Disclaimer:

I still don't own RWBY. If I did, I'd still probably write a fic just to mess with my fan's heads.

Story:

It wasn't long after my confrontation with Ozpin before I arrived at Beacon.

I didn't own very many things so packing didn't take more than an hour. After that I stopped by my father's grave to pay my respects and made a few calls to start setting up for the new influx of hunters. The only thing that took some finagling was getting my piano on the airship, but we were still on our way to Vale not long after sunset.

I've never had the dosh to actually fly anywhere before and I was, if not excited, at least in the same area code as excited. That didn't last long.

The trip itself was brief but managed to pack a lot of suck into a short time frame. Ozpin, while surprisingly genial and accommodating, now that he had what he wanted at least, was still on my list for myriad reasons. So I couldn't enjoy the company. On top of that it turns out I get airsick quite easily; refraining from making a display of everything I'd had to eat in the last twenty-four hours required a steady drain of my aura. As I was still low from the clobbering Ozpin had laid on me earlier, I got to choose between patching up my much abused body or keeping my food down. Ultimately I decided my dignity was more important than healing the many, many, minor injuries I had received. So I got to enjoy all of the bumps and bruises I'd collected for the whole trip, complemented by thrilling undertones of exhaustion and nausea. I never knew fourteen hours could take so long.

I'd arrived two weeks before the rest of the first years came in for initiation. This was due to the fact that if I didn't leave with Ozpin I wouldn't have had any way to actually get to Vale. As it was the dorm they'd put me in would likely be the same one I'd dwell in for the next four years, and I was okay with that for the most part.

It wasn't anything terribly fancy: four bedrooms and a bathroom linked to a common area with an attached kitchen. Evidently teams composed entirely of a single sex didn't get the individual rooms, but outcry from parents had netted me a little more room and privacy than I might otherwise have gotten. True, it was much smaller than the renovated cave I'd called home. But it also had running water and electricity, so in my opinion that particular trade off was in my favor. I might change my tune once I had roommates but for now it was pretty nice.

My only complaint was that though I had room for my small library in my bedroom, there wasn't enough room for my piano. Luckily Beacon had a small music room I could store and play it in so even that wasn't too bad.

Well. I did have a couple more.

I just didn't know what to do with myself at first. Always there had been something to do before: lives to save, food to gather, miles to travel, items to build or repair. But after the first few confusing days I settled into a routine.

I'd get up in the morning and shave with a quickly created straight razor. (I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have a face left if it wasn't for my aura, but you just can't get a closer shave.) Afterwards I'd make myself breakfast. Then I'd hit the gym followed with some good old fashioned running (while ignoring what my upperclassman no doubt believed to be covert glances and whispers). Then I'd do some exorcises with my aura and semblance. Following that was a shower, and a change of clothes followed by lunch. A little later would be a trip to the library where I would check out a book or two. Next up was a little piano time. Finally I'd head back to my dorm to read the books I'd found, eat dinner and go to bed. Ad nauseam.

Second was that Ozpin had forbade from leaving Beacon's campus until I had finished initiation. Then he had made sure I'd known exactly what would happen if I did, and while that pissed me off to no end I also knew he could back it up. In fact, I probably would've been quite happy to stay at Beacon without traveling to Vale at all had he not told me I had to.

But. He only mentioned going into Vale City. I guess the idea that I would climb down a cliff face to fight Grimm hadn't occurred to him. Normally I wouldn't have, but Ozpin is an ass and I take malicious glee in subverting his orders. This close to a large city there wasn't anything too difficult, but it let me keep my skills sharp at least. And offered me a little excitement.

Two weeks after I came to Beacon the other first years started to arrive. The day they came in I was meandering around campus, more or less ignoring the new crowd. I was simply killing time before orientation started when I heard an explosion.

My first reflex was to head toward it. Weird, I know, but look at this way: If I didn't take care of whatever the problem was then somebody else would be forced to deal with it. Knowing my luck, they'd get it wrong and it would proceed to snowball into the Grimmpocalypse. And hey, who knew. Maybe it would be interesting.

It didn't take me long to get there, but it looked like all the exciting stuff had already finished happening. Damn. All that was left at the scene was a small crater with an even smaller girl beside it. As I approached she collapsed onto her knees and whimpered, "Welcome to Beacon."

I eyed the slip of girl. She had pale skin and hair so dark a red it was almost black. She wore a dark dress with red highlights, black leggings, a bright red cloak, and a sensible pair of boots that looked perfect for stomping mud holes into Grimm. On her back mostly concealed by her cloak was a rather large metallic object, which was probably her weapon collapsed down for travel. And though I couldn't see her face from where I was standing, her body language spoke of soul crushing despair.

