"I'm home!" Ruby called out as she closed the front door behind her. She hung her hood up on a coat rack, made sure to unload Crescent Rose before setting it and the magazine on a nearby table, and then took the rest of her ammo and magazines and placed them on the table as well. As she disarmed, Zwei ran into the foyer, barking happily at her presence.

"Hey, Zwei." She crouched down to pet him, smiling. Zwei never seemed to mind Ruby's aura of fear, not anymore. He surely felt the same fear as everyone else, but he never let it get in the way of being a good companion. He never hesitated to greet her when she came home, and he never showed any signs of discomfort. He must have been a very brave dog, because very few animals could stand to be around her. She was happy Zwei was one of them.

"Welcome home, Ruby." Her father entered the foyer, smiling at her. "Did Qrow tell you who came to visit?"

"No, I forgot to ask." She stood back up and gave him a light smile.

Taiyang grinned. "You'll never guess who it is. Come on, he and Qrow are waiting in the kitchen."

That certainly made Ruby curious. She followed him into the kitchen, which doubled as a dining room, and housed a simple, rectangular table. Qrow was seated at one of the short ends, and next to him, on a long end opposite Ruby, was-

Seriously!? Professor Ozpin!? Ruby's eyes widened. She knew enough about Beacon to recognize its headmaster in an instant, with his grey hair and tiny spectacles.

Tai noticed her reaction, and smirked. "Told you you'd never guess." He walked over to the kitchen counter, leaning back against it before folding his arms and looking over to Ozpin.

"Miss Ruby Rose." Ozpin took a sip from a coffee mug, looking over at her. He had an odd look to him, where it seemed he was smiling even if he wasn't. He seemed both calm and friendly, which was a pleasant surprise to Ruby. If her Zone of Terror was affecting him at all, he showed no sign of it. He looked into her eyes for a long moment before speaking. "Do you know who I am?"

Ruby smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "You're Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon."

"That's correct." He gestured to the seat opposite him. "I was also headmaster when your parents and uncle attended Beacon. Qrow's been good about keeping in touch."

Qrow smiled at her. "Evening, Ruby. I hope you don't mind, but I've talked about you to him a few times over the years."

Ozpin nodded. "You've apparently become quite skilled with the scythe, which is especially impressive given how difficult such a weapon is to wield. In fact, your uncle is the only one I've known who's mastered it."

Ruby couldn't help grinning a little as she sat down. "Yeah... actually, he trained me in how to use it. I started trying to learn when I was ten. I was complete garbage at it at first... but he kept training me, and now I'm... actually pretty good!" She giggled a little. It was embarrassing to admit her early weakness, but... well, she really was grateful to Qrow for training her. She wasn't sure she would have made it this far in life without him. "I just... well, I knew I wanted something like his weapon, but I didn't realize at first how hard it would be to learn! But I kept at it and now, I'm top of my class at Signal!" She cleared her throat. "At least when it comes to combat."

Qrow chuckled. "And for good reason. She's a fast learner, and a determined one, too. Doesn't let anything stop her."

"Yeah..." Ruby smiled at the praise, but only slightly. The truth was, she had very personal reasons for wanting to learn how to fight. Qrow knew that. The question is, how much had he told Ozpin?

Ozpin adjusted his glasses before speaking again. "Do you know why I am here, Ruby?"

It wasn't hard to guess. But even so, Ruby wasn't entirely comfortable with just saying it. "Well, I..." she glanced away. "I guess Qrow told you all about me, huh?"

Ozpin frowned, very slightly. "He told me that you're... a very special girl." He inclined his head. "But, I'd like to hear it from you."

Ruby turned back to him, looking into his eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "Well... I seem to have a lot of different powers, more than just my semblance. Like, I can shoot fire and lightning and ice without using Dust. And I..." She grimaced. "I'm sure you noticed when I walked into the room, but... I just seem to make everyone scared of me."

"Yes, I had noticed that." He leaned forward a little. "If I may ask... how much control do you have over these powers?"

