Shocking

'How did we get here?' Gaius thought to himself while staring down towards a barrel of a gun pointed at him. The look on his face was that of confusion and perplex. He had arrived in Vale by driving the family car towards the city just to go into the Dust store with Ruby. It had been peaceful up until the suddenness of a group of armed men storming in then holding the cashier and Gaius at gun point. The man sent a glance over towards an oblivious Ruby who had headphones on while reading a magazine for weapons. With a roll of the eyes, his ears nearly perked up when the man holding him at gunpoint began to bark at him once more.

"On the ground now!", he spat, "And give me all of your Dust! I won't say it again!"

Gaius narrowed his eyes on the man then shook his head at him. That was when he noticed one of the men heading towards Ruby. He was willing to comply until he saw that his daughter was in danger. His facial expression became deadly, as if a switch had been flipped. With sleight of hand and years of practice, Gaius snatched the weapon out of the man's hand and used it as a club to smack him up side the head with it. He didn't have his primary weapon with him, with his reason being that he didn't truly need it at the moment. With the crook taken cared of, Gaius turned to find the man heading for Ruby being sent flying out of the store. A sigh left him as he realized that she had defended herself. So without a moment's waste, he went to work.

"Dad!", Ruby called, "We're being robbed! Does that mean I can fight?" Her request was met with an odd look, he didn't truly wish for his daughter to be in danger but he couldn't stop her from becoming a Huntress. After all, she aspired to be just like her mother, and he couldn't stop her from doing that. With a breathe leaving him, Gaius sensed that the crook he hit with their weapon was getting back up. With a spin, he used their gun like a bat and smacked them right out of the store just like Ruby did. "Just this once", Gaius relented, "But no glory seeking or selfish actions." Ruby was elated to hear this, gaining my a beaming smile as she dashed out of the store to face the rest of the criminals. Gaius watched her for a moment and felt a proud smile curl onto his lips. Then stowed his emotions before joining her. Ruby brandished her scythe, then began to dispatch the handful of thugs who aimed their weapons at them.

She swiped one crook's weapon right out of their hands before sending a spinning kick that knocked them unconsciousness. Ruby then hit another with a smack from the butt end of her scythe. Just as she was about to finish the small skirmish, one crook had an opening on her. She was unaware that he had a clear shot on her and was about to pull the trigger. That ended when the crook felt himself unable to move. Gaius had an outstretched hand out at at the crook and with a sweep, sent the man flying into a nearby wall. "That was careless, Ruby." Her father scolded as he stood close by with a neutral expression.

"Well I thought that she was pretty good!" Called a male voice, both father and daughter turned to find a white suited man with a top hat smirking at them. With a twirl of a cane in his hand, he fired an explosive round at the ground aiming to disrupt their vision. Ruby shielded herself while Gaius somehow kept his eyes on the man. His eyesight may have been clouded but the Force was all the sight that he needed. His one good eye stayed trained on the man as a sigh of relief left him. With the crook gone, the fight should be over...or at least it would have been had he didn't just see a red blur go after him once the smoke cleared. With his eyes wide with shock, Gaius knew who that was. "Ruby, no!"

//Ruby\\

Ruby Faradei Rose wanted to prove herself, she wanted to show that she could become a Huntress. As she got atop of the building that the man was on, she opened fire on him with her scythe, transforming it into a rifle. The man seemingly dodged the round and gave her an impressed look. "You're really persistent Red", he complimented, "But this is where we part ways!" Just as he said that, an aircraft descended for him with a side door opening for him. He jumped and turned to fire another explosive round at Ruby. Her eyes widened upon seeing the round travel towards her. She jumped back to try and dodge but knew that the shockwave from the explosion would still sending her flying. Closing her eyes, she expected to be sent off the building. Except she didn't, though she still felt weightless as if she were in the air.

