I DO NOT OWN RWBY
EPISODE 1: RUBY ROSE
The episode begins with a drawn story narrated by an unknown woman.
"Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past."
Whatever he expected to see when pressing the button, this definitely wasn't it. He hoped to see Ruby back in action, waving her scythe around and scaring away young Grimm, maybe even with Yang there to lend her a hand. But then again, Qrow felt like being sober was the wrong option in this situation. This whole event seemed like it was designed by someone too far in to form a coherent thought.
"What is this?" Ghira frowned at the screen and Qrow felt happy that he wasn't the only one confused by the beginning of this show.
"Shush!" Summer glared at the Faunus before returning her full attention to the footage. Even the lack of Ruby's immediate presence didn't deter her interest in it. But that was hardly questionable - the whole episode was named after her daughter.
And even though Taiyang was far better at controlling his own emotions, or suppressing them at least, his face betrayed his impatience. After all, what they've seen so far were snippets cut out for the sake of a catchy trailer - but this… This was the real thing. The real story.
And for the sake of whoever was behind all this in reality, Qrow hoped that this would be good.
"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness - creatures of destruction - the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void.
However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named 'Dust'."
"What is this supposed to be? A history lesson?" Jacques huffed. "If so, it's not very accurate."
Qrow glanced at Summer, but her fire was apparently snuffed out by a lengthy narration with no Ruby in sight.
"If those people know nothing about our world…" Kali hummed. "Then it's like telling them what to expect to see. Even for a general summary, it's already taking some time."
"A true history lesson would deter the viewers," Willow added in agreement. "I wonder who's narrating this, though."
He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but this voice, although soft and welcoming, was giving Qrow chills. There was something in it, that one fake note that was making him feel as if he was following a lure leading to a deadly trap. But he decided to keep that thought to himself. It was just a narrator.
"If it is a real voice, to begin with," Raven pointed out. "If they can make fake music, then they can fake a voice."
"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone… darkness will return."
"That took a turn," Summer noticed and Qrow's bad feeling about the voice only reinforced. Even if it was just a history lesson as Jacques had called it, there was something ominous to it, some undertone that he just couldn't recognize.
"Aren't those things like world-building connected to the plot?" Taiyang frowned. "This sounds like an end of the world is coming. How would Ruby and the rest be involved in something like this? They're children with little to no experience."
"If the world is ending, then everyone's involved," Raven mused. "Whether they want it or not. But I wouldn't be that concerned about it. It's probably just dramatic for the sake of drama and attention. Just like all the garbage soap operas you used to watch."
"Keep my soap operas out of this," Taiyang mumbled, relaxing a bit.
The scene shifts to a dark alley where a small group of men walk forward confidently while nearby civilians scuttle away in fear. The thugs are led by a tall man with red hair, a cigar in his mouth and a cane in his hand. His white cloak stands out on the dark background.
"So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called 'free world', but take heed… there will be o victory in strength."
"He's definitely not the narrator," Kali huffed worriedly. "Any idea who's the redhead princess?"
"Kali!" Ghira nearly gasped at his wife's flippancy, but she merely shrugged it off. The man shook his head at her in resignation.
"Nope," Summer was the one to answer Kali. "But I'd be more worried about the narrator. Or what she tries to say. Like, if that's the intro to the show, then…"
"It really does try to sell the world is ending vibes," Qrow offered to finish the sentence while the echo of the unknown voice bounced inside his head. But beneath the bad feelings about the suspicious invisible woman, worries about his nieces were growing. If Ruby and Yang were really about to get entangled in something extremely dangerous and get hurt, it'd probably be his fault.
His and Ozpin's. After all, weren't they supposed to make the world a better place for girls like these two?
"You don't really believe the world is ending, do you?" Jacques asked incredulously. "We're just twelve years ahead! Let's be real here…"
"The world could end tomorrow," Willow said. "Without any warning. And neither of us could even know about it."
Roman Torchwick and the goons make their way through the alley and towards a still open shop - 'From Dust Till Dawn'.
"Wait!" Summer gasped at the sight. "That's my favorite Dust shop! Can't believe it's still open, after all these years!"
Qrow played with the remote before deciding not to pause the episode. If they let Summer reminisce for real, they'd be stuck on the couch until the end of the universe - especially since Taiyang would join her sooner or later. Well, unless Raven slaughters them when that happens.
"So that's Vale," Taiyang pieced up. "I don't remember that shop, though…"
Neither did Qrow, which meant they never ruined the place or Summer never took them there. The latter was probably because the former would happen eventually.
The thugs enter the shop as a new narrator takes over.
"But perhaps the victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten."
He knew that voice. He knew that voice!
Qrow glanced to the side and met with both Tai's and Summer's unnerving gazes before turning back to the screen. He knew that damn, smug voice. Ozpin. The headmaster of Beacon. The man that saved Qrow from himself.
"Huh. That's a new voice," Ghira stated the obvious but didn't try to follow with any analysis. And truthfully, Qrow wouldn't not how to explain it either.
Was this whole narration just some sort of a conversation between Ozpin and some woman? Then the beginning of it was the weirdest he had ever heard.
As the camera pans over the interior of the shop, Ruby Rose is shown to be in the corner of the shop, reading a magazine and completely obvious to the group that entered the building.
"Things that require a smaller, more honest soul," the narrator finishes and falls silent.
"Ruby?" Summer glanced to the sides as if to see if everyone saw the girl as well. "Why…"
She hesitated as if she didn't really know what she wants to really ask about.
"The girl's about to find herself in the middle of a robbery," Ghira huffed, folding his arms. "If it is what I think it is. That is."
While Jacques groaned at the Faunus' messed up sentence, Kali broke a smile for a moment before joining him in a worried frown.
"Was it just me, or… did that man actually speak about her?" she asked, referring to the last part of the narration.
"It's hard to say what he was talking about in general, much less about Ruby," Taiyang mumbled, glaring at the screen while angry for some unknown reason. Qrow could guess a few, of course, especially the one that included getting his youngest daughter into some sort of a mess.
The thugs look around the store while Roman slowly approached the clerk, dropping ash onto the floor deliberately.
"Aren't those… Junior's men?" Willow noticed and Qrow nearly jabbed himself in anger. How couldn't he notice this until now? Not only those thugs were dressed exactly the same, but the man leading them? He was in the club during Yang's trailer!
"They are," Ghira nodded. "I wondered if anyone else noticed. Plus, I'm sure this guy was in the club Yang trashed earlier."
"Yeah, he was there," Qrow sighed, trying to pretend that he had noticed it beforehand as well. "Guess we now know why: he was lending men. For whatever this is."
But did it mean that there was more to trailers than just cool fighting and intriguing songs? It didn't seem so at the first glance and Qrow doubted anyone would agree to go back to them right now.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" Torchwick says while the clerk slowly realizes the situation. Then, one of the thugs points a gun at the shopkeeper's face.
"P-please!" The old man raises his hands in surrender. "Just take my Lien and leave!"
"A robbery. It's a robbery," Jacques said with a sigh. "It'd be a shock if it was something remotely legal."
A robbery happening too close to his niece. One half of his brain was telling him that Ruby had already showed to them all that she can handle herself, but another half was berating him for not being there to protect her - even though she clearly was old enough to be outside on her own. Not to mention that events as such were rare enough not to even think of them happening.
"That's a lot of effort for one shop," Taiyang pointed out, still blatantly agitated. "They're not even trying to hide their identities."
