Ruby Rose was curious. She sat in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she thought about what she should do. She desperately wanted to find out who that boy was, and why he seemed so different. Ruby had seen Ozpin leading the boy around, watched as the two trecked across campus, the boy seeming uninterested to say the least. He reminded Ruby of the first time she had seen Blake. The only exception being that this boy was far different from the average person, that much Ruby knew for sure.
He had walked around, arms crossed, hood up, the only visible feature on his face had been his eyes, which seemed to almost glow green. Ruby had been drawn to the fact that he too wore a cloak, but unlike Ruby, his seemed much thicker, and he had it wrapped around him tightly. The boy had been wearing casual clothes, sweatpants and a t-shirt, yet he still had the cloak on, acting like it was a part of his body. Even Ruby took hers off from time to time, but the boy had kept it wrapped around him like a barrier.
Ruby had also noticed that the boy was living in the previously vacant room just down the hall. She would have to meet the boy eventually, and she was never one to base people off of first impressions. So she decided she would go introduce herself. After all, his eyes, despite looking emotionless at first glance, seemed to have a certain energy to them, a determination the made Ruby feel like this boy was much more than meets the eye.
Ruby sat up now, feeling a small bit of excitement start to build up inside her. Maybe this new kid would be a ton of fun, and she could make a new friend. The excitement now beginning to grow, Ruby jumped down from her bed, landing lightly on the floor and immediately walking towards the door. Blake and Yang had gone off somewhere, probably to have a bit of alone time, considering how close the couple had grown over the past year.
Weiss had been laying in her own bed studying when she watched Ruby hit the ground and head for the door. "Where are you going?" The heiress asked, wondering what her girlfriend was up to this time. Ruby was already halfway out the door by the time Weiss spoke.
"I'm gonna go say hi to the new kid down the hall." The brunette said, wondering if the heiress would want to come along. Weiss' scowl immediately put that thought out of Ruby's head, and the younger girl started to walk out the door again.
"Well be careful. Something seems off about that guy, I don't trust him." Weiss said, resuming her reading.
"You don't trust anyone." Ruby chimed, closing the door behind her. A small grin spread across her lips at the thought of how protective Weiss was. Sure, it got annoying sometimes, but it reminded Ruby of how much the two loved each other, despite the constant bickering.
When Ruby arrived at the door to the boy's room, she found that the previous feelings of excitement had turned into feelings of nervousness and anxiety. What if he didn't like her? What if she did nothing more than get in his way? She started debating whether she should say hi or just go back to her own room and leave the boy be.
After a few minutes of arguing with herself, Ruby finally decided to go through with it. She told herself that everything would be fine, and took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves. She raised her hand up and tapped on the door three times, then waited. No responses came from inside the room, and so Ruby knocked again, this time a little more forcefully.
Ruby could now hear noises from inside the room, signifying that she had got their attention. A large number of heavy footsteps came from inside the room, sounding like a giant was walking around inside, then there was a loud crash. A large number of curses followed, and moments later the clicks of locks came from the other side of the door. The door suddenly swung open, Ruby taking a step back as the boy suddenly appeared in the doorframe. When Ruby saw the state of the boy, she let out a small gasp.
His hair was a mess, strands going in all directions, looking like he had let a blind man put gel in it. The green eyes that had previously been devoid of emotion were now filled with looks of grief and depression as they gazed at the small girl before them. His eyes were also bloodshot, making it seem like he hadn't slept in years. His breathing was heavy, and thin trails of tears ran down his cheeks. He had on a pair of blue sweatpants, but no shirt, giving Ruby a view of the scars that ran across his body. Four large claw marks stretched from his left shoulder to the bottom of his ribs, which were slightly visible due to the boy being as skinny as he was.
