Episode 1: A Surprise Graduation
Ext. Streets of Vale - Night
We see a full moon high in the night sky over the rooftops of Vale.
At the street level, we see the sign of a shop emblazoned with iconography of crystals and piles of dust. Another sign hangs in the window that reads "part-time employee wanted, faunus need not apply". The second half of the sign has been defaced with graffiti, poorly enough that it's still legible. The street in front of the shop is covered in a scattering of abandoned picket signs, soaked by the recent rain.
Enter RUBY, sixteen, a girl in a black outfit with a red hood; Her nose is buried in a copy of "Weapons" magazine, and alt rock is leaking from her headphones. She crosses the empty street and enters the shop.
Int. Dust Shop – Same.
The bells on the door jingle as Ruby enters the shop. It's a clean and organized establishment. Glass cases filled with dust crystals can be found lining the room, and dispensers of dust hang from the walls. An OLD SHOPKEEP sits behind the counter.
Ruby approaches the counter.
RUBY
"I'm here for an application."
Ext. Streets of Vale – Same.
In the empty streets, a lone black van speeds around a corner, music blaring from inside.
Int. Van – Same.
A pair of GOONS in bowler hats and sunglasses sit in the back of the van, preparing a large number of bags.
We see a third goon driving the van, doing his best not to look at the person occupying the passenger's seat.
In the passenger's seat is CINDER, a twenty-two year old woman with dark hair, dressed formally. She looks back at the goons through the mirror with a pair of firey eyes.
Int. Dust Shop – Same.
We see Ruby filling out an application on the counter, chewing on the eraser of a pencil. She appears to be deep in thought.
RUBY
"List three character references. Hmmm."
We hear the sound of the speeding van and blaring music approach. We see the van park in front of the store through the doors behind Ruby. The music and the engine cut out.
The Goons from the car bust through the door of the shop, guns in hand.
GOON 1
"Alright everybody, this is a robbery."
GOON 2
"Hands where we can see 'em, folks."
The Old Shopkeep raises his hands with a sigh. Ruby continues to fill out her application, seemingly oblivious to the robbery taking place.
The goons look at each other in confusion. Goon 1 points Goon 2 to one of the side cabinets. Goon 2 nods.
GOON 2
"Alright old man, open these up."
Goon 1 approaches Ruby.
GOON 1
(irritated)
"I said hands up, red."
Ruby does not, in fact, put her hands up. Goon 1 taps Ruby on the shoulder with his gun. She turns to face him, an annoyed glint in her eye.
Across the room we see Goon 2 loading vials and gems of dust into a bag. We hear sounds of struggle off screen. We see Goon 1 fly across the room and collide with the glass dust case, shattering it.
Goon 2 turns to face Ruby, but a gun appears pointed under his chin.
RUBY
(to the shopkeep, kindly)
"Are you okay sir?"
The shopkeeper nods nervously from his position, crouched behind the counter in fear.
Ext. Storefront – Same.
We see Ruby holding up the remaining Goon through the window of the shop.
Cinder watches from the van, a smile on her lips.
CINDER
"Curious."
She waves a hand to the goon in the driver's seat.
After a concerned glance back at the shop, the driver sighs and starts the van once more.
Int. Dust Shop – Same.
Goon 1 looks to the window as the van takes off, its tires screeching against the asphalt.
GOON 1
"That bitch!"
In a flash, Ruby appears behind the Goon. A sonic boom fills the shop, and a torrent of rose petals swirl through the air. Ruby strikes the Goon in the back of the head with the pistol.
The Goon flies into a case across the room, shattering it.
RUBY
"Wew, that was intense. Now, where was I?"
Ruby looks about the room, seeing that the shop is in ruin. Her application is lying in a pile of glass and dust.
RUBY
(embarrassed)
"I'm...not getting that job am I?"
The Shopkeep shakes his head, still quivering in fear. Ruby lets out a nervous chuckle as police sirens swell in the distance.
Int. Police Office – Later.
We see a desk stacked with CCTV monitors that show various angles of the dust shop's interior during the robbery. The footage shows the moment that Ruby is confronted by Goon 1, who she appears to disarm and defeat in two frames of footage.
A SHERIFF pauses the footage, then looks to PROFESSOR OZPIN, a well-dressed and bespectacled man in his late forties. Behind Ozpin stands GLYNDA, a woman in her early thirties, dressed in chic librarian attire.
SHERIFF
"It's clearly some form of semblance, and well controlled for a girl her age. Though she's lucky she didn't blast the shop sky high throwing someone into a case of dust with that much force."
OZPIN
"Is the store-owner pressing charges against the girl?"
