He could feel himself slipping into the blackness. The void pulled and tore at him, making him feel small; insignificant. A single speck of color amid a sea of shadows, soon to be completely overwhelmed into nothing. His eyes widened in hope as a street materialized around him. He recognized the buildings, so he was still in Vale. The crowds of people walking by him payed him no mind, as he was pulled into nothingness.

"Someone! Please! Help me!" He cried, tears of fear dripping down his face. The people turned their heads, and his breath caught in his throat.

They didn't have faces. They were completely silent. They didn't care about him. They didn't help him when the darkness finally engulfed him into the black. They continued with life when he was finally gone.

...

He sat up, clutching at his chest in fear. He was covered in sweat, and he could feel his heart beating a thousand miles an hour. He calmed himself, breathing deeply and harshly. After a moment, he checked the clock on the nightstand. 8:30 PM. He had an hour and a half before work.

He stood and made his way to the bathroom, but froze at the sight of the manilla envelope on his desk. His breath hitched when he picked it up. It had the Beacon Seal on the front, but it was incredibly light for an envelope that big. His mind didn't process this before he tore the paper container open to get a look at its contents.

He skimmed the page, and his eyes began to water. Without a single sound, he crumbles the page and wordlessly drops the ball into the trash bin by his bathroom door. Only a single line can be read.

'... regret to inform you that we must deny your admission...'

The bathroom door slammed behind him and the shower turns on moments later.

...

It was a pretty normal night at the club. The music was loud, the crowd was full of energy, and there wasn't a care in the world. People were having fun and nobody tried causing a problem.

This was Dominic Silos favorite kind of night. The seventeen year old man stood, his back to a wall, and his brown eyes alert. He wore the uniform of the guards around him, a black suit with a red shirt. Red tinted sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and a black boater hat sat securely atop his head. He had black, shaggy hair, which peeked out from under his hat. At his side was a tall, black handled fireman's axe with a red head leaning against the wall next to him.

Originally, he only planned on working there for two more days, but that went straight out the window. He just wants to have the rest of the night go without a hitch. Not like the constant criminal activity will be much help.

Try as he might, Dominic just couldn't shake the horrible mood he found himself in. He tried to loosen up. Maybe lose the scowl that threatened permanent residency on his face. But it seemed he was stuck in this rut of his.

"Shift change." Another guard said as he approached. Dominic nodded before picking up his axe and began making his way to the bar for his break. He sat at the stool and took his sunglasses off, before ordering a drink.

"Crispy Coke." He said to the bartender. The older man gave him a smirk, before pouring him a glass of water. Dominic scrunched his face at him.

"Don't give me that look, Dom." Said the bartender. "Junior wants to talk to ya. Sober."

"Of course he does." Rumbles Dominic. "Where's he at?"

"He's, like, busy right now." Dominic doesn't even need to turn from the bar to know who had approached him. That speech pattern was very distinctive.

"Hello, Melanie. Miltiades." He doesn't turn to them, so the Malachite twins take this as an invitation to join him. The two sidle in on either side of him, Miltia, in her blood red dress to his left, and Melanie, in her stark white dress on his right. This was bad. He hated it when they boxed him in like this. Claustrophobia includes spaces between people, and Dominic could feel the hair on the back of his neck prickle.

"You look terrible." Said Miltiades, leaning towards him to inspect his face. Melanie did the same from the other side.

"Miltia's right." Melanie cut in. "You aren't, like, doing drugs, are you?"

"Stupid question." He says. "I don't acknowledge stupid questions. Now, go away. Let me enjoy my..." he looks down at his glass and shoots the bartender a glare. "...water." He sighs, not for the first time that night. The twins laugh at this.

"But, seriously," starts Melanie. "What's wrong?"

"I really don't need to have this conversation with you two." Rebuked Dominic.

"Oh, come on." Giggles Miltiades. "Who else are you going to talk to? We're, like, you're only friends." Dominic snorts a laugh.

"Since when?" He NEVER got along with the Malachites. They just gave him bad vibes.

"Since when haven't we?" Melanie slaps his shoulder, receiving a glare from him, which she completely ignores. "Face it. We're, like, bff's by now."

"I refuse to be referred to like that." Dominic growls, literally. "Go away."

"No." Miltia folds her arms. "What's wrong? You're, like, never this antisocial."

"Yeah." Chimes Melanie. "We totally won't tell anyone." Dominic sighs.

