Meet The Roses

As the siblings entered the kitchen they found the group spread out around the room. Ren had taken to assisting the older girls prepare the fish, and Qrow was refilling his coffee with the last of the pot. Mydnight watched Ruby take a seat beside a very nervous looking Oscar at the end of the table away from Nora and Jaune. Mydnight leaned against the wall frame and started to tune into their conversation with a calm smile on his face. He couldn't believe he had actually managed to help Ruby deal with her problem. He had never thought that he could get so close to her after all this time, and that she could accept him so easily for who he was.

"So...I'm gonna have to learn how to fight...huh?" Oscar asked quietly so only Ruby could hear, his voice very shaky.

Ruby looked over to the scared boy and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Ya, it sounds like it, but don't worry. We are all gonna help out, and the professor said you should learn a lot just from him training the rest of us," she smiled. "Is that okay?"

"Hmm?" Oscar looked at her in surprise, as if he hadn't expected that last question. "Okay? I mean...ya I guess, I just never really realized that I would be fighting. Never thought about it."

"So...where did you come from Oscar?"

"Well...I was a farm hand way out in south-eastern Mistral. All things considered it wasn't that far. Not as far as the rest of you had to go. Plus there was a train," he shrugged with a nervous smile.

Mydnight chuckled to himself before walking over to the two and sitting down with them. "Boy, that makes me jealous," he smiled before leaning forward in his seat.

"You...heard th-" Oscar started before he looked up to the crest of Mydnight's head. "Ohhhhhh...right."

Ruby and Mydnight let out a little giggle together. "Not used to Faunus, huh?" Ruby asked between laughs.

"No, not really..." Oscar said, looking back down to the table as he shrugged and blushed a little. "I didn't leave the farm too much and we didn't really have many Faunus in the area."

"Well, now you know," the older male let out as Oscar looked to see Mydnight's tail softly swishing back and forth. "These ears ain't just for show."

After a few moments of silence Oscar plucked up the courage to ask another question. "So...who really are all you people? Like a cult?"

"Well," Mydnight considered, nodding his head to one side with a smirk on his face, "I mean...kinda, to be honest."

"No," Ruby giggled softly, "We are a team," she smiled out as she looked around the room. "A family."

"Ya, I guess that's a better way to put it," Mydnight chuckled. "We all believe Oz and we accept that the rest of the world needs our help to defeat Salem. That's all really."

Oscar looked around again, taking in everyone's appearance more thoroughly as he seemed to drift off in thought. "Family huh?"

The next morning Oscar awoke to the sound of others talking in the next room very early in the morning. This however did not phase him. In fact, he felt as if he had slept in very late compared to his usual routine on the farm. The sun was already fully visible in the morning sky and he was more than ready for breakfast. He rose from his bed and began to stretch his limbs out before hearing the voice of his new partner ring out.

"Well you handled your first day with all of them quite well I'd say."

"Well...they all seem like nice people, why wouldn't I get along with them?"

"Ahah. That's not quite what I meant but, yes, indeed they are."

Oscar moved to his bureau and started pulling his normal outfit out of it and changing out of his pajama pants. "Well what did you mean then?"

"You'll learn all their quirks and issues in time, I'm sure you'll be hearing plenty of stories in the coming weeks. The most broken people have the most compassion Oscar. And these people know plenty about compassion."

"Oh..." he breathed gently as he pondered what his partner really meant while he changed clothes. As he finished he left his room and headed for the bathroom across the hall to brush his teeth and hair. As he knocked on the door however he found that it crept open, not having been closed all the way, and that the lights were already on and the water in the sink was running. Before he could speak up he saw a small set of fingers curl around the door and pull it open, revealing the young Miss Rose brushing her teeth in her pajamas. "Hey Oscar!" She managed through a mouth full of toothpaste and a big smile before she turned back to the sink and refocused her attention on the mirror.

"Oh uh...sorry I'll let you finish," Oscar rushed the words out of his mouth as a blush spread over his cheeks. He started to turn away before Ruby spoke up, again trying to speak without drooling everywhere.

"It's okay, do you need to use the bathroom or just clean up? I don't mind."

Oscar wavered in the hallway. As he turned back to look at her he tried to collect himself. "I was just going to brush my hair and teeth if you really don't mind."

Rather than speak again Ruby motioned for him to come into the room and then she tapped on the sink beside her, inviting him in. He breathed in deep before entering and tried his best to not look at her the entire time as he moved up to the sink and fetched his toothbrush from one of the several glasses on the sink that the entire group's tools were piled into. As he began to brush his teeth his vision made its way to the mirror, and he quickly found himself gawking at Ruby as he did the night before just after they had met. No matter how hard he tried to look away he kept right on staring, finding it hard to look away from her puppy dog silver eyes. Ruby however was concentrating too hard on brushing to notice.

