Of Serendipity and Duties of the Huntsmen

by Sally B. Mcgill

After learning from a mysterious woman about who was meant to be his next form, Ozpin and his trusted few had taken Oscar Pine away to train him for the day the threat to Remnant would come for them all. Then less than five years later, a red-hooded girl discovers and befriends the little boy who she found living in the school, and things start changing, for better or for worse.

2. Chapter 2

A/N: Happy with the reviews and followers and favorites. Thank you so much for taking an interest in my story. I was a little unsure if it would be any good when I first started writing it, but it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Now here is the episode "Ruby Rose", which will basically be a recap only with a few Oscar scenes and a few extra things I felt the episode was missing that I decided to include. Please tell what you think and I'll have chapter three ready as soon as I can.

Don't own anything concerning RWBY, this story is for entertainment purposes.

Chapter 2. Meeting of Eyes and First Impressions

…

5 years later…

Ruby Rose hadn't meant to be a part of any trouble in the city. Truly she didn't. She was just trying to have a nice night after knowing her sister would be leaving her to go to Beacon.

She understood Yang was doing it so she could become a huntress and help protect people from the Grimm, and knew intellectually that it was the right course of action for her and the people of Remnant. However, it didn't make it any easier emotionally. She had spent the past few weeks moping a little and feigning happiness whenever her dad and sister were in the room.

She didn't think she fooled them, though. Not really. For one thing, before Yang had turned in early to get some shut eye before she got up early to catch the ship that would be taking her and a few hundred other students to Beacon Academy, she had made sure to hug her extra tight and lament about how much she would miss her. Ruby strongly suspected some of the supposed "comfort-seeking" for her big sister was meant to bring her some comfort as well. Another thing was that earlier, her dad finally agreed she could go into the city to window shop and explore, which was quite a surprise, honestly.

Her dad had always been just a tiny bit overprotective of her. Probably because she used to severely suck at fighting and wielding a weapon, and yet still dreamed of going to the most prestigious school and becoming a huntress. He was too busy training Yang to help her become a worthy fighter, so her uncle Qrow, who was also her teacher at Signal, had graciously stepped in to help her become what she needed to be.

Ruby was aware that it was hard for their dad to be around Qrow for some reason. She had noticed through the certain looks the two sometimes shot at each other that it wasn't exactly mutual, but understood and respected by her uncle. Either to do with what happened with Yang's mom or her own, the two men were just barely able to be civil with each other when they were in the same room. But, her dad had grudgingly agreed to the training and her uncle had managed to whip her into more than decent shape.

Now she was one of the most advanced fighters in the school. Armed with her weapon, a scythe/gun she had dubbed "Crescent Rose", she had been able to neutralize any threat that came her way, either Grimm or human problem. Even the huge army that had attempted to take her down by her mom's grave had been a piece of cake.

Her dad couldn't deny her skills now, but her still couldn't stop seeing her as an innocent little girl that needs protection from the dark world around her. It was hard for him to allow her to go anywhere he wouldn't be following her to. Ruby tried to understand for the most part, as her dad had lost a lot of people in his life. He didn't want to lose his daughters as well.

She supposed after the few weeks she went to the city with him without any incident, he had convinced himself that nothing bad would happen if she went there by herself. And she supposed he figured that if there was anything that would make her feel better, it was spending time away from home to distract herself. She had taken off as soon as their early dinner was over.

After that, she had spent about two hours looking at the different shops and people watching. It was something her dad, sister and herself would do together and she supposed it was a habit too routine to stop even when she was solo. After the sun had went down, she had decided to spend her last hour of freedom at the cute little music and dust shop she noticed a few times, cutely called "From Dust Till Dawn".

She had shot the elderly man at the counter a smile as she moved to the back where all the music was. Besides seeming to have his eyes closed all the time, he gave her a small wave and a welcoming grin back. Then she had indulged herself in the new albums on display.

It was while she was listening to a particularly melodious, rock one that she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder rather roughly. She turned to see a man with a black hat, red glasses and black suit with a red tie. He was looking annoyed, so he had been probably trying to get her attention for a while. Ruby also noted he was wearing black gloves and held a red machete in one of his hands.

