A/N Interlude 1
Alt title: Rose
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WOW! This story really popped off!
Like, holy shit.
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-Date, Time-
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
(Text)
*Sounds/Actions*
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-West Vale City, Police Precinct 7-
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Ruby Rose POV
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This is not how I saw this going. When I asked her for her autograph, I thought she'd be all, "Of course! Oh! You're a huntress in training? Oh you're so good with that scythe, what's that? You made it yourself? That's amazing!" Not all-
"Completely reckless!" Miss Goodwitch continues. "What could you have been thinking!?"
"W-well I-" I try to stutter out.
"You weren't." She interrupts as she continues to pace in front of the table. "I could understand, and even commend the brawl outside the dust shop. That was self defense, and fighting in the defense of a civilian."
Perking up at the words I take my chance to defend myself! Prove I was doing the right thing. I don't belong in a police station interrogation room! That's Yang!
"Exactly!" I say seriously. "That's why I-"
"But! Chasing after Torchwick?" She's, ignoring me. "A well known criminal with huntsman training. You're lucky he has a sense of ethics! You could've died!"
'I mean, maybe? But, well, I had to?' I try defending in my mind.
She stares at me with that same, mean glare from before. Before she takes a breath and straightens back up.
"As it stands, despite your actions, your heart was in the right place." She says softly. "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back."
My eyes widen and I feel a smile stretch across my face. So that's it! She was just giving me tough love!
"And a letter to your parents of your actions!" She finishes with her normal glare.
Nope! She's just as mean as before!
"But, it's not up to me." She says and steps aside as the door to the room opens.
Walking with his iconic cane and a plate of cookies in hand. Dark green suit and black little reading glasses. Shaggy silver hair.
"Ozzy!" I say with a smile.
"Young Ms. Rose." He says in his usual, gentle tone as he sets the plate down in front of me, before taking a seat. "Quite the oddity to see you here. Locked up in an interrogation room. Seems your uncle was right."
"Urgh!" I groan at the possible lies Drunkle Qrow has spread in his, drunken, uncleness!
A few seconds of silence later, with me staring at the cookies. And then back to Ozpin.
"Go ahead." He chuckles with a wave to the cookies. "I assure you, you're not in any legal trouble. I'm merely here to pick your brain about the incident."
I start diving into the cookies. What? Free food is free food!
"Particularly about the boy you met at the shop. The one in the blue duster." He says gently.
"Oh!" I say excitedly. "The other silver eye?"
That causes Ozpin to pause for a second. And not in the, I'm thinking, way he normally does.
"Do you, not know him?" I ask curiously.
Ozpin should know him. Silver eye clans are kept track of. They're the best at fighting off Grimm after all. Everyone wants a silver eyed clansmen nearby. It's why I wear the hood most of the time. Too many creeps.
"No, unfortunately I do not." He says slowly as I continue to munch on my cookies. "Is there anything else you can tell me about the boy?"
"Hrmph, no, not really." I say as I finish of one off the cookies. "How can you not know of him? Don't you keep track of every silver eyed clansmen?"
He gives me a kind smile to set me at ease. Taking his cane as he stands from his chair.
"I assure you young Ms. Rose." He says calmly. "While I may know of many things, I am not, all-knowing."
He turns around and begins to head out of the door. With Ms. Meanwitch glaring at me the whole time. Or, maybe that's just how she looks at everyone? It's hard to tell.
Ozpin stops as he reaches the door, and turns to me again.
"Before I forget. I spoke it over with your parents. They agreed to let you enter Beacon two years early." He says.
"They did!?" I say excitedly, standing up out of my chair as I struggle to contain my excitement.
"Provided you take remedial courses to catch up on the material." He says with that evil smirk adults get!
That's poopy! There's five core classes I'd need to get through! It'd take all of my free time away! I'd have to take advanced first aid! Junior Grimm studies! Cultural history one and cultural history two! Laws and civics one and two! The boring ones!
This is an outrage! Absurd! Evil! I need to protest this! Open a line of negotiation!
"Huh?" Is all I can get out.
"But you can talk to them about that yourself." He says with a villainous smirk. "They're here to pick you up after all."
