Disclaimer: Rooster Teeth is the sole owner of RWBY. All characters, scenarios, and names are sole ownership of Rooster Teeth. Unfortunately...not for long.
The Idea
The city of Vale was generally quiet. There were always things going on, no matter the time of night, but it was rare that anything happened that couldn't be dealt with swiftly, thanks to the Huntsman and Huntresses from the Beacon Academy.
And even if they couldn't act, it was the will of the trainees, of those who were there, to do something about it. That's what her Mom taught her, and that's what she was going to live by, or her name wasn't Ruby Rose!
Which is probably how she found herself in an interrogation room in the police station, a small plate of cookies in front of her with the far too bright light shining directly into her eyes. Because she did do something about it...except she wasn't really licensed to do it. Or actually, a trainee now that she thought about it.
"You have...silver eyes," the man in green stated softly. Ozpin, she knew his name was, the headmaster of Beacon Academy. There were rumors on Patch, where she actually lived, that he could do almost anything, up to and including weather manipulation, destiny, and making the laws of physics rewrite themselves.
"Is that...a bad thing?" Ruby asked quietly. She wasn't sure what Ozpin wanted. His assistant, Glynda Goodwitch, had just finished absolutely laying into her about reckless behavior, but it wasn't really reckless. There was Torchwick, and he could have hurt someone, and so she had to stop him!
It was obvious to her that's what she was needed to do. She was there to help people!
"No, of course not. I'm just making a general statement, Miss Rose. I would like to extend to you an invitation to join my school-" Ozpin started to say.
"Yes, yes of course yes! Of course I'll go!" Ruby shouted, standing up instantly. There was a slight bump from hitting the table, not that Ruby let that stop her.
"-If I could have. Unfortunately the laws of Vale are quite clear. All students must be seventeen or older to join Beacon," Ozpin finished, as if he wasn't interrupted. He seemed far too cool and collected, in Ruby's mind, especially as he cruelly finished off her dream with a small voice in the back of her head yelling 'Fatality!'.
"We apologize for misleading you, Miss Rose," Glynda Goodwitch said. "Normally, Professor Ozpin would have the power to overwrite that, but seeing as how you are not a current student of any academy, his hands are tied."
Ruby sat back down onto the chair, trying to not look too dejected. Of course that would come back to bite her. She just wanted to do something nice for Yang graduating. But here she was, exiled from Patch and expelled from Signal.
And now she couldn't even go to Beacon. At least not for another two years, and what was she going to do for two whole years!? She was only fifteen! Was she cursed to forever wander the forest killing Grimm over and over with no electricity and no games, barely able to interact with anyone!?
Actually that sounded kind of nice. Maybe she'd do that. She wouldn't have to deal with people then! But then Yang would have a really hard time coming to visit her, so probably not.
"Might I suggest you make some preparations then, Miss Rose? I shall let the officers know our talk is done, and that any damage can be invoiced to Beacon. They should give you your weapon and scroll back," Ozpin said succinctly. He left the empty plate of cookies there with her, she noticed. Who ate all the cookies!? Ruby thought, a cookie in one hand.
Being gently taken out from the police station was an awkward affair, as the officers kept giving her strange looks from Crescent Rose on her hip. It wasn't her fault that it was so big and bulky, she just couldn't figure out how to make it smaller without jeopardizing the main shaft!
Her scroll had been searched and cleared, the officer at the front desk had said, but her sister wasn't due out for another day or two, unless someone posted bail for her.
Ruby would have, but she only had around four hundred lien on her. For Yang to get out it would've been nearly ten thousand! There was no way she could afford that!
So she found herself wandering the streets of Vale at nearly ten. "I should go to a hotel room, but they're expensive too..." she muttered to herself.
She looked down at her scroll, casually skipping over a few advertisements from various weapon magazines she'd subscribed to years ago. Her hands tapped the call button, and without her thinking about who she was calling, her dad picked up.
"Ruby? I thought you were in Vale with Yang," her dad's voice echoed up.
"Yeah...I was. Then she said she had to go do something, so I went to the dust shop to see if I could get her a going away present! But then Torchwick showed up and tried to rob me so I went to try to kick his ass like Uncle Qrow always taught me but he ran away and then a huntress came in and was totally 'poo! shaw! Poh-wang!' and Torchwick got away."
"...What were you doing fighting Roman Torchwick of all people!?"
"Weren't you listening!? He was robbing the store, and then one of the goons tried to rob me but then I totally kicked their butts!"
"Ruby...Where was Yang in this? I thought she was supposed to be with you. I remember telling her explicitly that she was supposed to be with you."
