Is it bad that I'm already working on this so soon? I feel like it is. Oh well.
KibaPT: might want to make sure they aren't chocolate chip, or read the story for a few tips on that!
Kickinstrom: I actually got this finished within about 10-20 minutes of your review. I figure I shouldn't make you or Kiba wait that much more.
Chapter 2: Migraines and Beacon
"Doing the right thing is more important to me. If I have to choose between my ideals and my life, I'd gladly lay down my life to protect those who depend on me. Thus, Kindly do I scatter myself to the wind in their stead" -Last words of Adrienne Rose in a letter to the second triumvirate of Sanctuary.
Somewhere in Vale
"Someone, please kill me…" Ruby sat in a small, dimly lit room cowering with her ears flat against her head as the Huntress circled her. It wasn't the fact that she was being lectured about her actions or that she might be punished that was why she was miserable, she would gladly do it again if people were in danger. No, it was from the aftereffects of her semblances. Her wolf ears ached from the screeching explosive runes and her head pounded in agony, both a result of her analytical semblance, while she was still suffering from the time-dilation that was part of her speed.
"I hope you realize that your actions tonight…" The Huntress circled the table, either not noticing Ruby's condition or deciding it was a fitting punishment as the poor girl held her head in her hands, each step making a painful clicking noise. "You put yourself and others in great danger."
"Those thugs might have hurt someone anyways," Ruby whimpered. "Was I supposed to just stand there and watch?"
The woman stopped to look at her, making her look down. "There are still consequences for your actions. If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…" Ruby's ears perked up and she smiled before noticing the woman grab the riding crop, moving her hands off the table before it hit where they were and whimpering at the sound. "…And a slap on the wrist! But… There is someone here who would like to meet you."
Ruby looked on in confusion as a grey-haired man stepped forward wearing a black jacket and pants with a green undershirt. "I-is that Professor Ozpin? W-what's he doing here? Did I do something wrong, oh I'm in serious trouble aren't I what am I going to do-" Ruby's panicked internal ramblings were cut short as Ozpin put a plate of cookies in front of her.
"Ruby Rose," Ozpin stated before leaning over to look at her. "You… have silver eyes."
"U-uhhh, thanks?" Ruby blinked in confusion as he stood back up. "What was that about?" A glance down at the cookies made her immediately reach for a chocolate chip one before stopping. "Wait, I don't have my medication on me… Sometimes I hate being a wolf Faunus…" With a sigh she forced herself to grab a simple sugar cookie instead of her beloved chocolate chips and started eating.
"So! Where did you learn to do this?" Ozpin gestured at a screen the Huntress was holding, showing her recent fight.
"S-Signal Academy," she said meekly before grabbing another cookie, sighing to herself as everything started to finally move at the right pace. "Why do I feel like they're testing me or something?"
Ozpin looked at her in surprise. "They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"
"W-well, one teacher in particular, my uncle Qrow. I was complete garbage before he started teaching me, but now I'm all…" Ruby had to stop herself for a moment before gesturing at the screen. "Y-you know."
"I see," Ozpin muttered as he leaned against the table. "So, what's an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"
"W-well, I want to be a Huntress."
"You want to slay monsters?"
"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal before I can apply to Beacon! My sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress…" Before Ruby knew what she was doing she had already started rambling, trying to get everything out at once as she got more and more excited. "…I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and really-" Ruby let out a squeal "-you know?!"
While the Huntress didn't look amused, Ozpin hummed quietly. "Do I know who I am?"
Ruby took a breath to calm herself down. "You're Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon"
"Hello"
"Nice to meet you."
"You want to come to my school?"
Ruby smiled, but inside she was panicking. "I-is he asking if I want to go to Beacon now? What do I do, if I say yes and he is I'll skip two years! But if I say no will he think I'm not serious about being a Huntress and deny my application when I leave Signal? But it is what I want, right?" After taking a deep breath, she answered. "More than anything."
