Understanding

Ruby Rose had a fairly normal day thus far. She had woken up early in the morning to do some chores, made breakfast for her clumsy father and moody older sister, and walked her dog within a safe distance from the house. She then continued to work on an upgrade she thought up for the dishwasher in order to make it a bit more efficient with their water supply before her father called in sheepishly stating that he had forgotten his lunch again. Thus Ruby had to fly all the way to Vale with the said lunch that her father just couldn't do without and walk awkwardly through the halls of Signal Academy with people constantly asking if she was a student (which she wasn't!) to give him his damn sandwich. She was then supposed do some shopping while she was there because Yang hogged all of the conditioner and then head straight back to the airship so that she could finish up the upgrade and then perhaps study a bit more.

So how on Remnant did Ruby manage to find herself in an interrogation room alone with two of the most powerful people in Vale? In every sense of the word!

"Greetings Ms. Rose," stated a rather youthful looking man with small owl spectacles and piercing emerald eyes, the only hint of his age being his gray hair.

Ruby knew this man. Who wouldn't know the great Ozpin Headmaster of one of the most prestigious Hunter Academies in all of the Kingdom of Vale and arguably the best in the world? The man had such a presence that the small fifteen year old couldn't help but sit up straight and there was also the fact that the man had an odd fascination with her eyes. As if that wasn't enough, standing right behind the man was the most powerful huntress ever known: Glynda Goodwitch. Already Ruby felt so out of place…

"I'm assuming you know who I am?" asked Ozpin.

Ruby could only give a timid nod at the question even though her mind was yelling.

Who the hell doesn't?!

"And I'm also assuming you know why you are here?"

Ruby's eyes wandered to the ceiling as she tried to think of a good excuse. Sadly there was none, because she knew exactly why she was here. It wasn't for a serious crime mind you. Well, okay technically it was for a crime, but she didn't commit the crime… she stopped it.

"Yes…" Ruby muttered quietly, almost too quietly, but Ozpin didn't seem at all fazed as he simply nodded, his enigmatic smile plastered onto his face.

"Good, then you must understand my curiosity," he said, "It is not everyday that one witnesses a minor take down the most notorious criminal in Vale and his minions all on her own with her bare hands no less."

Ruby winced at that small detail. She was a bit embarrassed to admit that she had no idea that the man she had stopped from robbing a dust store was none other than Roman Torchwick, a master thief with a high priority in on Vale's Blacklist. It was just supposed to be a small good deed, nothing out of the ordinary and then she would go on with her day. She should have known better than to play vigilante in a damn city where cameras were everywhere, but hell, she basically lived in a shack out in the woods for most of her life!

"It was no big deal… really," Ruby muttered lamely.

Ozpin's smile remained unchanged, although Ruby could have sworn she spotted a bit of amusement twinkling in the man's eyes.

"Is that so? I would consider a young girl who is not from any known huntsman academy easily taking down a former veteran hunter to be a very big deal."

Ruby felt her eye twitch at the rather blunt jab.

"Y-Yeah… I still don't see what the big deal is… not at all."

An amused chuckle sounded from the headmaster of Beacon, apparently finding Ruby's stubborn denial to be amusing.

"Well then, let us just assume that this was a big deal, hmm?" said Ozpin in a rather patronizing way making Ruby's eyebrow twitch again, "And allow me to ask you the question that I've had in my mind the second I saw the footage."

Ruby stared at the headmaster; her heartbeat becoming faster than it had ever been before in anticipation of the question.

"How would you like to attend Beacon?"

Jaune Arc had a pretty average day… or maybe it was a bit above average. He got up, brushed his teeth, changed into his work clothes, grabbed his wood axe, and headed to work with his dad. It was supposed to be another routine day, with Jaune joining a group of hardy woodcutters on a trek into the forest surrounding their humble village of Sol Harbor; the "harbor" part of the name being ironic since the village was four miles away from the nearest lake. It may sound rather dull and to be completely frank, it was a very dull job, but Jaune didn't mind. He rather liked his simple life, where everything was laid out for him, less thinking involved and therefore less things he can screw up. But fate just had to find something to screw with him on this day.

That something put the hapless seventeen year old in between his protective parents with his equally protective sisters hovering around him, all of them facing one person sitting opposite of them. The person was a man, a bit haggard to be sure but one that Jaune's parents apparently knew well.

"Well, well Ralof, seems like you're doing well for yourself," stated the man lazily, "Eight kids… respect where respect is due."

Jaune's father, Ralof Arc let out a small chuckle.