"Ah...she took off on Bumblebee, saying she had to check something."
"And where is she right now, and why are you not there!?"
"In jail."
There was silence from the scroll for a moment. "Ruby. Get to the airport. I'm coming in, even if I have to fly a bullhead myself," her dad's voice said ominously.
"It's already ten! There's nothing running!"
"Ruby, just listen. The mayor is still on their ego streak so I haven't been able to give you access to Patch back, but I can still be there. Just hurry to the airport, alright?"
Ruby pouted. She wanted to go back home, but the mayor was being stupid again. According to her dad, she occasionally went and made everything an 'exile' from Patch. Even littering! Even littering with Grimm parts! Those don't even stay for very long before they disappear, and the mayor had people exiled for littering them. It was almost a running joke that it didn't mean much, and that if anything it was a badge of honor on the small island.
Unfortunately it still kept her off the island until it was revoked. Usually a Signal student would have been able to use going to Signal as an excuse, and get it revoked instantly, but, well...she was expelled. Not that it was her fault, she was just caught at the scene!
The airport of Vale was quite large, an overwhelming maze of airships and people. There was a smaller section for the outlying areas, such as Patch or the smaller villages way out there that only get one or two flights each day. Patch usually had five or six.
It was open twenty four seven, but since most of the flights to the other major cities happened every two hours, there was a steady tide of people almost always there. Some were hunters, their weapons easily visible on their hips or backs. She even caught sight of a multi-functional mace with an electrical dampener! That had to have come from Atlas.
"Please standby for emergency flight from Patch, deck V1," the robot voice said throughout the intercom. That had to be her dad! She felt her aura swell, and in an instant she had raced the three blocks to her dad's incoming flight deck. She ignored the way the flower petals bloomed behind her, and as soon as she landed, she sent a small surge of aura to them, making them disappear as if they didn't exist.
Her face went up against the window, steadfastly looking towards the runway. There was a bullhead that had just come in, and only a few people were on it. There must have been an emergency, and since Patch didn't have the medical facilities needed for everything, they sometimes had to ship people out to Vale.
She could see a medical team race towards the bullhead, just as people were walking off it too. They probably combined them with all the other emergencies. She could see the blonde hair of her dad bouncing far above everyone, and in an instant she was at the gates, petals behind her.
She wasn't sure if she was faster or if he was. Ruby found herself embraced into a giant hug. "Ruby! Oh it's good to see you safe!" her dad said simply. "Alright. Let's go see Yang then, and we can figure out what's going on," he stated. Ruby nodded happily, her attention distracted by another hunter weapon, this time a folded longsword with a hidden shotgun. "Ruby, no staring at other people's weapons," her dad finished quietly.
"But they're so neat!"
"They are, but a person's weapon is an extension of themselves. So tell me what happened tonight, but slower," Taiyang said. Ruby nodded and tried to force herself to slow down.
She had already covered most of it, so it was just filling in the smaller details. Her dad nodded along to it, as if agreeing with her original decision to go after Torchwick. She had made sure that the shopkeep was okay first! That made it okay, right? Obviously it did. She was a hero!
"I hadn't realized Vale was getting so dangerous," her dad said. "I'd heard of dust thefts going up, but those are usually just the ones that stay open late. What time was this?"
"Like...eight."
"What were you still doing out? How long was Yang with you after you landed!?"
"About five minutes," Ruby answered. The dust shop where she'd been robbed was close by, and Ruby could see the small yellow tape showing a crime scene. She could see a few officers talking with the shopkeep, who gave her a small wave. There was already a small team there with the replacement for the glass window she broke.
"Five minutes. Gods...You'd think she'd have lasted at least ten, considering she's going to Beacon now," her dad continued. "Police station's not far. It's the one on the corner of Main and 10th, right?"
"That's what they told me. I didn't actually go back to see Yang, Ozpin just told me that she was there."
"Ozpin? What was he doing there?"
"He wanted to get me to go to Beacon! But then he said he couldn't because some stupid laws said I couldn't."
Taiyang let out a silent curse. Ruby recognized it from the amount of times he used the same words with Yang and caring for Ember Celica or Bumblebee. "Yeah, I know those laws. And with what happened at Signal, they wouldn't be able to. Any idea on what you want to do for a while? You have two years before Beacon, and I and Qrow need some time to pull strings to let you back into Signal and Patch."
"I don't know. I was thinking just living out in the forest by myself and Crescent Rose, and just spend all day killing Grimm like Mom and you used to but then I thought that'd be pretty lonely and Yang wouldn't be able to visit-"
"Ruby, you're not spending two years out in the forest. You barely know how to cook."