Which either meant they were very confident the clerk won't snitch on them or what Qrow suspected, they were already wanted by the kingdom and didn't bother with half-measures. And judging by the reactions of the people from before, it was most likely the latter.
"Ruby could just flee from there," Willow suggested after a second. "With her semblance, she's not even partially in danger. But she won't do that, won't she?"
"How can you tell?" Kali cocked an eyebrow at the woman.
"She didn't back down earlier. I doubt she'll back down now."
And if Ruby was anything like Summer, she'd sooner get shot than let those people get away with crime - Qrow knew exactly how Roses worked after all those years.
Roman merely shushes at the man.
"Calm down, we're not here for your money," he says before motioning to the thugs. "Grab the Dust."
"Just the Dust?" Summer frowned. "Why not Dust and Lien? They're already committing a crime…"
"Money can be easily traced," Ghira explained, watching the scene with great interest. "Dust, on the other hand, can be simply used and it disappears."
"And with his money intact, he can resupply," Raven added with a mysterious nod. "Why would anyone need that much Dust… that's the real question here."
"Maybe… it has something to do with the Faunus girl and her friend?" Jacques suggested. "They were robbing me, remember?"
"I hate to break it to you, Jacques, but there is more than one group of people that'd gladly take your Dust without asking," Taiyang pointed out with a huff.
The thugs follow Torchwick's orders, gathering Dust from tubes into the containers while others collect the crystals. One of them stops short of doing his part as he notices a girl in a red cloak, still blissfully oblivious to all that is happening.
"Uh oh." Summer wriggled out of Taiyang's arms to sit up straight. Her brows were furrowed nervously as she waited for the events to unfold.
"Is she deaf?" Jacques said meanwhile. "How didn't she not notice a whole band of thugs just…"
"I think she's listening to music," Kali interrupted him. "Actually, I'm pretty sure that's the case. Besides, would you be on your guard in a Dust shop?"
"She's definitely listening to something," Qrow agreed. "You can hear the echo when you're quiet."
Jacques did shoot him a glare but took the hint and didn't say anything else.
The man aims his sword at the girl's back.
"Alright, kid, put your hands where I can see 'em," he says, but there is no response from Ruby.
"Let's hope he won't take the opportunity to stab her in the back," Ghira winced at the thought.
"Don't even say that!" Summer gasped, grabbing a handful of her skirt in nerves.
A bunch of criminals was hardly more dangerous than a whole pack of Beowolves, but Ruby was not only not paying attention to them - she was completely, utterly oblivious. And being oblivious meant only one thing on the battlefield: a quick death.
"Hey, I said hands in the air!" the thug says again, but there is no response as well, so he approaches her. "You got a death wish or something?!"
He grabs her and forcefully turns her around, making her hood fall down and reveal the headphones.
"How loud is that music?" Ghira raised an eyebrow. "He's practically screaming at this point and she still can't hear him. That's got to be unhealthy."
"Give me a minute. I'll just go in and tell her she shouldn't do that." Taiyang rolled his eyes. "She's not a baby, I'm sure she knows such things."
"What bit you?" Qrow looked at the man with surprise and Xiao Long turned his gaze away as if ashamed, but didn't answer the question.
Ruby looks at the man in alarm as he motions to her to take off the headphones.
"Yes?" She smiles innocently at him, still oblivious to the robbery.
"I said, put your hands in the air, now!" the thug repeats once again and threatens the girl with his sword.
"He's a patient man, isn't he?" Kali chuckles suddenly, making some look at her in shock. "He really wants her to comply instead of just force her."
"There's a young girl at the stabbing end of a sharp blade, and you're praising the man's patience," Ghira summarized with a deadpan expression. "Really, Kali?"
"What? I was just making an observation. Are those illegal now?"
Ghira simply sighed instead of answering that.
Meanwhile, Qrow wondered what his niece would do now. He could see a dozen of ways to get away from the blade and even dispatch the assaulter at the same time, but he was a seasoned Huntsman. Just how much experience did Ruby have with fighting people? The ones that wished to hurt her? Grimm were more dangerous, but humans were more unpredictable.
"Are you… robbing me?"
"Did she really just ask for confirmation?" Jacques gaped at the screen as if he couldn't believe his ears. Then, Summer started chuckling like mad.
"She's not even fazed!" she managed through laughter and Qrow wondered what she would do in place of her daughter. To be fair, Summer wasn't that oblivious right now, but who knew how she would act before she became a Huntress.
"…Yes!" the man confirms after a split second of hesitation and surprise.
"Ooooh…" Ruby hums with a smile.
"I doubt that the common reaction to being robbed," Willow smiled at young Rose's antics.
"She's a bit too smiley about all this," Ghira agreed. "She either doesn't believe him or…"
"She doesn't think he's a danger to her," Qrow finished with a smirk. "Come on, if I'm really her teacher, then trust me: I'd teach how to deal with this sort."
"I wonder if she has the same strategy as her sister when it comes to men," Kali mused with a grin and the present men, after realising what she was saying, grimaced almost painfully.
"I really hope not," Taiyang mumbled, much to Kali and Summer's amusement.
The scene shifts to Torchwick, who is examining one of the crystals while waiting for the robbery to finish… when the thug from earlier flies past him and into the Dust cylinders.
Qrow didn't even bother with pretending to be serious and joined others in laughter. He had expected that Ruby twould put up a good fight, but he didn't think she'd launch the man across the whole shop like a dummy. He wished he could be there to pat her on her back for that. And for rising the general mood of the group - even Jacques seemed amused.
Torchwick doesn't seem to be very concerned about that and motions to others to handle the problem. One of the thugs points his gun at Ruby and orders her to freeze when…
The scene shifts to the outside of the shop.
"Wait, what happened?" Summer's laughter died out like a snuffed out candle. Others followed her in that, looking at the screen in worry or confusion, depending on the person.
Qrow really, really hope they wouldn't just see a flash behind the glass like in those awful movies - with her speed, Ruby would most likely avoid getting shot, especially now that she was aware of the situation, but it would be still gut-wrenching to hear that but not see the outcome.
Then, the glass breaks as another of the thugs is kicked into it, but Ruby follows shortly, stopping on the street with her Crescent Rose slowly unfolding. When she sees that Torchwick and the henchmen are watching her, she twirls the weapon around before striking it into the ground and turning off her headphones that until now, were still blasting music.
"With grace and style," Qrow nearly whistled at his niece's performance. "Not bad, kid."
"Pointlessly flashy," Ghira argued. "If those thugs were any wiser, they would have used the opportunity to attack. That was an unnecessary risk."
Qrow rolled his eyes at the man's complaint as he was aware of just how few people knew of the power of intimidation. Taunting, insulting, brandishing your weapon… All this was to show how confident one was, even when they weren't confident at all, and make the opponent rethink their life choices. Although Ruby wasn't nearly as intimidating as Yang was, she still had that playful flair in her.
"I don't think she thinks she's in danger," Willow pointed out, setting her hands on her lap. "So far, she's handled herself well."
"She didn't have to stab the street, though," Taiyang admitted after a second. "I know at least three people that'd be angry about that."
Qrow could think of one that would make a mess out of it - she wore glasses and brandished a riding crop. Luckily, Ruby probably wouldn't run into her until Beacon and then only if she was still teaching there.
"Those three and the ones that will have to patch it up later on," Ghira added with a nod of disapproval.
"Okaaay," Torchwick says, more confused than scared by Ruby's display. "Get her!"