"Well, the lightning and stuff is... a little unpredictable. If I try to use a certain amount of energy, I might use that, or I might use a lot more without meaning to. I can't really control how much comes out, I mostly just... pick a type of energy, and throw it around and see what happens. But, thankfully, it's not like I can just snap my fingers-" She snapped her fingers for emphasis, "-And burn a house down or something. I have to really focus on creating it, or nothing happens. It's a little easier if I'm fighting Grimm, but I still have to..." Her face scrunched up a little as she tried to figure out how to describe it. "...well, really want to use it." That didn't explain how she used her powers the first time on accident, but perhaps that was just due to her life being in danger.

"I think I understand." He took a sip from his mug. "Continue."

"And my Zone of Terror-" She covered her mouth, blushing a little from embarrassment at letting slip the name she'd given that power. It sounded ridiculous, now that she was saying it to someone as prestigious as Ozpin. "...That's what we call the whole fear thing... anyway, I can make it flare up and get stronger, and I can kinda make it stronger for a specific person, but... other than that, I can't really control it. It goes up and down a little with my emotions – good feelings make it weaker and bad feelings make it stronger – but... it never really goes away." She sighed. "Never could learn how to just turn it off, no matter how much I want it to."

He nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, some abilities can be... problematic. Especially the ones that don't give their bearer a choice. But sometimes, what seems like a curse can become a blessing under the right circumstances." Ozpin sat up straight, then smiled at her, just a little. "In any event, you don't need to worry about me being afraid of you, Ruby. At the level it's at now, the fear is... not insurmountable."

Ruby frowned. "Insur-what?"

Ozpin chuckled. "It means that I've faced fear worse than this, and endured. And I've faced enough of it over the years that I'm not easily affected by it."

Ruby smiled back at him, feeling a little better. "You must be pretty brave, then."

Ozpin shook his head. "No. It's just that I fear much more for other people than I do for myself." He smiled again, but there was a sadness behind it. Sadness, and a bit of fatigue. It made Ruby wonder how old he really was. He had grey hair, but his face didn't look past middle age. Right now, though, his expression made him seem very old indeed.

"I know what you mean. I mean, that's partly because it seems like I'm not really afraid of a whole lot – I guess that's one good thing about my Semblance. But... I guess I've always been more worried for other people, too. I've always wanted to help people... my parents taught me that. I mean, Mom was a Huntress, dad's a Huntsman, Qrow's a Huntsman... so, you know, when they taught me about helping others, they also taught about protecting others and that's why I want to become a Huntress!" She was a bit more animated now as she began to talk about something positive for once, starting to gesture about for emphasis while speaking faster. "Well, and I've always thought Huntsmen and Huntresses were really cool – that's also because of my family, probably – and so I'm going to apply to Beacon one day. My sister's going to apply once this school year's over, but I've still got a couple years at Signal-" She suddenly looked around. "Hey, where's Yang?"

Qrow answered with, "She's in the living room, watching television."

Her father chuckled. "Either that, or outside the door, listening."

There was a thud outside the kitchen door, making everyone in the room turn towards the sound. It sounded like something being dropped, or someone tripping over themselves. Tai and Qrow both laughed, while Ruby erupted into giggles at the thought of her sister's reaction to being discovered. Ozpin didn't laugh, but he did smile, banishing the sorrow from his expression. Then, he cleared his throat, bringing attention back to him. "Well, that explains why an adorable little girl like you would want to become a Huntress. Is that why Qrow began training you at such a young age?"

Ruby's smile faltered. Does he really not know? She thought. Should I... just tell him? She looked down as she thought about it. She wasn't sure she really wanted to talk about it. Qrow obviously trusted him, but... did she?

"Well... when I was ten, I started having these nightmares..."

The atmosphere in the room quickly changed. Tai stopped leaning on the counter and stood up straight, looking worried. Qrow's expression turned a little darker, but he gave no indication as to whether or not Ruby should continue. Maybe they hadn't told Ozpin after all.

"...And I got really scared by them, so I asked Qrow to help me fight so I wouldn't be scared anymore." If Ozpin didn't know, she wasn't going to tell him. Not tonight.