"I got rejected by Beacon." He looks down. Melanie has a difficult time feeling sorry for him.

"Well, that's, like, kinda what happens when you drop out of Signal three weeks in." The white clad twin shoots her sister a look at Dominic's darkened mood.

"Thanks for reminding me." He grumbles. "Look. I appreciate the thought, and all, but I really just need to be left alone."

"That's just too bad." Junior appears from the crowd, taking a seat on Melanie's left. "So..." There's a pregnant silence, in which the bartender places Juniors drink of choice on the counter. He takes a drink, before speaking. "I'm sorry about Beacon." Dominic scoffs. "I am. Look, it's good that you wanted to go straight. It is, but I already told you that this was a one way street." Junior leaned against the bar, lighting a cigarette. "I get it. I do. Did I ever tell you I wanted to become a cop?" Dominics eyebrow shoots up.

"You're screwing with me." Says the teenager.

"It's totally true." Laughed Miltia. Melanie chimed in with her own giggle.

"Could you, like, imagine him in a uniform?" She laughs.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny." Junior glowers at his employees. "Anyway, I passed all of the written tests, all of my physicals met and even exceeded the requirements. Shit, I even started jogging for an hour straight, every day." He sighs, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Some corporate stooge looking guy handed me my rejection letter with a grin." Junior knocks the glass back, swallowing the contents. "He's grinning with porcelain teeth now, though, so I guess it wasn't a totally bad day." Junior shoots Dominic a smile, but the boy can't bring himself to smile back.

"Thanks for the story, boss." He finishes his water and puts his sunglasses back on. "I'm going on a smoke break." Junior raises an eyebrow, and looks at his own lit cigarette. "I need some fresh air." Dominic replies, ignoring the looks Melanie and Miltia were giving him. He stands, leaning his axe against his shoulder. Dominic steps behind his boss, and puts a hand on Juniors shoulder. "You'd have made a good cop."

"And you'd have made a good Huntsman." Responded the older man, looking up at his protege. Dominic doesn't meet his eye. Instead, he turns and makes his way across the dance floor.

There were plenty of women there, most of which were rather attractive. Dominic, however, never did find any special interest in any of the women, though. He's dated before, sure, but those relationships usually ended... harshly. Probably because every girl he's met on a personal level was a criminal. That goes double for psychotic, ice cream colored midgets.

An involuntary shiver shoots up his spine at the thought of the one person he truly feared. That shiver died a quick death as he neared the entrance. Dominic couldn't help the heat he felt in his cheeks at the sight of the person that entered the club. He stood there, frozen, staring at her.

She had long, gorgeous blond hair that fell past her hips, and a pair of beautiful , strangely purple colored eyes. She was dressed kind of differently from the clubbers around her, and stood out from everyone else, what with the brown jacket, tight yellow shirt, leather belt, and black, tight shorts. Two gold bracelets adorn her wrist, and even those look a bit different. The girls eyes immediately fall on him, as if sensing him staring at her. She smiles, walking towards him. Dominic begins to sweat.

"Hey!" She greets, a friendly grin on her face. "I'm Yang."

'Oh my Grimm, she's gorgeous! Her teeth are so white I think I might go blind. Quick, say something suave and charming!'

"Uh, hi." He mentally beats his head into a wall. "I'm, ah, Dominic." If Yang thought he was being awkward, she didn't show it.

"I'm looking for an information broker." She says, that same smile still present. "Know where I might find him?"

'I think I'm going to melt...'

"You don't mean my, ah, boss, Junior, do you?" Her eyes lit up with joy, and Dominic felt his heart skip a beat.

'Nevermind. I'm not going to melt. I'm going to combust.'

"Yeah! That's the one!" She playfully punches his shoulder, catching Dominic slightly off guard.

'Holy crap, she's strong.'

"He's at the bar." Points Dominic. "There's a pair of twins next to him. Can't miss them." She flashes a huge grin.

"Thanks, Dom!" Before he can stop her, she's gone.

"Wait!" He knows she can't hear him, but he tries anyway. "I wanted to talk more..." And he's alone. A sea of bodies danced carelessly around him, but with the blond gone, he felt cold.

"I really need that cigarette." He mumbles, pushing his way to the exit.