Junior's henchmen rush into the battle, but they are no match for Ruby, who wipes the street (and the wall of the nearby building) with them.
"Huh," Ghira frowned at the fight scene. "Those men are either absolutely awful, or both Yang and Ruby are far more dangerous than they should be at this age."
"Why not both?" Qrow wiggled his eyebrows at the man, who regarded him coldly. "Come one, they're pretty good for kids, but those guys? They never head a proper training in their life."
"Something tells me they're there to look intimidating," Taiyang pointed out, taking a deep breath. "Besides, how many people can do what Yang and Ruby can? There's a pretty good reason why those two can waltz over them like it's nothing."
"Just say already how much better your kids are than anyone else's," Jacques groaned. "You're not even trying to be subtle at this point."
Taiyang grinned in response.
One of the thugs drops nearby Torchwick, who regards him coldly.
"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." He throws his cigar to the ground and crushes it with his cane before pointing the weapon at Ruby. "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around..."
He reveals his cane to be a gun.
"That's clever!" Summer exclaimed, bouncing to the edge of the couch. "With that design, it would go through any check. Who'd look for a gun in a cane?"
"Is there anyone out there that uses a normal weapon?" Jacques questioned with a huff. "A giant scythe gun, gauntlets gun, whatever the Faunus girl had... And now, this."
"It keeps the world from getting boring," Summer argued with a slight shrug. "As long as it works, it doesn't matter how it looks or what it is."
"Plus, it's kind of unspoken tradition for each Huntsman to have their own style. It's like... a signature," Taiyang added and Qrow noted how the man was slowly brightening up again. Whatever was bothering him either went away or Xiao Long accepted it.
"That man is not a Huntsman," Jacques pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"The rule still applies," Qrow rolled his eyes. "The true victor is always the one who looks the best."
"And this is why our world is overrun with monsters," Jacques muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"...I'm afraid this is where we part way," Roman says before shooting a blast at Ruby, but she manages to dodge it. But when she manages to get her bearings again, Torchwick is nowhere to be found.
"Distraction shot! Cheap!" Summer hollered at the screen to shock of the others. "What, scared this little girl might kick your pompous butt?!"
"I've always wondered why we stopped having cinema nights in our first year," Raven mused. "Now, I remember."
"Sorry," Summer giggled guiltily. "Got a bit carried away."
It wasn't even partially as bad as it was in the past. Qrow remembered perfectly how antagonised Summer could get when the characters on the screen would do something she didn't approve, or how mushy over something that wasn't even partially emotional. He always brought snacks not for the film but for his leader's antics. But living for years now with Taiyang must have curbed Summer's over-ecstatic behaviour.
"Yelling at the screen aside," Kali said with a smirk. "It does seem like he got scared of her."
"She did threw his men around," Willow pointed out.
"Junior's men," Qrow corrected her. "And I think him turning tail is more about the police that's gonna swarm the place in minutes and less about Ruby being a threat."
For the size of her scythe and her courage, to a seasoned Huntsman like himself, Ruby looked more adorable than dangerous. Happy little girl with a giant lethal weapon in her hand - predictable, easy to dodge, and cute. If she ever got into his way, Qrow would pat her on the head and move on.
Ruby finally spots Roman climbing the ladder on a nearby building. Behind her, the old clerk finds courage to glance from his shop.
"You okay if I go after him?" Ruby asks the man and he gives her a grunt of approval.
"What does she think she can do?" Ghira cocked an eyebrow at Ruby's decision. "I don't see how she can stop him. The best option would be to wait for the police, so she doesn't get blamed for this mess."
"That would require logical reasoning," Jacques said with a graceful gesture. "And the girl clearly doesn't possess it. She's trying to be a hero... Quite a childish behaviour for someone her age."
After all previous comments born out of Jacques' mouth, Taiyang merely rolled his eyes and refused to pay the man too much attention nor waste his nerves on Schnee.
"Let me guess. At her age, you were already a mastermind at work," Qrow sneered. "'Sides, she can beat him into the pulp if she can't stop him peacefully. That'll count."
"If she can do that either," Raven spoke up. "If he's as clever as I think he is, he won't risk anything until he has a guaranteed victory."
"Meaning, he's a coward." Taiyang shrugged. "There are ways to deal with those as well."
Torchwick gets onto the roof and makes only several steps forward when Ruby lands behind him with her scythe ready.
"Hey!" she yells after the man, making him stop.
Qrow winced and shook his head at his niece.
"Come on, kiddo, there's like a dozen of things you could've said here," he groaned, hoping that his future self will help her improve on that one day. "And you said: 'hey'."
"If I was him, I'd answer with 'hey' and then keep walking," Taiyang chuckled.
"And that's why she should've shot him while she had a chance," Raven said with clear disapproval. Qrow pondered how many people did she stabbed in the back because she considered them to be a threat. And then he realised that he already knew some names from that list.
Seeing the former STRQ leader turn to Raven with bright eyes and determination written all over her face, Qrow hit the pause button, aware that an argument was coming.
"Why, yes, let's shoot everyone in the back without giving them a chance," Summer rolled her eyes at her ex-teammate. "That's definitely going to make the world a better place."
"You mean the same world in which weaklings cower in big cities, clinging to the hope that they'll see another day?" Raven sassed her. "Why, yes, what a paradise it must be to live in. I wonder what kind of behaviour allowed for it to be like this."
"I wouldn't say that honour is redundant," Jacques spoke up before Summer could present her argument. "But all in all, she does have a point."
"I'm not looking for your approval, Schnee." Raven glared at the surprised man. "And nobody asked for your opinion either."
Although agreeing with his sister was something Qrow tried to do sparingly and carefully, he did feel some of that petty satisfaction at Jacques' red face of humiliation.
"Look, I'm not saying you're completely wrong, Raven," Summer said, sliding back on the couch to be caught by Taiyang's arm, wrapping around her waist again. "Our world isn't perfect... but it lasted this long because we don't act like mindless animals. What would happen to trust if everyone would backstab others on daily basis? What would happen to companionship? Or to... to a code? Morality? We're humans because of those values, Raven. Otherwise, we wouldn't be better than the Grimm."
"You're just trying to excuse weakness," Raven huffed.
"And where did your strength get you?" Taiyang taunted her, immediately siding with Summer. "You and your tribe... you have absolutely nothing. No trust, no home, no allies... You drift from one wilderness to another, living off others' hard work like leeches. Is this the perfect world for you?"
Only when he had abandoned the ways of the tribe did Qrow realize how faulty their perspective was. They chanted about how strength was a virtue and how weakness should be purged from the mortal kind. They would raid and destroy whole towns, slaughtering on right and left until there was nothing else to purge and loot, and then, they would move on without a second thought. But what would happen to the tribe when there would be nothing else to steal, kill, or raid? Without weaklings, the tribe was dead.
But when he tried to tell that to Raven, she would turn away, suddenly deaf and aloof. Thanks to the weaklings, she was born. Thanks to the weaklings, she had clothes to wear, a weapon to swing, and a goal to pursue. Without weaklings, she wouldn't be strong. But Qrow was never a very persuasive person, and trying to hold a dispute with his sister was like taming a rabid dog.
"There is no such thing as a perfect world," Raven told Taiyang calmly. "There never was. And there never will. A perfect world is what your kind was always trying to achieve... So naive. So foolish. Your society dragged the humankind into mud and rot. You, your kingdoms, your culture... Ozpin and his pretty little circle of clowns... You're all the ones to blame for the disease that's killing this world."
