Memoir Entry #2
I never would've thought the hardest part of thwarting Torchwick's little heist was going to be making sure my dad didn't know I was out late in Vale. I always have and always will love my dad, but for as long as I can remember he's had this… issue when it comes to mine or Yang's safety. He forgets all about how the two of us are warriors who've faced our fair share of danger and come out of it stronger than ever. I know he experienced the same things when he was on a team with our moms and Uncle Qrow (the stories we'd hear said a lot about how reckless they got), but it's like he completely ignores his past and everything that made him who he is today. All because he wants to keep his little girls as innocent and pure as he can manage. Yang says he was a lot less paranoid when mom was still around. I can't really remember, personally.
All I remember from that far back is red. The red cloth of my hood, I think. My mom made it for me when I was a baby. Funny enough, it didn't start red. The fabric is woven with a special blend of Dust that dyes the fabric in the color of the baby's aura. The whole thing was sort of a Rose family tradition. Either way, I think I've talked enough about my abnormal family dynamic for right now. Anybody who's reading this is only interested in how I got Amity, so I ought to get back to that story.
So, after sneaking out of the hotel we were staying at (and trust me, that's no small feat when your dad is an experienced huntsman who was responsible for keeping Qrow away from the bars) I made my way to this quaint little shop named From Dust 'til Dawn. It was a nice place. Quality materials, good books, and even a magazine rack I could park myself in front of to wait for Torchwick and his posse to show up. Once one of them told me to put my hands up, it was show time. One defenestration, four unconscious goons, and a rooftop chase later and I had my first run in with Cinder Fall.
Cinder… Now there was a fight to remember. I didn't know her name at the time; that wouldn't come until the start of my second quarter at Beacon. But, boy, did she leave an impression. It's not every day you come across a crazy pyro lady who brushes off your sniper rounds like she's swatting a few flies. To be completely honest, if Miss Goodwitch hadn't shown up to haul my butt out from the metaphorical AND literal fire, I probably would have died that night. Just goes to show that long term planning doesn't guarantee your own survival. Once they'd escaped, Goodwitch set her sights on me. I knew that I'd need to seem professional and sophisticated to secure her trust.
I… asked her for an autograph.
Don't judge me, she was really cool!
I found myself in an interrogation room after that. Goodwitch was giving me the sort of talking to I would only get when I had a sit down with Dad and Qrow at the same time. There was all this nagging about how my actions were extremely reckless and how I ought to receive some form of punishment for it, but, then there were those little things that said deep down she was proud of me for acting out the way I did. Before the lecture got out of hand, she introduced him. Headmaster Ozpin, my objective and greatest challenge of the night. He introduced himself with a plate of cookies, a few questions about how I learned to fight, and some weird comment about my eyes. In other words, he knew the quickest way to my heart. He likely already knew everything about me and Yang, if only because Uncle Qrow liked to brag about us after his status reports. Really, I had this feeling he worked with the entire Team STRQ back in the day. There were times throughout Beacon I wanted to ask him more about my mom and what sort of person she was before she had me. I never could, though. I'd risk giving away what I knew.
Ozpin seemed interested when I told him how I wanted to be a huntress. So, I told him the truth. I wanted to help people. After all, this entire plan was about getting enough power to change the world for the better. I… might have geeked out a little when I got into my admiration of the hunter lifestyle. He seemed amused by what I had to say. Maybe even a little nostalgic. Did I remind him of my mom or my dad? Or maybe I reminded him of what he was like before he had the weight of the world put on his shoulders. I always felt like we had this sort of connection whenever we spoke. Like he understood why I was the way I was. Maybe he would've even understood why I chose to play the game as a rival party. That I never got to ask him is one of the biggest regrets of my life.
Then, he asked me if I knew who he was. What a question. I knew exactly who he was. He was the man who commanded my uncle in secret to protect the world from something I still didn't completely understand. He had a controlling stake in all four kingdoms and then some. He probably knew all sorts of secrets I couldn't begin to understand. Not that I could say any of that. All I could say was he was Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon.
Finally, he asked me if I wanted to go to his school. I knew I'd hooked him when I told him the truth.
More than anything.