago.
Ruby refused to shove her lovely, perfect Crescent Rose into her locker roughly. She was the only one, she found, and felt a little offended at the thought. Most of the freshman class grabbed the weapons from their lockers when they needed them, and then crammed them back in however they'd fit when they were done. That was no way to treat a weapon, especially not weapons as beautiful as they had. The young girl stroked her scythe lovingly. "I'm never going to treat you as badly as some people do," she promised.
Her other teammates were lucky. Their weapons were so much smaller, even unfolded to their full potential. Sure, Ruby could have put Crescent Rose into a significantly smaller form, made it easier to gently set it in the locker and go, but there was just something so magical about opening the locker and finding her scythe form waiting, begging to be touched and held and used.
And it wasn't like the locker didn't have room. One just had to be very careful to put Crescent Rose in exactly right. It only took four minutes or so.
They had about five minutes between classes. She could make it if she ran. She usually did make it.
Usually.
There were three times she didn't. The first time, she had received a warning. The second time, she'd gotten a detention. The third time, she got a look of disappointment that spoke volumes… or rather, spoke the few words that she feared. "Maybe you aren't meant to be at Beacon, after all," the look said.
She swallowed hard as she slowly set Crescent Rose in her locker. No way would she see that look again, would she make anyone think that. She would work hard to make sure she was on time. That was a promise, to herself and to the staff of Beacon Academy.
Except the one minute warning bell was ringing, and she had only just gotten Crescent Rose into the locker.
Running might not do any good. She would probably still be late. She'd need an engine to get to class on time. A car. A plane.
A rocket.
"I'm trusting you all to be responsible with these lockers," Glynda Goodwitch had said. Well, she was being responsible, Ruby decided as she held onto it tightly. She was using the locker to be responsible and make it to class on time.
"Use your best judgment with them." Her judgment said there was no way she'd make it on foot. She tapped in the code that would land her next to her coming class, and quickly grabbed the sides again.
There was a rumble, then she was up in the air, shooting across the campus. Her breath caught in her throat… she'd been prepared enough to not scream, but it was still a shock. After a second, though, she mostly relaxed. She could pick out students racing to class below her. "Whooo!" she yelled, wishing she could thrust her arms out like wings without falling to her death. "Yeah! I'm flying!"
The locker began to descend, right in front of her next class, right on target. She braced herself for landing, let her body relax enough that the jolt from hitting the ground barely affected her. As she let go of the locker, she felt students and teacher alike staring.
Ruby gave a sheepish grin. "Um, sorry… just thought I'd drop by… I'm not late, am I?"
As if on cue, the bell rang. She'd made it on time after all.
Not that it mattered… she was sent to Ozpin's office anyway.
(It was worth it).