"Ozpin?" Kali picked up on it and glanced at the others, but the ones involved in the argument didn't even bother looking at her. And perhaps for the best. Qrow didn't even want to think about what disclosing this would cause to the group.
"We're protecting the people!" Summer reminded Raven. "What would you want us to do? Lie down and die? Surrender to the Grimm? Or go out there and die fighting pointlessly?"
"You're already fighting a pointless war," Raven sneered at her. "My tribe thrives while your kingdoms are dying. How would you explain that, dear Summer?"
"When the kingdoms die, then the tribe will die too," Qrow spoke up, wondering if the idea will get through Raven's thick skull this time.
"I know," she said, leaving him shocked. "The point of life is death. Struggling against it is pointless. The tribe isn't immortal and we know about it. One day, the time we'll come for our breath to cease and we shall accept it. After all, all things must die eventually."
Taiyang opened his mouth to voice his opinion on the topic, but Ghira was first, clearing his throat to get their attention.
"The longer I listen to you, the less I want to know what this is about," the Faunus said with disdain. "But what I know is that you gave me anxiety, existential dread, and mid-life crisis in a span of five minutes. As interesting as your argument is, this is not why we're here."
He nodded towards the screen, where Ruby was standing there with her scythe in her hands and her face frozen in determination. And to think that all this was brought up to life because of a small, simple 'hey'.
"Fair enough." Raven shrugged, setting herself comfortable on the pillows. "This isn't an argument one can win anyway. Not against those clowns."
"If we're clowns, then you're the whole circus," Taiyang muttered and Qrow nearly choked on his breath, but Raven either didn't hear the man or ignored him altogether.
"Then shall we proceed with this show?" Jacques spoke up with a pout. "At this rate, we'll plant roots here before this gets anywhere interesting."
"Speak for yourself, I'm fine with watching my girl kick butts," Summer told him. Although she spoke lightly, Qrow knew that she was still agitated because of Raven. And agitated Summer Rose meant no fun for anyone within fifty meters vicinity.
He could only hope Ruby could get her mood out of the pit.
"Okay, break's over," Qrow said, lifting the remote. "Back to work, kiddo."
"Persistent..." Torchwick mutters right before a Bullhead rises up over him, surprising Ruby enough for her to take no action.
"He has a whole ship at standby?" Taiyang gaped at the screen. "Just who the hell is this guy?"
"And what he's planning if that is his plan B," Ghira added.
"Ruby, I think you should back off," Summer whispered nervously. Qrow couldn't blame her. If this guy could pull out a whole Bullhead out of nowhere, just what else he had in his sleeve? He clearly didn't wish Ruby dead yet, but what if she kept getting in his way?
Torchwick runs onto a hatch the moment the Bullhead opens it for him. Then, he turns around with a red crystal in his hand.
"End of the line, Red," he says and throws it at her feet.
"No, no, no, dodge!" Summer yelled at the screen.
Qrow could only stare in dread. Uncut Fire Crystal. Highly volatile. Explosive material. Right next to Ruby's feet. Even if his niece's Aura would hold, she could still end up with severe burns...
Torchwick shoots at the crystal and it explodes as he laughs maniacally.
"NO!" Summer nearly jumped off the couch but was held down by Taiyang, who merely stared at the screen in shock. "RUBY!"
"Huh?" Torchwick's laughter stops abruptly when he spots something in the fire.
There, shielding Ruby behind a purple glyph, stands Glynda Goodwitch with her riding crop in her hand.
"Glynda?!" Summer gasped just as Qrow took a double look to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Glynda! Oh God, it's her... she... She saved Ruby..."
It was her. Clearly older and in different clothes, and with a brand new - well, new for him - glasses... The only thing that didn't change at all was the riding crop she used to smack Qrow on his head while they were both in the academy.
It was weird to see someone familiar on the screen. An old friend. An ally. Especially when protecting his niece...
Although, that last part probably meant that Ruby was going to get scolded sooner or later. Unless Glynda Goodwitch got more lenient over the years, but Qrow doubted that was the case.
"Who's she?" Kali asked when Summer shut off in her thoughts. "Your friend?"
"Yes," Taiyang muttered. "From the old days..."
"She's a teacher at Beacon right now," Qrow followed up, seeing that neither of the Xiao Long marriage was up for any explanation. "And a pretty good Huntress too."
And stern. And bitchy. And control freak. And nerd. But overall, loyal, talented, emphatic and trustworthy friend.
Glynda fixes her glasses before waving the crop and summoning bolts of magic that strike the Bullhead. Roman has to fight to keep his balance.
"No questions asked, no hesitation," Ghira hummed in appreciation. "She's not even giving him a moment to breathe."
"She just saved Ruby from blowing up, didn't she?" Willow pointed out. "I think that's enough to make this man too dangerous of a criminal to tiptoe around."
"That and Glynda doesn't really play around," Qrow added. "If she goes after you, you run."
Roman tumbles into the cockpit, where a woman in a red dress is struggling to control the Bullhead.
"She doesn't look like one of Junior's thugs," Kali noticed.
"Maybe she's his accomplice?" Taiyang shrugged. "Who knows."
"We got a Huntress!" Torchwick tells the woman and she instantly leaves the cockpit, leaving the man to handle the controls.
Meanwhile, Glynda casts another glyph, this time high in the sky above the Bullhead.
"Uh oh." Qrow exchanged a glance with Taiyang, who had the same expression of dread as Branwen. They knew Glynda well enough to know which attacks meant that she was not only not playing with her opponent but was also intent on annihilating them. And this was one of those.
Which meant that she was either very unhappy with the criminal almost injuring Ruby, or she was taking this fight personally. And Qrow wasn't sure which one was worse.
"What? What's happening?" Jacques stole a glance at them, but neither of the men answered.
"The hell?" Roman looks out at the darkening clouds when Glynda snaps the crop and giant hail starts falling from the sky. The ice assaults the Bullhead and breaks through the window, nearly beheading Torchwick.
"What in the..." Jacques gaped at the screen as if he couldn't believe what he had seen. Judging by his previous argument with Qrow over the soldiers and Huntsmen, Branwen had a hunch that the man was rethinking his opinions right now.
"That guy's going nowhere," Taiyang chuckled and even Summer cracked a smile as her mood was slowly improving.
"Are all Huntsmen this dangerous?" Ghira pondered and Qrow hesitated whether he should tell the Faunus that the majority of Huntsmen would piss themselves if they were ever to face Glynda Goodwitch. Honestly, he was fairly sure that had already happened. At least once.
"No," Raven was the first one to answer. "She's... Well. She is a force to be reckoned with, but Huntsmen like her are a rarity."
The woman in red, Cinder, makes her way onto the hatch and gathers Dust of her sleeves to shoot a fireball at Glynda, who blocks the attack with a glyph.
"Clothes with Dust sewn in?" Summer gasped before backing down with a frown. "Is it just me... or is there something weird with this woman?"
"Well, aside from the show trying very hard not to show her face and build up tension?" Taiyang faked an emotionless shrug. "Just your common nice neighbour."
"The man called out to her to deal with Glynda," Ghira noticed. "She's definitely more than just a pretty dress."
"Pretty dress?" Kali raised her eyebrows at the man. "Is this the kind of dress you like?"
The man stuttered at that nervously, staring at his wife with clear awkwardness.
"I... no! I mean... it's not like... it's... Kali, I don't..."
"Oh, calm down." Kali giggled like a little girl and smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm just joking."