This was something very personal to her, anyway, and she hadn't told anyone but her family about those nightmares. People thought she was weird enough as it was, and she didn't need people knowing about this too. Besides, she'd become more of a... private person as she entered her teens.

Come to think of it, she wondered: If things had been different, and she'd only started getting the nightmares now, would she even have told her family about them? Maybe that wasn't worth wondering about. The nightmares had changed her, and there was no point trying to figure out what could have been if she hadn't had them. She'd done enough of that kind of thinking.

She cleared her throat. "Nightmares are one of the few things that can scare me. Like I said, normally I'm not afraid."

"I see." If Ozpin knew the truth, he gave no sign that he knew she was hiding things from him – at least, his face didn't. "I apologize for prying. It seems this is a... sensitive subject, so I won't ask you to reveal anything you're not comfortable with. While it is my responsibility to help Huntsmen and Huntresses be the best they can be, this often requires me to step back and let them... be themselves."

Qrow had stopped slouching in his chair. He reached over to Ruby, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards him and smiled a little.

Ozpin continued. "Once you enter Beacon, you can tell me anything that's troubling you, but perhaps now is simply too early for that."

Ruby looked back to Ozpin. "It's all right." Something clicked for her, and her eyes widened. "You really think I'll get into Beacon?"

Ozpin smiled. "I have absolutely no doubt." Ozpin took another sip of coffee. "There is one more thing I would like to ask, however. Do you know what led to these powers emerging?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not really. The elemental attacks just... came out a few days ago, while I was in the forest with Yang. We were hunting Grimm for fun and practice, and I kinda got in over my head. I just..." She looked down at her hands. "I was fighting for my life, and... something just snapped in me. Next thing I know, I'm electrocuting an Ursa ten times my size."

She hadn't told anyone else about what she'd felt when she used her powers, so of course she wasn't going to tell Ozpin about it.

"And the Zone of Terror... well, that kind of just sprung up one day when I was nine. My Aura got unlocked at the same time, so we thought it was my Semblance at first but... a few years later, turns out I have super-speed, too." She quickly waved a hand across the space in front of her to illustrate her point. "So for a while, we thought, 'Maybe it's a dual Semblance, that'd be really cool.' But..." She sighed. "I don't really know anymore."

Ozpin frowned a little. "That is unusual, to have one's Aura unlock itself on its own, at such an age. Was there a trigger of some sort? Or some odd incident that had happened shortly before?"

"No, I-" She frowned. She felt like there was something more to it, something she couldn't remember. But try as she might, the memory wouldn't form itself into anything coherent. There was... a cabin? A voice? She couldn't remember. It felt like so long ago. "...I don't remember."

"...I see."

Ozpin didn't speak for a long moment, and neither did Ruby. She squirmed a little in her seat, feeling uncomfortable, and finally she spoke just to break the silence. "Professor Ozpin, do you... have any idea what these powers are?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Rose, I do not. Over the years I have heard of or encountered a number of individuals with unusual powers, but your situation is..." He paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words, "...Not something I can currently explain."

"I see." Ruby looked down. That meant it wasn't something her mother had – or that anyone had, before her. She wasn't sure she liked being the first – if not the only – one with this particular package of powers. It meant she had more questions than answers.

"If I may, Miss Rose..." Ozpin began, causing Ruby to look up at him. His expression was more sorrowful than anything he'd shown up to this point, but his eyes held concern in them as well. "You seem troubled by these powers you have. You're uncertain what they mean, and what the future might hold. And while the ability to inspire fear in others and to channel destructive energy is certainly a... dark set of powers to have..." he adjusted his glasses again. "I don't believe that this makes you any worse of a person, or that you're destined to hurt people instead of protect them. These are the particular gifts you've been given, and how they are used... is entirely up to you."

Slowly, Ruby started to smile. "Thanks. I... well, it was good to hear that."

Ozpin smiled a little as well. "Personally, I very much hope you continue on the path you're on, and apply to Beacon as soon as you're able. Your father and Qrow both speak very highly of you and your abilities, and I trust their judgment. Of course-" He waved a hand dismissively, "-there is paperwork to fill out and qualifications to be examined, but that should hardly be a problem."