No! I'm gonna be in so much trouble. And I just got ungrounded from my scroll! Oh Yang will never let me hear the end of this!
"Wuh?" Is again all I can voice before the door closes.
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-2 hours later-
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Summer Rose POV
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"Are you mad?" Ruby asks diminutively as we get off of the bullhead. And I don't need to look over to see her ears are splayed back.
"No sweetheart." Tai says gently for me. "Just, we wish you stayed a bit more safe."
"But I was safe!" Ruby defends frantically as she steps in front of us to walk backwards. "Besides! How was I supposed to know he'd have a private bullhead just waiting on the rooftop!?"
I tried so hard to temper Ruby's sense of adventure and recklessness. But, I should've seen this coming. She's turned out to be just like me when I was her age. Minus the scythe.
"You should've stayed at the scene of the crime. At least make sure the people were fine." I say as we approach the terminal of Patch. A quaint wooden building. Same as the platform for receiving bullheads and boats.
"Hey Summer!" Mrs. Ranger says from the booth. She knows us, and doesn't bother for I.D.'s and permits because of it.
"Evening Mrs. Ranger." I say with an easy wave.
That's one of the things I like about Patch. It's far enough removed from the major city that nature is left undisturbed. But not so far as to lack any modern accommodations. And, being a member of the Rosa clan. I get discounts on my land tax.
Everyone wants their own Silver eyed warrior nearby after all. And I was able to leverage my status to get a very nice home for well under the market value.
"But I left them with the other Silver eyed boy!" She defends, and I stop in place.
"Silver eyed?" I ask curiously. I don't know about any silver eyed boy in Vale. Most of us stick to the nearby settlements. Even then, the only ones I can think of would be Rouge or Garnet. But Rouge is six, and Garnet lives east of Vale city.
"Boy?" Tai asks, less curiously. "What boy? How old was he?"
There goes papa bear.
"Daaaad!" Ruby whines dramatically at Tai's words. "It's not like that. I swear!"
"That's what Yang said about her friend Chili, and we all know how that ended." Tai presses as we walk along the dirt path back home.
"Dad!" Ruby screeches as her face matches her namesake. "I literally just met him!" Her voices squeaks.
He's not wrong though. But then again, he forgets that we were no better growing up. Teams tend to form life long bonds and well, their was the joke that Tai managed to sleep with every member of Team STRQ.
I'll just say those rumors, didn't come from out of nowhere.
"Fine!" Ruby says with a pout, snapping me out of my thoughts. "If I tell you will please stop?"
Tai stays quiet for a bit as he seems the glare at our daughter.
"Maybe." He says with a low, dubious tone.
"Well, he was in a blue long coat and had white hair." Ruby starts explaining as she turns back to walking in front of us normally as we exit the building.
That's not any Silver eyed clansmen I know. That's for sure. In fact, I don't think any of the Silver eyed clans having primarily white hair. At least, not the main branches. Could be a bastard, or an orphan. Or just someone I don't know of.
"What weapons did he have?" I ask curiously, hoping to narrow done his affiliation.
Silver eyes may be well known, but that doesn't mean we're well spread. God I can Tai making a pun out of that in my head. Anyway, Silver eyed warriors are known for their combat prowess and heroic deeds. But, well, live fast, die young.
I am the only one of my three sisters to have kids. The only one to make it to thirty. And I was the youngest of four. Ruby will never know her aunts or grandparents. And I pray that she doesn't follow suit.
"I didn't get to see." She pouts, ears going back in disappointment. The little weapons nerd that she is. "He didn't join the fight, but he did have compacted weapons tied to holsters on his thighs. So they're mecha-shift at least."
Which implies ties to the city, as opposed to being stuck in the outskirts. And has enough money, or connections, to obtain high-end weaponry.
Or he's just a savant with mechanics and crafted it himself. Who knows? Ruby did it.
"Argh!" Tai yelps, causing me to look back at him
He stepped in a puddle of rainwater that hadn't cleared from yesterday. Whereas me and Ruby walked right around or over it, his human eyes couldn't see the water on the ground. And he is now furiously shaking his leg to throw the water off.
"Pfft!" Ruby chuckles at him.
It's easy to forget that humans can't see in the dark as well as us faunus. It's hard to imagine just, not seeing. I put on sunglasses at night once just see what it was like. Ugh, never again.