Qrow was fairly certain that Ghira didn't appreciate the joke.
Sparks of the fireball fall around Glynda and when Cinder raises her hand, they blow up, but Goodwitch manages to dodge in time. The Huntress immediately reforms the debris into a spear and thrusts it at the Bullhead. Cinder tries to shoot it down, but it still manages to hit the craft.
"It's like watching two goliaths fight," Taiyang muttered, staring at the screen in awe. The man had a weakness for such flashy displays during combat - he would call them the magic tricks shows, which would often earn him a scorning look from Glynda and a full-blown lecture on how it wasn't magic.
"You don't see something like this everyday," Willow agreed, much less impressed by the fight. Perhaps because she wasn't a Huntress, or perhaps because the Schnee semblance, as little as Qrow knew about it, was just as flashy in use as Glynda's glyphs.
"I don't think I've ever seen Glynda struggle like this," Summer said, worried. "I hope Ruby doesn't get in between the two. I doubt she'd get out of the blast radius otherwise."
"Come on, Glynda's a 'professional'," Qrow said, making sure to quote the word with his hands. "If Ruby gets into her way, it'll be her priority to get the civilian to safety."
"Ruby's not a civilian," Summer pouted, insulted on her daughter's behalf.
"Fine, a kid. How about that?"
Torchwick saves the Bullhead by making the debris bolt hit only a corner of it, by Glynda then splits it into four arrows, snaking around the craft. Seeing this, Cinder uses her power to disintegrate them.
"How... did she do that?" Kali glanced at the other couch, but neither Qrow nor his companions had any answer. As long as Branwen was concerned, there was something very fishy in the stranger in red. Of course, this could be just some gimmick of the woman's semblance, but for now, he allowed himself to feel at least a bit suspicious about her.
"That's definitely not a level I would expect a petty thief to be on," Ghira huffed. "Although, the Bullhead already made this quite obvious. This isn't about Dust or money. Something else is here at play and I don't like it."
"If it was about Dust and money, there wouldn't be a show about it," Jacques pointed out. "And if there would be one, it wouldn't be nearly such a grand deal as I was informed it is."
Qrow had at the tip of his tongue that the man was on to something, but then he realised that it would mean praising Jacques Schnee, so he bit down all the words and focused on the screen.
Seeing that Glynda's attack failed, Ruby transforms her scythe into a gun and takes several shots at Cinder - but all of them are parried.
"I really can't crack this woman's abilities," Summer complained at the sight. Since she was their best analyst in the team, Qrow had to admit that Rose's inability of figuring the stranger out was making him a tad nervous.
"And Glynda's holding back," Taiyang added. "She slowed down... No, she basically stopped. Something isn't right, she's not the one to back off like this."
"It must be hard for her not to get something via brutal strength for once," Raven sneered at the screen - she and Glynda were never in a good relationship. "It would be quite a joy to see that smug look wiped off her face."
"You don't like her. We get it," Ghira sighed, shaking his head at Raven's venomous voice.
"One, you're talking about my friend," Summer pointed out. "Two, she's protecting Ruby. If she's down, Ruby's going to be next on the list. And if Glynda can't handle this, neither can Ruby!"
"Your girl has that little something called semblance," Raven reminded her. "If she's smart about it, she can be away safe and sound."
Summer opened her mouth and then closed it, folding her arms and turning to glare at the screen while pretending that Raven wasn't there. Qrow wondered just how much more could Rose take before she'd break and let the hell loose. Something was telling him that it wasn't much.
Cinder sets off the remaining debris under both Ruby and Glynda, making it explode - Goodwitch dodges it and throws the girl away with her semblance. Meanwhile, the Bullhead gets away and out of range.
"That's the second time tonight that Ruby almost got blown up!" Summer groaned, though this time much less emotional about it. "I'd make a note to thank Glynda for this, but we won't remember it, so..."
"It's still a pyrrhic victory," Willow said calmly. "The thieves got nothing, but they weren't caught. Similarly, no one got hurt. It could've been much worse."
"That's like a quote from that early morning inspiration you hear on the radio," Taiyang huffed. "Your life sucks, but cheer up because you're still alive!"
"Oh, please, we both know who's to blame here," Jacques spoke up. "If it wasn't for the girl, this Huntress could've gone off and dealt with the thieves. Instead, she had to babysit her."
"Do you really think..." Summer started, but Kali cut her off.
"It was thanks to Ruby that Glynda even caught up to them," the Faunus pointed out. "If it wasn't for her, the shopkeeper probably would be dead, the Dust would be gone, and no one would know what had happened until later."
"You're wasting air, Ears," Qrow sighed. "He's just looking for anything to complain about. Just ignore him."
"You're a Huntress!" Ruby says, turning to Glynda before breaking into a huge smile. "Can I have your autograph?!"
"...what?" Taiyang laughed at Ruby's expression, but he wasn't the only one amused by a sudden change of pace. Summer smiled and shook her head lightly while Qrow pondered what must have been going through Glynda's mind at that very moment. Just how many Huntsmen were asked this question?
He could recall only three during his whole life. And one was from an old lady that mistook him for some celebrity. He was so glad Taiyang had forgotten about that incident.
"What did you say?" Ghira suddenly spoke up, leaning forward to glare straight at Qrow. "How did you call my wife?"
"Uh..." the man glanced to the sides but saw no help neither in his sister, who was pretending she heard nothing, and in Summer and Taiyang, who were too amused to aid him. So he paused the footage. Just in case.
"Ears," Jacques answered a Qrow's. "He called her 'Ears'."
"I wasn't asking you," Ghira growled, but the man didn't even budge, shrugging it off, so the Faunus turned back to the Branwen. "You think it was funny?"
"Uh, no?" Qrow cocked an eyebrow and pointed at the top of his head. "Unless those are fake. Then it's my bad."
"Listen here, you..." Ghira started, but Kali put her hand on his shoulder, once again calming him down.
"It's no big deal, dear. I like my ears and it's nice for someone to appreciate them."
Both Qrow and Ghira looked at her as if she had lost her mind while a chuckle rose from Summer and Taiyang's part of the couch.
"What? Are you really going to ignore that he..."
"He didn't mean to offend me, Ghira," Kali said with a sigh. "It's hardly the worst nickname I could've gotten, now is it?"
"Hey, I didn't mean to pick a fight, okay?" Qrow sighed, annoyed that he has gotten himself into trouble by accident. Or by a slip of tongue. "Sorry if it sounded wrong. Won't happen again, pinky promise."
Kali rolled her eyes with a smile.
"It's alright. I didn't mind it at all. Shall we continue?"
Qrow pressed the play button, fully aware that Ghira didn't cease glaring at him, even though the problem had been solved. He really didn't want to know how it would end should the giant man charge at him in this small room. One thing was sure: it wouldn't be pretty.
The scene shifts to a dark room where Ruby sits illuminated by a single spotlight. Glynda is pacing around her.
"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger."
Qrow hissed sympathetically at the sight, immediately forgetting about Ghira. He knew just how stressful could be to find oneself under Glynda's scrutiny - and Ruby was much younger than he was when it happened first to him. He still had nightmares of that evening.
"Oh, come on!" Summer huffed. "She didn't do anything bad."
"That's what someone with no understanding nor respect for the rules would say." Jacques looked at her with a suggestive gaze, but she didn't take the bait. Ghira, however, did.
"Says the man who bends the rules for his own gain!"
"But I don't break them, now do I?"