After a minute of this Oscar was snapped out of his stupor by the sound of Ruby loudly spitting her load of toothpaste into the sink. He shook himself to attention and forced himself to stare right back in the mirror before Ruby straightened back up and looked over to him. "Arreee...you okay?" She asked as she leaned around him, looking into his face.

Oscar's cheeks lit up as he watched her, her face alarmingly close to his. He took a step backward from her instinctively before accidentally swallowing a large portion of the tooth paste in his mouth. Oscar bent over the sink and began to cough and Ruby reached over for an empty cup and filled it with water before handing it to him. "Oh gosh, here, sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

Oscar took the cup and between coughs he choked down several large gulps of water before setting the glass down and looking over at her, finding her once again too close to him for comfort. "Sorry!" He said as he twitched away from her again, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "It's just...I!" he started loudly, trying not to embarrass himself and failing miserably. "You're!" The young boy really couldn't find the words. "I'm not used to being around girls my age, especially cute ones!"

Ruby's jaw dropped slightly and Oscar froze. His cheeks were on fire and he felt as if he was going to throw up. He was screaming inside his own head, racking his brain for why those words had spilled out of his mouth. Ruby stood back up straight and after a moment she lifted her hand to cover her mouth and began to giggle a little. She could tell that he hadn't meant to say that but she accepted the compliment no less. "Hah, I can tell," she giggled out as a blush of her own spread across her cheeks. "I'll get out of your hair so you can get ready," she said as she brushed past him and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her so he could be alone.

"Well, that went well," Ozpin chuckled as Oscar returned to the sink, leaning over it with both hands supporting him on the porcelain.

"It's not funny!" He pleaded as he shook his head, closing his eyes tight.

"Hah...no of course not," Ozpin said softly.

As the morning dragged on Oscar made his way to the living room to find Mydnight and Ruby sitting on the floor with their scrolls in hand, a small black projector on the table in front of them displaying their game.

"Still can't believe you packed this," Mydnight laughed.

"Why wouldn't I?" Ruby asked before the announcer's voice rang out.

"Player two wins!"

Mydnight leaned back on his right hand with a smirk on his face and Ruby scowled at him before sticking her tongue out. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did, but who thinks to pack video games when they are going on a cross continent trek to save the world?"

"I do! Now race me again, I'm gonna beat you eventually!"

"Keep telling yourself that kid," Mydnight smirked as the announcer began to count down to the beginning of the next race.

Oscar walked over and stood behind them quietly, marveling at the device, not having seen the console before. "Wowwww," he finally let out, grabbing the attention of the siblings.

"Oh, hey Oscar," Ruby said as she quickly glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile, having changed into her normal combat attire. "Feeling better?"

"Uh...Ye...yeah," he nearly whispered as he rubbed the back of his head and looked away from her and back to the holographic screen. "This looks really cool."

"Oh right," Mydnight spoke up first, "you don't actually have a scroll do you? Have you ever actually played a video game before?"

"Nothing like this," he said in awe as Mydnight scooted away from his sister in the middle of the match and patted the floor between them.

"Well you can play next game if you want, just let me kick little red's but one more time," he smiled sarcastically, causing Ruby to growl indignantly as she bit down on her tongue, trying everything she could to pass her brother.

After a minute the announcer came on again as Mydnight dropped his scroll to the floor and smiled, raising his arms behind his head, basking in another victory. "Player two wins!"

"Ughhhhhh," Ruby growled out as she lay back on the floor with her eyes closed. "Whyyyy are you and Qrow so good at video games I don't understaaaanndddddd," she complained. Oscar's vision once again fell upon the young woman, this time his eyes wandering lower than her face. Thankfully before he could look any lower, Mydnight unknowingly snapped him out of it by lifting his scroll up to the boy.

"Here," he smiled, before Oscar took it from him. He took a seat on the floor between the two Roses and Mydnight began pointing out the controls to him as Ruby righted herself. "Maybe now Red can win a few," he chuckled, sticking his tongue out at his younger sister.

Oscar listened as Mydnight pointed out the buttons to him before the announcer started to count down to the start of the rest. Mydnight leaned back on the floor as he watched the pair begin the race, Ruby easily pulling out ahead of Oscar almost immediately. At first Oscar found himself slamming into several walls and guard rails but by the end of the race he at least seemed to grasp how to properly race without running into absolutely everything. Of course Ruby had beaten him by a mile and she found no pride in the victory.

"That wasn't bad for your first race Oscar," she smiled to the boy next to her as he smiled in return and blushed nervously.

"Thanks. Wanna go again?"

"Well I'd like to but unfortunately Mydnight and I already have plans and we should really get going," she shrugged before patting him on the back. "Maybe later though."