Taking off her headphones when he indicated to it, she politely asked, "Yes?" willing to give him the benefit of the doubt concerning his intentions.

"I said put your hands in the air. Now!" He demanded.

"Are you… robbing me?" Ruby asked to clarify the situation.

"Yes!" The thug said looking even more annoyed then previously. She nodded once, only commenting with a clear, "Ah." Then she knocked him back to the front of the store with a small grunt. Another one soon appeared, pulling a red and gray gun on her. That one was easily knocked through the glass window of the shop by a well-placed kick at the stomach.

She noticed the other thugs, including one with a derby hat, orange hair with a white suit and gray ascot who was smoking a brown cigar and appeared to be the leader were watching her as she brought out her weapon. Ruby took a moment to smile at them before sporting a determined look and expertly flipping her scythe to the ground to face them, ready to fight.

The man with the derby hat stared at her with surprise on his face, simply saying, "Okayyyy." Then he motioned the other grunts to her. "Get her." They all rushed out, weapons out and ready to brawl as well.

Ruby calmly watched as they run at her, not moving until one was close and attempted to take a swing at her. She jumped up, her feet pushed together and facing the west before she twirl around and knocked the man back and his glasses off. Then she jumped to the side, grabbing her scythe as two more guys tried to corner her. She set off her gun and spun her weapon to knock one guy up into the air and then smashed the other one to the ground, hard.

Using her gun and her semblance, she moved back as another goon started shooting with his own gun. Moving to the sides quickly and dodging all the bullets being propelled at her, she pushed forward, knocking him off his feet and a little bit in the air before she used her scythe to stop herself and twirl till she besides the man, knocking him sideways with her weapon and causing him to hit the ground. Then it was just her and the head criminal.

He stood in front of the shop, a black cane in hand while he looked distastefully at the man she had currently taken down. "You were worth every cent, truly you were." Then he turned to face her, looking mildly peeved and taking his cigar out as he addressed her, "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening." He dropped his cigar on the ground and used the cane to crush it before pointed the end of his cane at her. "And, as much as I would love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways." Then he blasted at her.

Ruby smoothing used the scythe's gun to push herself into the air, making the blast miss her completely. She easily landed back on her feet in a crouch and lifted her head to see the man had disappeared. After a few moments to look around, she turned to see him behind her, climbing the ladder of a big building to get to the roof.

At that point, the friendly shopkeeper had stumbled out of his store. She turned to quickly check on his profile and ask, "You okay if I go after him?" When the elderly man grunted a yes, she moved to catch up with the escaping man. She used her gun to propel herself to the roof, calling to him as he reached the edge."Hey!"

"Persistent." He mumbled before alarms and engines starting sounding and a huge ship appeared. Big lights disoriented her vision, making her miss the man getting on board. When she could finally see, she could barely hear him shout something before he threw a piece of fire dust crystal at her. She barely had time to flinch back when the crystal landed in front of her before another blast from the man was thrown her way, obviously to ignite the crystal to explode.

Just as it was set off, a blur appeared in front of her. Ruby looked up to see a blond-haired woman with a purple cape standing in front of her, using a wand to shield the two of them from harm with a purple glyph. Giving off a small grunt and pushing her glasses up her nose, she used her weapon to send a barrage of purple energy at the ship, hitting multiple parts of it and causing it to veer dangerously to the side.

Ruby could see the derby man struggling inside the vehicle, before he ran to where the pilot should be. The woman sent a storm cloud over the ship, raining numerous blue, hailing attacks on the escaping cargo. After a few seconds, a silhouetted figure with a red dress and brown heeled shoes was walking in front of the ship.

With a wave of her hand and the use of the dust that appeared to be directly on her dress, she shot a massive blast their way. The woman, who Ruby could now clearly tell was a professional huntress, blocked it with another purple shield, scattering a few pieces of dust along the rooftop.