As soon as Dominic stepped outside, a long suffering sigh escaped, and with it, the stress of the day sat plainly on his shoulders. But the moment he thought about the Yang, he couldn't help the smile that bubbled to his lips. It was pretty much empty outside, and he could admit to himself that he was genuinely happy. And that confused him. Dominic's been in a bad mood since he read the letter from Beacon, but now, he was giddy as a school boy. Because of her.

The blond girl named Yang. A mystery to him. A single ray of sunshine in his darkness, at possibly the best moment it could have come. And all she had to do was smile at him. He smiled at the memory, before finally lighting his cigarette. Dominic leaned his axe against the outside wall, before leaning against the wall himself.

He decided to take a look at where his life could go from this moment. On one hand, he was denied by Beacon, which was his only way to escape the criminal background. In one piece, at least. On the other, he made a decision, and meeting the Yang only made that decision concrete. He was going clean. He's quitting in two days, and if Torchwick had a problem with that?

'He can take it up with my people.' Dominic laughs at his inner joke. He didn't have any people, and Roman Torchwick knew that.

"Eh." He shrugs to himself. "If I'm lucky, he'll send Neo. Then, I won't even need to bother with what to do next." He gave a rueful smile at the thought. She probably wouldn't kill him, but she'd definitely make sure he didn't try quitting again.

'What a pain in the-!?'

Dominic's suddenly shaken from his thoughts at the sound of an explosion. He turns to the building, and takes a step back. Multiple explosions from inside, and the ground beneath him shakes as clubbers flee from whatever was happening.

"Crap. Crap, crap, crap!" Dominic grabs his axe and runs into the club.

'Jeez, I hope Junior's oka-HOLY CRAP!' He slides to a stop, the chaotic battleground a stark contrast to the dance floor he'd seen only moments before. Then, he spotted the cause of the chaos.

Yang. The beautiful girl from before, was currently beating the tar out of his boss. Dominic would have laughed. There was always something funny about a grown man getting boot stomped by a girl half his size. Again, Dominic would have laughed, if he didn't just realize he should save his boss, before something bad hap-

His thoughts are again cut off as a strange silence fills the room. He follows the girls outraged look, his eyes settling on a blond lock of hair in Juniors hand. Dominic never did see the point in putting so much effort in hair. The look on the girls now red eyes, however, said that she DID see the point. This was further proven by the sudden fallout of power that radiated from her, before she rocketed towards Junior with the force of a bullhead. Dominic had to move quick, sprinting to intercept the blond powerhouse before she could cripple his boss.

With a sudden and concussive shockwave, Yang was thrown back, landing on her feet. Her eyes widened at the crater that followed her from the impact sight. She scanned the smoke, looking for her target. The haze cleared moments later to show Dominic, taking a lax stance, axe resting against his shoulder. Junior, whom was now on the floor behind him, breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up." The bigger man stands, and Dominic allows him to use him for support. "Be careful. She's crazy strong."

"Yeah..." Junior probably thought the hesitation was concern, which, in a sense, it was. But not for the big man, as he probably thought.

'I don't want to fight you, Yang. But truth be told, I don't know you, or why you're here.'

On the inside, Dominic was trying to keep himself calm, failing miserably. On the outside, however, he was stoic as a statue. His axe rested evenly against his shoulder, and he watched Yang through the red glare of his glasses.

Yang's eyes narrowed on his smoking left hand. She almost didn't catch it, but upon closer inspection, she could just make out the tiny, white wisps that came from his fist. Sudden recognition dawned on her face.

"Dom?" She gave a grin, suddenly relaxed, her eyes going back fromrd to purple. "I actually forgot you worked here."

"We spoke not even fifteen minutes ago." He could feel the stares coming from Melanie and Miltia, whom were both watching from the other side of the club. They would draw up their conclusions, and he would have to suffer it later.

"Oh yeah." She smiles good naturedly. "So, whatcha up to?"

'Stopping you from destroying my place of business and killing my boss.'

"Trying to figure out how you managed to do all this." He says instead, motioning around him. Yang grins, smashing her fists together. Those bracelets Dominic noticed earlier saw that they were different, larger, like gauntlets.

"Want a first hand example?" Yang grins in anticipation. Dominic sighs.

"I don't see as I've got much of a choice."

"Yeah! That's the spirit!"

'I swear, this girl is something else.'

"I hope you're ready, because I'm not going easy on you." Yang gets into a fighting position.

