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Scene 3
Vulnerable
Glynda pov
It had been a day since the incident with Ms. Rose's father.
Well…
Her former father. I don't entirely feel comfortable calling him that anymore.
In any case, after the incident we took her back to the hospital staff and had the doctors take a look at her. After we explained what happened, though leaving out the more personal details, simply saying some…assailant did it to her, and not her own father.
They told us that she should have brain damage, rather severe brain damage, and in a way, she did. The doctors aren't entirely sure what it was, but they knew it was old. Something was…different…about her brain now.
They weren't entirely sure what the effect it would have on her brain was either, they just knew something wasn't entirely…normal…about her brain. They also said, considering she was technically 15, she was underdeveloped in almost every area. Apparently she hadn't actually reached puberty yet, which was odd considering her age, though it did explain a lot.
All things considered, though, she was a relatively healthy, prepubescent, young girl, even after what Taiyang did to her. Her arm would still have to be in a cast and sling, but otherwise she was fine.
But that was physically. Mentally, we could only guess at the scars incurred by the incident.
"We can't just send her back to her father, not after he tried to kill her." I said.
"I agree, to do that would be to send her to her death. I can only hope what he did to her hasn't shattered her mind." Ozpin agreed.
"But what do we do about it?" I asked.
"Well, we could get child services involved. That being said, I'm not entirely sure that's enough." He said
"What do you mean?" I asked
"Mr. Xiao-long looked like he had some kind…psychotic break, he had a pathological need to kill Ms. Rose. Somehow, he became convinced that Ms. Rose isn't actually his daughter, Ruby Rose, and that the real Ruby Rose died, and that this is some…monster taking her place." He began to explain.
"Right, and if he was even in the same room as her, he would try to kill her." I realized.
"We should probably look into his mental state, who knows what he could do to his other daughter if he feels the same about her." He said.
"I wonder how Qrow will react, all things considered." I said.
"I wonder what caused all this to happen, it must have been a serious traumatic event to have caused this…madness. This kind of thing doesn't just happen. He kept referring to her coming back, but from where?" He mused.
"We'll find out when she gets up." I said "if she gets up." I muttered.
"Even if she does, what do we do then?" He asked
"We could enroll her in Beacon." I suggested.
He looked at me with a smirk on his face, "Really? I'd have thought you for one would have been against that idea." He teased.
"Normally, you would have been right." I began before sighing, "But this is anything but normal."
"Quite right." He agreed.
"Normally, assuming I wanted her to be a huntress, I would have tried to get her into Signal. However, considering the amount of pull her…father." I began, carrying as much venom as I could in referring to that man. "And her uncle has at the school, I wouldn't do that. In addition, given her skills, going to Signal would be more of a step backward than anything."
"True. In addition, if she attends Beacon, we can keep an eye on her. We are, after all, the only other two people who know about what transpired in there. Though, potentially, not for long." He said, pausing to take another sip of his coffee.
"That being said, where shall she stay in the meantime? It's going to be several weeks until the semester starts. While I could technically allow her to stay an empty dorm in the meantime, I don't necessarily think it would be a good idea to leave a skilled young girl who just had her father call her a monster and nearly kill her alone." He argued.
"After that, she could be potentially suicidality depressed, or mentally shattered. Being isolated again is probably one of the worst things we could do." I agreed.
We took several minutes to think of a solution in silence. Wondering, what we could do to make her feel welcome, and not, well, a monster. Somewhere we could help the potentially shattered young girl put the pieces back together.
After that incident, and what it likely meant, I had a feeling that Taiyang kept his daughter from seeing…anyone. She was probably quite isolated, not to mention the stress incurred from having a father who thinks you are going to become a killer. Then there's whatever severe, traumatic, event that happened in the past to cause all this.
Eventually, I came to a decision, one that I was worried I might regret, but wouldn't back away from.
"I could take her in." I suggested
"Really? You'd do that?" He asked
"I feel that, after what I saw today, that I need to do something…direct…in order to try and help. I can't just sit by and watch this happen. I need to help. Please, Ozpin, I know it's unorthodox, but I can't just let this girl's potential go to waste." I explained.