"What else can I do!? It's not like I can just open a shop in Vale!"
Taiyang stopped. He blinked for a moment, before he ran to catch up. "What made you think of that idea?" he asked.
"Well...I figured I made Crescent Rose and helped Yang with Ember Celica when she wanted to go out with Azure without telling you! Oh shoot I wasn't supposed to say that-"
"Ignoring the fact about Yang with a boy, there is a way we can do that. If you want. I don't think Qrow and I, even pulling together all our money, will be able to pay for a hotel and food for two whole years. But an apartment in my name, and you living in it? That might be possible."
"I'd get bored way too easily! But this way I can help people, and look at cool weapons all the time! It's like perfect for me! Especially since I don't really need to talk with people, just their weapons!"
"You know being a shopkeep is hard, right? And you do have to interact with people. It's not just smithing all the time."
"I can do it! I'm big enough!"
"Not size that matters, Rubes. If you're serious about it, we can take a look. I have a solid savings still, and Qrow would probably want to help out."
Did she want to? That was like asking how many Grimm did she want to kill with Crescent Rose. The answer was obviously yes! Spending more time around other people's weapons is something that would only allow her to be better!
But being around other people though...she'd work through it! She could do it!
"Alright, we're here. Stay out here while I talk with Yang, okay?" her dad said. Some of the officers gave her a side eye for coming back here after she was let go, and none decided to talk to her while her dad went in and talked with Yang.
What would she call it though? She'd never even thought about having a shop before, not until dad gave her the idea. Well, she wanted to be a huntress to honor her mom right? And because they were heroes, and that's what she was, so it all kind of fit and made sense in her mind.
Summer's Heroic Weaponry? Hmm, that might be a bit much. It could be a pun off her name! No, she'd have to ask Yang for that, she wasn't good at puns on her own. Yang was yangtastic with puns, as she so often proudly proclaimed. Her dad, too, let out a few groaners when he had the chance.
There was a lot of yelling from the back, she realized. She couldn't make out the voices or what they were yelling about, but someone was definitely upset. The voices made some of the officers nervous, talking amongst themselves in low tones.
Summer's Weapon Shop. Or Rose Weaponry! Ooh, she liked that last one. Or Xiao Long Rose Weaponry! No, she preferred Summer's Weapons best. Why was coming up with a name so hard!
Taiyang stepped out from the back, his face a mask of fury and indignation. Ruby had only seen that on him a few times, mostly after he'd just been getting back from Beacon several years ago.
"Alright Ruby. Come on, we'll grab a hotel room and start searching for an apartment or something," Her dad explained.
"What about Yang?"
"Yang...made her choice. She'll be out in a day anyways, and it's not like she did anything truly wrong. Blowing up an entire bar is only a felony if it was a legitimate bar. No, what they have her on is public intoxication."
"She was drinking?"
"It's Yang. Are you surprised?"
Ruby wished she could say she was. Yang was the party girl, she was fond of going out at night and causing all kinds of trouble and havoc. Ruby was the nice girl, who'd just stay inside and design weapons of mass destruction...
On second thought, maybe they were both screwed up.
"Did you still want to do the shop idea? I could do that! I promise I'd take care of it!" Ruby pleaded.
Her dad looked surprised for a moment. "I didn't think you'd actually want to go through with it. We can find some premises, Vale's been in a bit of a downturn recently, so rates shouldn't be too bad. I'm pretty sure the laws say all renters have to be over seventeen though."
"Could we just get it in your name!?"
Her dad nodded. "I suppose we could try it. I don't like the idea of you living in Vale by yourself though."
"I can take Zwei!"
"Still not comfortable with you and Zwei on your own. I'll try to come around once or twice a day and I'll ask Qrow to come around. Old bird has to do something!"
That would be perfect! She could still get training from Qrow and Dad while doing the shop thing, thus helping people out for years! And then she'd be able to see other's weapons, and it'd be great and she'd be perfect for it-
"Ruby? You passed the hotel," Taiyang said with a satisfied smirk. Ruby looked around, realizing that the hotel was about ten feet behind her, her dad standing outside the entrance.
Ruby wasn't sure what all 'looking for premises' would take, but she found herself waking up earlier than Yang did to take her shower and all of the hot water, only to see her dad looking up things on his scroll.
"How do we do this? Do we just go up and...ask someone?" Ruby asked hesitantly. Taiyang let out a booming laugh but shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. Qrow's told me to put his name on the lease too, which means that most checks won't take long. And there's a few listings online that look promising. Honestly, there's one just down the street."