"What did I just tell you?" Her father said, causing her to open her eyes and look to see Gaius standing in front of her with a hand outstretched at her. Slowly Ruby was set down behind him, and right as she was going to thank her father, a scolding glare was sent her way. Gaius was upset, and she sort of understood why as well as knew that now was not the time to talk. "You're pretty fast for an old timer." Taunted the man, he readied his cane to fire once again. Right as he was about to pull the trigger, the cane exploded. It was as if an invisible force had just triggered the firing mechanism within the cane prematurely. The shockwave from the exploding cane sent the man sideways and scorching him. Causing his body to hit the ceiling and wall of the craft that he was in.

Ruby watched confused for a moment, then realized that it was her father. She glanced over to see his other hand having been outstretched towards the aircraft that was still hovering above them. A stern glare from him being pointed upwards as he kept his eye on it. Right as he was about to lower his hand, a woman came into view of the opened doorway of the aircraft. She had long midnight black hair that reached the nape of her neck. Wore a scarlet red dress with fire patterns on it, and had crimson irises staring down at Gaius. With a wave of her hand, she sent a blast of fire at the father daughter duo. Just as it reached six feet from Ruby and Gaius, the fire dispersed as if it had hit a shield. Ruby looked at her father amazed, never having seen him use his semblance before. Several more waves of fire were sent their way, but try as she might Gaius protected both he and Ruby. The girl wondered why he wouldn't strike back, not realizing that he was protecting her.

The woman stopped her attack once she saw someone else join the father daughter duo. It was a blonde haired woman with a black cape at her back. She wore a pair of bifocals, with a riding crop in her hand as a weapon. Realizing that she had wasted enough time, she turned just as the aircraft quickly ascended into the air. She sent a glare towards Gaius as the door to the aircraft closed. Ruby watched as the aircraft soared away, then quickly got in front of her father with an excited smile. "That was awesome!", she exclaimed, "Your semblance was great! She couldn't even touch us even if she tried!" Ruby was amazed by what had transpired. That was when her silver irises landed on the blonde haired woman who had arrived. She gawked at her for a moment before nearly squealing in excitement. "Oh my Oum!", Ruby exclaimed once more, "Dad it's a real Huntress! Can I have your autograph?"

//Gaius, Two Hours Later\\

Here Gaius and Ruby sat within what could only be described as an interrogation room. The man sat calmly and relaxed, with arms folded over his chest as the woman that he knew now was Glynda berated Ruby as if she were a stern mother. Before she could continue to scold Ruby however, he cleared his throat, earning Glynda's ire. "And you, her father, should have stopped-" Just as Glynda was about to berate him, Gaius sent her a glare of his own. This caught the Huntress off guard, she hadn't expected him to do that. That was when Gaius began to speak in a scolding tone of his own, one that held a hint of venom in it. "Before you go off running your mouth, allow me to ask you one singular question.."

"Why were you the only Huntress on patrol tonight?", Gaius questioned, "Vale is beside Beacon, the world's most renowned academy for Hunters and Huntresses. Despite that, they only have time to send a single Huntress out to patrol Vale rather than a single team or more? That seems to show that your Headmaster cannot manage the Hunters and Huntresses as well as you think that he can. I am a father of a stubborn and still growing child. Think upon that before you even try to turn your accusations towards me. You do not have to raise a child to learn discipline and patience. I will not be scolded by a woman who couldn't possibly understand that. Especially one who could not catch thugs of all things."

Glynda remained silent while Ruby looked between her father and the woman nervous. She hadn't seen her father snap like that unless he was about to scold her. Which brought her back to remembering that he did give her that glare earlier. There was a silent and tense silence as Glynda's expression became neutral. Though Gaius kept his glare on her, knowing that Glynda was the right hand of one man who he disliked. His name was Ozpin, and he knew that the fact that she was here meant that he wasn't far behind. As if on que, Ozpin entered the room and noticed how Gaius was glaring at Glynda. A deep breathe left him, having hoped that he could have stopped Gaius from scolding Glynda.