I started to feel a little guilty about the addendum on my reason for investigating. Besides, it was hard to walk away from someone looking so miserable. I'm not much of a people person but I owed it to the poor thing to at least give it a shot.

I continued my way to her. As her face came into view I felt even worse. She had the sort of face one would expect to see on the last puppy of a litter left on a street corner in a box labeled 'free puppies'. If the puppy had just been kicked. And it had started raining.

I replaced my hybrid frown of concern and guilt with the most sympathetic smile I could muster. "Rough day?" I asked, extending a hand to help her up.

I knew for a fact that I was better at sneers, smirks, and snarls than smiles, but Puppy Girl's face transformed as she grasped my hand. Her hopeful smile would have made you think I had just saved her life before giving her a winged unicorn pony and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Maybe my smile wasn't so bad after all?

"You could say that." she began, voice just as full of hope as the rest of her. "My name is Ruby. Thanks for the help..."

"Jaune." I supplied as I finished helping Ruby to her feet. She dusted herself off while I struggled to think of a topic of conversation. My social skills, as I mentioned before, have never been very good outside of insults, reports, sarcasm and banter. Luckily she helped me out herself.

"I didn't see you on the airship. Are you a second year maybe?"

I was relieved. I waved a hand dismissively. " Naw. I'm a first year. I just arrived a couple weeks early."

"Isn't that against the rules?"

I shrugged. People and their rules. I sometimes think people wouldn't be able to even breathe without a piece of ordinance to govern it. "Maybe?"

We walked more or less aimlessly. I wondered where she was headed. The cafeteria maybe? I was fine with the quiet that had descended after my last answer, but I guess Ruby wasn't.

"So... I've got this thing!" She flourished the metal object I'd spotted before and it unfolded into a scythe bigger than the girl that wielded it.

I let out an impressed whistle. It wasn't everyday I saw somebody handle a weapon larger than they are so casually. She must be stronger than she looks. "Very nice. I've never seen anybody wield a scythe before."

She was downright enthusiastic about this topic. Seems like I've met a weapon fanatic. Well, it wasn't like I hated weaponry myself. "She's also customizable high impact sniper rifle! Her name is Crescent Rose. I made her myself." Some kind of gun, was it? I haven't found a way to manufacture a decent propellant with my semblance yet, and was too broke to afford a steady dust supply, so I haven't bothered learning much about firearms.

She looked over at me once she was done clipping her scythe on to her back again, still shining with maternal pride. "So what weapon do you have?"

I couldn't help teasing her a bit. "I don't have one."

Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped open, and she stopped walking. I looked over my shoulder at her and raised a single eyebrow. Ah, that's the stuff.

It took a while but she finally shrieked something out. "How do you even fight!?"

"My semblance." I was just being smug now.

"And what," She pouted, "is your semblance?"

"I call it Forge. It allows me to create and alter matter." I failed to mention my semblance's limits, such as how difficult and time consuming making something permanent or altering anything at all was, or how I couldn't make living beings. I'm not predisposed to telling people my weaknesses and limitations. That was one bad habit I'd had beaten out of me long ago. Literally.

"Matter?"

"It's what everything is made out of. The most basic building block in the world." Ruby still looked a little confused, so I spread my arms wide in a theatric gesture. My semblance immediately formed a ring of weapons around us.

A massive war maul. A heavy saber. A slender rapier. A glittering spear. All these and more surrounded us. To complete my show I made a scythe that looked remarkably like Crescent Rose form slung over my shoulder. I would have needed a detailed schematic and an hour to study it to make a fully functional copy, but it looked the same. Nor did I have any idea how to use a scythe, but I thought it was a nice touch nonetheless. I was definitely, shamelessly, showboating at that point, but hey. It was fun.

Her jaw dropped again. She worked it furiously for a while without sound. I smiled at her. "Talking goes a little more smoothly when you breathe Ruby."

She finally took a breath and managed to respond with stars twinkling in her eyes. "That is the coolest semblance! The coolest. I kind of wish I had it." Seems like I hit the mark. She was definitely a weapon nut.

I was gratified by her enthusiasm. "It is pretty cool." I dismissed the dozen weapons I'd made, and they faded back into aura as we resumed walking.

"So, Jaune. Um. I was kind of wondering... why you helped me back there. Not that I'm not grateful! Just uh, curious."

I've heard this one before. Many times. I scratched the side of my jaw before responding more or less the same as I always do. "I helped because I thought I could. There's more than enough darkness in the world, so if I have an opportunity to brighten somebody's day I will."