"We need to get you some night vision goggles or something." I lightly tease the man.
"Yeah yeah." He scoffs as he trudges ahead of us with a squishy boot.
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-20 minutes later, Rose House-
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Walking into the house after Tai, I'm greeted to the sight of my oldest daughter, Yang, passed out and splayed out on the couch. Still in her day clothes even. Likely having fallen asleep after coming home from her job at the general goods store.
Yang, thankfully, doesn't want to be a huntress, soldier, adventurer, traveling merchant or anything like that. She's content to live a normal, happy life. Move to the city, and become a mechanic. She already fixes a lot of the machines here in Patch and even has her own bike she made.
She has aura, and her semblances. But she just, doesn't care for the glory, gory, adventuring life of a hunter. Something I am forever grateful for.
If only she'd stop the street racing.
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-West Vale City, Motel Moon, 2 days later, 08/22, 6am-
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Cyril Leon POV
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Okay, so I got a basic understanding of the currency so far. Basically, fifty lien, is equal to five dollars. And I was able to afford two nights here with five hundred lien. Basically twenty five a night.
Still cheaper than other places in my experience. And it's surprisingly clean. Though, with eighty percent of humanity being locked away in four major cities, it's no wonder that sanitation would be a chief concern. In the two days I've been here, I saw a street sweeper clean the roads twice everyday.
One bad plague and humanity is on the brink.
"Let's see here." I say to myself as I use my scroll to look through the most recent news. A lot of it is gibberish to me. Agricultural concerns, inflation, taxes, Spruce Willis's new film. But, two things stood out to me. Looking up Beacon, I find the staff and low and behold.
Headmaster: Lyman Ozpin, Ozma the inevitable.
'What, the actual fuck?'
Clicking on his profile. I get a run down of his bio.
Lyman was born in the Valean village of Goldenoak to the south. Son of the town blacksmith, Ozpin became the next reincarnation of Ozma after Oceana, the previous incarnation of Ozma, passed from a heart attack at age 87. This was followed by Ozma's council confirming the boys case a year later. From there, Ozpin went through the rigorous training each of his incarnations goes through. Ozpin has since earned his role as Headmaster of Beacon, having held the role for twenty five years.
Okay? So, Ozma is common knowledge? What else is common knowledge? Salem, Maidens, Silver eyes are a heavy suspicion. I want to search it, but I have no idea the levels of tracking technology this world has. And so far I want to avoid getting roped up with Ozma and Salem's eternal marital dispute.
But, this is getting me no where. So, might as well bite the bullet.
(Silver Eyed Warriors)
Hitting the send button, I wait as those three little loading bubbles dance across the sceen.
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(4,000+ results)
"What the fuck?" I say tiredly.
At this point I might as well just accept that this world makes no sense. Not when compared to the RWBY I know. Torchwick seems the same. The Schnee dust company is here, though there's little mention of any faunus exploitation.
Might as well see what this world thinks of Silver Eyed Warriors.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Hmm?"
I'm paused from my reading as I look up to the door. Curious, and cautious, as to who could be knocking on my door. I know I still have the room until tomorrow morning. And it's not like room service is a thing. It's a motel, not a hotel.
Unless I've horribly mixed the meanings and this world has a different idea of what a motel is.
"Who is it?" I ask, and immediately kick myself for answering.
For all I know it could be Cinder or Qrow! And my involvement at the dust robbery was enough to have them seek me out!
Okay, I know that's a stretch. But you can forgive me for being cautious.
"Room service!" I hear a soft woman's voice answer. "This is the room for Cyril Leon, correct?"
Recognizing it as the lady from the front desk. I stand up from the bed and go to the door. Unlocking the brass switch on the knob, I open the door.
Only to be greeted with the tall, slouched and slim figure of Qrow Branwen. Greying black hair, and red eyes tiredly boring into my widening ones.
Fuck.
I feel the world slowing down as my semblance activates. And I hone in on his movements. Similar to the real sharingan, mine specializes in tracking movement. Though, doesn't mean I can predict anything or mimic it without practice.