"Well…good. I was actually thinking of how to convince you to do it." He said with a smile.
"What?" I said, taken aback.
"Yes, I certainly wasn't going to take in the young girl, I'm not exactly the most…responsible person with children, something I'm sure you can attest to. Then there's the fact no one else knows about her. I'd rather not inform the rest of the staff about her…predicament…if I can help it." Ozpin explained.
"Though, should we say anything to Qrow? He might get worried if is niece suddenly goes missing." I said, concerned.
At this, Ozpin sighed, acknowledging what a headache this was turning into.
"We'll probably have to eventually, it'd be rather difficult for him to not find out that his niece is attending Beacon at some point, and I'd rather it come from our mouths in a controlled fashion." He explained tiredly
"Good point. I wonder though, why he never told us about this? This seems to be a serious issue. I mean, as private as it is, it was serious enough to cause Mr. Xiao-long to suffer a psychotic break towards his daughter." I said, concerned about Qrow's silence on this issue. Not that he was the most open person to begin with, but it feels like something of this caliber, of this nature, would have least slipped somewhere.
"I don't know, Glynda. Perhaps that is why he kept it a secret, because of how it was tearing what remained of his family apart while he desperately tried to fix it. In any case, I can only hope that Qrow doesn't feel the same, otherwise we will have a very large problem on our hands." He said.
"Perhaps it would be best if we enrolled Ms. Rose under pseudonym. It would greatly assist in keeping her location a secret from her potentially abusive family." I suggested
"Yes, we would have to, considering the fact that her older sister, Yang Xiao-long, will be attending this year as well." He agreed
"How do you think she's reacting to all this? The mysterious previous trauma included?" I asked.
Ozpin sat there, thinking for a couple seconds, taking a sip from his mug. He finally gave a sigh of resignation and said, "I don't really know. I can hope that her views aren't as...extreme…as her father's, but it all depends on what exactly happened to cause all this."
He paused again, taking another thought.
"That being said, I am awfully anxious to meet the girl that stirred up all this fuss." He said with a small smile.
"Right, you haven't actually met her yet, have you?" I asked, realizing that in all this chaos, Ozpin hadn't even spoken a word to the girl yet.
"No, and it would be nice to know if this girl is actually worth all this trouble in person." He said wryly
"Well, you'll just have to wait until she awakens." I remarked.
and with that we left the room we were speaking in, and made our way to the room Ms. Rose was resting.
After several hours of just watching her chest rise and fall, the machines beeping and humming rhythmically the only signs of live in the young girl. Finally, in the early hours of the morning the next day, while the shattered moon was still out, she stirred.
She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around, her eyes at first slow and tired. Then, like the flip of a switch, they shot to me with such startling alertness. Her hollow silver eyes looked into mine, searching for something, anything.
They weren't…devoid…of emotion, though at first glance it was easy to assume that. She looked like a porcelain doll with her pale skin, blank face, and hollow eyes. She looked, not necessarily like she couldn't feel emotion, but more that she had trouble expressing it. Hidden in her eyes was a look of curiosity, concern, but no real fear.
After only a moment, she turned her gaze towards Ozpin. After only a couple seconds she seemed…satisfied…with what she saw.
"Did yesterday really happen?" She asked in quiet and calm voice, once again turning her hollow gaze toward me.
That question almost broke me. I would have to tell this girl that yesterday happened, that her father came in, called her a monster, and tried to kill her. She didn't ask Ozpin this, no, she asked me. I had to answer.
I glanced down, unable to look her in the eyes as I solemnly said, "I'm afraid so."
I expected her to cry, to rage, to holder and yell. I expected her to try and deny it, to tell me I was wrong, to kick and scream, and try and hold onto her family. I expected her to be distraught and broken at the loss of her father.
Instead, she sighed.
"I figured…" She said quietly.
What? I thought, using all my willpower not to say it out loud, but it appeared my face said enough.
"I had a feeling he didn't love me anymore for a while now. I just…" She began, shrugging, "I don't know, tried to pretend he did. I hoped I could change his mind."