The mysterious female then raised her hand and used the scattered dust to attempt an attack below the woman. She moved away before she got hit, using the remaining dust and lose debris to make a long spear that she shot up. Despite the numerous fire blasts at the incoming attack, it split apart and ultimately rammed into the side and wings before it twirled around to attack again.

The lady inside sent out a fire blast around her, turning the attack into smoldering ash. At that point, Ruby decided to offer some help. She morphed her scythe into gun mode, shooting at the ship as well. The girl easily blocked it with fire somehow, then waved her hand to send an attack that was under her, the huntress and the space between them. Working fast, the huntress used her wand to propel Ruby to the side and cart wheeled away from the attack.

Ruby was just getting to her feet when she saw the lady send one last attack in her direction just as the door to the ship closed, hurtling at a speed she couldn't dodge in her somewhat disoriented state. As she prepared to block with her scythe, she felt something crash into her, pushing her away just as the blast hit the spot she had just been standing in.

When she finally stopped rolling, she felt a weight on top of her. It felt slightly lighter than her weapon and was almost covering her from head to toe. Looking up to see whom had saved her, she was frozen by a pair of multi-colored eyes staring back at her.

…

Oscar hadn't meant to reveal himself. Really, he hadn't. It had been an accident. Or, as Oz would probably say, his instincts to help people overtaking him. Making him react without thinking it through or considering the consequences.

He supposed it was his own fault for sneaking out this particular night. The day before Beacon Academy was set to open to all the new students that were working to become professional huntsmen. It was also the day Maryanne had warned him not to do anything foolish, that it could have results that may doom them all or… possibly help them in the long run.

It always annoyed Oscar when she was vague like that, although he knew it wasn't her fault. Her visions were mainly opened to interpretation and made it difficult to tell what they were actually referring to at times. She could only inform them of what she herself had figured out from them. Oz hadn't been too worried about it, at least not on the outside. He had simply asked that he be extra careful during training and anything else he may do that would get him hurt.

The warning had scared Oscar at first, as he had always suspected that Oz knew he was sneaking out to visit the city, but it really shouldn't have come to such a surprise. Sometimes it was like the man knew him a little too well, but the reason for that was yet to be revealed. However, he eventually calmed down at the realization that if the headmaster did know of his nightly activities, he chose not to stop him because he either approved in his own way and was giving him his blessing or trusted him to be careful while out there.

So he had donned his black jacket with the hood and black jeans along with his black boots and had grabbed his staff (a gift from Ozpin after had he turned ten) and moved out as soon as his training sessions were over. He just had wanted one last night of freedom before he would be confined to the vault under the school due to the fact his presence here was meant to be a secret.

And he understood perfectly why that had to be. He wasn't bitter about it or anything, despite what anyone (mainly Qrow and sometimes Maryanne and Oz) seemed to think. He was rational and made the best of the situation he was in. It helped that he had Oz, Maryanne and his aunt for constant company, although the latter wasn't as often as he would like.

In fact, the last time he had seen his aunt Emily was about a month ago. She had brought him a gift following her visit, as she liked to bring something new with her each time (this time it was book about Mistral and the history behind it. Wonderful gift) and had told him she may not come to see him again until the summer next year, as she had a lot to do to prepare for the winter to come. Oscar could read the other reason why she didn't come as often as she could on her face. It was hard for her to see him and know he would still be here. To know the only time she could see her last living relative was behind the walls of a fortress and with barely-hidden supervision.

While he missed her when she had to go and the time between then and their next reunion, he did enjoy the time he got to spend with Ozpin. Qrow was also nice to hang out with when he dropped in to see them at Beacon. It was really only Glynda and Ironwood that made him feel the least at ease.

With Glynda, it was due to the perpetual presence of her disapproval, even when she was trying to be happy or understanding. The frown on her face never seemed to leave, especially when he did something she thought to be reckless and risky. But there were rare moments she was… caring, so Oscar had figured she must have her reasons for acting the way she does.