Just down the street!? She could do that without any problems! She grabbed Crescent Rose, ignoring the way rose petals fell from around her as she raced down the stairs. The front desk person barely had a moment to look up before Ruby was out the door, rushing down the street towards the right way.
She purged the flowers five minutes later when she'd ended up not where she thought she was going. This part of Vale was far from the prim and proper version that was closest to the airport, but kind of a dump. Some of the windows were boarded up, and many of the citizens were staring at her with bags under their eyes, their footsteps slow and unsure.
Her scroll rang with one of her favorite tunes. "Hi Dad!" she called out. Most of the citizens got out of her way, staring uncertainly at the huntress in training.
"Ruby, hi, you turned the wrong way. Other way."
"I figured that when I didn't see you down here."
"Ruby, I'm not that fast."
"Spend more time walking with Zwei then, he'll speed you up," Ruby answered. She turned around and started running, trying to not unconsciously start up her Semblance again.
She had a problem with her Semblance, she knew. It didn't always start up when she wanted it to, but it always worked whenever she didn't. It was almost instinctive. And it didn't help that her Semblance spat out rose petals everywhere on her way. She could get rid of them with a surge of aura, but that was, according to Qrow, 'still messy'.
Fifteen minutes later, she was back at the relative 'good' part of Vale, rather than the downbeat and downtrodden part she'd just seen. Her dad was standing outside a small glass building, a large sign hung up on the inside saying 'for lease'.
It wasn't too big, Ruby realized. Maybe only three dozen feet or so. Plenty big enough for some weapons on the shelves. Would there be enough room in the back for a forge, or would she have to go elsewhere? Actually, were there any forges in Vale?
Course there was. Everyone liked weapons, and everyone liked weapon creation. There had to be! She couldn't be the only one out there.
"Alright, so scroll should get us in. I've talked with the realtor, and honestly the only thing she's worried about is burning the place down. So no forge," her dad explained. He put up his scroll to a lock on the side, and Ruby heard it do a small beep as the door unlocked.
The place wasn't big on the outside. But on the inside it was ginormous. There were dozens of shelves lining the walls, and a few in the middle creating aisles like she'd seen at the grocery store. In the center was a large gray inset, creating a pseudo arena. At the back was a large glass counter, with a few doors that ran off to the side.
"It comes with an apartment above it, too, so the rent and lease are tied into one. Qrow's offered to use some of his money for the start-up costs, and I'll pitch in for the lease for a few months while you get your feet under you. Like I've said, I'll be over every day for a while, as will Qrow."
"Dad! I'll be fine! I know what I'm doing!" Ruby said as she looked behind the counter. The glass was still in one piece, and she could see the lock where it would be unlocked with her scroll. One of the doors to the back led to a small bathroom, probably for shoppers. The other door led upstairs to a much smaller apartment room.
It was a single room, with the kitchen attached, and the only other room being the bathroom. A studio, she thought, was the name for one of these. And she could live in one of these!?
Oh gods she was going to live on her own this was a mistake she couldn't do this she'd much rather live on her own out in the forest and spend her days killing Grimm all the time but then Yang couldn't find her but could she actually find her here Ruby wasn't sure and her mind was running a mile each second-
"Ruby, breathe," her dad reminded her. "Looks decked out still. Everything here is still good to go, but we'll get some shopping done beforehand. Still think you can do this?" Taiyang asked once more.
Ruby's mind was yelling at her no, that this was too much, that she couldn't do it. But her head nodded determinedly, or what she hoped was determined.
"Alright. Then let's go shopping. And I'll bring over your books and such from home when I come back tomorrow. And Zwei."
Why was she doing this again? Oh right, because Vale said she had to be seventeen before she could go to Beacon, and just because of one accident she couldn't go back to Signal.
"Relax Rubes. It'll work out. Qrow and I can still train you, and we'll bring homework back from Signal. It'll be as if you never left, and are just homeschooling yourself."
"What if I don't want to do homework?"
"No. You're going to do the work," her dad said, trying to show some kind of sternness. It evaporated quickly when Ruby hugged him tight, rose petals flowing to the ground as she headed downstairs again.
Hi. I'm Hikari. This is my first RWBY fanfic, as I usually stay around the Sonic fandom, but I've read many RWBY fanfics since discovering the series a few years ago. Hopefully you all enjoy it! This is somewhat inspired by Coeur Al'Aran's 'Service with a Smile', but focusing more on weapons than on coffee, with Ruby as the main character rather than Jaune. Hopefully I pulled off something that's not a complete copy!
Until Next Time!