As the siblings stood up Oscar handed Mydnight his scroll back as Ruby shut the projector off. "What are you guys doing today?"

"We were gonna start training together out back..." Ruby paused again as she had a thought, "do you wanna come with us?"

Oscar's eyes darted to the left, looking at nothing in particular as far as the others could tell. "No time like the present," Ozpin thought inside of Oscar's head.

Oscar sighed before nodding his head in agreement. "Ya I guess I should start as soon as possible since I have a lot of catching up to do."

"That's the spirit!" Ruby said confidently before she took Oscar's hand in her own. Oscar's lips parted and his eyes went wide in surprise but before he could object Ruby began to lead him toward the stairs, down to the first floor and out of the back of the house, closely followed by Mydnight. When they arrived she released her grip on their new friend and watched as Mydnight rolled the leather sleeves of his coat up just above his elbows.

"Alright," he started as Ruby stood beside him and they looked at Oscar. "First things first kid, we gotta kick start your aura."

"Uhm...and how do we do that?"

"Oh it's really easy actually, Pyrrha did it for...Jaune..." Ruby started to say eagerly before trailing off quietly. She looked to the ground for a moment before looking back up and shaking her head, as if trying to shake her thoughts away. Mydnight held his hand out toward Oscar.

"As long as you know how to do it, anyone who has unlocked their aura can use theirs to unlock another's. Take my hand."

Oscar seemed to hesitate but after a moment to think he slowly reached out to the older man. "Does it hurt?"

"No," Ruby chuckled out, "You shouldn't feel a thing, just close your eyes and concentrate."

Oscar bridged the rest of the gap between their hands and did as he was told. Just as Ruby said, several seconds went by and he felt nothing. "Aura is the manifestation of our souls, so concentrate on who you are on the inside Oscar," he heard Ozpin say to him.

Ruby watched on as her brother began to generate his aura, manifesting as a deep shade of black. After several moments of watching his face carry almost no emotion but his mouth twitching in miniscule amounts, as if reciting a passage from memory, Oscar began to glow a deep forest green. Mydnight opened his eyes and let go of Oscar as he staggered back a step, holding his hand up to his head. Ruby grabbed onto his other arm and helped to hold him up as they both looked at Oscar who had opened his eyes and was staring at his hand, covered by his own aura. After a moment however the green glow dissipated and Oscar started to breathe heavily.

"Ya it takes a lot at first. And if you stop concentrating on it it'll disappear. Once you get better at it though it'll be really easy," Ruby explained as she walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Wow," he gasped, looking up at her smiling face, the morning sun caught in her hair highlighting the red from the black. After a few more deep breaths he stood up straight and ran a hand through his hair with a nervous smile.

"Why don't you take a seat kid," Mydnight suggested as he too finished catching his breath and pointed to the back wall of the house. "For now just watch."

"You got it," Oscar breathed out as he walked over and sat against the suggested wall. Mydnight then stepped into position across from his younger sister and raised his fists into a blocking stance.

"Wait what?" Ruby asked quietly as she shied away from him. "You said you were gonna be teaching me, not that we were gonna be punching each other!"

"Awh come on Ruby, how am I supposed to teach you if you don't participate? You know you need to work on your hand to hand combat and I can help you."

"Ya but I mean, I thought I'd be punching like a dummy or something not...you..."

"Look if it makes you feel better I don't want to punch you either but that's how this works. Now come on," he laughed.

Oscar watched on as Ruby let out a sigh before lifting her fists as well and beginning to slowly circle around her brother. He soon found himself talking to his partner while watching the ensuing duel. "So they both went to your school?" Oscar asked inside his own head.

"Indeed they did. In fact if not for the Battle of Beacon, Mydnight there would have graduated with top marks in just a few months."

"He's that strong?"

"He is. In fact he's one of the most talented warriors to ever walk the halls."

"Really?" Oscar asked in awe as he watched the wolf male blocking all of Ruby's attacks with ease, teasing her along the way to try and get her to fight him more genuinely.

"Yes. Mydnight, Olivier and Ambur would have no trouble operating as independent huntsmen at this point. Pretty soon Mydnight in particular would have been assuming a role much like Qrow's within our little group. His Faunus senses would make him invaluable in gathering information."

Oscar watched on as Mydnight seemed to refuse to counter attack, just letting Ruby try to actually land an unblocked blow with little to no success. "Come on Red, you have an amazing semblance for hand to hand combat, stop wasting it," he grunted as she connected a punch to his open hand, catching her fist.

Ruby stepped back and her mouth hung open for a minute in thought before she took a deep breath, "ooohhhhhhh," she gasped before readying herself once again.