Ruby saw that his right shoulder had bandages wrapped all around it, and small dots of red stained the white material. Despite the boy being skinny, he was stilled fit, but his muscles had no chance to show off as he leaned against the doorframe, giving off the impression that he was physically exhausted. He was still a good bit taller than Ruby, the brunette's eyes only coming up to his chin. Ruby could only think of one word to describe the boy at this moment, and that word was broken.
"Did you need something?" He asked, his voice deep and raspy, making it sound like he had gravel in his throat. Ruby stumbled over her words, still a little shocked at the state he was in as she noticed that his room was pitch black.
"O-oh, I, uh, I w-wanted to introduce myself… I'm R-Ruby, Ruby Rose." She extended her hand out, hoping the boy would except the gesture. Ruby was surprised when not only did he accept the handshake, but a small smile made it's way onto his face.
"I'm Roland. Nice to meet you." His voice picked up slightly, a small amount of energy and friendliness creeping into his words. But the smile never reached his eyes, the green orbs still being filled with sadness.
"Are you okay? You seem a little…" Ruby searched for the right word, trying to think of a polite yet caring term to describe Roland's current condition. He let out a small chuckle as he watched Ruby try to find a good term.
'I'll be fine, don't worry. Just a little… Off right now" He said, now standing at full height. Ruby noticed even more scars going across his body, wincing as she saw one starting at his left hip and stretching up his body, ending below his armpit.
"Oh… Well, okay…" Ruby said, noticing how much taller Roland was than her. She would have to stand on her toes to look him in the eye, and saw that he stood in a naturally defensive stance, like he expected someone to attack at any time.
"Uh, well I guess I'll be going now… It was nice meeting you Roland." Ruby said, feeling the situation getting awkward as the two stood in silence. Roland gave a small nod, then started to close the door. Ruby felt like she should say something, anything that would make Roland feel better, because something was obviously wrong. But before Ruby could think of something, the door closed, and she heard the lock click back into place. Ruby let out a small sigh, then headed back to her own room. Her attempt to make a new friend had very obviously failed, and she felt like she had only made things worse.
Weiss noticed Ruby's change in attitude the moment she entered the room. Less than five minutes ago the girl had been her normal, goofy self. But now, it seemed like something was bothering her. Despite Weiss' attempts, Ruby barely spoke now, giving no details about the boy except his name. Weiss, still worried about her girlfriend but now aware of the fact that she wasn't going to get anything out of Ruby, went back to studying. The heiress was particularly surprised when Ruby asked if she could lay in bed with her, a request that Ruby made only when something was truly wrong, but she didn't want to talk about it.
Weiss accepted, setting her book aside as Ruby laid down beside her, wrapping an arm around the brunette's shoulders as she rested her head on Weiss' chest. She wanted to know what was bothering Ruby, and to help her girlfriend return to her normal self. But for now, Weiss settled with laying in bed with Ruby, knowing that eventually she would share her problems. Patience was a virtue, after all.
Back in Roland's room, the boy laid on his bed in the pitch black, his mind going to war with itself as it had done so many times before. Roland had no idea why Ruby had come to see him. No one had done that before, no one had ever willingly introduced themselves. But then, maybe things were going to be different at this school, maybe people would accept him here.
Roland pushed the positive thoughts away, reminding himself to not get his hopes up. He would stick with the strategy of isolation, the only thing that had ever kept him safe in the past. What had people ever done for him? Nothing, thats what. The numerous names and insults he had gathered over the years raced through his mind. Idiot, failure, worthless, monster, remembering how these were the things he had been called, remembering how people exiled him, isolated him, made it clear that he didn't belong.
Roland rolled over on his side, pulling the blankets over his head, trying to protect himself from the never ending onslaught of pain and misery. But deep down, Roland was strong, unbeatable, determined. He knew that these waves of emotional pain would eventually pass, and then he could start to forge his new life. THe darkness inside him yearned to get out, demanding bloodshed, but Roland wouldn't let it control him anymore. Tomorrow was not only a new day, but a new life. But tomorrow was just that, tomorrow. So for now, Roland did the only thing he could do.
He wept.