SHERIFF
(disappointed)
"No. She was acting in self defense, his case wouldn't add up to much; Even considering the cost of damages at hand."
Ozpin looks to Glynda, who nods and makes her way to the door. The two men watch her go, the sound of her high heels clacking against the concrete floor growing quiet as she leaves.
OZPIN
"How about the robbers?"
The Sheriff sighs.
SHERIFF
"They aren't snitching, but it's clear that they had a getaway driver. Can't trace the van though, the tags aren't visible on any of the cameras."
OZPIN
"Isn't it strange that they wouldn't want to rat out the team-mate who abandoned them so readily?"
SHERIFF
"Must be some kind of honor thing."
OZPIN
(under his breath)
"Fear, more likely."
SHERIFF
"What was that?"
OZPIN
(back-peddling)
"Oh, nothing to concern yourself with, Sheriff. I wish you the best of luck in your investigation, but I have another matter to attend to."
Ozpin stands, following Glynda out of the room, and pulls out his scroll. We see him open his contacts for a call.
Int. Interrogation Room – Same.
We see Ruby sitting alone in the middle of the bare interrogation room, a cold steel table in front of her. The only light is from a harsh spotlight directly overhead.
The door bursts open. Glynda enters with a stern look on her face and a riding-crop in her hands.
Ruby straightens nervously in her seat.
GLYNDA
"Ruby Rose?"
RUBY
"Yes ma'am."
Glynda begins circling the interrogation room.
GLYNDA
"Ms. Rose, do you know how reckless and irresponsible your actions were earlier tonight?"
RUBY
"Well I thought…"
GLYNDA
"And do you know how many thousands of lien in damages you caused as a consequence?"
RUBY
"I was trying to…"
Glynda strikes the table in front of Ruby with her riding crop, causing Ruby to jolt back with a squeak.
GLYNDA
"And do you know that in spite of it all you passed your entrance exam with flying colors?"
Ruby blinks in confusion.
RUBY
"My what now?"
OZPIN (O.S)
"You heard her correctly, Ms. Rose."
Glynda steps aside to reveal Ozpin standing in the doorway. He holds a plate of cookies in one hand, a mug of tea in the other, and a folder of papers under one arm.
He places the cookies in front of Ruby, along with the folder.
OZPIN
"You are perhaps the youngest person to ever submit such an impressive exam, Ms. Rose; And your little display tonight, however reckless it may have been, was equally impressive."
Ozpin sips his tea.
Ruby stares at Ozpin, starstruck.
RUBY
(stunned)
"Y-you're Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy."
OZPIN
"You are correct, Ms. Rose."
RUBY
"Can I have your autograph?"
Ruby stares at Ozpin with puppy-dog eyes.
Ozpin and Glynda both raise an eyebrow in confusion.
OZPIN
"Uh, sure. Why not?"
Ruby speedily produces a pad of paper, which Ozpin begins signing. While Ozpin is distracted, Ruby clears the plate of cookies in a fraction of a second.
OZPIN
"So, Ms. Rose, why is a girl as young as yourself so gung-ho to get into beacon? Don't you have a couple years of schooling left before you start considering higher education?"
RUBY
(while chewing)
"I wanted to see if I could, just for future reference."
OZPIN
"So you're interested in enrolling in my academy?"
RUBY
"Yes sir, it's my dream to become a huntress."
OZPIN
"Excellent! Well I suppose it's time for you to start packing your bags then."
Ozpin stands, he and Glynda make their way towards the door.
RUBY
"Wait what? But I can't afford the tuition! Plus I still have two years left at signal before I can graduate!"
OZPIN
(grinning)
"Don't worry about it Ms. Rose; I've…made some arrangements to see that those issues are taken care of. I look forward to seeing you at orientation."
Ozpin and Glynda vanish through the door. Ruby sits stunned at the table for a beat.
RUBY
"What!?"
Int. Police Station Reception Area – Dawn.
The police station is immaculate, and mostly unoccupied aside from the odd policeman crossing in and out on business. Ruby sits on a bench near the entrance, tapping her feet nervously.
We see the automatic doors open. Enter YANG, an athletic eighteen year old blonde dressed in shorts and a leather jacket branded with a pizza logo. She glances over to Ruby, who waves sheepishly.
YANG
(amused)
"You know, I almost didn't believe you when you called me and said you were at the police station."
Yang tosses a motorcycle helmet to Ruby, who catches it awkwardly. Ruby examines the helmet.
RUBY
"You're letting me ride the bike?"
Yang chuckles.
YANG
"Don't get too excited, you're riding bitch."
RUBY
"What's that?"