Gaius then turned his ire upon Ozpin, and intensified it up a decibel. The white haired man walked over towards the table separating Ruby and Gaius from Glynda and sat down in the chair on the other side. "It's good to see you again, Gaius." Ozpin greeted slowly, but saw that Gaius didn't feel like returning the greetings. He could see in the man's good eye that Gaius still held him solely responsible for Summer. "Ozpin", Gaius greeted dyly, "Why do you have your watchdog keeping me and my daughter prisoner?" Upon hearing that title, Glynda sent a glare to Gaius who ignored it. Ozpin frowned before fixing his glasses and sitting back in his chair. "I just wanted to ask a few questions is all", Ozpin replied, "I'm more surprised to see you outside of your home. You normally don't come out to Vale unless your grocery shopping. Even then, you don't even visit Beacon...my offer still stands you know?"

"No thanks, I am comfortable at home." Gaius stated, then watched as Ozpin nodded and turned his gaze onto Ruby. The silver eyed girl at this time was stress eating, munching down on a bowel of cookies. "You have silver eyes..." Ozping uttered, catching Ruby off guard as she looked to Ozpin. For a moment Ozpin thought to himself before speaking again. "Where did you learn to fight?" He questioned Ruby, and she started to speak with a mouth filled with cookies.

"Chew and swallow." Gaius ordered, and heard his daughter do exactly that before speaking to Ozpin.

"Signal Academy, my uncle Qrow taught me." Ruby answered Ozpin, and watched a look of recognition come over him. "You want to be a Huntress?" He asked, and watched her nod her head. "I've always wanted to, I want to protect people and experience the world." Ruby replied, then watched as Ozpin gave her a slight smile before leaning back in his seat.

"Ozpin, if you plan to have my daughter skip two years of her life just to go to your Academy...then you had best think carefully with your next words." Gaius warned, a glare being sent to Ozpin's way. The glare made Ozpin center his attention on the man, as well as Glynda's. They both had become wary of Gaius' sudden hostility towards them. Though only one of them knew why, and it was the Headmaster himself at fault for it. "Ruby is 16 years old, she is not going to Beacon until she is of age." Gaius affirmed.

"But dad, I'll get to go alongside Yang!", Ruby complained, "We'll even get to work and study together and we-" Ruby was interrupted when Gaius turned his glare unto her. She closed her mouth shut, having not seen her father like this unless he was actually angry. That was rare even for him, even so, she bit her lip and decided to speak her mind. "Dad, I really want to be a Huntress this is something that I want. You can't stop me.."

Gaius turned a little in his seat and stared at his daughter, his eyes narrowing onto her like a stern father. Before he spoke, Ozpin rose up from his seat and cleared his throat. "Well, I see that you will need to have some time to decide", Ozpin stated hastily, "Your uncle has my Scroll number, just contact him and he'll let me know. Goodnight Ms. Rose, and you too Gaius." The moment that Ozpin walked out of the interrogation room, so too did Glynda who sent a final glance back at the two before exiting. Gaius had remained silent for a moment longer before rising up from his seat slowly.

"We're going home....now." He ordered.

//Two Hours Later\\

"Dad-" Ruby called, but was stopped by a raised hand from Gaius. The two had just returned back home, it was late at night and the both of them had said nothing to each other during the ride back. Ruby was worried that her father would dismiss her desire to become a Huntress. Even so, she would press on until he allows he accepts. When Ruby and Gaius walked inside, Yang and Tai were seated in the living room. The first to speak was Yang who ran up to Ruby and gave her a hug. "Hey Yang, what's up?"

"Ruby!", Yang exclaimed, "We saw the news, you were amazing! Could use some work but nothing like a little sparring session with me could fix." The blonde Rose smirked before removing herself from Ruby. The two sisters smiled at one another before Tai cleared his throat. The girls turned to see Tai giving them a slight smile then sent a nervous glance to Gaius. The man had walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a pint of milk and a glance to pour it in. "Uh...Gaius?"