"Of course you're not." Dominic holds his axe to the side, before spinning. Yangs narrow in confusion, before the axe comes spinning towards her. She bends backwards as the axe sails overhead. Short-lived Matrix moments aside, Yangs back suddenly became roughly acquainted with the ground as both of Dominics feet slammed into her stomach. He used her as a springboard, before flipping through the air, and landing a distance away. He retrieved his axe, and waited for Yang to stand.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Asked Yang, rising to her feet.

"Right here. Just now." Dominic grins, swinging his axe around aimlessly. Yang tilted her head, smirking.

"And here I thought it'd be a boring night." She brushes a hand through her hair, her smirk becoming a light smile. "Thanks for proving me wrong."

"I aim to please." Dominic falls into a waiting stance.

"I bet that's what you tell all the girls." Yang's mischievous smile caught Dominic off guard, and he was unprepared for the mad charge she made at him.

He barely had time to dodge under her first, before spinning around to smash away a follow-up punch with his axe. He lets the force carry him, spinning to smash the butt of his axe into her right side side. Her fist smashed into the side of his face, disorienting him as he was forcefully turned away from her. Yang attempted another to his back, but Dominic spun, the heel of his shoe connecting with her cheek. She stumbled back, but caught her footing.

"You're pretty quick." Yang commented idly.

"No. You're just slow." Dominic had to stop himself from laughing at the look she gave him.

"Fine, then. If that's how it's gonna be..." Yang threw a punch, a sudden shotgun blast heralding the deadly ammunition that sped towards the suited teenager.

Springboarging forward, Dominic managed to clear the blast radius. Yang met him half way, attempting a flying haymaker. He swerved to the side, swinging the blunt of his axe head into her ribs. Yang winces, before elbowing him in the jaw. She follows with a jab to the side of his temple. He takes the hit, but manages to grab Yangs wrist and pull her into his knee. It collides with her face, knocking her back a few steps. A single drop of blood falls from her nose, and she levels him with a red eyed glare.

"Oh, shit..." Dominic felt as if that look was more likely to kill him than whatever she was going to do.

Just like what happened with Junior, the energy that radiated from Yang was almost unbearable. Dominics eardrums popped as Yang was suddenly on him, giving no chance of dodging. He guards against it with his axe to try and hold her punch back, but it was too much. Dominics axe splintered, before shattering to pieces. It did nothing to dull the pain of Yangs fist, the monstrous force sending him flying into a wall, leaving Dominic imbedded into the wall. As if suddenly realizing what she was doing, Yangs eyes snapped back to purple.

"Oh, man am I glad you already have your aura." Says the blond, walking up to the other teen.

"Yeah. Me, too." Dominic grumbles, forcing himself to fall from the wall. He pops his neck, then his back. "Ready for round two?"

"You're lucky you survived round one." Yang shakes her head, crossing her arms. "You're pretty good and all, but you don't even have a weapon."

"You let me worry about that." He shoots her a grin, before falling into a boxers stance.

"It's your funeral." She relents, before rocketing at him again.

Dominic blocks the blow with his forearms, grateful his Aura kept them from breaking. He heel kicked her in the gut, and she punched him in the knee with a shotgun blast. Yang idly noticed how strange It was was for him to point his left hand towards her, palm out. The sudden burst of golden energy that flared from his hand as soon as her fist landed on his knee was the real kicker. She dodged backwards, releasing Dominics leg. The energy faded after six feet, barely grazing her cheek.

"The hell was that!?" Yang burst, fixing Dominic with a strange look.

"My Semblance." He grins.

'Damn.' Yang thought to herself. 'What's up with this guy? I mean, he's getting tired, I can tell. And he has to be hurt from those direct hits he took earlier, but if he can use his Semblance to even the playing field...'

"Well, guess I better finish this up, then." She smashes her fists together. "Ready to go out with a Yang?"

Dominic sputters, a blush creeping up his cheeks. It took another second to realize that she was making a bad pun, and not asking him out. He tried to hide the disappointment from his face. Yang laughs, before running at him. Dominic grins, running to meet her head on.

...

"I don't like cops."

"That's not what I-"

"Don't care."

"Please, Mr. Silo-"

"Where the hell's my lawyer?"

"If you could just answer a few-"

Dominic slams his feet on the table, folding his arms as he leans back. The detective across the table from him was successfully silenced, but it didn't do much good for the pounding headache that flared behind his eyes. Probably gonna be a few bad bruises, too. What a pain. His hat was gone, two black lion ears twitching in annoyance on the top of his head.

