Set after the events of RWBY Season 2, BEFORE the after credits scene.

The four girls gradually made their way to their dorm, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all barely able to keep their eyes open as they trudged down the corridor, each footfall weighted with tiredness. Ruby, however, despite feeling drained, was wide awake, in stark contrast to the rest of her team.

As they walked into their dorm room, Blake and Weiss immediately crashed into their beds, neither bothering to get changed. Yang was not going to be denied her sleep either, after saying "Night, Ruby", she clambered onto her bunk, and, within seconds, Ruby could hear her sister's gentle snores start to permeate the room.

It was okay to Ruby, as she sat down in a corner of the room, looking at her sleeping teammates. She knew that they had all been through a lot, heck so had she. So why was she still wide awake? Ruby sighed, resting her legs, and slowly, very slowly, her energy came back. Perhaps she could study for a test that Professor Port was going to give them in two days' time.

No, studying and trying to fall asleep only got her boredom, not sleep. She knew after two semesters of trying it. But then what else would work? All of her team was asleep, it was late so the training arena would most likely be shut, and the other teams were probably recovering from the Grimm attack.

Silently, Ruby padded towards the door of her dorm room and slipped outside. The only other thing she could think to do was go and explore a spot just outside Beacon that Yang had told her about, one that she'd discovered in an adventure that she'd dragged Blake along for. Ruby walked down the corridor towards the exit of the building, all the while wondering curiously if there was something going on between them. Something they were planning?

That thought was quickly diminished. Yang and Blake, in a relationship?

Um, no.

Ruby reached the door leading out of the building, and pulled it wide open. A cool breeze greeted her along with the deep orange sky that signified the onset of night was beginning. Ruby looked around her, seeing no one, before activating her Semblance. Everything became a blur, and she shot through Beacon, passing by grand architecture and grand parks on her way to Beacon's exit.

The spot itself lay on a grassy hill, overlooking the entrance to Beacon and functioning as a rudimentary vantage point. To Ruby's left, the ominous start of the Emerald forest was visible after the drop of the cliff, trees that originally looked pleasant in the afternoon now giving an aura of concealed malice, despite the fact that she'd been in that very same forest more than once before.

Ruby looked up from the edge of the hill in time to see the gentle semi-circle sun that was dipping, and balked as a vision of a shimmering ball greeted her eyes, one that radiated a soothing glow upon herself and her surroundings, making them feel warm despite the cool chill that signalled the approach of the winter season. As Ruby continued to stare, the sun turned a vibrant shade of pink and blue.

Realizing with a jolt that you weren't supposed to stare at the sun, Ruby tore her eyes away and shut them briefly. The imprint of the sun was visible even within her closed eyelids, and Ruby gave it a moment to clear so that her vision was unblocked. Thankfully she hadn't been in Weiss', or any of her teammate's company, as she felt she would have been told off for that little mistake.

Ruby was about to more towards the peak, when she felt an immense, crushing feeling of sadness. It was like a stab in her otherwise happy heart, and tears rushed to her eyes. Ruby looked down and wiped her eyes, confused as to why she felt so crestfallen. She looked up to the hill once again.

There was no-one there.

She started to walk towards the hill, her legs moving on their own, as if drawn by instinct. Ruby felt many things as she neared a familiar spot, confusion, fear, just plain weird. But sadness, inexplicable sadness was billowing outwards, manifesting in the tears that were falling from her cheeks.

Ruby reached the tree, sitting down, her back propped against it.

Why did she feel so sad?

What was causing it?

A sound of a deep breath came from above Ruby, quiet yet plainly audible. Ruby looked up, and saw someone up there. It was a boy, roughly seventeen-ish judging by appearance, pale skinned just like Ruby. His eyes were closed, clearly asleep as he leant upon one of the upper branches of the tree, a peaceful smile upon his features.

He was dressed in simple black trousers and a black jacket, with a dark grey t-shirt underneath. He didn't have an overly handsome face, yet he seemed somehow charming, in stark contrast to his hair, which while parted neatly also stuck out at the back, giving them the look of highly painful black spikes.