Ironwood… well, let's just say that he was very glad the man couldn't visit him often. He had a school in Atlas to run and an army to control. The last time he was alone with the man for training… well, the boy was comforted in the knowledge that he would never have to be alone with him again. Ozpin and Qrow had reassured him of that. At least those nightmares were easy to suppress.

Anyway, observing the city and people-watching from the shadows was his way of being a part of the outside world while not being. No one who was aware he did it had a problem with it, so he just strove to make sure the confidence that was placed on him was justified.

He hadn't gone looking for a fight to stop or anything, as he never wanted to risk being discovered that way. However, the fight he did find was being handled quite well. And by someone who looked just about his age, maybe a year older.

He had been about to jump the rooftop when he saw the girl with a red hood kick herself and some goon in a black hat out of the window of a store. He was surprised to see she also had a modified scythe as a weapon, just as Qrow did. And, from the way she was quickly and efficiently taking down the bad men, she knew exactly how to use it.

He watched with awe as the girl kicked and smashed the attacking grunts to the ground, unable to fathom what he was seeing. He wasn't close enough to see what she looked like, but the girl was clearly just a teenager and yet just as good as any student at Beacon (he would know, Oz liked to let him observe the students when they do the initiations).

Oscar watched with interest as the girl followed one particular guy with a bowler hat and orange hair. Roman Torchwick was here, it would seem. Moving stealthy from the roof to the top of the building next to where the girl and Roman had stopped, the boy watched with interest as a ship suddenly appeared and Roman made his escape. He quietly gasped as he saw the deceitful man throw a fire crystal at the girl and ignite it with his cane, engulfing the area with its explosion.

When Oscar could see clearly again, he was surprised to see Glynda had appeared and was protecting the girl with one of her spells before ruthlessly attacking with precise blasts. The boy smiled as he watched her work at taking down the ship. It was always nice to see a professional like one of his caretakers in action, although the girl in red had been quite good for an obvious amateur.

As he watched the fire attacks and countering blasts being exchanged between the ship and the roof, Oscar couldn't help but wonder if this was what Maryanne had been referring to. Perhaps something pertaining to this battle was what would lead to the crossroads that could save them or doom them. But, if that was true, what foolish action would she have been talking about? Watching from the roof? Maybe he should…

Oscar was shocked out of his thoughts by the sound of an almost screeching neared him. He looked back at the battle to see the girl was being targeted by one last big attack. Her scythe was slipping from her grip and she looked too confused to get it together enough to move out of the way or block it.

He didn't really remember moving or even thinking about it. All he knew was one moment he was on the roof, the next he was crashing into her, moving them both out of the way of the incoming attack and to safety. By the time they had finished rolling, he was on top and she was looking up at him, still looking unclear on what was happening. The boy found himself struck dumb as he saw the girl up close and clearly.

She was beautiful. Her skin was pale and she had black and red hair that framed her face. He could see besides her hood, she was wearing a black shirt with a skirt and boots of the same color. Her most distinguishing feature, however, was her eyes, which were pure silver. Oscar had never seen someone with such hypnotizing eyes before.

It took Oscar a second to realize what he just did and another second for him to panic, as he recalled he wasn't the only person on the roof. Moving fast, he jerked from the girl and was bounding away as fast and quietly as he could while hiding in the shadows from time to time to avoid detection and the possibility of being followed.

Oh, man. OhnoohnoohnoOh,no. This was not good, this wasn't good at all! Glynda saw him, the girl saw him, and maybe even the enemy attacking had seen him. Even if they couldn't see exactly who had just intervened into that battle, Glynda would recognize him and the girl… he wasn't sure what she had seen up his hood.

If she had seen his face and started asking around, it could bring attention to him. He wasn't widely known, but a few people have caught a glance of his cloaked self enough to probably wonder as to who was lurking away from public eyes.

When Oscar finally stopped moving in panic and moving, he could see Beacon Academy just a little ways in front of him. He was breathing heavily, trying to get his thoughts in order and calm himself down. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. Even if she had seen him clearly, it wasn't as though she knew his name or knew him as anything other than a random stranger who decided to help. Glynda would make sure to direct any questions the girl would ask concerning him (then proceed to lecture him later) and then life would move on.