Suddenly, right before Oscar's untrained eyes, the young girl burst into rose petals, and the cloud flurried toward Mydnight at an incredible speed. Oscar could barely follow the movement, and when his vision finally settled on Mydnight he found Ruby floating off the ground with her foot extended in a flying kick at her brother's abdomen. Oscar couldn't believe his eyes as he watched her hanging there as if the world had gone into slow motion.

Her hair was pulled back by the wind, luminous rose petals radiating off of her entire body, the morning sun touching them softly as they floated outward from her.

Mydnight however had seen right through the attack and already had his hands down in front of his stomach radiating his black aura as he caught her foot. While he took no damage he did slide back in the dirt several feet, his heavy boots dragging through the ground as he fought to stay upright. As she began to fall he released her foot so as to let her continue without forcing her to fall onto the ground.

Ruby's expression quickly changed from confidence to one of annoyance from being blocked so easily despite moving so fast. As soon as her back foot touched the ground she was off again, the cloud racing to the house before bouncing off of it and flying back at Mydnight's left side. Rather than block this time Ruby saw his eyes dart over in her direction before he began to fall forward toward the ground with his hands extended, landing in a push up position as she zoomed right over him, her punch failing to land.

As she decelerated she once again fell to the ground, her boots skidding across the dirt toward the fence that outlined the backyard. She skidded all the way to it and threw her hands out in front of her, pressing against it to stop herself completely before turning around to find her brother chuckling to himself as he stood up. "Pretty good red but it's gonna take more than that to break my guard. Ambur made sure of that at school," he said smugly as he once again took a defensive position.

"He's just...toying with her?" Oscar once again asked inside his own head.

"As he should be. Ruby may be talented but she does not have the experience her brother does."

"Ambur is the one who cooked last night right? The really tall girl with the white hair?"

"Mydnight's partner, yes. Her semblance is not as...intricate or complex as many others. Her physical stats are un-rivaled. According to the surveillance footage in my office back at the school she is so strong now that she was able to break the strongest aura I have ever come across with a single grab. Over the years of training at the academy Mydnight surely would have taken several beatings from her in sparring matches."

"Wow..." Oscar breathed out loud as he watched the two begin to spar again. "They've all been doing this for so long I...how am I supposed to catch up?"

"Your body will learn just from me teaching them. You will grow used to how exhausting a fight really can be. In reality I don't expect you to fight on their level in just a few weeks. Just well enough to hold your own in a fight without me helping you or taking control. Don't worry. It will come quite quickly to you."

"...If you say so," he again said out loud, albeit quietly.

After watching for another few minutes as Ruby tried her very hardest to outwit her brother, Oscar was snapped out of his mind when Ruby's small fist connected with the left side of Mydnight's jaw, both of them seeming to freeze for several moments, surprise creeping over both of their faces. He found Ruby standing on just one foot, only her toes in fact, her other foot kicked back behind her to increase the force of her high speed assault. Mydnight's face quickly morphed into one of mischief as he quickly raised his arm and flicked Ruby on the nose, knocking her off balance and forcing her to begin to fall backwards.

"Woooaahhhhhh-" she wailed as she fell toward the ground before she felt Mydnight take her hand and catch her, nearly parallel with the ground, her hair touching the dirt beneath her. "Hah," she breathed with a smile as she looked up at him before being swiftly lifted back to her feet. Not a moment later she felt him pat her on the back.

"Not bad kid," he began before they saw Oscar's eyes begin to glow yellow as Ozpin took over his body.

"Not bad at all. Just remember that while Mydnight may be able to deal with your semblance in a sparring match that Oscar most assuredly cannot."

"Hah, Yeah," Ruby shrugged, "I'll tone it down when we start training him."

"As for you," Oz turned to Mydnight, "I've said it before and I'll say it again," He smiled before patting the much taller man on the back one time before heading back toward the house. "You'd have made a great teacher Mydnight. I'll have Oscar meditate and work on keeping his aura active."

As he walked back into the house Mydnight turned to look down at his sister and ruffled her hair. Beneath his coat his tail began to wag back and forth behind him, shifting the frayed tails of his tattered coat. She began playfully slapping at his hands lightly and laughed as she took a step away before running her hands through her hair several times to fix it.

"Well we've got all day, what do you wanna do Red?"

"Ahah. How about weeee..." She hung on the word as she rolled her eyes up trying to think fast, "go get ice cream!"

"Hah, haha." Mydnight laughed before turning around and starting to slowly walk out of the backyard toward the house. "Sure, come on let's go."

"Wait really?!" Ruby perked up excitedly as she jogged after her brother. "Just us?" She begged, wanting more and more to spend as much time with her brother as she could.

"Just us," he laughed as she caught up to him, "My treat."

"Yessss," Ruby let out as she began to bob up and down with her eyes closed, following her brother through the house and out the front door, skipping beside him down the road.