"Ruby, let's go it's getting dark!" A teenage girl tugged on a slightly taller girl's arm, the girl seemingly ignored the insistence of their companion thumbing through a comic book with intensity. "Dad said we need to be home before ten, he's going to be mad, let's go!" There was a tinkle as the door to the shop they were in opened and the sound of several people entering caught her attention.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" There was the sound of a weapon charging.
"P-please! Just take my Lien and leave!" The old man behind the counter said, not putting up a fight that he couldn't win.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh, calm down, we're not here for your money." The man said calmly with a gentlemanly flair. "Grab the Dust."
A new rougher voice made demands from the shop owner, a thud followed by clicking noises. "Crystals. Burn. Uncut."
"Ruby! Let's get out of here!" The girl hissed, trying to get her attention without drawing the attention of the robbers. Ruby refused to budge and the sound of footsteps approaching the girls made the girl panicking forcibly grab her sister and duck back behind the shelves. Sadly the noise of Ruby and her sister made, Ruby's headphone clacking across the ground and the music now being able to be heard clearly by anyone in the shop.
"Oriole, what's going on?" Ruby asked confused, at least until the robber came around the shelves and pointed this machete at them.
"Alright kids, put your hands where I can see 'em." He demanded.
Ruby had a strange twinkle in her eye that Oriole knew was a sign they were going to get in trouble. "Are you... robbing me?"
The robber groaned in annoyance, his voice getting louder. "Yes! Now put your hands up!"
Oriole sighed and powered up her Aura the same time Ruby did. "Oooooh." She wasn't sure how many had come in exactly but more than this one.
Together they jumped to their feet, Oriole blocking the machete that was swung wildly in retaliation as Ruby slammed into him full force, no real technique there. However it was enough to send him crashing through a set of shelves. "Oh no." Oriole said as they caused damage to the shop. A few moments later a second robber came into their row, this one armed with a gun. "Shit!" Oriole cursed, a habit she admitted came from her mother. In her mind a gold and black coin flipped into the air, seemingly taking forever as it tumbled to the mindscape's ground revealing the gold face up. A very faint golden light flashed across Oriole's Aura.
The robber pulled his gun's trigger but it seemed to jam suddenly. Oriole let out a sigh of relief but then Ruby gave a battle cry and tackled the man full speed, aided by her Semblance the two flew through the air and crashed through the shop's front window. Oriole scowled at the additional property damage charge racking up in her head.
"Okay… we'll go get her!" The leader seemed to order the rest of his men. There was a stampede of footsteps as several men ran outside to surround Ruby armed with machetes and compact submachine guns. The man walked out after them seemingly annoyed at the appearance of someone interrupting his robbery.
Oriole stood up and went out the door to chase him but suddenly found herself facing a solid wall instead of the street. "W-what?" To the side a girl with pink and dark brown hair stood, umbrella propped over her shoulder and her other hand held up making a 'no, no, no' motion. "Where's my sister? Where's Ruby?" The girl just shrugged her shoulders, a smug smile dancing across her face. The golden light faded from Oriole's Aura at this point, the time had run out. The girl shook her head and began to walk away.
"Hey come back!" Oriole demanded beginning to run towards the girl who seemed to get further away the closer she ran. The coin appeared in her mind again and flew into the sky, black, gold, black, gold… black. A black light enveloped Oriole now. "Oh no." The wall seemed to shatter like glass, and Oriole looked around finding herself alone in an alleyway. Suddenly a figure flew past, Oriole was smacked by something strong and flew back into a wall. Slapping it roughly she exploded forward towards the shadow figure, fist cocked back but went right through it, the figure shattered as well but the girl was still there and now under her guard and slammed her umbrella into Oriole's stomach causing her to double over. However instead of pushing her advantage the mute girl tumbled backwards and gave a bow, clearly mocking Oriole.
As Oriole got up and observed her enemy she didn't rush in, the black shimmer still clung to her like tar. Any attempt to attack or escape would end terribly so she just tried to stand there to run out the time on her Semblance. The other girl gave a tilt of her head before seeming to decide she was going to attack again and began to approach again, slow deliberate steps. 'This girl thinks I'm helpless!' Oriole caught herself thinking, the dismissal of her abilities made her angry but she caught herself from letting her feelings take over, she wasn't like Yang, she didn't get stronger from it. It felt like forever but the girl reached her and brought her umbrella back preparing to swing it again.
There was a short flicker and the black tarry shimmer to Oriole's Aura vanished. "You are fucked bitch!" She snarled, letting her anger come out, while she was generally well mannered, in combat she slipped up and spoke with the mouth she picked up from her mother's influence. As the umbrella came down she backhanded it using her left hand to slow it down and snaked her arm around, grabbing the hand of the girl with her own. "I don't normally pick on kids... but you started it." She started to throw palm strikes with her right hand, face, gut, throat, chest, solar plexus. A short pause and she switched her hand to thrusting, aiming at the eyes, throat and solar plexus, the girl shattered a quite a few times, more than half seemingly hitting nothing but air, clearly something was wrong, but while grappled she couldn't escape completely. "How do you- GAH!" The girl suddenly was biting her hand, Oriole let go and stumbled back. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Oriole cried then looked at her hand, it throbbed a bit but the bite hadn't gotten through her Aura leaving her more mentally scarred than hurt.