She sighed again, collapsing back down against the pillows on her cot.
"I just never knew he hated me." She said, sounding lost, but not distraught.
She sounded like was admitting defeat, that she tragically accepted it, even if she didn't like it.
She sounded like she had broken long ago.
What could have done this to her?
I glanced at Ozpin, and saw a frown on his face. He was likely thinking along the same lines as me.
"Ms. Rose?" Ozpin said, getting her attention.
She snapped to him, sitting back up with a question on her face.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked, a small smile on his face.
She cocked her head to the side, pondering the question. After a second, she appeared to have the answer.
"You're Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon." She answered calmly, but a question still on her lips.
"Correct, I would like to know if you are interested in coming to my school." He asked.
"Why?" She asked, a brow raised.
That took me off guard for a second, surprised that anyone would question the headmaster of Beacon when they had an interest in them. It wasn't a bad question, but it was surprisingly…perceptive.
Ozpin, however, rolled right through it.
"Why? Because, you interest me, Ruby Rose. Ms. Goodwitch gave quite the high praise about how you performed during the capture of Roman Torchwick, something quite hard to come by." He said with light chuckle.
In response to subtle jab at me, as well as exaggerating what I said about the girl, I glared at him, though he ignored it like only he could.
Ms. Rose just cocked her head again and said, "You're strange."
He chuckled again, took a sip of his tea, and replied.
"Indeed, but we're not here about me, we're here about you. I know you want to be a huntress, and I gathered from your father that you family has all but forbidden you from doing as such. Am I correct in that regard Ms. Rose?" He asked.
She just nodded, no sadness, no shame, nothing. Just a simple, calm, nod.
"Well then, while your family might not want you, I, on the other hand, want and need every capable hunter and huntress I can get. Frankly, I don't care what I have do if it gives humanity one more day, if it gives it more hope. You could very well be the monster your father said you were, but I don't care. You have skill and potential, and that's what I need." He stated seriously, giving Ms. Rose a look filled with steeled conviction. He meant every word he said, they lay at the core of why he did what he did, of who he was.
Ms. Rose seemed to consider this, deliberating her choices for a minute or two.
Finally, she responded.
"Okay." She answered simply.
"So you'll enter?" He asked, a degree of hope and surprise in his voice.
"Your argument made sense, and you aren't lying. I could tell if you were. Besides, I like your views, they make more sense than most people's." She explained, but then paused, "But don't I need parental consent to enter?"
"Not really, it's just easier with it. Thanks to a certain piece of legislation, your family can't actually interfere with you becoming a huntress." He explained.
At this Ms. Rose's eyes widened.
"But, then why couldn't I enter Signal? Every time I tried they said I needed my dad's permission." She asked, surprised by the information
"It's likely because your family has a large amount of pull at Signal, allowing them to…bend the rules a bit." He answered.
"But they don't have that influence at Beacon." She guessed.
"Correct, at Beacon you would be totally safe from your family. Well, except for your sister, Yang, but nobody has to know you're attending." He explained
Ms. Rose nodded in agreement and understanding.
"In that case, I'll need a new name, won't I?" She guessed again
"Indeed, you would, though judging by your tone, you already have something in mind?" He asked.
She nodded and said, "Lilith Totenrot"
Ozpin and I both raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised that she could come up with a name so quickly, in addition to the name itself. We were half expecting it to be something…approaching normal at the least.
"How did you come up with that?" I asked, purely out of curiosity.
"Lucifer gave it to me." She answered simply.
Lucifer? Who's that? Maybe…it's the person who taught her how to fight? I wondered, never having heard the name before.
"Well then, in any case, you'll be staying with Ms. Goodwitch until the semester starts, and possibly even after it starts." He explained, getting us back on topic.
Ms. Rose once again cocked her head in confusion.
"Why can't I just stay in an empty dorm by myself?" She asked, touching more sensitive subjects that we had hoped to avoid with her child-like curiosity.
Ozpin and I looked at each other for a second, having a silent conversation on what to do, what to say. Eventually, he took the lead.