Ext. Streets of Vale – Moments later.
We see Yang and Ruby on Yang's bright yellow motorcycle. It's fairly obvious by how fast they're going that Yang has no regard for the speed limit. Ruby is holding onto Yang's waist for dear life and screaming.
YANG
(yelling over the noise)
"Why are you scared? Isn't your whole semblance based around going fast?"
RUBY
(screeching)
"It's not fun when someone else is controlling it!"
Yang laughs as they take a hill at high speed, Ruby's screams intensify as they ride into the sunrise.
Int. Rose Family Abode – Morning.
We see a kitchen/dining area littered with empty bottles and takeout containers. There are family photos and scraps of art hanging on every wall. A dog bowl sits half full on the floor near the entrance.
Ruby and Yang enter, the former clearly not yet recovered from their wild ride.
YANG
"So what were you doing at the police station anyway?"
RUBY
"Oh you know, stopping robberies, fighting bad guys, accidentally causing thousands of lien in damages; The usual stuff."
YANG
"Nice."
Ruby stretches and yawns.
Yang walks over to the kitchen counter and turns on the coffee maker.
RUBY (O.S)
(mid-yawn)
"Ugh, my sleep schedule is gonna be so screwed now. I'm gonna have to fix that if I want to do well at Beacon."
YANG
"Yeah, you're gonna have to...wait what!?"
Yang turns to Ruby, who's fallen sound asleep at the cluttered dining table. Yang can't help but smile at the sight and sound of her younger sister all tuckered out from a night of heroics.
Yang carefully scoops up the sleeping Ruby and carries her to the nearby couch, covering her with the jacket.
We then see her prepare a thermos of coffee, leaving a sticky note on it that reads "Uncle Qrow" with a little heart at the bottom.
Int. Yang's Bedroom – Same.
We see Yang collapse on her mess of a bed surrounded by packed bags. A set of weights and a punching bag occupy one corner of the room, and little other furnishings can be seen.
Yang rolls onto her back and looks at the ceiling, the old mattress squeaking with every movement.
We see posters of various bands plastered to the less-than-well-maintained ceiling, and among them is a poster for Beacon Academy, circled many times in red marker. Yang sighs and turns over on her side.
We see Yang's bedside table, adorned with an alarm clock and a single picture frame. The picture is of a young couple, a blond man and a dark haired woman, smiling for the camera at a party.
A sad smile appears on Yang's face.
YANG
"Don't worry you two, I'll look after Ruby. I promise."
Yang closes her eyes.
Ext. Signal Academy Front Steps – The Next Day.
We see the front doors of Signal Academy burst open as the bell rings, hundreds of exuberant youths pouring out, freed from their daily toil.
Ruby and Yang exit the building together amid the tidal wave of their peers. Ruby looks out past the crowd and spots something, pointing for Yang to see.
We see QROW, a dark-haired and ruggedly handsome man in his early forties dressed in a low-buttoned shirt and jeans, leaning against the fence that surrounds the academy. He cracks a smile at the two girls when he catches their gaze.
Ruby and Yang run to embrace him.
RUBY and YANG
"Uncle Qrow!"
QROW
(with a slur)
"Happy last day of school, you little shits."
RUBY
"To what do we the owe the pleasure of seeing you before dark?"
QROW
"You think I would work on my girls' last day at signal? I took the day off."
Qrow reaches into his back pocket and retrieves a pamphlet. It's for Beacon Academy.
QROW
"Besides, we have some stuff to talk about."
Int. Diner – Later.
We see Qrow, Yang, and Ruby sitting in a booth at a near empty diner, empty glasses and cleared plates piled around them.
Yang and Ruby appear content, Qrow stares off into the distance through the plate-glass window.
QROW
"So, Beacon it is huh?"
YANG
"That's the plan."
Qrow turns to face Yang and Ruby across the booth.
QROW
"And you girls are sure this is what you want to do?"
RUBY
"It's what we've wanted for a long time."
Qrow smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He leans back into his seat and produces a flask from his pocket.
QROW
"I suppose I should've seen this coming, you're just like your folks after all."
He takes a thoughtful sip.
Ruby and Yang look at him expectantly.
QROW
"Alright, if you girls want to learn to be huntresses, then that's fine with me."
Ruby and Yang cheer. Qrow raises a single finger.
QROW
"But I have one condition. You have to do it for yourselves."
The girls' cheering trails off.
RUBY
"What do you mean?"
YANG
"Yeah, why else would we be doing it?"
Qrow sighs.