"Shut it." Raven glared at the two. "If I hear another ridiculous argument, I'll cut out your tongues for some peace and quiet."
"What's wrong with you?" Kali almost whispered, staring at the ruthless woman in shock.
"A lot," Qrow grumbled, answering for his sister. "And a lot more."
"They started it!" Ruby tries to defend herself, but Glynda wants nothing of it.
"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home... With a pat on the back," she says, looking at Ruby, who brightens up. "And a slap on the wrist!"
Glynda brings the crop down onto the table, scaring Ruby into snapping her hands away.
"Glynda!" Summer glares at the screen. "Oh, I swear, this woman has a stick up her rear side..."
"Stick?" Qrow huffed. "It's at least a bloody pitchfork."
Or her original weapon that Glynda had to substitute with a riding crop. But he let that idea remain unspoken. He already let his mouth run too much lately.
"A bit of discipline wouldn't hurt," Jacques pointed out. "The girl could use it."
"How about you leave my children to me, and focus on your own," Taiyang told him angrily. "Last time I checked, you had murderous armors waltzing in your home."
Qrow chuckled as Jacques sighed with resignation. That one trailer was virtually proving every single of his argument on this topic irrelevant and Branwen loved it.
"But..." Glynda sighs. "There is someone here who would like to meet you."
As she steps aside, a man walks into the room, holding a tray of cookies and a steaming mug.
"Oz?" Qrow mouths in shock at the sight of a familiar face. He didn't expect to see the man - at least, not so soon. But there he was, during the very first episode, looking down on his niece.
"Professor Ozpin!" Summer was the one to say it out loud. "Why would he be there?"
"Why not?" Willow asked. "Isn't he the headmaster? In Atlas, our headmaster is responsible for the matters of justice and law. It wouldn't be surprising to see him interrogating people linked to the crimes."
"That's... not how it works in Vale," Taiyang said. "We have police for that. And I'm pretty sure interrogations do not involve cookies."
Now that he thought of it, Qrow was fairly sure that cookies would loosen more tongues than sharp lights and threats.
"Ruby Rose," Ozpin says, looking at the girl with curiosity.
"Rose? But her name should be Xiao... oh..." Summer started before the obvious hit her. Ruby took on her surname, most likely in her memory. Qrow would lie if he said that didn't strike a chord in his heart.
"It's Xiao Long, Sum," Taiyang jested. "It's not that hard to remember."
"Shut up," Summer laughed, jabbing the man lightly in his side.
"You..." Ozpin leans towards Ruby. "Have silver eyes."
Qrow felt his now mushy feelings replaced by something hard and cold. He was a professional. He knew that one day Ruby would be of interest to Ozpin due to her heritage, but hearing him express exactly what he wanted from her on their very first meeting... Qrow knew that the man cared for Ruby, just as he cared for the mankind, but hearing him comment it like this made him feel like for Ozpin, the girl was nothing but an asset.
Which, of course, wasn't true and it made Qrow angry at himself for thinking of Ozpin like this.
"Who in the darn world starts a conversation like this?" Ghira asked, confused by the comment. "If someone walked up to me and commented on my eyes, I'd think of them as a freak."
"And you wouldn't be that far of," Raven huffed. "Except that dear Ozpin is a dangerous freak."
"All my issues with your statement aside," Summer sighed. "That's not a way to get to know someone, Oz. Like, look at her face. You're freaking my girl out."
Qrow would say that Ruby looked simply confused - and righteously so - but he didn't try to correct Summer. He was fairly certain that she saw some things differently, being a mother and all. In addition, he knew that both she and Taiyang caught up on the real meaning of Ozpin's comment. Especially judging by their own wary faces.
No one wanted to see their child being drawn into a millennia-old war. Even if they all fought in it.
"So!" Ozpin suddenly changes the topic and points to the footage of Ruby fighting Junior's thugs. "Where did you learn to do this?"
"Signal Academy?" Ruby answers uncertainly, still confused.
"I thought she was too young to be a Huntress," Kali frowned at the screen.
"It's a combat school," Taiyang corrected her. "On Patch. It's... for kids. Basics and all that."
"Oh. I see."
"They taught to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" Ozpin sets his doubt clear.
"Well, one teacher in particular," Ruby tells him and he hums.
"I see."
Qrow did his best not to look too smug about all this, which meant he looked as smug as was humanly possible. Never once, looking at his little niece learning to walk properly, did he think that he, a walking bad luck charm, would be teaching small Ruby how to wield a deadly scythe. And a sniper rifle. It was a nearly perfect weapon - dangerous both at a long range and close range.
He hoped they would get a glimpse of Ruby when she gets older and masters her skills.
"Is it really that dangerous?" Ghira doubted. "I still don't see how it's a good weapon. It's big, has a large recoil..."
"The most dangerous weapon is the one you don't expect to be dangerous," Summer pointed out. "I saw Qrow in action dozens of times and trusts me, the moment Ruby masters the scythe, she's going to be a walking death to all her enemies."
Judging by Ghira's look, he still wasn't exactly convinced, but that was alright. Qrow couldn't wait for the kid to show the Faunus just how dangerous a scythe could be.
Ozpin sets the tray with cookies down and Ruby, after a brief hesitation, picks one up and swallows it down in a single bite. Seeing no reaction to that, she starts vacuuming up the whole plate.
Qrow stared at his niece in stunned silence. He knew that Ruby had a sweet tooth ever since she grew her actual teeth - there was a reason why all the shelves in Xiao Long's house were so ridiculously high - but he had never seen her swallow so much in such a short time.
"That gives the 'sweet tooth' a whole new meaning," Kali said with a chuckle as if she was reading Qrow's thoughts.
"Yes, I know," Taiyang said suddenly, staring at Jacques, who was sitting there with his mouth already opened. "No manners, no dignity, or whatever you wanted to say. Nobody cares."
"The girl's dentist will care," Jacques muttered instead. "If she has any, that is."
"You'd think she was starving," Willow said with a smirk.
"You should see her mother at the table, then," Raven huffed. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Or, in this case, a cookie from the plate."
Summer flushed deeply but didn't dare to comment on that. Still, Qrow was fairly certain that Ruby's mother never vacuumed a whole tray of cookies in her life. At least, not that he knew of it.
"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before," Ozpin says, unabashed by Ruby's lack of manners. "A dusty, old Qrow..."
"Hey! Who do you call old?" Qrow grumbled angrily.
"Do you think you got grey feathers now?" Taiyang said with a smirk. "Or your wings all wrinkled?"
"Do you like your teeth, Tai?" Qrow glared at his friend. "If yes, then I suggest you shut your mouth or the next chicken pie you make you'll eat through a straw."
Ignoring Taiyang's laughter and Kali and Summer's chuckle, Qrow sank sulkily on the couch and turned to look at the screen. He really hoped he looked just as good as he did now. His good looks were, after all, his only good quality. If he lost that, what else would be left?
Ruby tries to say something, but her words are drowned as she has her mouth full of cookies.
"Swallow first, speak later, girl," Ghira sighed. "You'd think those cookies had legs and were about to flee from the tray."
"You never know with cookies," Summer hummed. "You bake a whole bunch, look away for five seconds, and boom! They're gone. And no one ever knows anything."
Qrow didn't miss Taiyang looking away nervously. But he said nothing. If one of them was busted, they both were. And blaming it on the kids was only a valid strategy when they weren't sleeping.
"Sorry." Ruby wipes her mouth after swallowing. "That's my uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal."