Ruby smiled even more.

"However..." Ozpin's expression becoming more serious. "I would recommend using your... unusual powers as little as possible. The 'Zone of Terror' can't be hidden, unfortunately, but people have had fear-based Semblances in the past, and will in the future. Semblances that boost the user's speed are also well-known, and relatively common. It will be quite easy to pass those two abilities off as a dual Semblance. On the other hand..." He leaned in a little. "I would advise keeping your energy creation powers to yourself. Not just because of their unpredictable nature, but also because... it would give you a lot of unwanted attention." He straightened his posture again. "There are people in the world who see those with such powerful abilities as tools to be used. Or threats to be eliminated."

Ruby nodded, her expression serious. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'll try not to use them if I can help it." She sighed, growing quiet. "People are afraid of me enough as it is..."

"You will probably encounter situations where using your destructive gifts is the only way to save someone's life. Or, you might encounter people whom you trust to know about these abilities. I can't tell you what the right decision to make will be, so... I will simply leave it to your judgment." He took another drink of coffee. "But, I trust it will be the right one. On that note... that is all I wished to speak with you about, Miss Rose. If there is anything else you wish to discuss, please let me know."

Ruby shook her head. "I can't think of anything else."

Ozpin nodded. "I need to discuss some more things with your father and uncle, and then I will be going." He stood up, and as Ruby did the same, he extended his hand towards her. "Thank you for your time, Miss Rose."

Ruby smiled and accepted the handshake. "Thank you, Professor Ozpin." She stepped back and gave a slight bow, then turned and left the kitchen, closing the hallway door behind her.

As she reached the door to the living room, she reached for the doorknob, only for the door to open, with Yang on the other side, smiling at her. "So? How'd the talk go?"

"I..." Ruby scrunched her face up as she tried to summarize it. "...I'm not actually sure. He mostly just wanted to know about... all the stuff I can do." Then, she smiled. "But, he thinks that I might be able to attend Beacon someday!"

"That's great news!" Yang stepped forward, giving Ruby one of her usual bear hugs. "I mean, I never doubted you, but it's good to hear it from the top!"

Ruby didn't answer – and really, couldn't answer until Yang released her. "Yeah, you'll have to write me and tell me what it's like once you start going." She sighed. "It's going to be lonely at Signal without you."

"It wouldn't be if you made some friends!" Yang stepped back to allow Ruby into the living room with her. "If you didn't spend so much time with books, and actually tried to interact with people for more than thirty seconds..."

"Your friends don't care for me, what makes you think anyone else will?" Ruby walked over to the couch, and practically fell back onto it.

"That's not true!" Yang sat on the other side of the couch. "I'm sure... some of them don't think you're so bad..."

"Well, that's a relief." Ruby laid her head back and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Zwei walked up to her and yipped at her, but she didn't react.

Yang sighed. "The thing is, Ruby, you have to... like, have some good experiences with people, give them something to feel about you other than fear."

Ruby looked over to Yang, biting her lip to hold back the response that had come to mind. Easy for you to say. But it really hadn't been easy for Yang, had it?

"It worked for me, didn't it?" Yang smiled.

"Yeah, but you're family. You're stuck with me."

Yang frowned in response. "I don't think of myself as being stuck with you, Ruby. I learned how to deal with the fear because you matter to me."

"And to most people, I don't matter, at least not enough to try and be friends with a girl that makes them afraid."

Yang sighed and shook her head, clearly frustrated with how this conversation was going. Zwei gave a soft whine, as if sensing the mood. Ruby, meanwhile returned to leaning back on the couch, and simply stared at the ceiling. She didn't turn her head when her sister spoke again. "Ruby, you can't just... go on like this, trying to shut everyone out of your life."

"I'm not shutting everyone out. I've got you, dad, Qrow-" She was interrupted by a bark from Zwei. "-And Zwei."

