To say Ruby Rose was annoyed with the antics occurring around her today is to not understand Ruby Rose at all.
Ruby was not annoyed at all.
She was absolutely pissed!
All afternoon, she sat in the arena and watch the hundred or so other candidates going through their combat assessments. Some of them were pretty good, like that pink hair girl with the big hammer smacking the hell out of anyone within range as well as that girl with the black bow in her hair, she had some seriously good moves as well. Some of the others, however, were hopeless, more of a danger to themselves and anyone around them, then to the Grimm. Still, as informative and, at time highly entertaining, the afternoon had been; it pissed her off that none of them ever faced more than one opponent in their bouts.
None of them had to deal with four people trying their very best to eliminate her from the school. On one hand, she knew that she should be honored that they knew she could handle anything that they threw at her. Handle it like a boss that she is and coming within a hair of winning as well. On the other hand, a larger part of her is just pissed that someone was trying so hard to make her fail.
Just like that bullshit test!
Ruby had spent some time in between bouts talking to some of the other hopefuls about the written test. Each and every one of them said that the 300 question, with only four essay and mostly true or false questions, was bit more difficult than they had anticipated. But they all felt that the test was not so difficult that they felt overwhelmed.
300 question? 300 questions! Hell's bells, I answered more than most of them even tried to answer!
"Miss Rose?" A man, one of the older students, said as he walked up to her as she sat in the now empty cafeteria as twilight began settling in. All of the other hopefuls had already left, their process now completed.
No doubt playing messenger to get some kind of extra credit to cover up his piss poor grades, Ruby thought unkindly as she sat there glaring at him. Or maybe he was just an apple polisher.
God knows Ruby had to deal with their likes at Heart. She supposed it was too much to hope she wouldn't have to deal with any of their kind here at Beacon. However, like cockroaches and Grimm, they do multiply at alarming rates and did nothing productive for society. Then again, she shouldn't be so hard on cockroaches or Grimm.
When she didn't verbally answer him, opting to remain silent while staring at him sourly, with her arms crossed, he let out a small cough and said, in a not so nicely tone, "Please follow me to your interview."
Letting a sigh stay silent, she slung her backpack on her back and hurried to catch up to the older, taller boy, whom, she figured, was using his longer strides to get a bit of petty revenge on her.
"The Interview is done remotely," he said without looking back to see if she was keeping up. "The normal amount of time is 20 minutes, although some have been known to take a half hour or more depending on needs of each candidates. Please refrain from speaking unless asked a question by one of the interviewers. After this Interview, you will be informed if you have passed the requirements to enter Beacon Academy." After he stopped in front of an ordinary looking door, he turned to look down at her with an expression of distaste on his face. "Or you can turn around and leave now, if you wish. No one would stop you from leaving. This is Beacon Academy, you know, not everyone who tries to get in, does so."
"This is the right room?"
"I'm not joking, orphan." The walking dead man said putting his hand on the door. As if he could actually have any chance of stopping her from entering. "Your kind is not welcome here; we have only the best men and women here, the right kind of people, you understand, in this school." He steps closer to her, as if he though he could intimidate her. "Do you understand what I am saying or perhaps you require me to speak slower, sewer trash?"
She gave him a smile that only a blind, feeble minded boy would mistake for friendly as she reached past him to open the door herself. Ruby then, roughly, pushed the brown nose loser out of her way to enter the semi-dark room.
The room's only light source was a small table lamp sitting on the desk in the center of the room. Besides the desk, there was a chair and three large monitors, all dark, hanging on the wall opposite of the desk. Slipping her backpack on the back of the chair, Ruby sat down and waited for something to happen.
And waited.
And waited so more.
Patience was not one of Ruby's stronger points.
In fact, it wasn't even one of her lesser enduring traits.
She knew what patience was … she had to look up and recite the definition enough time over the years as punishment for committing one offense or another ever since she could read.
But like two ships passing each other in the dark night, and on two separate oceans, she has never really met it in person. No matter how much her teachers back at Heart tried to introduce her to the concept.
So it was probably no surprise to anyone with even a passing bit of knowledge about her, that when the screens finally came alive, Ruby was hanging upside down from the back of the chair that she had placed on top of the table, humming a song that was clearly one which had lyrics that no child should be able to recite by heart.