"…Well…after what happened yesterday we're concerned you might do something…drastic…and we wouldn't want anything to happen to you." He explained carefully.
"You're afraid I'll try to kill myself?" She questioned, pushing through his wording and getting to the heart.
"Why would you care?" She asked, completely serious, and genuinely curious.
We were taken off guard by that question.
"Uh…because, we are worried about you." I explained.
Ms. Rose scrunched up her face in confusion.
"That reminds me, why did you two save me last night?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"W-what?! Why wouldn't we? How could we just sit there while that man tried to kill you!" I exclaimed, shocked by her questions.
"But if my own father didn't care about me, why should you? You're not my family. Why should you care about my death? You don't even know me." She continued calmly and curiously, revealing how truly broken she was.
I was stunned. Never had I met someone who lacked such a basic understanding of…compassion or empathy. If this is how she normally acts, then…I guess I can see why her father might have gotten some of his ideas from. That being said, it's no excuse for abandoning your duty as a father.
Ozpin, while stunned as well, recovered much quicker than I.
"Well, that's because, Ms. Rose, that's what humans do. We care about others, we help them when they're in trouble, and we try to do the right thing." He explained, trying to be patient with the young girl.
"Does that mean I'm not human?" She asked
"Pardon?" He responded, confused.
"I'm just wondering, because my family kind of said the same thing all the time, but I just don't feel like that anymore." She explained. Ms. Rose then appeared to…pout…a bit, and continued. "They kept trying to explain it over and over again, but I just didn't get it. Why should I care about others?"
Ozpin sighed, leaned back in his chair, and took another sip of tea. He seemed have a realization, and not a comforting one. He looked tired, exhausted really, once he came to his conclusion.
"Well, Ms. Rose, I can't exactly answer that very well. But, I can tell you this." He began
Then, as before, his look sharpened, and he looked back at Ms. Rose, staring her right in the eyes.
"You need to at least pretend to care about people. If people know you're different, they'll be suspicious about you. They might even hate you, call you a monster, and try to kill just like your father. If you can't feel it, fake it. It's not a perfect solution, but it's good enough." He explained finally.
He got up from his chair and made his way to the door.
"Later Ms. Goodwitch will help you get the supplies for school. Good day Ms. Rose." He said before leaving.
I stared at him, trying to understand what he just did, and why. I turned back to Ms. Rose to see her reaction, and was shocked to see a small look of understanding on her face, as if what he said made perfect sense to her.
"Excuse me Ms. Rose." I said curtly as I followed Ozpin out of the room.
When I shut the door behind me, I saw him standing across the hall, waiting for me, taking a sip from his mug and a serious look on his face.
"Ozpin, what the hell was that? Fake it?" I fumed at him,
He sighed, knowing full well I would react like this.
"Yes, that's probably what she'll have to do." He said, looking down at his mug.
"Why?" I hissed.
He looked back up at me sharply.
"Because, Ms. Goodwitch, I believe Ms. Rose to be a sociopath, or at least an individual with sociopathic tendencies, among other things." He began to explain.
"Are you saying she's going to become a serial killer or something?" I asked skeptically
"No, not really. What I meant when I mentioned her sociopathic tendencies is her difficulties feeling empathy. While most people would instinctively feel the need to help someone and be at least somewhat concerned about their wellbeing, Ms. Rose, does not. She needs a more self-centered reason to help or care about others. She probably thinks things like altruism is a myth, or the height of folly." He began to explain.
"While she could probably kill without a second thought, I doubt she actually has the urge to. She likely wouldn't kill without a reason, but if she did she wouldn't worry about it too much. Though honestly I know too little about her to really know." He finished explaining, punctuated by another sip of his tea.
"How do you know so much about this?" I asked.
"It's not really much, it's just more than TV and movies tell you." He explained, "That, and I knew one once. He did the same thing I suggested to Ms. Rose, he faked caring. He was quite good at it too, fooled me for quite a while."
"Why do we have to teach her to fake it, can't we just actually get her to care?" I asked, not liking the idea of simply telling to fake it.