Besides, what's to say the girl even saw him? She was disoriented and didn't seemed focused enough to observe him. Most likely, she saw a flash of something and would disregard it like any normal person would. Everything would be okay.

Sighing to bring his heartbeat back to normal, Oscar continued his way to his home as quickly as he could.

…

Ruby didn't expect for the evening to turn out this way. She didn't realize she had been saved by a teacher at Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch. Or that her actions would be considered anything other than heroic. Or that the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin, would be interested in her and her skills.

Sitting in front of a long desk in a dark room where one sole light was shining above her, she watched as the aforementioned man walked in with a mug in one hand and a plate full of chocolate chip cookies in the other. Somehow he knew her name and was more than a little fascinated with her silver eyes.

"So, where did you learn to do this?" He asked, indicating the video they had of her fighting the goons. She hesitantly answered, "S-Signal Academy."

He inquired with disbelief, "They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" Ruby was quick to explain, as she didn't want to come off as a liar, "Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see." The man mused as he set the plate of cookies on the table for her to take. After a few cautious bites, Ruby began devouring each one as fast as he could. They were very good and even warmer than she expected. The headmaster continued speaking while she was snacking. "It's just, I've only seen one other scythe wielder with that skill before. A dusty old qrow…"

"Oh, that's my uncle Qrow. He's actually a teacher at Signal," Ruby exclaimed as soon as she finished swallowing the cookies in her mouth. "I was garbage before he started teaching me. Now I can totally kick butt!"

The professor took a sip from his mug before he set it down and leaned forward on the table. "And what is an adorable little girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train deadly warriors?" The question was casual and clearly asked out of curiosity.

"Well," she answered, taking a deep breath before proceeding to speak, "I want to become a huntress."

"You wish to slay monsters?"

"Yes. I only have a few more years at Signal before I graduate and then I'll apply to Beacon. My sister is starting school there this year and she's training to be a huntress and I want to be one because I want to help people. I mean, huntsmen and huntresses are so exciting and amazing at their jobs, so why not become something so wicked cool, right?" She rambled ecstatically. Glynda was looking at her with an unimpressed expression, while Oz seemed vaguely amused.

"Do you know who I am, Miss Rose?"

"Yeah, you're the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Nice to meet you."

"Hello," he greeted back pleasantly. "You want to come to my school?"

"More than anything." Ruby affirmed with great certainty. There was a moment Professor Ozpin looked to Glynda, who rolled her eyes and stared disapprovingly to the side with a huff, but otherwise didn't object to the obvious wheels turning in the man's head. Then he turned to face her with a warm smile on his face. "Well, okay."

Ruby could feel her eyes widen as she understood exactly what the headmaster was saying. She was going to Beacon Academy!

"Oh, one more question, Miss Rose," Oz asked as he rose from the table and grabbed the empty plate and mug. "During your fight with Roman and the other female attacker, did you notice anything unusual? Perhaps see someone who you didn't know was there until they revealed themselves?"

Ruby's thoughts immediately shifted to those hazel green eyes with the bits of orange and yellow that had moved her away from the mystery female's attack. She had been too out of it to focus on any other distinguishing features beside those eyes and then the mystery person was gone. Then she had been distracted by the realization she was in the presence of a huntress and her fangirling had dictated she focus more on getting her autograph.

But now that she could focus on those eyes, she wasn't sure what to say. Most likely Glynda had mentioned her mysterious rescuer, but for some reason Ruby wanted him or her to be just that. Her mysterious rescuer. Maybe it's because whoever it was obviously he/she wasn't looking for credit or to be noticed if the fact that they made sure to cloak themselves as best as they could was any indication. Or maybe giving the little information she noted of the person wasn't worth much when she couldn't identify them. Either way, she feigned innocence.

"Uh, nope, not really. I was a little out of it from being suddenly attacked and all, so I didn't really notice anyone after I was rescued. Sorry." She said simply. The two shared a glance at each other once again before Oz nodded in her general direction, pleasant smile still on his face.