She stared blankly at the image of Professor Goodwitch on her right, some other professor, whom was very thin and wore glasses on her left and she couldn't make out the person in the center screen, it was too dark for her to get a good look.
"I think my point has been made," the glass wearing man said with a sigh. "She demonstrates it well enough on her own; she has no discipline."
"Leave in a dark room for God knows how long, you are, and let's see what you do." Ruby said as she tried to wrestle herself up but ended up crashing, with the chair, on to the floor. "Fuck!"
"She is immature," Goodwitch said evenly. "A thrill seeker, with no regards for those around her."
"With her; it is first, last and only about herself." The glasses wear said while sipping on a cup of something.
"She is violent; lashing out at others for perceived grave offences, often using physical violence to solve disputes with her peers."
"Like none of them fuckers deserve being thrashed," Ruby said defensively as she sat the chair upright.
"She is crude, often using terms that make her sound like a drunken sailor on a three-day liberty."
"That is a bunch of fucking bullshit!"
"She has no close relationships with her peers at Heart Academy." The skinny man said, ignoring her outburst. "Although, she is willing to engage others for the reason of entertainment, either by playing violent fighting games or attending movies that are clearly unsuited for children her age."
"Well, excuse me if I don't enjoy movies where rainbows shoot out of ponies rear ends." Ruby answered with a sarcastic toss of her head and prostrating herself on top of the desk. "I try, I try so hard, forgive this poor retch of a girl but friendship, it's just not magical enough for me."
"She willfully, and unapologetically, violates rules and laws that have been set down to insure everyone's safety …"
"Oh come on, give me one recent example! Just one!"
"As she has recently demonstrated this morning by arriving on her hover bike …"
"Err … besides …"
"She has accumulated more demerits and punishment details than any other single candidate we have ever assess since team STRQ, and may I remind you, that was the entire team and not just one person. Demerits for unacceptable conduct such as often sneaking away from Heart Academy to engage in unauthorized and unsupervised trips into the wilderness to hunt Grimm."
"Yeah, well, I'm supposed to be a Huntress …"
"Placing those who search for her in unacceptable danger," Goodwitch snapped.
"As well as with her continuous experimentations into explosive devices." The man said adjusting his glasses. "Her latest attempt caused extensive damage to one of Heart's chemistry labs."
"Yeah, and take one guess who had to rebuild that lab?"
"She is dangerous."
"You bet your ass I am!"
"She is wild."
"The hell I am!"
"She is a hazard to those around her and herself."
"Only to those ass hats who have it coming to them!"
"She belongs in jail," the glass wearing man said sharply.
"Well, fuck you and the horse you rode in on, buddy." Ruby snapped back, on the verge of tears she refuse to show. Picking up her bag off the ground, she went on to say, "You could have save us both sometime, you know, if you've just told me 'no go away' when I fucking applied! Instead of going through this fucking dog and pony show! Shit! Guess I won't waste anymore of your 'precious' time, fucking fruitcake! No, please, don't get up on my account, I'll just see myself …"
"However," the soft whisper of a voice said from beneath the middle screen. Ruby froze in place as Headmaster Ozpin came out from the shadows to stand in front of her.
As was the first time, as was every time, she meets with Professor Ozpin, all defiance and rebellion leaves her body and mind faster than she could ever hope to run. There was something about that friendly, older man with white hair that just seems to demand instant respect from not only her but everyone who comes in connect with him.
Without much conscious thought, Ruby dropped her bag back on the floor, sat the chair up properly and sat back down without a word being uttered by her or anyone else. Headmaster Ozpin favored her with a smile as he pulled a stool from behind the curtains and sat down facing her, his ever present cane and coffee cup in hand.
"Ruby Rose is incredibly gifted," the glass wearing man said after a lengthy pause, his tone going softer as well. "The test I gave her was design to make her fail and yet; one of the question she answered about the ancient kingdoms was not only correct but she could have only known the correct answer if she remembered reading about it in a book that records show she checked out over two years ago. She even cited that book in her answer. She either has a higher intelligent then our tests are equipped to discover or she has a recorded memory. Even now, I am unsure which one is true, since I design the test so she could only, possibly, finish 20% within the time limit. Still, Ruby was able to complete over 50% of the questions and only making one mistake."
