Recording #300

October, 22981 AEA

"So, the King invited me to dinner. He said he had something important to tell me, and also wanted to check on my progress in depth. The thing is, I'm not sure if I should accept. On one hand, I've reached a critical stage in my research of the Veil, and these things aren't gonna test themselves. On the other hand, Apollo came by and reminded me that it's also my birthday today, so maybe I should take some time off. Decisions decisions… Well, I suppose I could take a break every now and then. The Veil's not going anywhere, after all. Oh, and for the record, I turn fifteen thousand six hundred and thirty-six today. Just a few more centuries before my sweet sixteen. Go me!"

Kingdom of Vale

May, 78 AGW

In all honesty, it wasn't entirely a waste of time, Ruby had to admit. Even though the mortal she was conversing with had utterly failed to answer even a single one of her questions properly, she did end up learning what the Grimm were called. Aeons of research experience taught her to take small victories whenever possible, so she could at least find some satisfaction in that. She turned back to the man, who was now downing his flask with renewed vigor.

"Come to think of it, I never got your name?"

Emptying the contents into his mouth, he set his drink back on his hip. "The name's Qrow." He slurred, eyes unfocused as he glanced at the carnage surrounding them.

"You gonna put that out?" Qrow gestured towards the flames.

Ruby scoffed. "Of course." She wasn't so irresponsible as to ignore a fire in front of her, especially if said fire was hers to control, and she always cleaned up her own messes. With an errant flick of the hand, the tentacles dissipated from the blaze, the flames soon following.

"Well, Qrow," Ruby began. "It was nice meeting you and, Amber, was it?" She gestured towards the unconscious girl lying flat on her back. "But seeing as you failed to answer any of my questions, I'll be on my way. See ya!"

She made to turn back towards the city, when she was rudely interrupted by Qrow, again.

"Wait, Ruby! Hold it!"

Qrow stumbled forward, clearly inebriated. Seriously? What could he possibly want now?

"You're headed to Vale, right?" He jabbed a thumb towards the city. "I called a Bullhead earlier, should be here any minute. We'll get there way faster than on foot."

Ruby considered his words for one whole picosecond.

"No thanks. I don't want to have to backtrack here if I miss anything while on this 'Bullhead'. I've got a lot of ground to cover, you know."

She paused. "I appreciate the offer, though. You're a bit nicer than the others, Qrow. Maybe I'll see you around? If you're still alive later that is..." She gave him a bright smile before turning away.

Qrow was at a loss for words. She wanted to travel all the way to Vale on foot? What could she possibly be looking for? No, never mind that, there was another question he should be asking instead: was he really about to let another Maiden travel the wilderness alone? He racked his brain for something, anything that he could say to convince her otherwise, as she began walking away from him. Damn it!

Suddenly, Ruby stopped and spun around to face him. Did she change her mind?

"Oh, I forgot to ask. Do you happen to have any spare clothes? I'm kinda, uh…" She trailed off, muttering the rest of the sentence under her breath.

"Wha-?" Qrow spluttered.

"I don't have anything to wear under my cloak!" She squeaked out rapidly, clearly embarrassed.

If Qrow had any alcohol left in his flask he would have surely choked by now, likely to death thanks to his Semblance. That's what she was worried about? Though, on second thought, it would be pretty tough to trek through the wilderness without proper gear. How on Remnant had she managed to survive so far?

"There should be some emergency supplies on the Bullhead. I'm not gonna force you to come with, but stick around and I'll get you some extra clothing. Can't promise it'll be comfortable or stylish, but it'll be durable enough to see you all the way to Vale."

He glanced away awkwardly, the brief reprieve granted by his offer allowing him to try his hand at questioning her again. "Are you serious about traveling alone? This area isn't safe, especially for a kid like you."

"I'm not a—" She cut off. "You know what, never mind." Oh, right. Ruby was at least fifteen thousand, according to her. He wasn't sure any psychologist would want to handle a case like this, not for all the Lien in the world.