I delivered the words casually, but they were the bedrock I'd built my life on. It took me years to realize that faunus were different than humans, and that they hated each other for those tiny dissimilarities. So I asked my father why he'd adopted me, given that I was very much a human and he was most certainly a faunus. Those words were what my father gave me in answer. Those words and the plain kindness behind them saved me. For years they were all that kept me from becoming a monster that abused his power to hurt others simply because he hurt. Eventually I started to mature enough to put thought into my actions, to decide what was right from wrong myself, but when I started I was simply a desperate ten year old boy. And kids, especially kids frantically trying to avoid starving to death, are not well equipped for introspection.

"I feel the same way." Ruby's words brought me back from my inner monologue and I noticed her giving me a smile. One I had never seen before; something gentle and warm that made me feel happy but also horribly uncomfortable. I'd already decided I liked the cute puppy girl, but I felt my blood rushing to my face which was completely unacceptable.

So I looked away and manfully ignored my embarrassment. I coughed then, just to give me something to do while I reached desperately for a topic change. "So. Where are we headed? The cafeteria?"

"I thought they were holding orientation in the auditorium?" She said, that odd smile thankfully fading into something merely bright and mildly confused instead of discomfiting. Well, at least I managed to cheer her up right?

"It is, but we've been heading in the wrong direction. I figured you were hungry or something," I pointed to a set of heavy double doors, "because the cafeteria is right there. Was I wrong?"

"I was following you!" And now she looked panicky. Great job Jaune.

OK, I can still salvage this. "Calm down Ruby, we still have enough time. Just keep following me and I'll get us there."

I smirked to show I was just messing with her before I continued. "It's a good thing one of us knows where we're going."

She glared at me and swatted at my arm playfully, which was the physical equivalent of saying 'I give up'. Ha. One point for Jaune. I chuckled as I led her to the auditorium. "So, what was up with the explosion? Did you see what happened?"

It was evidently her turn to blush now. Her pale cheeks turned red amazingly quickly, though I pretended not to notice. She didn't mention my blush so it would have been churlish of me to note hers. "It was an accident! I accidentally bumped into this crabby girl and..." I think she used the word accident or one of it's derivatives twenty-eight times, though I could have lost count once her mouth hit top speed. And though her words started to run together by the end of her story, I still managed to get most of it.

I opened the door to the auditorium for her as she finished up her tale because my late father didn't raise a barbarian. Mind you I probably am a barbarian now, but the basics of courtly behavior were instilled into me at a formative age.

"So basically, some jerk blew you up with improperly sealed dust before proceeding to yell at you for it? Somebody needs to learn about some important concepts. Like responsibility, manners, forgiveness, and how not to be a jackass." I was outraged by this person I had never met. Ruby was adorable. She was kind of a dork too, I'll admit, though I personally I can't throw stones on that last count. Besides, it was part of her charm damn it! Whoever blew up Ruby must have Ozpin levels of bastard flowing through her veins.

"I know right!? I was just trying to say sorry."

We entered the auditorium and walked into a crowd. Ugh. I hate crowds. They make it hard to notice things sneaking up on you.

Shortly after we entered the hall a voice cut through the noise of the crowd we were in. "Ruby! Over here! I saved you a seat!" I honed in on the voice and though I couldn't see her well through the crowd, I saw saw a curvaceous woman wearing what looked like a skimpy set of brown riding leathers waving. And she had extremely long blonde hair. Seriously, it looked amazing, but who had the time for upkeep on something like that? But I'm digressing.

"That's my big sister. I'll introduce you guys later Jaune. I'll talk to you after the ceremony!" Before I could respond Ruby was already lost in the crowd. That was kind of abrupt. Hopefully it wasn't anything I said.

Not much I can do about it now. I let out a sigh. "Guess it's time I found myself a seat as well."

Notes:

First off is a shout to the people who took time out of their life to shoot me a review. I really appreciate it and I find it easier to get into my writing mindset when I read them.

Writing for Ruby is more fun than I thought it would be. She's so excitable and naive. It makes her a wonderful foil for Jaune.

I do apologize for how close this runs with canon, but Jaune doesn't have an outgoing personality. If he doesn't think somebody needs help he simply won't approach them. And it gave a great opportunity to expand on Jaune's semblance and personality.

In other news, I'm probably going to start shifting viewpoints occasionally; starting either next chapter or the one after. Jaune will still be the star of the show, but he's far from the only interesting character. One of the future story arcs I have planned will be all but impossible if it's told from entirely from Jaune's POV as well. We also won't see much of the glossing over that has begun the last couple chapters for a while.

So my readers, what would you prefer? Shorter chapters with faster updates or longer ones with slower updates? This chapter was originally going to keep going until the end of the day, or possibly even until the very beginning of initiation, but I was worried about boring people with a massive tl;dr wall of text. I'm still trying to find my pace. Even if you don't have a preference, I'd like to know.