Ozpin and the Huntress shared a look before he turned back to Ruby and the woman placed a stack of papers and pen in front of her. "Well okay, just fill out the application to make it official and we'll see you tomorrow." Ruby grabbed the pen and tried to keep her hand steady as she filled in the form, handing it meekly to the Professor as she finished. "I look forward to seeing you at Beacon Ms. Rose," he said as he got up and left, the Huntress leading Ruby out of the building.
Ruby took a moment to catch her breath before she smiled. "I'm going to Beacon! W-wait, I'm the youngest person to ever be accepted to Beacon now, aren't I?" She let out a whine at the thought as she walked home.
Next day, on the ship to Beacon
"Oh I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" declared a blonde-haired girl as she happily crushed Ruby in a hug, oblivious to the pain or embarrassment she was causing.
"Y-Yang! Please… Stop…"
"But I'm so proud of you!"
Ruby's ears drooped as she sighed. "Really sis, it was nothing, can we not talk about it?"
"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"
"I'd rather be normal Yang, I don't like having this much attention on me, you know that! The last thing I need is for everyone to think I'm special or something."
"But you are special, Rubes." Before Yang could continue encouraging her sister, a news broadcast about Roman Torchwick's attempted robbery played, drawing her attention away while Ruby continued thinking.
"This is great, being a Faunus and my semblance already made it hard enough to fit in, now everyone's going to think I'm a freak, nobody's going to talk to me, I'll be alone and miserable and-"
"Rubes, you're overthinking again. Calm down." Ruby looked up and sighed as she realized she was pacing anxiously before walking back over to listen to the next news story, growling at the mention of the White Fang. Yang sighed before putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. Before she could say anything, the screen vanished, replaced by a hologram of a woman who introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch.
By the time her speech was finished, Ruby had stepped forward to admire the view below. "Yang, you can see Signal from up here, this is amazing!"
The sound of someone heaving drew their attention toward a blond boy before he ran past them, a bit of vomit dripping down his chin. "I guess the view isn't for everyone," Yang said with a smile.
"Well, it was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby noticed a smell and looked down, frowning slightly as her ear twitched. "Uh, Yang, you've got vomit on your shoe."
"Oh, gross!" Yang cried out as she ran to the nearest bathroom, leaving Ruby to hum before noticing the curious look a boy was sending Yang's way. From what she could tell, he was probably about 18 and had brown hair. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and black pants. As he turned to see where Yang came from, Ruby noticed he had blue eyes. All in all, he was plain except for the look in his eyes.
"I-it's like he's staring right through you," Ruby thought as he walked over and hummed.
"So, I take it you're a Rose then?" He asked, making Ruby jump.
"H-how do you know that?"
"Well, for starters you have silver eyes, which is pretty rare outside the Rose family. Secondly, you're wearing a cloak that's somehow moving in a breeze on a ship with no air current, which suggests you have the Rose family's semblance. Third…" He lets out a sigh before continuing. "You have a Rose insignia on your belt."
Ruby sighed internally. "O-oh, right, I didn't think of that." "W-well, at least it was something simple and not him being a stalker or something… Maybe he has a semblance like mine or something." Ruby held her hand out with a smile. "So, I'm Ruby, who are you?"
The boy hummed for a moment. "Ruby Rose. Interesting…" His gaze suddenly refocused, lifting the strange feeling he gave off before he shook Ruby's hand. "I'm Arthur Bisman, professor of-"
"Wait, you're a professor at Beacon? You must be an amazing Hunter to be teaching at such a young age!" Ruby was suddenly excited. If someone this young could have the skills to teach at Beacon, just how smart and skilled was everyone else? How skilled would she be when she graduated?
A sigh broke her out of her thoughts. "Quite the opposite really, I'm not that useful in a fight, especially with my weak Aura, but I'm good at what I do."
Ruby tried her best to hide her disappointment. "And that is?"
A smile crossed his face. "Finding things, or information mostly. You see, I teach the class on Ancient History and Mythology. It's my job to search old stories for clues about things that have been lost to history, such as the origin of Dust, the history of Grimm, or long-forgotten civilizations such as Sanctuary on the Dragon Continent." Ruby felt a chill go down her spine at the mention of the only uninhabited continent in Remnant. "My semblance makes this easier. While it's draining, I'm able to look into the past, present, or future with some limitations to find small hints or fragments of knowledge, sometimes even actual events, then Professor Ozpin sends a team out to investigate and see if there's anything to support it."