"If you are referring to those Grimm creatures, I am more than capable of handling them myself." She continued. Qrow wasn't stupid: he knew that a Maiden was more than capable of traveling alone if Grimm were the only thing to worry about. In fact, if it weren't for Amber…

"I'm not talking about the Grimm! Listen, ki- Ruby," he corrected himself, as her eyes narrowed. "There are some people out there that might try to hurt you, like they did Amber."

Ruby's brow furrowed. "Oh, like those three from earlier? Why would they do that? I've done nothing wrong, I think…" She muttered under her breath.

"Wait, you saw what happened earlier?"

"Only the bit where you showed up. I was going to get here sooner, but I was… preoccupied." She shifted uncomfortably under her cloak.

Damn. Qrow was hoping she had seen more than him, but he supposed that would be too lucky for someone like him. Still, if she had seen Amber's mysterious assailants, there was probably an equal chance they had seen her. That red cloak of hers stood out like a sore thumb.

"They were after her, so they'll probably attack you, too." He mused. "You think you can handle both them and the Grimm?"

"Yep! You don't have to worry one bit!" She proclaimed, popping the 'p'. Gods, she was just as stubborn as—

Qrow shook his head. Summer was dead, and pointing out the similarities between her and Ruby wouldn't accomplish anything. Still, it seemed like she was dead set on walking to Vale. He needed a plan.

Thinking fast, he pulled out his Scroll once more, and dialed a secure line to Ozpin. "Mind if I take this call while we wait?"

"I wanted to ask more questions, but fine…" She huffed, sat down on the grass, and began staring down the scar tissue on Amber's face. Qrow kept a close eye on her as he dampened the Scroll's speaker and brought it up to his ear.

{Qrow.} The Headmaster's voice sounded calm, yet Qrow could tell it was fraught with worry. {You have something else to report? The Bullhead should be there any minute now.}

"Yeah, well, there's been a bit of a development. You're not on speaker, by the way." Qrow whispered, watching to see if Ruby was trying to listen in. It never hurt to be careful.

{What kind of development? Is Fall safe?}

"She's safe for now, but she's hurt pretty bad, Oz. You'll need to take a look at her ASAP. But there's something else I wanted to ask you."

{Go on.} Qrow could hear a faint rustling coming from the other end, likely Ozpin preparing for the worst.

"Is it still Spring, or has Summer rolled around yet? I can't tell with this weather."

The line went quiet for a moment. {Is that so? Do you think it will rain?}

"There's a storm headed straight towards Vale. Slowly. I was thinking of taking the scenic route back."

{Straight to Vale? Are you certain?}

"I tried, but I can't exactly control the weather here, Oz."

{...Very well. The Bullhead will have a suitable backup for Fall. Enjoy your trip.}

"Thanks, I will." Dropping the whisper, he closed his scroll as the faint roar of a Bullhead could be heard in the distance. Ruby was staring at the fast approaching airship, an inquisitive look on her face.

"Not bad, all things considered." She commented. "With a name like 'Bullhead' I was honestly expecting something much worse. Though, unless this thing is meant to be as unattractive as possible, the design could use some work."

Qrow briefly wondered what she could possibly be comparing the Bullhead to, before remembering that he didn't have to listen to her brand of crazy. Ozpin could handle that, or maybe Glynda. Speaking of…

The Bullhead touched down in front of them, revealing one Glynda Goodwitch in the interior. She was dressed in her Beacon attire, evidently having been pulled out of teaching Combat Class to answer the distress signal. Deploying its landing gear, she strode out of the Bullhead, sporting a grim countenance as she took one look at Amber.

"Before you ask," She held up a hand as she made her way towards Qrow. "I had Port take over class for me, so let's make this quick. Can she be moved?"

"She's unresponsive, but fine otherwise." He replied.

"That's… less than ideal, though I suppose there wasn't much you could do about it." She began levitating the fallen Maiden with her Semblance, taking care to ensure Amber remained in a comfortable position.

"Let's get her back to…" Glynda froze and trailed off as her eyes met Ruby's. Her voice came out strained, but steady.

"Qrow, who is this?"