"I believe I can take it from here, officer." A man with white hair and a green suit stepped into the room. The cop stood, fixing Dominic with a steady glare, before leaving with a nod to the new guy. "I suppose I should introduce myself." The man sat in the metal chair on the other side of the table. "My name is-"

"Don't care." Dominic continued to sit back in the chair, his broken sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. The man's eyebrow raised a bit, a calm, neutral look on his face.

"I suppose you wouldn't. I did deny your entry into Beacon, after all."

That got Dominics attention. He sat straight up, both feet firmly on the floor. He met the man's eyes, trying to get a read on him. In his life, Dominic has met three people he couldn't get a read on. Torchwick, Neo, and Torchwicks scary girlfriend. This guy made number four.

"I'm listening." Was Dominics only reply.

"So you are." The man gave the barest of smiles. "On to introductions, then? I insist that you go first."

"You already know my name." Replied the teen.

"Indeed I do." The mans light smile faded. "But first impressions are very important."

"My name's Dominic Silo." Dominic leaned back in his chair again. "I work at a club here in Vale as a bouncer. Your turn."

"I wasn't aware you were a Faunus." The man stared Dominic down, making him bristle.

"Not like I'm hiding it." Dominic sighs. "You look human, and everyone pretty much ignores you."

"That's a good point, I suppose." The man nods. "My name is Professor Ozpin." Dominics eyes widened. "I assume that you know my name."

"The headmaster of Beacon Academy." Dominic swallowed nervously.

'This guy could destroy me.'

"Indeed. Cigarette?" He caught Dominic off guard with the sudden offer.

"Uh, sure?" Ozpin produced the small stick of tobacco from seemingly nowhere. Dominic gladly lit it, taking a long drag. "No offense, but I didn't take you for much of a smoker."

"I'm not." Ozpin replied, cryptically.

"You are very vague."

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment."

That almost smile was back on Ozpins face. Dominic had a sinking feeling that Ozpin was seeing something he wasn't. Creepy old guy that he is, he didn't seem to be there to actually ask any questions. Just make light conversation. And it was grinding on Dominics nerves.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you're getting somewhat agitated." Noted Ozpin.

"Very astute of you."

"Well, I'll get down to it, then." Ozpin leaned in, clasping his hands in front of his mouth. "I took an interest in your case the moment your application crossed my desk. I noticed that you put N/A for previous schooling. Care to explain that?"

'Hell no.'

"I dropped out of Signal the first year." Replied Dominic, looking down.

"The third week, if memory serves."

"You knew?" Dominic couldn't keep the accusation from his voice. Ozpin nodded.

"I did." The older mans smile grew. "I'm pleased with your honesty. Why did you drop out?"

"Didn't think I'd make a good Huntsman at the time." Dominic began to feel uncomfortable. Ozpin seemed to sense this, so he changed the subject.

"How did you unlock your Aura?" The Professor took a more comfortable position.

"Psychotic ex-girlfriend." Replied Dominic.

"And the combat skills?"

"Same way."

"I see. If I may ask, what made you want to join Beacon? Did you change your mind about becoming a Huntsman?"

"Sort of." Replied Dominic. "I want to better myself."

"Very admirable." Ozpin smiled. "Last question. Did you know that Miss Xiao-Long was holding back?"

"I kinda figured after the third hit didn't kill me." He gingerly touched the dark purple bruise on his cheek. "If she'd been going all out, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."

"A fair conclusion." Ozpin nodded. "Yang Xiao-Long is likely going to be one of my most troublesome students. But, that is not what I am here to discuss." Ozpin nodded and stands.

"Hey, it's my turn." Dominic was on his feet, matching Ozpins stare. "Why come here? What was the point in the interrogation?"

"Oh, my dear boy." Ozpin gave a chuckle. "I wasn't interrogating you. I was interviewing you."

"What for?"

"My boy, if you can't figure that out yourself, maybe you should consider a different occupation aside from being a bouncer." The man turns away from Dominic. "You have a choice. I hope it isn't a difficult one to make." Ozpin places a card on the table. "I would suggest that you find a new weapon soon, Mr. Silo. After all, a Huntsman is nothing without the proper equipment." And with that, he was gone, leaving Dominic to his own thoughts.

"Wait, did I just get drafted into Beacon?" His expression went from confused, to unbelieving, resting on giddy excitement, before a grin stretched across his face. "Hell yeah!"