Ruby blinked in confusion. "I-I see, so was that thing with your eyes just an aftereffect?"
"A… Minor one." He glanced out the window for a moment. "Sometimes I see things when I don't intend to. Sometimes I'm compelled to do things because of it. If you look around Beacon long enough or ask some of the other professors, you'll probably find a few examples."
"I… See." "Alright, this is getting a bit weird." "Maybe I'll talk to you another time Professor Bisman?"
The professor blinked in confusion before nodding as Yang returned. "Of course, I suppose I should be going now. Good luck and let me be the first to welcome you to Beacon!" He quickly turned around and walked off, leaving the two sisters confused for different reasons.
"Uh, hey Rubes? Who was that?"
Ruby sighed. "Apparently one of the professors here at Beacon. I really hope they aren't all that weird…" Yang looked in the direction Bisman had left before turning back to Ruby. "D-don't ask, I'm not even sure I know what any of it was about or if he was even telling the truth."
Yang looked around, scratching the back of her neck. "Okaay then, whatever you say Rubes." The two were drawn out of their thoughts by the feeling of the ship come to a stop. "I guess we're there, come on!" Yang turned and marched toward the exit, Ruby trailing behind.
Beacon Academy
Shortly after stepping off the ship, Ruby couldn't help herself as she looked around. "Oh, look, that boy has a collapsible staff! And that girl has a fire sword!" A tug on her hood brought her back to reality.
"Easy there, pup, they're just weapons," Yang said, causing Ruby to sigh.
"They're not just weapons, they're an extension of ourselves! They're so cool!"
"Aren't you happy with Crescent Rose?"
Ruby looked at Yang, mildly annoyed. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people…" Her ears drooped slightly as she sighed. "But better…" "at least the weapons won't judge me."
"Ruby, why don't you try making some friends of your own? Or, you know, meet a guy or girl, whatever you're in to."
Ruby looked up sadly. "But-"
"Speaking of friends, mine are here now gotta go catch up, bye!" Yang spit out too fast for Ruby to respond before getting dragged away by a group of people, spinning Ruby around.
"Wait Yang! Where are we supposed to go? Do we go to the dorms? Do we even have dorms?" She let out a sigh as she started to get dizzy. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing…" As she fell backwards, her tail brushed against something metal and she immediately activated her speed semblance, moving a foot back to catch her balance before standing upright. "That could have been bad," she thought as she turned around to see a cart loaded with metal cases.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
I'm going to cut it off here, I think I should try to keep these under 2000 words and this has already gone over that by a bit. A few notes first:
If people find an interest in it, I'll continue to add small quotes at the beginning of each chapter where it's relevant, but if I do there will be a point where remembering these will fit the theme of the story. The concept of the "Triumvirate/Triarchy" that ruled the ancient Kingdom of Sanctuary is tricky to explain. The "Second Triumvirate" is the one that existed in the backstory part of the first chapter and is actually the one headed by Aurelius, as well as when the Rose family actually started to come into being. If you guys want me to continue with the quotes, you'll find that each one will have something to do with the backstory
I know chocolate is toxic to dogs and probably every wolf Faunus, so I figured that in the world of Remnant there'd be at least someone who looked into and made a medication or something to deal with that. The alternative is a Ruby that never eats chocolate chip cookies, which for some reason doesn't seem right to me.
Arthur Bisman is a bit of a harmless eccentric, but he does have a role to play in this, mostly as exposition of the lore for now. Also, the Dragon Continent (which I think I might just call "Draconys" or something, idk. Leave a review saying what you think of it and the story overall) will have a well-earned Bermuda Triangle reputation to most people in Remnant, and one of the places he can't turn his gaze to, but bring out a special kind of dread for members of the Rose family when it's mentioned in their presence.
Let me know what you think is going to happen next by writing a review or sending me a message. A small line from the first chapter might give you a hint though.