"Very well, Miss Rose. Thank you for your time, I sincerely look forward to seeing you at my school. For now, Glynda will drop you off at home and explain to your parent or guardian. Have a good rest of your evening." Then the man walked out without a backwards glance.

…

To say her dad was freaked out after he heard the story would be extremely accurate.

"She did what?!" He screamed after Glynda spelled it out over a cup of tea in the sitting room. The blonde nodded expression still very cool. "Yes, despite the fact that your daughter's actions put herself and others in danger, the headmaster of Beacon sees must potential in her. He feels, given her impressive skills in wielding her weapon and fighting in general, that it would be best she be promoted early and admitted into his school. Providing you give your permission, of course."

"Ruby, I let you go into town one night! You said you wouldn't go looking for trouble!" Taiyang sighed loudly. Ruby immediately protested, "I didn't go looking for trouble, dad. Those guys started it! They were robbing a poor man of his dust and one of them tried to mug me! I was just trying to help people who can't help themselves, like you raised me to do!"

His dad looked half annoyed at the remainder and half anxious as he worried how the evening had or could have gone. Turning to Glynda, he said mildly, "Could you please excuse me and my daughter a moment? We'll be back in a little while." And then he got up, with Ruby following him out into the kitchen.

As soon as they no longer had an audience, he turned back to the red cloaked girl, looking massively conflicted. "Ruby… you know why I'm mad, don't you?"

"Yes, but I also know what I did was right. I helped a man who was being robbed at gunpoint, dad. I couldn't just do nothing when I was right there." Her dad groaned at her somewhat reasonable answer, looking out the window with an intense expression.

"Are you going to stop me from advancing because of it?" she asked hesitantly.

"I probably should, but… I won't. It's just… are you sure about this, Ruby? You'll be the youngest in school and you may that fit in as much as you would like."

"That doesn't matter, dad. I want to become a huntress and help people. If I have to go through a few awkward years in order to do that, then I will." She said determinedly, face resolved. The man stared at her for a moment before he sighed, looking exasperated and a sad smile appearing on his face. "Sometimes, you are too much like your mother."

Ruby looked up at him sadly. She knew her dad worried as much as he did because he lost too many people he loved. It couldn't be easy raising them and being reminded of that constantly. And it probably didn't help that she was so eager to put herself in deadly situations, but her dad, of all people, knew how important it was to protect those in need.

"Fine, you can go. Just… make sure you have a good year and be careful." Ruby nodded, a brilliant smile on her face as she moved forward to hug the man. "I will, dad. I promise."

…

The sharp sound of heels clicking was the only warning Oz got before Glynda came bursting into his office, looking much more disapproving than usual. "Where is he?"

Oz calmly looked up from the video he was watching of Ruby in action once again. "Good evening, Glynda. It's nice to see your trip was well. I assume Miss Rose will be on the ship to Beacon tomorrow?"

She glowered at him for his questions but still answered, "Yes, her father has agreed and she'll be on board the first flight to the school. Now, where is he?!"

Sensing she was in a worse mood than he had previously figured, the headmaster set his mug of hot chocolate down and turned his full attention to the teacher. "Glynda…"

"He's been sneaking out of here at night, Ozpin! And he exposed himself! He could have been discovered or hurt! This is probably because of Qrow, he always fills that boy had with wild and stupid ideas that are going to get him killed one day!" the blonde looked ready to find the man and throttle him.

"Glynda, you know Qrow is only trying to look out for Oscar too, just in his own way. This is a new and difficult situation, you know. I knew he was going out as well, so please don't blame Qrow. And concerning this evening, he didn't come out to help you or to be reckless. Oscar revealed himself to save Miss Rose, and got away before she could see anything. Everything has worked out for the better."

