Ruby XI

I tackled Cardin from behind and brought him to the ground, sportsmanship be damned. I turned him around and could barely make out his face. For that matter, I could barely see anything. My face felt hot from the tears that streamed down it. It felt just like the time I had raced with the Brothers Grimm when Yang swore she saw me cry silver tears. Not only was the physical sensation identical, but the emotional one as well. The same complicated feelings of loss and desperation welled up inside of me. Though Cardin struggled, I gripped him like a vice and refused to let go. Hell, even if I wanted to release him I probably couldn't. My body was being moved by my heart then, not my mind.

Everything went white and I saw someone. It was Weiss, standing in a field of wheat. Her silver hair was down and swung gently in the breeze. The sun had just begun to set and her skin glowed with the evening light. I could not describe with words how safe I felt at that moment. All of the perils of being a hunter had left my mind and there was no worry. It was as though my spirit had been bathed in untapped waters and all the grime it had accumulated over the years was dispelled in an instant. Why Weiss inspired such feelings in me may remain a mystery. Though in truth it mattered naught because, for the first time in years, I felt safe. She turned around to face me, began to speak, and then a sharp pain struck the back of my head. It was all gone: Weiss, the wheat field, and everything. I was on the ground in a puddle of muddy water.

"What the fuck?" I muttered, peeling myself from the mud. When I looked up and cleared the dirt from my eyes I saw a few things. The first was the extent of the snow melt. Everything that I could see had the snow melted from it. Watery, grimy mud pooled on the ground as a result. Second, the balconies that had hosted a few of the spectators had collapsed. The columns beneath the balconies had crumbled to dust. Several of the spectators had fallen onto the ground as well. And lastly, I saw The Emerald Calamity, the dean of the school, clear as day. The man stood almost seven feet tall and was holding Cardin by the neck.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on?" He posed the question to the crowd, but they responded with silence. Even I didn't know how to answer him. Any response that was truthful would surely warrant punishment, in light of the circumstances. He asked again, this time shouting loudly, but instead of answering all of the students started to run away. The dean tapped his cane against the ground three times. After the third tap all of the students found themselves strewn about the practice ground as though they were teleported back. Was he throwing the students around with the same power he had used on me? Everyone appeared disoriented and even professor Port had been caught up in the missmash. "Now that I have your attention, I'll ask again. What is the meaning behind this spontaneous gathering of the bright minds of Beacon Academy?" He asked, but the crowd remained silent. That's when he looked at me, "Anything to say, Ms. Rose?"

I was taken aback. For one, it was shocking to me that the dean of the school knew my name. Perhaps he was the meticulous type of person who took the time to remember the names of all his students. Anyway, all this to say that the fate of a good chunk of the student body fell in my hands once Headmaster Ozpin addressed me. I couldn't be mad at my peers for being scared to speak when in the presence of a legend. Aside from his academic career, Ozpin was a remarkable hunter. He was known the world over for his feats. There was nary a place in the entire world you could go where no one knew his name. He hunted Grimm and ignoble hunters alike. No matter what form it took, wickedness could not hide from him. That was what made him scary for some. Some hunters went their entire careers without ever taking the life of another person. That wasn't the case for Ozpin; rumor has it he killed a thousand men. And, although they were all outlaws, people feared him.

I stood up from the mud and tried to formulate an answer for the old man. His hair was white as snow and the color from his green eyes had begun to fade. Now their hue was more reminiscent of the end of summer.

I hesitated, but I managed to squeak out the word, "Hello," there was a pause and then I continued, "We were just sparring, professor."

"Just sparring?" He asked, gesturing towards the destroyed balconies. "The beam that did that came from you. If it went through stone with such ease, then I hesitate to imagine what it would do to a person,"

"Right, of course, sir. I'll be more careful next time,"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I don't know what else needs to be said,"

"I see. Port!" He shouted and professor Port came waddling up from the mud. Ozpin dropped Cardin to the ground and he wheezed as he hit the dirt.

"Headmaster Ozpin! It is a pleasure to see you, as always. Though I appreciate your assistance," Professor Port brushed some of the mud from his coat as subtly as he could, "I had the situation perfectly under control!"

"Of course, I've come to expect nothing short of excellence from you," I almost laughed when Ozpin said that to him. "All I want is to hear a retelling of the events of today from each of you. After you plead your case I will render my judgment. We'll start with Port,"

"Righto, I got wind of the trouble these two were brewing and decided to step in. They had been planning to have this unsanctioned match for weeks and on top of all of that their bout was not only unsanctioned but also illegal. For this is no ordinary duel. Ms. Rose challenged Cardin to an yssai, a duel to the death. I'm sure you're aware that the laws of Vale prohibit such things!"

"That's not true!" I lied, "We were doing nothing of the sort!"

"Oz! She's interrupting me. Are you gonna let her do that!?"

"I think you've talked enough. Let's hear from the students. Cardin?" Ozpin gestured for him to stand and he made a shaky attempt at doing so, "Do you think you can tell me what happened here?" I looked at Cardin and we came to a sort of mutual understanding. So, when Ozpin asked him the question, Cardin responded with this:

"It's like she said. We were just sparring,"

"Really now, just sparring,"

"Aye, just sparring," He repeated. Strangely enough that managed to diffuse the entire situation. Port walked off red in the face and the rest of the student body were sent back to their dorms with only a minor conduct warning. As for Cardin and I, well, Ozpin had his own plans for us. He issued us a major warning and demanded we see him the next day to discuss how we could be brought back into good academic standing. Ozpin left us standing there, alone, but Cardin followed soon after. He had said all that he had to say and, evidently, felt that that was enough. It was not. Though I suppose, on some strange level, I respected his attempt.

That being said, he and Ozpin left me standing there alone. For a moment it was as though I didn't know what to do. I emerged from that particular encounter no worse for wear, but the losses I had suffered were practically immeasurable. Gently clasping the shattered remains of my scythe, I whispered a quiet prayer for the pitiful thing before putting the pieces in my bag. It had broken in so many places that to repair it would be tantamount to creating a new weapon entirely. Trying something new was definitely the intelligent move to make, but I couldn't manage that. At least not then, not that early.

In the midst of all that though, I noticed something. It was something minor, something I would probably have not even taken note of had my day gone any differently: the snowstorm had passed. The air was still frigid, of course, but it was more pleasant without the snow. Speaking of frigid things, where was Weiss? I half expected her to follow me here and try to stop the match prematurely. Perhaps in the back of my mind I was hoping she would appear at the last minute to save me in case things went bad. It would be nice wouldn't it? I imagined her appearing dramatically in a wall of fog, renouncing her ways, and denouncing Cardin. I suppose that would have been too easy.

The next day we met with Ozpin. I still hadn't seen Weiss. Yang told me that she wanted to talk to me about something, but, honestly, if she wasn't willing to ask me herself then I wasn't interested in listening. Whatever had her acting like this would surely pass before long.

Cardin and I sat in Ozpin's office for quite some time. We waited for him to speak for what felt like an eternity, but he just sat there sipping coffee and reading. He offered the both of us something to drink, I declined, but Cardin accepted. So, I waited, with the two of them drinking tea.