"That's not gonna be enough." Yang didn't say anything for a short while, merely glaring at Ruby, even though it was a few seconds before Ruby looked over at her. When she did, she also saw a trace of fear in Yang's eyes. The Zone must be stronger than normal right now, Ruby thought, feeling a stab of guilt. She sat up on the couch, closed her eyes, and rested her head in her hands. Negative feelings made it stronger, after all, and when she got into depressive moods like this, when she resented the aura of fear she projected... well, the fear became stronger, and gave her even more reason to be depressed. It could, and had, sent her into spirals of gloom for her, and terror for everyone around her.

Then, Yang sighed, and shifted closer to Ruby's side of the couch, before finally wrapping an arm around her and bringing her into a hug, getting her to make eye contact again. "You just... need to be happy more, I guess. Find something you like talking about or doing, and someone who likes the same things, and... things'll get better before you know it." She chuckled, but her laughter had a nervous edge to it. "I mean, that's kinda because your Zone gets weaker when you're happy. I mean, when you're talking about weapons, or Crescent Rose, or becoming a Huntress... you really light up the room, for once." She smiled, and Ruby found herself slowly returning the expression.

"Maybe you're right. I might just find someone who's like me in Beacon."

"Well, you'll definitely find a lot of people interested in weapons and fighting. I mean, this is Beacon we're talking about. You can get by at Signal if you just want to learn how to defend yourself, but Beacon? You've got to really want to be a Huntsman or Huntress to apply there, much less graduate. So you'll have something in common with everyone there!"

Ruby giggled a little. "I guess that's true."

Yang smiled, the nervousness replaced by warmth. "See? It's not hard to make you happy."

"Not for you, anyway." Ruby leaned over and wrapped both arms around her sister. "Thanks for making me feel better. And... thanks for sticking with me."

Yang returned the hug, patting her on the back for good measure. "You keep saying that, Ruby. And I keep telling you: I'll never abandon you." She pulled back from the embrace, and smirked. "But, that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in video games."

Ruby grinned. "Is that a challenge?"

"It is – unless you're too tired to put up a fight!"

"Oh, you're on! But if you beat me, don't blame me if my Zone gets stronger!"

"It's not like that'll help you win!"

Zwei barked happily, jumping up onto the couch and settling in the space between them, as the two tried to settle on a game to play.

After Ruby left the room, and the strength of her Zone of Terror had gone down, Ozpin sat back down. He sighed, taking his glasses off and closing his eyes. He looked more tired than Qrow had seen him in a long time. He'd handled Ruby's "special powers" well, but even he had his limits. Not that Qrow ever blamed him for it.

"Well, Oz?" Qrow propped his arm up on the table and rested his head on it, while Taiyang finally walked over and took a seat. "Did you mean what you said about not having a clue about her?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He put his glasses back on. The look of fatigue passed, replaced with the calm determination that Qrow was used to. "However, this meeting has been productive, I think. I've decided what to do about her."

Taiyang frowned a little, worry showing on his face. He wasn't quite as privy to Ozpin's secrets and plans as Qrow was, and the news that Ozpin had taken an interest in Ruby had come as quite a surprise. "And that is?"

Ozpin smiled at him. "Quite simply, she's going to be attending Beacon much sooner than she thinks."

Qrow raised his eyebrows, while Taiyang let out a breath he'd been holding, and then chuckled. "That's great news, she'll be real happy to hear that."

"Heh." Qrow smirked. "Let me guess, you want to keep an eye on her?"

"Indeed. With her at Beacon, I'll be in a much better position to observe her powers as they develop. Also, we can better keep her safe from those who would do her harm – and from her personal demons, of which it seems she has her share."

Taiyang nodded. "How soon are you talking about?"

"We'll let her finish this school year at Signal, of course, but I'll arrange for her to attend Beacon next year, at the same time as her sister. That will make the transition easier, I believe. Assuming, of course, she's ready to graduate to Beacon."

Qrow grinned. "You better believe she's ready. I'd stake my reputation on that... such as it is. But she's been fighting battles for years now, so if she's not ready for Beacon, no one is."

"I have no doubts about that. She's certainly among Signal's best, and I suspect that she would have caught my attention even if she didn't have these 'gifts.'" Ozpin suddenly frowned, staring ahead, lost in thought for a moment. "By the way... does she have any friends at Signal?"