His hand moves, and I think of what I can do to get out of here. I'm not foolish enough to think I could take him. Or that I could out think, or out run him. My only hope is that he's not here on the offensive.
His hand goes up slowly, and over the course of ten seconds, I see him raise it up, to wave.
Letting time resume, he speaks.
"Chill kid, ain't here to hurt ya." He says in a gruff, ragged voice. "Just need ya to come with me."
At least I can say I avoided the plot for two days! That's gotta be worth something, right?
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Bonus
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-1 day ago, Beacon Tower, 9am-
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Lyman "Ozma/Oz" Ozpin POV
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I often find myself here at the beginning, and end of every day. Staring out at the city of Vale. So many will never know just all that has happened here. All the battles, the people, the arts, science, debates, advances and regressions. All the people that came before.
Lost to time.
Vale is the fifth nation to reside here. And it too, will one day be forgotten. How many years will it take? Five thousand? Ten? Twenty? Impossible to tell.
Seeing the elevator doors open in the reflection of the glass. I sigh as my, if you'll forgive the pun, reflection, is cut short.
"Ozpin." Glynda says as she comes through the doors with Qrow and Summer, which signals the start of our meeting.
I turn around and give Glynda a quick nod and my thanks. Walking forth, I set my cane aside as I take my seat before the two experienced huntsmen. Only in their mid thirties. But in a profession that sees most die in their twenties.
"Oz, you better have a good reason for this." Summer says as she trudges through my office and plops into one of the chairs. Propping her head in her hand as she yawns. "I'm running on five hours of sleep and need to check in with the Board of Huntsmen at twelve."
"And you pulled me from my day off." Qrow says as he takes a swig from his flask. After two gulps he screws it shut and looks back to me. "Not cool."
He too plops in the chair, and leans back lazily.
"I assure you, you'll both want to hear this. Seeing as young Ms. Rose was involved." I say, holding back a laugh at how quickly that got their full attention.
Qrow and Summer share a glance. A sort of silent communication born from years of teamwork.
"Explain." Summer says with a glare that almost matches Glynda's usual steely eyed look. Perhaps it's my time with her and the rest of Team STRQ, but to me, it just comes off as adorably pouty.
"Well, last night I investigated a rather peculiar occurrence." I begin to explain. "When I heard young Ms. Rose was caught playing vigilante, I decided to see if she had any information. Long story short, she met a boy-"
"What!?" I'm cut off from my explanation as Qrow shoots forward and grabs my collar. "Oz, is this what you meant by a new source of magic!? Another silver eye? Oh god is Ruby pregnant!?" He rambles off frantically.
"Qrow sit your, ass down!" Summer says as she yanks his cape back, pulling him off of me. "Let him finish before you start a crusade."
Always a rowdy bunch. The Silver and Red eyes. To be honest I find them quite enjoyable to be around. Reminds me of my comrades in arms from back when I was just Ozma, and nothing else. I wish more were like this.
Though I will admit I phrased my wording to be, intentionally provoking. Gotta have my fun somehow.
"Thank you Summer." I say as I pat down my collar. "Perhaps I should rephrase. I detected the emergence of a new source of magic. And not something as small as someone with silver eyes."
While Silver eyes are venerated by the public for their ability to combat the Grimm. That's all they're really good for. Except maybe blinding someone with a quick flash of light, or acting as a flashlight. They offer no other utility. So they're not worth mentioning in these meetings all that often.
"It was a mage." I say with confidence. "A new mage."
"A new mage?" Summer asks as she sits up and leans back. Her eyes now wide awake. "You're sure?"
"While I understand your suspension of belief." I softly say. "I assure you I'm not mistaken. Even now, I'm vaguely aware of their location, West Vale City."
Back in my first life, detecting a mage by their mana presence would be impossible for all but the best of scryers. Of which I was not. But all magic users are at least somewhat sensitive to magic. And with so little magic left in the world. A new source just, popping into existence. Was not easily missed.
"Last night I was able to piece together the identity of the newest mage. As you can imagine, the presence of a new magic caster, is, not something best left alone." I say to explain my actions. "First I focused on the area where I felt the magic appear, and looked for any events that might correlate to it. And low and behold. There was a robbery, stopped by young Ms. Rose."