"Who, in the world, would hire you as a teacher?" Raven cocked her eyebrow in a rather convincing shock. Which, to be fair, could've been a real shock.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Qrow frowned. "I'm probably the best teacher that old school ever had."
"If it's still standing," Raven huffed. He could swear that his sister just loved picking up on his semblance. And what made it worse was that most of the time, she wasn't wrong.
"I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing," Ruby continues.
"Not a word," Qrow mouthed towards Taiyang, who wriggled his eyebrows at him with a smirk. Branwen wondered whether Ruby knew his little secret, or if she made a pun unknowingly. Whatever was the reason, he wasn't going to let Taiyang take advantage of it, especially in a room full of strangers.
"And now, I'm all like..." Ruby proceeds to make weird fighting poses and noises.
"You know what?" Kali hummed. "I think I like your younger daughter more now. She's just adorable."
"Wish I could show you a picture of her in a strawberry dress and a ribbon," Summer said with a warm smile. "She's a little bundle of joy. And Yang's a little bundle of energy. I'm sure they and Blake would get along wonderfully."
"Isn't it weird? If it wasn't for all this, we would never even know about our existence," Kali said with her emotions slowly snuffed out. "Which is a shame. You seem like a good person to know, Summer."
"Likewise, Kali."
Qrow glanced between the two, already seeing Kali and Summer at a table in the middle of a joyful conversation with Taiyang and Ghira sulking at their sides and wondering when they will be allowed to go away. Those would be good times - but they will never happen. Sooner or later, they will forget this ever happened.
It will be just a subconscious shard set deep inside their minds. Nothing more but a spark of ridiculous feelings they would never be able to decipher.
"So I've noticed," Ozpin says, smiling at Ruby's performance as he sets his cup on the table and sits down. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"
"Well... I want to be a Huntress," Ruby tells him with excitement.
"You want to slay monsters?"
"No, Oz, she wants to pave roads," Qrow groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "What's with this man today?"
"Shush, I want to see where this is going," Summer told him with a warning glance.
"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal! And then I'm going to apply to Beacon!" Ruby says, slowly picking up pace. "You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, hey, I might as well make a career out of it! I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!"
Qrow looked at Taiyang, Taiyang looked then at Summer, who merely shrugged with a mysterious smile.
"She's so passionate about it," Willow summarised in awe. "It's... almost terrifying."
"This child has no idea what she's talking about," Raven commented with a grimace. "She wants to be a hero when there is no such thing in this world."
"Maybe in your world," Summer said rather indifferently. "My world is full of heroes. Once, you were one of them too."
Qrow wished he had a camera in his hands so that he could take a picture of Raven's expression, print it, frame it in gold and silver, and then gift it to the museum as a wonder of the world. It was priceless.
Glynda looks unamused by Ruby's monologue. After a second, Ozpin speaks up:
"Do you know who I am?"
"You're professor Ozpin," Ruby answers without missing a beat. "You're the headmaster at Beacon."
"Hello." Ozpin smiles at her and she returns it.
"Nice to meet you."
"And tonight, on the basics of human conversation..." Qrow said, imitating a voice of a show announcer, and yelped when Summer reached out to smack him on his knee. "Hey!"
"Shut it, Qrow, it's not that bad."
"Not that bad? If I didn't know that man, I'd think he's a complete dummy."
"Can we watch the rest of this in silence?" Ghira asked them with blatant annoyance and Qrow swallowed all that he wanted to say about this conversation. Because what bugged him the most wasn't Ozpin's sudden lack of eloquence but the mystery of where this was going.
The headmaster of Beacon wouldn't bother appearing if he didn't have anything specific in mind. And he definitely wouldn't bother with meeting with a young girl, even if it was Summer's daughter.
"You want to come to my school?" Ozpin asks Ruby and her eyes glint happily.
"More than anything."
Ozpin glances at Glynda, who rolls her eyes and looks away, before saying: "Well. Okay."
At those words, Ruby beams.
"Wait, wha-?" Taiyang's mouth fell open as he, and Qrow, and probably any other person in the room, tried to comprehend what had just happened. But the explanation was soon in view.
The scene shifts dramatically to Ruby being hugged by Yang Xiao Long on an aircraft.
"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"
Qrow fumbled with the remote to pause the footage as he stared at the screen, first dumbfounded, and then, resigned. Of course. Ozpin was never that much of a subtle man when it came to the recruitment and even if Ruby was far too young to be burdened with the responsibility of protecting the world, Qrow could imagine the man jumping at the first occassion to prepare the girl for her future duty.
"Oz, you old bastard," he shook his head, noticing how Raven was staring at the screen with seething fury. Perhaps she didn't care much for Ruby, but Qrow knew that she care for Summer. And through her, for the girl. And since she believed that Ozpin sentenced Summer to a certain death, she probably was furious that he would do the same to Ruby.
Qrow was all for defending the man, but this time, he couldn't think of words for it, and he didn't need another argument to be sparked in this small room. What he needed, was a cold drink.
"What... had just happened?" Willow tore her eyes away from the screen to look at others.
"I'd like to know that as well," Ghira grumbled, folding his arms.
"Ozpin just... moved my daughter two years ahead," Taiyang explained slowly as if with a heavy heart. "He... admitted her to the Beacon Academy ahead of time."
Xiao Long then looked up at Qrow and his eyes spoke of one thing: 'He signed my daughter up for a war she knew nothing about.'
And Qrow didn't know what to tell him.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kali wondered and Qrow realised just how devoid of emotion his couch was. "You look like you've heard about the girl's funeral."
"Oh, I'm proud of Ruby," Taiyang said quickly. "It just tells how talented she is... But..."
"Training at the academy isn't for beginners," Summer continued when the man lost his train of thoughts. "Some tasks can be very dangerous if you don't have the skills for them. So, we're just worried she... might get hurt."
"Yes, exactly," Taiyang nodded and looked away.
Qrow glanced at Raven, surprised that she hasn't said anything yet to compromise them, but his sister merely looked at him with raised eyebrows and turned to stare at the frozen screen without a word. Whatever she was planning or thinking, he really wished he knew. He'd rather be prepared for whatever scheme she was brewing.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kali marginalised the whole thing with a half-hearted gesture. "Besides, she's going to be there with her sister. I'm sure Yang will keep her safe."
Taiyang nodded absent mindlessly in response.
"Should I, uh... Let it play?" Qrow asked when he got his thoughts under control. He saw Jacques opening his mouth in the corner of his eye and then being immediately silenced by Willow.
"Sure," Taiyang shrugged. "It's not like there's any escape from it."
"I'm sure it will be alright," Summer added, forcing a smile onto her face. "Hit that button, Qrow."
So he did.
"Please, stop," Ruby groans and Yang lets her go, although she remains as excited as before.
"But I'm so proud of you!"
"That's... so much different from Yang in the club," Willow noticed with surprise. "She's... much..."
"Nicer? Less intimidating? Approachable?" Jacques listed possibilities.
"Well, she is her sister," Kali pointed out with a smile. "It's no wonder she's gentler around Ruby."
That wasn't so much of a surprise to Qrow. Even as a toddler, Yang never was too rough with Ruby. She'd practically tiptoe around her little sister even before her temper tantrums became an issue. It was more of a relief that the two didn't turn into stereotypical siblings that couldn't stand in each other's presence without picking up a fight.
Hilariously, he and Raven could learn a thing from them.