Taiyang's expression fell. This had very much been a source of gloom for the entire family. "Not really."

"Hmm." Ozpin nodded lightly, apparently unsurprised by this news. "Because she makes everyone afraid of her?"

"Pretty much. It... can be overcome, but so far as I know, no one at Signal has really made the effort." Taiyang chuckled darkly. "Other than certain teachers, that is."

"I see. Then perhaps the transition will not be such a shock, after all." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, gesturing with an open hand. "And, perhaps a fresh start is what she needs. After all, Beacon has a way of getting students to bond, whether they want to or not."

That earned chuckles from both Taiyang and Qrow. Qrow, for his part, added in, "Whoever ends up on a team with her is going to either love her or hate her within a few months. Hopefully the former."

"Unfortunately, that's not something I can help her with. However... I think she'll be able to earn the trust of her team, with time and effort."

Taiyang tilted his head. "You think things will work out?"

Ozpin nodded. "You could say I have faith in her. Sometimes, that's all a person needs."

Qrow scoffed. "And sometimes I think you have too much faith in people." His voice was quiet, and he wasn't thinking about Ruby when he said those words.

"Perhaps." Ozpin sighed. "There is one more thing I would like to discuss while I'm here. How much have you been able to learn about this "Zone of Terror?""

Qrow sighed. "Quite a bit, but not enough." He stood up and walked over to the kitchen cabinets. He reached for one of the highest ones, and took out a bottle of bourbon and a shotglass. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." Ozpin's voice was sharp and focused, like his expression. "The area it covers, the effects it has on people, and especially any defenses against it."

"Right..." Taiyang glanced at Qrow, then looked back at Ozpin. "Well, the Zone is fully effective to a radius of about five meters or so, but it continues for another five meters, growing weaker as you get more distant from her. Needless to say, that means pretty much anyone having a conversation with her is going to be within its range." He was switching away from "concerned parent" mode to "teacher" mode out of necessity. The information they'd learned had to be discussed in a dispassionate way, after all, if they were going to figure this Zone out and actually help Ruby. "Solid objects block it, but it spreads around corners and through gaps, so if she were in this room and someone were outside that wall-" He tilted his head towards the wall that divided the kitchen from the cold evening air outside, "They wouldn't feel it, but someone on the other side of that door would." He pointed a thumb behind him, towards the hallway door.

Qrow finished his shot, and called from across the room, "There's a weird exception to that, however. If you're completely separated from her, but there's a glass window in the way, you can still be affected by it if you're within the radius, but only if you're looking at her."

"Interesting," Ozpin mused. "It's partially based on distance, and partially on sight, but isn't completely dependent on either aspect.

"On that note," Taiyang continued, "The nature of the fear she causes in others depends on whether or not someone's looking at her. If they are, they're afraid of her specifically, but if they aren't looking at her for any reason, then it manifests as a... general sense of danger, like you're being watched by a Grimm but you don't know where it is."

Qrow sighed. He wasn't sure which of those two fears were worse – being afraid of your own family, or being afraid of something that you couldn't see. "It's worth noting that if you look at her and close your eyes, it takes several seconds for the fear to switch, but the same isn't true if you walk into the Zone and then look at her. It switches very fast in that case. Can be kind of a surprise, really."

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, I had noticed that when I first saw her."

"You sure hid it well." He started pouring himself another shot. "Also, the effect lingers for a few seconds after you leave the Zone." He turned to Ozpin. "By the way, I hope you appreciate how tricky it was to get this information. There was a lot of testing involved."

"I can imagine," Ozpin said grimly. "She said that she could make it stronger, and focus its effects on someone."

Taiyang nodded. "That's been a little harder to test. She's uncomfortable enough when the 'normal' zone affects us, so she has a hard time making it stronger, even to test things. But we have been able to learn that 'flaring' the Zone not only increases its strength, it also increases its radius, both effective and maximum, moreso the former. The furthest we've measured it is fifteen or sixteen meters. As for focusing it on a person..." Taiyang frowned. "We don't really know. She's never done that on us, but we've heard about... incidents in which she's done so, on bullies and other people who were really bothering her. It might be that it takes actual malice to be able to focus on someone, or maybe she simply doesn't want to do that to us, even as a test. Hell, she feels guilty even after she uses it on someone she doesn't like."