"You saw how well that worked for her family. Didn't really seem to be too effective. That being said, I don't really know enough about her to say one way or the other. She could just resemble a sociopath, and not actually be incapable of bonding. It might just simply be difficult for her, or she's more detached. I don't know." He explained
"But, what I do know, is that her being continually ostracized and isolated won't help. If she continues to behave in this manner, she will be shunned. I'd prefer it if she didn't have everyone think that she's a serial killer, that wouldn't be very productive." He continued
"I see." I sighed, relenting.
"That being said, I think it would be best if you taught her." He said lightly with a smile, taking a complete about face in tone.
"W-what?" I sputtered, surprised.
"I think she'll respond well to your special brand of teaching." He grinned, taking another sip.
"You can't be serious. I'm one of the most hated teachers at the school. While I'm not sorry for how I teach, I am well aware of the student's, and even some of the other teacher's, reactions to it." I argued, knowing full well my reputation at the school.
"Hmm, well, some of the hushed whispers I've heard around the school from the some boys, and even some girls, might disagree with that statement. Professor Port, especially, has been quite…vocal…in his…support of you." He teased, a smug grin on his face.
I glared at him fiercely with a look that has been known to actually cause lesser men to faint.
Ozpin simply laughed. Once he sobered up, he looked back at me and said, "But in all seriousness, I think you'll make a good mentor for her. She seems to be someone who likes explanations for what she does, and why. I know you'll be a good match for her." He argued in an effort to be supporting with a small smile on his face.
"Ozpin, I know I said I would take her in, but teach her? Especially something a abstract and vague as compassion and empathy? I don't know..." I said, still skeptical.
"Well, look at it this way. It's either going to be you, or me-" He said.
"I'll do it." I said firmly, cutting him off.
The second he brought up the idea of him mentoring Ms. Rose, the images brought forth from that thought horrified me.
"I knew you'd see it my way." He remarked, his smile growing.
Ruby pov
I felt…strange.
I had known that dad, sis, and uncle Qrow felt…weird around me, for a while now. I had a feeling dad had slowly stopped loving me, but I always hoped I could do something to win it back.
I sighed in defeat.
But now, that was impossible. He hated me, didn't even think I was me. He thought I was some demon walking around in his beloved daughter's skin.
I cracked a rare smile.
He was actually surprisingly close to the truth in that regard. But still, I was still the same Ruby who was born to his late wife, Summer Rose. The same Ruby who used to be filled with such life and energy. The same Ruby who came back.
Mostly.
But, he didn't believe it, didn't believe me. I guess it's not too surprising considering what happened, but the fact that he actually tried to kill me, that he actually out and called me a monster to my face, that shocked me.
I couldn't help but feel angry, betrayed. I had worked so hard for them. I came back for them. I did my best to be the good little girl they wanted me to be, but it wasn't enough for them. They wanted me to be the same as I was before. They wanted old Ruby.
Then Maybe They Shouldn't Have Let Me Get Hurt! I thought in a flash of anger.
Even that flash, though, was only enough to grow a small frown on my face. It disappeared as fast as it came, but the anger was still there.
I had done so much for them, I did everything they told me to. They kept taking things from me. They didn't want me to go to school, they didn't want me to meet people, they didn't want me to have friends.
I was fine with that, but then they tried to keep me from the few things that still brought me happiness. They didn't let me go to Signal, where I might actually be able to have fun again. They didn't let me tinker and make things. They said it was too dangerous, and that I was too young.
Well Whose Fault Is That!
I begged uncle Qrow to show me. I was always drawn to his scythe and the way he used it, but even he failed me. I asked Yang to teach me how to fight, and she let me down. I asked dad to give me some pointers and he abandoned me.
It Hurt, watching them leave me.
I knew why. They were scared of me now, they thought I was creepy, dangerous, a psychopath.
I knew why, it still hurt.
So, went I behind their back. If being a good little girl was never going to get me anywhere, why should I be one? I would never be good enough for them.
But, even still, I cared about my family. They were one of the only things I loved, even if they feared me.