"The silver eyed boy in the blue trench coat." Summer says under her breath.
So it seems Ruby told Summer. That explains her lack of outburst at my earlier statement of Ruby meeting a boy.
A shame.
"The hah?" Qrow asks with a squint.
"Torchwick is too well known, and the individual with him in the bullhead was a maiden." I continue my explanation. "All of the thugs were arrested, and the shopkeeper had no magic at all. Thus leaves, the boy. Who was seen fleeing west as soon as Ms. Rose chased after Torchwick."
A calm silence falls over the room as the two contemplate my words. Likely not sure what to think. It's been millennia since ant new magic caster's appeared. Not since, well, the maidens.
"This could all be coincidence." Summer points out. "While I trust you when you say there's a new mage, as, absurd as that is! Don't you think that there's the possibility he might've been in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
Qrow rolls his eyes as he gets out his scroll and starts going through some social media feed. As easily bored as ever, I let it slide seeing as I kept his attention for the important parts.
"I did consider that." I admit. "However, this is our only lead on the case of the mage. Finding him and verifying if has magic or not should be enough to-"
"Found him." Qrow says as he slides his scroll over.
Looking down, I see the side view of the boy from the security cams. On a social media feed of some girl named Wisteria.
(Guys check it! I got a Silver eye staying at the motel I'm working at! Think he's on his way to Beacon? Or maybe he's already a-)
I stopped reading. And slowly look up to my top informant.
"Qrow." I say as I lock my hands together. "Tell me why you were able to find him while looking through a teenagers media account so fast?"
"What?" He shrugs as he takes his phone back. "I just searched Silver and narrowed the results to West Vale."
Oh thank goodness. For a moment I believed, well. It's not important.
"What'd you think I was doing?" Qrow asks.
"It doesn't matter." I say to assuage his concerns. "Could you go find him? Bring him here so I can confirm whether or not he is the mage?"
"Yeah, I gotcha." He says as he puts his hands on the arms of his chair. Pushing up, he pops his back before turning to trudge his way through my office, and towards the elevator.
As he leaves, Summer coughs. Gaining my attention. I look over to her as she raises an eyebrow and points to herself.
"So, why was I needed?" She asks lightly. "This meeting could've been an email."
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A/N
Yang, is not a huntsman here.
So, the reason Yang isn't a huntsman is quite simply.
Summer never died.
In canon, Yang stated she never wanted to be a huntsman. The only reason she did was to look after her little sister who did want to be a huntsman because she felt no one else would. Taiyang was chronically depressed, Summer was dead, Qrow was constantly gone. And it's even heavily implied that Summer never wanted her children to be huntsmen.
Here? That's a little different. Silver eyed warriors are common knowledge. Hell, they're the closest thing to nobility outside of the wealthy elite. Centuries of their exploits against the Grimm, the common enemy, have seen the average person to view them as pseudo celebrities. A legacy, silver eyes are just associated with heroism.
And yes, magic is common knowledge. But to the average man, it's seen as something akin to an extremely rare and powerful semblance. Same with the Silver eyes. It's seen in the same light as the Schnee semblance. Everyone has a main semblance, and a minor one. And the Silver eyes have a third one meant specifically for targeting Grimm.
You'd be surprise the kind of things people just, accept, if it's seen as normal.
Now, why would Salem allow all of this? You'll see.
There was a hint in the last bonus.
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Qrow's minor semblance, is vocal mimicry. I thought it'd be funny to have the crow instead of the raven have the ability to mimic voices.
Also helps with his espionage.
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In this universe, Red eyes correlate with enhance semblances. Like Qrow's bad luck spreading to others, and being able to target rather than be indiscriminate if he focuses. (That's canon by the way.) Or Yang's semblance igniting her when supercharged. Or how Raven can create portals as opposed to just teleporting herself. Those with red eyes, have a pool of mana, but no specialization. So it bleeds into their semblance. Which is why Qrow's semblance is on constantly. He has a pool of mana constantly fueling his semblance.
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Leave a review and let me know what you think!
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Find me in the channel newb's-grotto where you can vote on what story I write next!
I have a Worm story, an Overlord story, a Skyrim Gacha fic, and this one.
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Link to the discord: discord .gg/DarkWolfShiro