"Really, sis, it was nothing," Ruby tells Yang, but her sister clearly doesn't agree.
"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."
"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."
The group reacted to the exchange with clear amusement with some of them chuckling at Ruby's comment. Qrow rolled his eyes at his niece's exasperation - he knew exactly how difficult it was to deal with pressure at first. Well, not like it was going to go away. He still had trouble dealing with pressure, after all, he just didn't care so much about it as before.
"Oh, Ruby." Summer shook her head. "She really doesn't want anyone's attention, does she?"
"Most of the kids love being in the spotlight," Kai said with a hum. "I guess she's the shy kid."
"She has Yang to substitute for boldness," Ghira noticed. "I'm pretty sure she'd have a hard time trying to outdo her sister."
So instead she picked the other branch of personality - Qrow could definitely see that being the case.
"What's with you? Aren't you excited?" Yang looks at her sister quizzically.
"Of course I'm excited... I just..." Ruby sighs. "I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."
"But you are special," Yang says, walking over to give her sister a one-armed hug.
Qrow had to remind himself that he was in public, so he kept his emotional expressions at bay as he enjoyed this mushy moment. Summer, on the other hand, didn't even bother with her dignity, cooing at the screen with a big smile. So many years had passed, and those two troublemakers still had each other's back.
"Are you sure those two are related? They sure don't act like siblings," Ghira jested and Taiyang let out a chuckle.
"Quite sure," Xiao Long grinned. "I'm really glad they're nothing like some siblings I know."
"You can say that again," Qrow muttered, sparing a glance at Raven, who pretended that she heard nothing.
Then, the general attention is drawn to the newscast where a photo of Roman Torchwick is displayed for all to see.
"That's the guy from before!" Taiyang sat up, losing his grin in focus.
"We can see that," Raven rolled her eyes at the man.
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade the authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please, contact the Vale Police Department."
"Roman Torchwick," Ghira muttered as if to engrave that name in his memory forever. "Hard to imagine that someone with such a distinct face remains free."
"Vale's a big kingdom," Summer hummed. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to get lost on the outskirts. And the center of the Vale City isn't a straight line either. There are hundreds of hiding spots... and the police isn't that numerous to search only for one man."
"So, you're saying they're incompetent," Jacques summarised. "Not that surprising, considering all that we've seen so far."
Qrow had to admit, albeit only in his thoughts, that Jacques might have been onto something.
"Back to you, Lisa," the reporter passes the feed to his companion. Behind the woman, a picture of several Faunus is shown, holding the signs that say: "WE ARE NOT ANIMALS".
Qrow didn't have to look at Ghira and Kali to know their reaction - the pair sat up straight, staring at the screen in deep focus. The man had a pretty good idea that now they would learn something about what was going on with the Faunus in future. And maybe, maybe, explain why Adam tried to blow up the train.
"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." As she speaks, the photo turns to a logo of the organization.
"That's not-!" Ghira roared before backing down in shock. "Disrupted? But we... What in the world has happened? Why would we...?"
While the Faunus remained in shock and with others respecting the moment in silence, Qrow noticed a dangerously smug face of Jacques and he really hoped that the man knew when to keep his mouth shut.
"The once peaceful organization has now disrupted..."
The feed is cut off.
"No!" Kali balled her hands into fists. "Just tell us what happened!"
But the feed didn't return and the two Faunus sulked on their part of the couch in silence.
A hologram of Glynda appears in the place of the news.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it."
"She speaks of peace..." Willow frowns. "A man terrorizes the whole kingdom. A Faunus organization has turned rogue. This is not peace."
"As long as people remain calm, it is," Qrow says somberly. "It's not about not having a conflict. It's about the people not giving in to panic."
"Panic means negative emotions," Summer picks up. "Negative emotions mean unhappiness. Unhappiness means Grimm invasions. And that... means tragedy."
"You're waving a torch to scare off the beasts," Raven huffed. "But that torch will go dark one day. And what then?"
"We'll make another one." Summer shrugged. "Or make a fireplace. You never know until it happens."
"You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world," Glynda finishes and disappears. The attention that was given to her is quickly relocated.
"Oh, wow!" Ruby plasters herself against the window. "Look, you can see Signal from up here! I guess home isn't too far after all."
"Beacon's our home, now," Yang reminds her.
"Well, it's not like they're going to lock you up there," Summer mused over Yang's comment. "But it does start to feel like home after a while. And then you go back to your real home and wonder how can you sleep without three dorks leaving socks and snacks all over the place."
Qrow glanced pointedly at Taiyang, who had the very same idea as neither wanted to take the blame. Besides, Branwen was fairly certain that it was Port who was leaving socks in their room for his own personal amusement.
"Three?" Kali frowned. "I thought the academy had more students than that."
"During the academy, students are separated into teams of four," Taiyang explained. "Each team has one bedroom and shares the grades from exams. It's a part of teaching teamwork."
"What if there are not enough people for the teams?" Willow asked.
"Then they transfer students from other academies. Or if there is really no one, a team of three can be formed. Otherwise, the student will join the inauguration next year."
"So it's based on luck," Ghira concluded with a frown.
"Not really," Qrow said with a shrug. "They don't admit more students than needed, and it's really rare for something like this to happen."
He couldn't even remember if there was anyone who had to wait a year for a team. But if there was a rule for it, then there must have been at least one unlucky kid.
Then, a boy runs past the girls, hunched over and groaning.
"Someone's got air sickness," Taiyang chuckled. "That's gonna drag after the boy for years. Especially since this is going to be a frequent way of transportation."
"What do you do in that situation?" Willow wondered and Qrow exchanged an amused look with Taiyang.
"Absolutely nothing," Branwen said with a smirk. "Sickness or not, they have to learn to handle it eventually."
Or learn how to puke efficiently. Qrow really couldn't imagine not being able to enjoy being high in the air, but then again, not everyone had real wings and could fly across the whole Remnant whenever they felt like it.
"Well... I guess the view isn't for everyone," Yang comments on that, rolling her eyes.
"It was a nice moment while it lasted," Ruby agrees.
The ship is shown to be approaching Beacon... and the scene goes out, returning the viewers to the menu.
Even though he knew it would happen, Qrow still groaned unhappily about the light when they flashed back to life. He blinked rapidly to get rid of white spots while others stretched in their places as if after watching a film in a cinema.
"That was... Interesting," Ghira sighed after a moment of silence. "I wish we learned a bit more, however."
The issue of the White Fang was becoming Qrow's issue as well. At first, it was a mere curiosity, but now, the man was fairly certain that whatever was going on with the organisation would have an impact on the story. Which meant a possible danger to his nieces. Learning about the problem would ease his mind, at least a bit.
"If Ruby and Yang are both at Beacon..." Summer hummed. "It means that Weiss and Blake will be there too, right?"
"Theoretically? Yes. Logically? It doesn't make sense," Taiyang said with a shake of his head. "Weiss would probably attend Atlas academy, and Blake... I'm not sure why would she be there in the first place."
"Only one way to find out," Qrow said with a smirk before throwing the remote to Ghira. "Your turn. Don't keep us in suspense for too long."
The Faunus glared at him for a few seconds before turning towards the screen and immediately letting the next episode play.
'The Shining Beacon'.
I. Can't. Believe. I finished it.
This work contains mistakes. I was rushing it - I've been writing it since morning and it's now late evening. Plus, the software I'm working on stutters when the open part has more than 6000 words. This has over 13,000 words. I could've separated it into parts, but that would mean even more work.