"Oh, right, this is Ru—"

"I'm Ruby!" The smaller girl piped up with renewed enthusiasm. "Your control over telekinesis is pretty good. Are you self taught?"

"I— excuse me?"

"Your telekinetic ability." Ruby repeated slowly. "Did you teach yourself?"

Glynda glanced at Qrow, who silently gestured for her to play along.

"Er, yes, I did, thank you." Ruby went to ask another question, but Qrow cut her off before she could.

"Glynda, you've got an emergency supply kit in that Bullhead, yeah? Ruby here needs a spare change of clothes."

"R-right." Regaining her composure, she floated Amber over to the Bullhead and disappeared with her inside, reappearing shortly empty handed. "I've got an extra set in here. May I ask what you need it for?" Qrow coughed and looked away, while Ruby just gave her an expectant look.

She narrowed eyes. "You are planning on coming with, right?"

"Heh, yeah… about that…"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "I thought I told you, I'll be fine on my own! Just gimme the clothes and you two can get back to doing..." She hesitated. "Well, whatever it is you people do."

"She can handle herself pretty well, Glynda. Come on, we've got to get Amber to safety." Qrow said, subtly signalling for the Huntress to drop the matter.

She nodded in understanding. "Very well, let me get those clothes for you."

Ruby brightened almost immediately as Glynda levitated the package in front of her, which she promptly slipped into her cloak. "Thank you so much, I won't forget this! See you later, Qrow, Glynda!" She turned and skipped away, humming to herself.

Glynda turned towards Qrow. "What the hell was that?"

"It's complicated. I'll explain it to everyone once I get back from my 'trip'. Speaking of which…" He shifted into his corvid form.

"Take care of Amber. I've got myself another Maiden to tail."

He took off, ignoring Glynda's shocked look as she shouted after him. "Damn it, Qrow!"

The days blended into weeks and months as Ruby continued towards Vale, failing to discover anything of note along the way. Grimm accosted her at every juncture, but they proved to be a minor annoyance at best. The ground was coated with brown, dead leaves as the season shifted to autumn, yet Ruby's new boots: sturdy, tall, and waterproof as they were, failed to leave a satisfying crunch behind as she trekked through the forest. She blamed her Shapeshifter's Mask for this.

Since it was initially designed as merely a toy, or something to entertain party guests, the fullest extension of its functionality stopped after the cosmetic. It was really more like a magical bodysuit than anything else: sure, Ruby could feel her own 'skin', stick out her tongue, and pull on her hair, yet beneath the surface lay the same skeletal visage she'd woken up with. Naturally, it turned out that lacking flesh or internal organs meant losing a lot of weight; Ruby wagered she was only operating at around 25% of her original body mass.

Still, it wasn't all bad. It meant she could move a lot easier, and sometimes the less noise made with her footsteps, the better. Plus, it wasn't like there was anything she could do to fix the design flaw, not without her lab…

A crow cawed, shaking her out of her thoughts. Ah! Ruby glanced up at the pearly white city gate, wide and tall enough for any truck to fit through. Her night vision revealed walls and supporting guard towers: worn, but clearly built to last against the Grimm. A single guard was stationed at the base of the gate, standing at attention as Ruby approached.

"Hi there," She waved at the man. "This is the entrance to Vale, right?" She gestured towards the gate. Her range of motion had expanded now that she didn't have to worry about covering up with her cloak.

"Sure is, Miss." The guard replied, taking out a device she'd seen Qrow use earlier. "Are you looking to enter? I just need your name and hometown, please."

"Ruby, and I'm from Aetera." She didn't expect them to recognize either of those names, but she tried regardless.

The guard looked at her expectantly. "Last name?" He prompted.

What? These mortals had two names? But she didn't remember Qrow or Glynda introducing themselves with their last names. How unlucky!

"I uh, um... " She was panicking. Who the hell asks someone for another name on the spot like that?

"Branwen." A familiar voice called out from behind her. "It's Branwen." Qrow stated, stepping out of the foliage.