Qrow stared at the bottle, trying to decide whether or not to pour himself some more. "But from what we've heard, when she does that, it changes the fear itself slightly, mixing fear of her with fear of... whatever the target fears most, I guess. Failure, helplessness, that kind of thing." He finally stoppered the bottle before putting it back in its place, and then turned back to face Ozpin. "But that's been hard to learn about, obviously. The only people who know what that's like are people who aren't on good terms with her, and they don't really want to talk about it."

"I see." Ozpin turned to Taiyang. "You said that the fear could be overcome. I was able to bear it, at least for the short time that conversation took, but how have you two, and her sister, dealt with it all this time?" His tone was not one of mere curiosity, or one of a man seeking crucial information. He was... actually amazed.

Taiyang smiled. "Well, it seems that strong emotions can actually counter the fear she produces, at least when she's not flaring it. It can be things like anger, but feelings of trust or love work too."

Qrow walked back over to the table, sitting down at his former seat. "It doesn't actually make the fear go away, though. It just makes it easier to fight. Also, those counteracting emotions have to be directed towards her. It's not like she can walk into a funeral and not have an effect on anyone."

"I see. That is good news." Ozpin smiled, but only sadly. "Which makes it unfortunate that she hasn't made any friends at Signal."

Taiyang grimaced, folding his arms. "And I don't think she's going to. There's something else we've found out, from people talking about her. Apparently, if someone is affected by her power for long enough – or encounters her a lot over, say, the school year – then eventually that fear starts becoming permanent, even when they're not inside the Zone. They feel afraid just thinking about her."

As Ozpin's eyebrows raised, Qrow added, "We don't know if that's a part of her power, or if that's just what people are like after you scare them too many times."

Ozpin put a hand to his chin, thinking. "It's easy to imagine it as just part of how the human psyche works. The mind associates her with fear so strongly that it starts to produce that emotion, even when the original cause of that fear was an external force and not something the person would have felt on their own." He sighed. "Either way, however, the effects are... very unfortunate. That makes it even more important that she get a fresh start at Beacon."

Taiyang suddenly spoke up. "Oh yeah, there's one more thing about the Zone. It goes away when she's sleeping."

"...That's interesting." He looked between Taiyang and Qrow, not speaking for a moment. "She also mentioned having nightmares."

Qrow gave him a stern look in return. "She'll tell you when she's ready. It's... kind of a personal matter."

Ozpin nodded slowly. "I gathered as much." He took hold of his cane and began to stand up, prompting the other two to stand as well. "Well, that is all for tonight, I think. The two of you can continue to watch her progress this year. Let me know if there are any new developments. Once the new school year begins, we'll do the best we can for her at Beacon."

Taiyang smiled. "Should we give her the good news?"

"I leave that up to you. She is your daughter-" Ozpin glanced at Qrow, "And your niece." He started to walk around the table, towards the hallway door, then halted. "However, I get the impression that, ultimately, she doesn't really want to be special. She clearly sees her powers as a curse, and – to her credit – doesn't want special treatment on account of them. Unfortunately, having her attend Beacon next year certainly qualifies. But there may be a way to make the transition seem more..." he tilted his head. "...Natural. Perhaps she should simply be encouraged to apply to Beacon this summer, upon which she will, of course, find herself accepted despite her age, based on her excellent combat record and performance at Signal, and not because of a personal invitation by Beacon's headmaster on account of her unusual powers." He smiled, just a little.

Author's Notes:

My greatest sin in writing this fic, I think, is that Ruby isn't quite the same dork we know in canon. She's definitely a bit more serious. She still has her moments, though.

Anyway, this is the extent of the backlog I've built up. I have more written, but the way I tend to write, at least for this fic, is that I write scenes as I think of them and then connect the dots. So, I just need to write some more scenes to properly connect things. In the meantime, leave a review, let me know how I'm doing. Should I flesh things out more? Is the novelization unnecessary? Should I even continue this idea? I want to hear from you all.