QROW
"Look, I know that being a huntsman is a big deal here; And that you think Mom, Dad, and Uncle Qrow are super awesome. Which we were. But I want you to know that being a huntsman is still a job, and it comes with a lot of responsibilities. I just want to make sure that you're going into this knowing that a lot is going to be expected of you two."
The girls look at each other for a moment, nod, then look back to Qrow.
RUBY
"We're sure that this is what we want, for our own reasons."
YANG
"And we're sure we're ready for the responsibilities ahead."
Both girls hold out a pinkie finger. Qrow smiles, fully this time, and extends his own. A three-way pinkie promise is performed.
RUBY and YANG
"We promise."
Int. Warehouse – Night.
We see a laptop screen displaying the CCTV footage from the dust shop. The laptop sits on a spotless table in the empty warehouse. Behind the laptop stands Cinder, patiently waiting. A gloved hand slams the laptop shut, Cinder doesn't flinch.
We see ROMAN TORCHWICK, a ginger man in his mid thirties dressed luxuriously, he lights a cigar contemplatively.
TORCHWICK
"What can you tell me about her?"
CINDER
"Ruby Rose, 16, daughter of Summer and Taiyang, niece of Qrow, honor student at Signal, enrolled and accepted into Beacon 2 years ahead of schedule."
TORCHWICK
"That's quite the pedigree."
CINDER
"Would you like me to take care of her?"
Cinder holds out a hand, a small mote of fire appears.
TORCHWICK
"Cool your jets, little lady, there's no need to kill her just yet. She might prove to be an asset in the future. Besides, if Ozpin has an interest in her then clearly she's valuable in some regard. Follow her, see what you can get to know about her personally."
Cinder snuffs out the flame, backing away for a few steps before turning to leave.
TORCHWICK
"And remember, Cinder, if you get caught, I don't know you."
Cinder cracks a devious smile as she exits.
Int. Ruby's Room – Morning.
We see Ruby sitting in the middle of her band-poster covered room on a bed covered in packed bags. She appears to be packing a final bag to the beat of the music leaking from her headphones.
We see a crow perched on the windowsill, watching intently.
QROW (V.O)
"It's hard to watch the kids grow up."
The crow flies away.
Int. Arena – Midday
We see a graduation ceremony unfolding. An elderly woman stands at the podium giving a speech, her voice is far away and unintelligible.
Ruby and Yang sit among their peers from Signal in traditional caps and gowns.
QROW (V.O)
"I didn't expect that I would have to be taking care of them one day when I found out I was gonna be an uncle."
We see Qrow perched on a seat high up in the arena with the rest of the families of graduating students. They squirm around him attempting to get pictures of their children below, while Qrow just looks on with a proud smile.
QROW (V.O)
"But looking at them now, all grown up, I think they'll be able to take it from here."
The elderly woman finishes her speech and salutes the sea of students.
Ruby and Yang fling their caps high into the air.
A hail of flying caps erupts from the crowd as the other students follow suit, a roar of cheers fills the arena with sound.
Qrow cups his hands around his mouth and cheers in harmony with the crowd.
Ext. Arena Front Steps – Later.
We see Qrow, leaning against a wall, lighting a cigarette. He takes a drag while looking into the distance.
Qrow pulls his scroll from his back pocket, and makes a call. It rings twice before being answered.
QROW
"Oz, it's me."
Qrow looks to his left.
We see Ruby and Yang celebrating in a group of other graduates, there are smiles and tears of joy all around.
Qrow smiles too.
QROW
"I'll take the assignment."
Int. The Back of Ozpin's Limousine – Same.
We see Ozpin, his scroll held to his ear, a smile on his face. The streets of Vale are passing by through the tinted windows.
OZPIN
"Good to see that you've come around, old friend; I look forward to seeing you in my office ASAP. Until then, enjoy the celebrations."
Ozpin hangs up.
He turns to Glynda in the seat next to him, who's holding a very expensive looking bottle of champagne and two glasses.
GLYNDA
"Good news I assume?"
OZPIN
"Qrow is back in action, as predicted."
Glynda hands the bottle to Ozpin, who sets about opening it.
GLYNDA
"So we have an old comrade returning to the fold, multiple new candidates for the maiden project, and an unprecedented enrollment; All in the year that Vale is supposed to host the Vytal festival."
Glynda holds out the glasses for the champagne, which Ozpin begins pouring.
OZPIN
"We're certainly going to be busy this year."
GLYNDA
"There is also the record levels of crime and unrest we're going to be dealing with on top of all that."
OZPIN
"Very, very busy."
The pair raise their glasses. Glynda sighs.
GLYNDA
"To sixty hour work weeks."
OZPIN
"I'll drink to that."
The pair clink their glasses.
End of Episode 1