The guard looked up from his device in shock. "Qrow Branwen? Is that you? Oh my Gods, it is such an honor, sir. I didn't realize you had a daughter!"

"Heh, it's a little known fact about me." He walked up, all smiles, and slung his arm around the guard's shoulder. "And I'd like to keep it that way, you understand?"

"O-of course, sir. This information won't leave the logbook, I swear!" The guard declared with a look of both reverence and surprise. Turning around, he signaled an 'all clear' sign to the guard tower, and the gate slowly heaved itself up, allowing Ruby and Qrow to walk in.

"I only kept my mouth shut," Ruby began in an icy tone, once they were out of earshot of the guard. "Because it was the most convenient way into Vale. Don't claim to be my family ever again, got it?"

Qrow wore a conflicted expression on his face, but relented. "Got it. I'm sorry, Ruby."

"As long as you understand. Now then…" She continued, eyes surveying the brightly lit district they had entered. "I don't suppose this place has a library I could use?"

"Sure, we have the Vale City Library. It's just past the Town Center in the Commercial District."

"Great, I should head there immedi—"

"Buuuut if you ask me," Qrow interjected, a grin on his face. "Beacon has the most expansive library here."

Ruby sighed. "Fine. Lead the way."

He clearly had another motive for leading her there, and Ruby had to admit that she was slightly curious as to what it was. After all, it's not every day that someone shapeshifts into a crow and stalks you across the wilderness, only to help you out directly in the end. Qrow might have thought he was being discreet with his use of magic, but she was a master with centuries of experience, so it was basically no contest. Ruby knew how embarrassing it was to be outclassed, though, so she opted not to bring it up.

As he led her deeper into the city via boats and aircraft, her curiosity piqued when she realized they were heading for the large emerald tower she had seen earlier. She chuckled. The 'beacon' that lit up the night sky was actually called Beacon. A short trip over the sound by airship and they arrived on Beacon's main avenue. The complex was much more impressive up close, and almost reminded Ruby of the King's castle, in a primitive sort of way. Lampposts dotted each side of the avenue leading to the main entrance, lighting up the otherwise dark passageway, though Ruby engaged her night vision anyways, just to be safe. Situated before the entrance was a large fountain statue, and in front of it, a man stood with a cane in hand, waiting for them.

As per usual, messy silver hair and black spectacles jumped out as the primary features on his otherwise unremarkable face. Ugh. If this kept up, Ruby was liable to die of sheer boredom before ever finishing her quest. Why do these mortals always look so dull? At least his outfit was somewhat decent: his shirt, vest, and cowl were all varying shades of hunter green, accentuated by a similarly dark green suit, dress pants, and black trouser shoes. He was holding a long, study cane, though the handle was emblazoned with a gear-like emblem, and it also inexplicably had a knuckle guard. Was it also a weapon?

"Ruby," He greeted, extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

'Ah, so this is a school? Perfect! The library here ought to be extensive enough to start me off.' She cheered internally.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm here to use your library." She said bluntly, shaking his hand. Maybe a little too bluntly, as Ozpin raised a single eyebrow in response.

"Er, if you'll let me, of course." She gave a sheepish grin.

"Of course." He replied, an easy smile on his face. "There are a few conditions, however."

Her face fell. More distractions? "Perhaps I'll just try my luck at the Vale City Library, then."

Qrow stepped forward. "Whoa, hold it. You're just gonna leave after coming all the way here, without hearing Oz out?"

"I believe you'll find this arrangement to be mutually beneficial. Won't you at least listen to what I have to say?" Ozpin added.

Well, Ruby was admittedly curious about this 'Beacon' anyways. Plus, she needed to repay them for the clothes and whatnot.

She relented. "Fine. What would you have me do?"

While Qrow went off to rest, Ozpin and Ruby moved up to his office in the CCT. The girl was a curiosity, the likes of which he hadn't seen in centuries. When they first met outside, her eyes seemed to take on an ethereal silvery glow, yet when they moved inside his brightly lit office, they faded to a light grey. But the question of whether or not she was a silver-eyed warrior could wait. He wanted, no, he needed Ruby to understand the danger she was in, simply due to her Maiden status, and the dubious nature of her eyes. Qrow's report indicated that she was quite reckless in her use of magic; Ozpin had no doubt that she'd get the attention of their enemies eventually, if they hadn't noticed already.