There was a loud rumbling sound overhead, a ship came roaring overhead distracting Oriole for a moment thinking it might be the police. This was a mistake, when she looked down again the girl was gone, the alley way seemed to go on forever in either direction. "Get back here!" Oriole yelled into the deserted alleyway. Letting out a heavy sigh... "FUCK!" She turned back towards the way she thought she came in and ran full sprint, shattering through another one of the illusions and out into the street. All of the robbers seemed to be on the ground but Ruby and the man in white were gone. "RUBY!" She screamed out into the street before noticing a sudden storm cloud appearing over a nearby building and large amounts of glowing ice shooting from the sky. "Dad's gonna be so mad..." A real Huntsman or Huntress had to be up there, or at least someone as strong as one.
Running towards the building she leapt at full strength, giving a sharp burst of Aura through her legs and feet to send her to the top of the building in a single jump. A woman in black and white was controlling several streams of... was that sections of the roof? The ship suddenly seemed to explode with flickering emblems, before a fire ball actually exploded out and destroyed all of the pieces. The ship turned sharply and accelerated away from the roof and into the distance, even the Huntress likely would have been able to keep up and chase them down but there was a pair of problems, namely them.
Oriole went to open her mouth but Ruby spoke up first turning towards the older woman with a made sparkle in her eye. "You're a Huntress! Can I have your autograph?!"
"No." The woman said and snapped her riding crop into her off hand.
"We should have just gone home..."
"What you did was very irresponsible." The woman scolded Oriole, she had been separated from Ruby when they got to the police station. She had sat in the room by herself for a while, Ruby had probably been grilled first.
"I know..." Shame, guilt.
"You could have been hurt or been killed."
"I know..." Worry.
"Regardless of that, you fought very well against unknown odds." A new voice broke in, a man's voice.
"I... what?" Oriole's head snapped up to see an older man walking in, a scroll in one hand and a cup of coffee held in the other, through the reversed screen she could see a poor quality captured video of her fight with the strange girl. "Thank you?"
"Too much reliance on one's semblance is dangerous."
"I know... Mom and Dad say the same thing..." Oriole didn't do well with authority admonishing her, she wanted to be known for keeping to the straight and narrow, unlike mom who would show up to teach class drunk... Dad sometimes had to cover her classes. Oriole shook her head to clear the thoughts. "I'm still training at Signal... I'll do better in the future, Professor. I swear I won't let you down."
"Oh, you both know who I am?" The man sat down across from her, taking a short sip from his mug.
"Of course, you are the headmaster at Beacon Academy, my oldest sister Yang is going to attend this year. Ruby's going next year, and I should be applying for the year after that."
"Why do you all want to come to my Academy? Hmmm?" Professor Ozpin placed his mug on the table, entwining his fingers together as he leaned forwards, his gaze pinning her in place. It felt as if he was seeing through her entire being, straight down to her core, a glimmer of both curiosity and scrutiny danced across his eyes. Behind him Professor Goodwitch grunted, disapprovingly, she seemed to know more than she was letting on about the current meeting. It hadn't even occurred to Oriole as to why the Professors were here.
Oriole took a deep breath and thought about what words to use, to express her feelings for why she wanted to attend Beacon Academy. It went beyond just following what her parents had done, or even going along with her sisters, it was a deeper thing for Oriole. Eyes closed as she took a second deep breath and began. "Professor Ozpin," Oriole slowly said, her eyes having snapped open, her voice carrying a weight of her determination and fears. "I want to attend Beacon because I believe in the importance of becoming a Huntress. It's not just about the prestige or the adventure, although those things are appealing in their own right."
She paused, gathering her thoughts and taking another deep steadying breath before continuing. "I've seen firsthand the dangers that threaten our world, the chaos that Grimm and other threats bring. Ruby's mom fought and died to protect others. And I refuse to stand idly by while innocent people suffer. I want to be someone who can make a difference, who can protect those who can't protect themselves."
Her eyes glinted with a strong resolve, matching the fire that burned within her. "Beacon Academy represents the best opportunity for me to hone my skills, to learn from the best, and to become the kind of Huntress that Remnant needs. I may be young, but I'm not afraid of hard work or sacrifice. I'm ready to dedicate myself to this path, to uphold the values of courage, honor, and compassion that Beacon stands for." The final word left her mouth and she realized her body was shaking, the outpouring of emotion was exhausting.
Ozpin gave a soft chuckle before he spoke. "Your conviction is commendable, Oriole Branwen." It didn't sound like he was mocking her, was that praise? Oriole perked up at the tone. "Beacon Academy welcomes those who are willing to rise to the challenge, to confront the darkness that threatens our world. If you are truly prepared to walk this path, then know that you will find both challenges and opportunities within our walls."