I couldn't just abandon them, even if they did the same to me. So I tried to keep being a good girl, I tried to be as good as I could. Followed the law, the rules, did what dad told me. I tried to show them what they wanted to see.
Then came the day Yang was accepted into Beacon.
They praised her, worshipped her, threw her a party!
She got to hang out with her friends, get into a bar fight, be a bad girl. She got to do all the things I never could, and they threw her a party!
I asked them why, why did Yang get celebrated for being a bad girl, why she got to have friends, make weapons, got to go to Signal and Beacon. They didn't have good excuse, they just looked dumbly at each other, stunned that I would even question them.
I may have sounded calm and cool when I said it, but they knew I was furious on the inside.
They tried to make excuses on the spot, they tried not to hurt my feelings. They tried to save themselves.
They thought that I would hurt them, me! I loved them, I trusted them, I would never hurt my family. The fact they thought I could hurt so bad.
They were scared, terrified, of me.
Even though I had always tried to be a good girl.
So, I decided I would see what happens when I was a bad girl.
I just wanted a taste, I just wanted to see what it was like. Would I get what I wanted? Would I get arrested? Killed?
I just wanted to know.
Then dad disowned me and tried to kill me. I can't go back now. I'll never be his good little girl anymore.
So why should I try?
For Yang? She's scared to death of me. I tried to get her to love me again, and she did. She loved me, but it was always tainted with that fear, that guilt. I didn't feel like her little sister anymore, just a reminder.
She was never going to be my big sister again, I knew that now. So, why should I try to make her understand?
And then there's Uncle Qrow. He's not as bad as the other two, but he still had the guilt and fear in him. He's afraid of what I could do to others, and myself. He's afraid of losing me again, but the problem is, in the process he's already lost me.
I felt more alone now, now that I knew even my own family didn't like me, but at least I wouldn't let them chain me, enslave me to be their good little girl anymore.
It would still be nice to have someone else who understood me, to not feel so alone. I thought as I curled up on myself, feeling cold.
I wish Garmr was here, she always makes me feel better.
But then I had a thought that brought a grin to my face.
Well, at least I don't have to be the same good little girl anymore. I can be a bad girl.
I reached out to my cloak that was draped across one of the chairs. I pulled out a card with a red wolf with three scratches through it.
And it seems bad girls get what they want. After all, the plan worked. I'm going to Beacon
A/n:
See?
I told you there were reasons why Taiyang had a psychotic break.
They're just...secret reasons.
Frankly I feel like I should have put down mystery and tragedy as other genre's, but whatever. Apparently FF didn't like that idea, assholes.
I was even thinking of putting down Hurt, but it unfortunately had to come with Comfort.
Eventually the whole secret will come out, but I was tempted to reveal it in the summary, but decided to be all cryptic instead.
But, now to the psychology stuff.
I'm not going to pretend I'm a psychologist, a psychology major, or some kind of expert about it.
I'm not.
I just have a passing interest in it.
That and I've watched Criminal Minds.
An expert that does not make
So, tell me if I made a fuck up with my psychology stuff
I'll either try to explain why I did it,
Correct my mistake
Or bullshit my way through.
Depends on how I actually fucked up.
But I mean actual scientific problems, not whining because someone's different, or they are or aren't an overpowered serial killer.
That being said, psychology is going play a rather large part here, thus indicated by the Madness part of the title.
But despite that, I'll try to keep things from getting out of control.
I've read stories where Ruby is, for various reasons, turned into a psycho of some sorts.
While some are good, they often fall into the trap of losing control.
What I mean is she goes absolutely batshit, or is some kind of ultra-deranged serial killer, or some such thing.
While that can be interesting, I'm trying to be more serious and real regarding the psychology of my characters.
That being said, once again, I'm not an expert on this shit.
I'm just a fan of crime dramas, criminal minds, batman, dexter, and well done psychological issues.
Not hardly an expert.
Also, I just realized that this is going to be long as shit, again.
I mean, 3 chaps in and we're still on the first ep, which was less than 10 minutes.
Par for the course, I assure you.