He poured himself another mug of hot cocoa as she situated herself in the chair in front of his desk, quietly observing her behavior. She was fidgeting slightly in her seat, obviously impatient to get started.

"So," Ozpin began. "What brings you to Vale?"

She huffed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm lacking critical information about, well, everything! And Vale was the closest city I could find."

Everything? He wanted to know more, but Ruby looked testy, and instinct told him he should lay his cards on the table before she got mad and shut him out. If everything went to plan, he'd have more time to find out about this mysterious girl later anyways.

"I'll allow you full access to Beacon's library." He began, watching Ruby for any reaction. "But it's on school grounds, and generally, only Beacon students and staff are allowed on campus."

She tilted her head to the side. "You want me to be a professor or something?"

"A student, actually." He took a sip from his mug to hide his surprise at her proposition.

She clasped her hands together, deep in thought. "And what would that entail?"

He took a deep breath. "You would live in the dorms and have full access to everything on campus: the library, the CCT, the forges, the sparring ring, and more. Since you would be considered a Huntress-in-training, the Kingdom will cover living expenses during your four year stay at Beacon."

He continued. "Your duties would include taking classes and missions with your team, but beyond that you'd be free to do whatever you want, within the limits of the law, of course. So, what do you think?"

Ruby hummed in thought. "It's a pretty good deal, Ozpin. There's just a teeny tiny problem with it."

"Oh?" His face didn't betray any emotion as he took another sip. "And what would that be?"

"Like I said earlier, there's a lot I don't know about this world. And depending on what I find in your library, there's a chance I might be needed… elsewhere." Her light grey eyes grew determined.

"I absolutely refuse to stay here for four years. Once I find what I'm looking for, I'm leaving." She adamantly declared.

Ozpin's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "And what exactly are you looking for, in an academy for Hunters?"

Ruby was silent for a moment, eyes downcast and hands fidgeting nervously. Then, in a quieter, softer voice, she spoke. "Evidence." Her voice wavered. "Evidence that I'm not alone in this world. That's all I want."

Something about the way she spoke struck a chord within him. Briefly, Ozpin remembered the time when he first entered Remnant: utterly alone in a body that wasn't his, unsure of his purpose in a new world. He didn't know why or how Ruby's words managed to evoke such ancient memories, but it hurt all the same. Ozpin hardened his resolve. Even if she stayed for a year, a month, or just a single week, it would still be enough time for him to at least impart some wisdom and try and keep her safe. He'd just have to make the most out of a less than ideal situation.

"Very well, then. I won't force you to stay."

She looked up, eyes inquisitive. "Then…?"

"I suppose we'll have to draft up a suitable reason for you to drop out at any given moment. Don't worry, Qrow is a master at making up excuses." Ozpin winked.

"Welcome to Beacon, Ruby."

A/N: I know the Beacon Arc (Volumes 1-3) have been done to hell and back on this site, but I needed a convenient way to assemble the rest of Ruby's party members. To be blunt, basically no one on Remnant has a good reason to join Ruby right now. If a stranger came up to you and asked for your help in finding evidence of an ancient society, you'd probably point them towards the nearest library and be on your way. If a close friend did the same, on the other hand... Well hopefully you'd do more than that, but I can't speak for everyone.

That being said, I don't want to spend too much time at Beacon. We'll cover just enough to establish new character dynamics, the setting, and more of Ruby's past and characterization before diving into the good stuff.

I'm planning on mixing up the teams a little bit, just because I think it'll be interesting. I'm also going to practice a bit of self-control so I don't spoil the whole story in the Author's Notes. Shutting up now.

Comments? Concerns? Contrivances? Leave a review! It's exciting seeing all of these different perspectives on my story, even if they diverge from my own. And of course, thanks again for reading!