"Which one did I get wrong," Ruby demanded before getting a pointed look from Professor Ozpin. She immediately snapped her mouth close, letting her look say how sorry she was for the interruption.
"Many of her recent demerits for fighting with her peers was based on her desire to protect younger, smaller classmates being bullied by boys and girls, who were not only older but larger, psychically, then herself." Professor Goodwitch said with a small smile. "She is more than willing to put her own safety behind the needs of those who are in need of protection. There is even a case, one that Miss Rose has refuse any recognition for I may add, in which she saved another student from adduction by the hands of a known offender. And while she knows the consequences of her action, she has never denied her involvement in whatever infraction is presented to her; well as long as you have evidence of her actions. She is not going to admit to something that cannot be proven."
"Her mechanical skills are impressive as well, the stun device she attached to Mr. Daichi was brilliant. Not only did it puncture his skin to insure he couldn't remove it easily but was also able to infect two blast of energy, enough energy to incapacitate him for several seconds. Her dual purpose gauntlets, which are perfectly suited for her type of fighting style, her bombs, her chakram, her bike; all hand made with little or no assistance from others. She would be a very valuable addition to any team."
"Team CFVY, while still only beginning their second year as students here at Beacon, they are the best team we have field in years. Yet, Miss Rose was not only able to hold her own against them but disable Mr. Daichi. It is quite possible that if we had not been manipulating the timer, she would have out-right won the match in a tournament."
"Wait, wait," Ruby held up her hands. "Are you both admitting you set me up to fail?"
"Yes, that is exactly we are saying," Headmaster Ozpin said with a grin. "And yet, despite our best efforts, here you sit, Miss Rose. You passed." Ozpin looked to his left and right as Ruby sat there, mouth open and speechless. "The real question is still left unanswered. Should Ruby Rose be allowed to enter Beacon Academy in the next class?" Neither Professor Goodwitch nor the unidentified man said anything, they just let their screens darken till they disappeared. "I concur."
"So … um sir … am I in or …" Ruby ask in a small voice.
"That depends on you, Miss Rose, do you wish to attend my school?"
"Yes! Very much so, sir!" Then Ruby paused and asked, "Do you want me here? Because, well, it sounds like you guys set me up to fail to keep me out."
"We did set you up to fail, Miss Rose, but not to keep you out. If I didn't feel you were capable of attending this academy, that your skills were below my standards, then you wouldn't attend; regardless of whose daughter you are. Being Summer Rose's daughter carries no weight in this institution's decision about your enrollment. Your success or failure is all in your hands, Miss Rose. It is as simple as that."
"Then why?" She started to ask but was cut off by the professor.
"No, Miss Rose, we set you up to fail to see how badly you desire to attend. You were perceptive enough to know something was off, that something was not right, even while taking the test, did you not? Yet, no words of complaint were heard. You sat through four hours of watching many hopefuls battle it out in the arena, yet only you were faced with multiple opponents. Did you cry foul? Did you demand another chance to prove yourself? No."
"Instead, you held your head high, knowing yourself, and not caring what others though, that you did your absolute best you could have done. And you were content with that knowledge. That is something that many with far more years behind them then you have been alive can still not comprehend."
Rose saw a small but somehow sad smile on Ozpin's face as he went on. "In fact; I can tell you by dawn's early light tomorrow, I will receive at least five request to re-evaluate a candidate dismissal for a host of reasons. I will review them, of course, but they will still be denied." He leaned forward, giving Ruby a small wink. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Miss Rose; no one enters this academy without my personal approval nor is anyone denied entry without my personal approval. I have study each and every candidate's application before the letters are sent out; even those who come from our affiliate academies such as Heart or Signal over on the island of Patch."
"Those who competed here today all had the require skills or at least had skills we could work with, but I wanted to see them, to know if I was correct or incorrect when I reviewed their files. And not to sound boastful, however, I will let you know as long as I have been headmaster, I have not been wrong yet. Those who moved on today, did so because they had not only the skill but the heart to be a good Hunter or Huntress. Which has nothing to do with why you're being allow here today Ruby."
"Uh?"
"You are at a crossroads I believe, Miss Rose, where your anger and skills could lead you down the path of righteousness or ruin. Where you could do great good for not only the people of Vale but for all of Remnant, or be the worst scourge ever to walk on this world."