Gaius said nothing as a he poured himself a glass of milk. Once he did, he turned around and stared at Yang for a moment before giving her a stern glare. "Why are you armed?" The former Jedi suddenly asked, causing Yang to tense up and realize her mistake. She coughed, and avoided eye contact with Gaius in order to not feel the heat from his glare.

"W-well I was...planning to bust you guys out of-"

"Lie to me again, and I will see to it that you Signal Academy takes your diploma away."

"B-but...I...um..."

Yang fumbled over her words trying to think of an excuse, then let out a deep breathe before looking down like a child who had gotten caught in trouble. "I-i...may have went to a nightclub and maybe beat up a few guys." Yang admitted, to which a deep breathe left Tai. The blonde headed man folded his arms over his chest before giving Yang a soft glare.

"You were trying to find her again...weren't you?" Tai asked, referring to Yang's biological mother. To which the blonde girl nodded her head, and only heard nothing from neither adult. When she lifted her head, she found a scornful look directed her way by Gaius. The room felt cold for several moments before the man spoke, his voice coming out quite harshly now.

"So then, you mean to say that you risked the safety of our home to find a woman who I have told you time and time again...does not wish to see you?", Gaius asked but did not wait for Yang to respond, "You attacked armed men at a nightclub for information? You risked your life for nothing? Have you any idea how irresponsible that is?" Tai was about to speak but found Gaius pointed a finger at him to be silent. "You have gone on long enough to be care free with her Taiyang. She has shown that she cannot be trusted with responsibility of any decision that she makes. So I believe that it is time that she understands what consequences look like."

Ruby watched this with a sad look, knowing that her father was only acting like this because of her going against him. He was normally a caring and comforting man, sometimes stern but even so he wouldn't act like this. "Dad, Yang just made a mistake", Ruby pleaded, "You don't need to act like whatever she does could be dangerous, a Huntress' life is always-"

"Enough with this talk of Hunters and Huntresses Ruby, I have had enough of it." Gaius cut off, but watched Ruby take a challenging step forward.

"Mom was a Huntress but you didn't stop her! Why are you acting like this now? What's so bad that-"

"Your mother is gone because she was a Huntress!" As soon as Giaus raised his voice, the room shook which made all occupants in the room looked around in shock. Then their eyes landed on him in slight fear as he continued to speak. "Summer went on assignments that were far too dangerous, to the point that I should have gone with her. I entertained the idea for you to become a Huntress because you would be safe...safe from whom I believe to be an accomplice to your mother's death. That said I will not allow my daughter to risk her life by trying to become a Huntress prematurely."

"Dad-"

"That is final."

"No!", Ruby challenged, "No it's not, not when I'm so close to getting something I really want! You don't understand! I want to be a Huntress because of mom, you'd understand that if you weren't always sulking and acting like an overprotective father. That's why sometimes I'd rather have mom here than you!"

Ruby's words, like Gaius, shook the room. Though what came next made Yang and Tai stare at her in shock, they knew that she could have inherited Gaius' abilities. But they didn't think that she would say something like that. Ruby only realized what she said to her father after a moment of silence, her expression turning from shock then to fear. Gaius on the other hand stared wide eyed at his daughter, his expression morphing from a stern and scornful look to that of a saddened one. He slowly nodded his head at Ruby as Zwei entered the living room, staring at everyone with a tilted head. "Dad i-"

Ruby was stopped from speaking by a raised hand from Gaius. He stared at his daughter in silence for but a few seconds before beginning to walk towards the stairs leading up. "Some times...I wish that I had switched places with your mother as well Ruby.." Gaius uttered, which didn't go unheard from the black haired girl. She watched as her father disappeared upstairs, leaving Tai, Yang, and Ruby alone downstairs. Yang looked to Ruby, then gave her a concerned look as she inched forward. She slowly wrapped her sister up in a comforting embrace. Ruby returned the embrace as she softly shed a tear from her eye. She couldn't believe that she had said that, it was like some kind of dark malicious force took over her for a moment.

"Yang...what did I do?" Ruby asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.