"It is good to know that you haven't changed one bit my friend," answered Ralof with a wide grin, only for it to vanish as soon as his wife and daughters all aimed their deadly glares at him.

"Why are you here, Qrow?" growled Jaune's mother, her fiery blue eyes like that of a tiger, ready to kill.

The man on the receiving end of the glare didn't even bat an eye; a feat Jaune thought wasn't possible. Instead the man took out a flask and took a large gulp from whatever was in it, some sort of alcohol, if Jaune were to guess, judging from how loopy Qrow looked.

"You know full well why I'm here, Laura," answered Qrow unfazed at the fact that Jaune's mother looked down right furious now, "Ol' Ozzy asked me to keep an eye out for kids with potential, and I know I spotted one."

Qrow bluntly looked directly at Jaune as he said the last bit making Jaune shift rather uncomfortably. Jaune knew exactly what the older man was implying. What was that thing? Well remember the something that got him into this situation in the first place? Yeah.

Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he looked towards the ground.

"I only did what I thought was right… I don't think that should really mean anything," muttered Jaune.

Qrow fixed Jaune with a deadpanned look.

"Kid, you defeated a pack of Beowolves estimated to be about two dozen strong lead by an A class alpha with one punch," stated Qrow, "The aftershock leaving a crater the size of a dreadnaught class warship."

Jaune suddenly found the ground to be extremely interesting, not wanting to look at the man's probing red eyes.

"Then… I guess the beowolves weren't that strong… and the ground was really soft?" Jaune asked desperately.

"Jaune, stop speaking before you dig yourself a hole," said Marissa, Jaune's third oldest sister, bluntly.

"So my son is fairly strong," said Ralof getting a look from Qrow, "Fine, very strong, but does it really require you to basically interrogate him?"

"I wouldn't call this interrogating," said Qrow, "In fact this reminds me of the time I had to deal with that one bullying incident at Signal… I think I spent the rest of the day at the local pub after that."

"Answer the question," growled Laura.

Qrow sighed.

"Now I feel like I'm the one being interrogated…" muttered Qrow before he lazily looked over at Jaune, "Ol' Ozzy would tear me new one in his passive aggressive way if I didn't ask, so I'll just get it over with."

Jaune perked up at that, wondering exactly what this mysterious drunken stranger wanted from him.

"Ya interested in attending Beacon, kid?"

"More than anything!"

…

That's what Ruby would have said had this been 5 years ago. Ruby had always dreamed of being the best huntress in existence, fighting off Grimm and bringing criminals to justice. Like every kid her age, Ruby had wanted to be a hero, just like her mother…

Mom…

That was before, but now… now Ruby wasn't ten years old anymore. She wasn't as naïve as she made herself out to be in front of her father and sister so that they didn't have to burden themselves with her problems especially with what they were currently dealing with. Ruby's sister, Yang, was dealing with the fact that her birth mother had abandoned her long ago for an unknown reason and her father was dealing with the loss of two of his wives, one from desertion and the other…

No… now is not the time to be thinking about that.

Ruby slowly looked up towards the headmaster, whom was patiently awaiting her answer. Ruby took note of the look of worry on Glynda Goodwitch's face behind Ozpin, most likely due to the exhausted expression Ruby had on her face. She wasn't physically exhausted mind you, she just felt… older. Like much older than she currently was.

Ruby Rose had only one answer for the man who was offering to revive an old dream.

"I would love to!"

…

That was the answer that went through Jaune's head, but not through his mouth. Ten years ago Jaune would have leapt at the opportunity to be the hero that all his ancestors before him did. He would have desperately clawed his way into Beacon one way or the other all in order to fulfill his ambition to be a great warrior that would make his father and every Arc before him proud. He had the tools, he had the knowledge… and he had the drive. Extreme emphasis on had.

While Jaune still retained the tools and the knowledge… the drive was no longer there. It was nothing but a distant memory to Jaune now… or at least it was until Qrow up and brought it back. Jaune didn't hate Qrow for it though; Jaune wasn't really in the business of hating anybody.

But I really ought to thank him.

This was the thought that went through the young man's head, for it gave him an opportunity. An opportunity to ease this anxiety that had been in Jaune's heart for many years due to this unfulfilled ambition, one that Qrow now brought back to the forefront with his presence and his question.

And so as he looked up at the eyes of the grizzled veteran, suddenly feeling a bit grizzled himself, Jaune Arc gave his answer an answer he should have decided so long ago… in his mind anyway.

"Thank you, but I have no interest in going to Beacon."