"That's not the point, Ozpin. He knows how dangerous it is for him to be out there, that we put down those rules to protect him. He can't choose to ignore them, something could happen to him. He's mature enough to know—"

"Glynda," Ozpin stopped her abruptly, sounding much older and sadder than she had ever seen him. "He's still just a child. And while in most cases Oscar has acted well beyond his years, we can't forget that he's not a grown up or an obedient little boy whose just going to let himself be trapped down here. He's not a prisoner and it's unfair of us to just expect him to get with the program. Hasn't he suffered enough in that regard?"

The woman sighed, the fight going out of her as her expression turned sad, "I just… if he hadn't been able to move the two of them out of the way, he would have been hurt. I don't want a repeat of what happened in Atlas, Ozpin."

"Neither do I, Glynda. Believe me when I say that Oscar has been very careful and will continue to do so. He did what he did to save someone in danger, just as anyone of us would do if we had been in the position to do so as well. Don't lecture him because of those instincts, Glynda. After all, it's one of the best things about him."

The woman stared at the headmaster for a moment before she nodded, walking away as she said, "At least let me know when he arrives. I want to make absolute sure he's okay."

Oz nodded as she moved back to the elevator and headed down, probably to us her stressed and anxious feelings to make certain all the rooms and everywhere else in school was in perfect condition. He took a moment to drink his cocoa again before he set the mug down again. "You can come out now, Oscar." He said mildly.

There was no movement for a moment, and then something dropped from the ceiling and landed on the ground at the center of the room. Or, more accurately, someone.

Oscar turned to face him, face downtrodden and still dressed in the clothes he went out with. Oz smiled even as the boy strove to avoid eye contact with him, "She seems to have forgotten how much you like high places. I suppose she's more distracted by the first day of school than she would care to admit."

The boy took a moment to glance up at him before his eyes went back to the floor. Oz sighed, setting down the tablet in his hand. "You aren't in trouble, Oscar. Like I told Glynda, you can't be held accountable for saving someone's life. All that matters is that you're okay."

It took a few moments but eventually the boy's eyes were up and making steady eye contact with him. The headmaster shot him a warm smile as a reward. The boy tended to act shy around him, especially when they were alone together. Maryanne liked to tease and say it was because Oscar considered himself unworthy of his attention. Ozpin figured that it was because Oscar recognized just how much he cared for him and was sometimes embarrassed about it.

"You understand why Glynda was so worried, don't you?" The headmaster gently asked the boy, who nodded solemnly, staring off to the side with a sober expression on his face. Something that looked much too grown-up on the face of a barely teen.

"They all just want you safe. Especially after what happened during your last trip to the outside world." Ozpin explained, watching as Oscar nodded again. "We care too much about your well-being, including me."

That seem to stun the boy for a moment, who was looking wide-eyed at him before he averted his eyes again, a small smile on his face now.

He motioned to the boy, who immediately walked forward until he was in front of his desk. "We won't keep you locked here, you know that, Oscar. Just… please refrain from such close calls. We would be extremely worried if something were to happen to you." The kid nodded, speaking in a soft voice, "Yeah, sure. Okay."

Smiling at the understanding that frittered across the boy's face, Oz pulled out a second mug of coca that seemingly came out of nowhere. "Hot chocolate? You look like you could use something to warm you up." Oscar smiled a happy grin as he took the cup and starting drinking with earnest. After so many years of being down here, the boy was just as addicted as he himself. Ozpin couldn't help but smile warmly as the boy finished his drink a lot faster than the headmaster did. He really was a good kid.

But, because if there was one thing Oz liked to do once in a while it was trip him with something unexpected, he asked just as the last of the drink entered his mouth, "So… what did you think of Miss Rose?" And that's how Oscar almost choked on the last of the cocoa, face turning red and looking quite flustered.

…

So, how was it? Not as long as the first chapter, but still long. Did you like Ruby and Oscar's first glance? The Taiyang and Ruby scene? I always felt like that was missing from the first episode, you know? I hope I described the fighting accurately and you enjoyed the Oscar scenes and the brief hints at his life with Oz, Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood (the dick). Hopefully, I'll write chapter 3 just as quickly as I wrote this, but I was hoping to update my other stories first, so we'll see. Feel free to review, follow and favorite.