"I-I-I … I don't understand …"
"Tell me, Miss Rose; how many time had you thought, even for a moment, to forget about Beacon, forget about Heart, and just jump on your Screaming Rose and just head out to the wilderness? To find those in need and do what hunters do?"
"Today? It … well, it has crossed my mind a few-yeah, just a few times."
Ozpin gave her another small, bitter sweet smile. "I am sure you have; it wouldn't surprise anyone if you had done just that instead of waiting for your interview." Then his smile slip away as he stared through her, as if seeing something he didn't want to imagine. "But if you had, then I can be very sure the next time we met, it would not have been pleasant for either of us. Your anger would have twisted you eventually, make you become what you hate, what you fear. Yes, I fear our next meeting would have been … unpleasant … for all involved."
"I don't understand? You keep saying 'my anger' is going to destroy me? What is wrong with how I feel? Are you saying I don't have the right to be pissed about how shitty my life is? How my mom … how my …"
"I would never council you on how you should or should not feel about your mother's death. And I fear it is too late to purge the hate you feel towards her …"
"I DON'T HATE MY MOTHER!" Ruby suddenly yelled out, knocking the chair back. "I hate those god damn fucking Grimm who fucking killed her! And I will have you know, that personally speaking, I think I have every right to feel angry!"
Ruby stood there, in the dark room, trying to stare down the headmaster of the academy, and losing. He never said a word but patiently waited for her to pick up her chair and sit back down. As she sat back down, she did something uncharacteristically for her, anyways, by meekly apologized for the outburst.
"I would never council you on how you should or should not feel about your mother's death. And I fear it is too late to purge the hate you feel towards her for leaving you or the hate you hold in your heart towards the Grimm."
Ruby kept her eyes down and gritted her teeth to keep from letting out another burst of anger. It's stupid! I don't hate my mother, I love her! He is just being an ass, she kept reminding herself as he went on.
"Nor could attending Beacon cure you of your hate; that is something only you can do yourself, Miss Rose. However, I believe that being here at Beacon can give you, at least if you allow it, the tools you need to channel your anger into a more productive means that benefit not only yourself but society as a whole. To allow you to control your anger, at least and having a fighting chance to avoid becoming your greatest fear."
"What? You're not going to claim to 'cure me', like everyone else has?"
"As I have said, only you can cure yourself, if you so desire and have the strength to accomplish such a lofty goal. No doubt your teammates will have their own ideas …"
"Wait? About that whole teammate thing …"
"Sorry Miss Rose, but being on a team is required to complete your studies. Now, now; it won't be as bad as you think."
"Heh, I have heard that story a few times." Ruby said, running her fingers through her hair. "So you think they will be able to help me how?"
"How? Why I have no idea, Miss Rose. Every student who comes to Beacon have different needs, have different paths to take on their way to becoming a Huntress. All I can advise you is to have an open mind, to learn to let someone in and see what occurs and what doesn't. But let me ask you this? Is being alone really worth it? Is it really working for you?"
"Well," Ruby started to give him a sarcastic reply but it died as she looked up at his kind eyes. Taking a breath while looking away, she said instead, "It's safer, you know."
"A huntress taking the safe way?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders as she could hear his smile in his voice. "Well, here is your chance at being a bit more daring, Miss Rose." As he stood up, he went on to say, "We will store your bike here; it will be safer than allowing you to ride it back to Heart. Have no fear, once you have your license, you will be able to ride it again."
"Thank you." Ruby said with heart.
"I will have a cab come and give you a ride back to Heart. Classes start in 7 days, Miss Rose, and I expect to see you back here to start your initiation on that appointed day."
"Yeah, yeah count on it, Professor Ozpin. I'm not passing up this for all the Dust in the world. Especially after all that shit you guys put me through." Ozpin gave her a smile and started to walk away when something occurred to Ruby. "Um, Professor? You said that my 'anger and fear' would change me for the worst, make me a monster? Okay, maybe my anger gets the better of me, sometimes, maybe, but what fear? I mean, what fear do I have that could destroy me?"
Headmaster Ozpin stopped just before the shadows swallowed him, without him turning around it suddenly felt as if the temperature dropped 100 degrees to Ruby as he replied. "I am afraid that is something that I must allow you to find out on your own, Ruby. For that is an answer that can only be learned by one seeking out the knowledge."