Oriole froze, was this what she thought it was. "Are... are you inviting me to join Beacon, early?"
Professor Ozpin nodded, hands dropping onto the table, his voice remaining steady. "If you are as determined as you appear to be, it would be a waste not to." Blood rushed through Oriole's ears, she could hear her heart pounding. It had to be a dream, a trick of some sort.
"Of course! I would love to come to Beacon!"
Professor Ozpin's lips curled into a faint smile at Oriole's eagerness, a glimmer of approval flickering in his eyes. "Very well, Oriole Branwen. Welcome to Beacon Academy. You'll be joining your elder sisters for this year's class, you only have a few weeks to say your goodbyes and pack. We will see you at Beacon, Miss Branwen."
The weight of his words settled over Oriole like a comforting blanket, filling her with a sense of validation and purpose. This wasn't just a dream, this was real it was her first true step forward on her journey to becoming a Huntress, to making a difference in the world. "FU-..." For just a moment her excitement bubbled over before she caught herself, slapping hands over her mouth. "Thank you Professor."
Despite catching herself Oriole found a look of disapproval on Professor Goodwitch's face, though looking closer she did notice a small amount of amusement hidden in her eyes. Even she was a young girl once and could recognize the girl was holding herself back from revealing her true excitement. Though the amusement came second to the disapproval and scrutiny that Oriole could feel burning through.
"Now Miss Branwen, your Father is out there with your sisters, you are free to go..." Professor Ozpin said as he stood up, grabbing his mug and turning towards the door as if he was going to leave.
Oriole froze in place, the excitement doused instantly as if she had been submerged in a tub of ice water. "Can... can I just stay in jail?" Her dad would be so disappointed, she had gotten arrested, though it turned out good, being accepted to Beacon early, she had still gotten into trouble. "I think I'd rather mom come pick me up..."
"Qrow... could not be reached." Ozpin said, his voice carrying a hint of disapproval.
"You know my mom?"
"I know all of your and your sisters' parents." Ozpin said simply. "I taught them after all. Now come along. I have some forms for your father to sign." Oriole sighed and slowly got out of her chair, trudging to the door that Ozpin was holding open for her. Down the hall she could already hear her dad's voice.
"-believe you are picking fights... do you have any idea how much damage you did to that business... I know they weren't good people but... still... at least you are okay, just tone it down, alright Little Dragon?" Taiyang's voice reached them, he seemed to be trying to admonish Yang for busting up a nightclub, it was a place known for criminal activity run by a small time mobster named Junior so the police weren't going to press charges since Junior wasn't going to. Oriole turned the corner and saw her dad with Ruby and Yang, Ruby looked like a puppy who had gotten in trouble, eyes on the ground and drooping. Yang seemed embarrassed, but probably not from being told off by their dad, but more that she had gotten caught.
However her out had just shown itself as Oriole came around the corner with the Professors walking behind her. "Dad, there's Oriole!" A hand came up and pointed over Taiyang's shoulder, he followed it to see his youngest daughter coming towards him.
'Traitor! Rat! You ratted me out!' Oriole's heart screamed in protest at the actions of her oldest sister who just smiled at her over Taiyang's shoulder, no longer the center of his attention. There was nothing she could do, her dad's expression was fixed on her, the mixture of relief, worry, and parental disapproval struck her like a physical blow.
Taiyang closed the distance and Oriole prepared for the onslaught mentally, but wasn't ready for the tight hug she received. "What you did was very irresponsible." He said softly to her before letting go, his tone that gentle yet firm voice he used when he wanted to make sure they knew what they did wasn't a good thing. "You could have been hurt or even worse."
"I know dad." Her voice caught and she stifled tears, she had made him upset, it wasn't her fault though, she had tried to get Ruby to go home several times. "I'm sorry dad..."
Taiyang's gaze softened, a flicker of pride shining through his attempt at a stern facade. "But regardless of that." His voice warming with paternal pride. "You fought bravely against those criminals. I'm proud of you and Ruby. Just... don't do anything crazy in the future if you can help it."
"Daaad~!" Ruby called out. "We are going to be Huntresses, crazy is part of that."
Ozpin decided to interrupt the reunion at this point. "Taiyang, you've raised three amazing daughters, we would be happy to have them attend Beacon Academy this fall, each of them has already accepted the offer they simply await your permission."
Taiyang hesitated, Ruby hadn't brought it up, which meant she had been told to wait until Ozpin came out, behind Taiyang Ruby was vibrating as if she was about to explode now. Oriole looked a bit embarrassed, their dad hadn't been told about this ahead of time, what if he said no that they had to wait to go... unwittingly she had let her feelings show, the worry and sadness crept across her face causing Taiyang to sigh.
"Alright Ozpin... let's get this over with... It's what they want so I can't say no now." He knew that paperwork was coming, he had done his own over twenty years ago, then he had just helped Yang with her application earlier that year, it seemed the Xiao Long-Rose-Branwen family was going to be here for a little while longer.