A sudden feeling of relief surged through Ruby, a relief that was as inexplicable as it was strong. She fought the urge to bounce up and down as she studied the boy, immense feelings of déjà vu welling up like her tears.

As if sensing her presence, the boy's eyes cracked open slowly, showing Ruby a very familiar pair of emerald eyes that sparkled in the sunset's light. It was so weird. How could she feel this way and not even know anything about him?

"Hello there." he responded, the sleepiness evident in his tone. "What brings another student from Beacon here?" He gave her a gentle smile to match his voice, everything strengthening the feelings Ruby was experiencing. Now both gem-like eyes were upon her, and Ruby realized that he was waiting for her to say something. Yep. Ruby could see the curiosity. She quickly wiped away her tears.

What was it that she was supposed to do for someone she THOUGHT she knew? Oh right, names. Ruby cursed inwardly at her lack of social skill, sometimes talking to new people could be so awkward. But Yang wasn't here this time. She had to be brave. Who knew what she could discover in this person? Maybe a reason why he was so familiar?

"My name's Ruby. What's yours?" Ruby asked, trying her utmost to display the same confidence that her potential new friend seemed to have. He smiled, clearly interested.

"I'm Jet. Pleased to meet you." Jet responded, tilting his head in a small bow, before returning his gaze to Ruby's own eyes. "Why don't you stay a while? It's not often I get company up here." he said, leaping down from the tree branch gracefully. He then sat close by Ruby, but not so close that it was brought him within her personal space. Ruby knew (it took no genius) that if she wanted to further this discussion, complying with his wish was probably the best course of action.

Ruby sat down, and relaxed as he regarded her with another look, treating Ruby to a slight dose of self-consciousness. What was it with those eyes? Why was all of this so familiar? Even his name… Ruby watched as he sat up straighter, crossing his legs, his hands in his lap.

"Are you from Beacon as well? What's your team?" she asked. Jet looked at her with slight amusement, and Ruby fought hard to prevent a blush from coming across her face. That was not a good move. And since when did she consider a social situation in the same way as a game of Remnant, the Game?

"Team L-I-J-N." he replied. "It's pronounced like the word Legion. We're a second year team, just like you, Ruby of team RWBY."

"How do you know my team?" Ruby worriedly inquired. Had he been watching her before they met? Is that why he was so familiar to her? At this, Jet laughed, a quiet but pronounced laugh, which did nothing to diminish Ruby's worries.

"How could I not? Your team is rapidly becoming known amongst the other pupils here at Beacon." he chuckled, still keeping a firm gaze upon her in contrast to the relaxed smile and gentle demeanour. Ruby wasn't sure how he could keep up those eyes even though the rest of his face clearly read relaxed.

There was a weird feeling rising in Ruby's chest, something that put the other weirdness things she'd already experienced to shame. She felt like… no, that couldn't be right, could it?

Shaking it off, she asked "What's your leader like?"

"Leader?" came his response. "I'm the leader of LIJN. We're probably the only team that has their leader's letter elsewhere from the first letter. Though I probably don't look it." he joked. "I don't know, can you think of something where J and I go together and L and N go together, with J in the front?"

Ruby smiled, her thoughts still wondering, his question going over her head. What was it with this guy? It honestly felt like there was something more to him, almost like there was something of much greater power behind him, like someone who appeared weak but in reality was terrifyingly strong. Kinda like Penny. Absent-mindedly looking Jet over, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" Jet asked. "This is a favourite spot of mine, particularly for an afternoon nap. I come here a lot. What about you?"

He had a curious way of speaking, a cross between formal and casual, but Ruby didn't mind. He seemed friendly enough, if the déjà vu was any indication, so she decided on the truth.

"My sister told me about this spot. It's nice." Ruby said. Jet did not reply this time, and it took several seconds for Ruby to realise that he wasn't going to after his nod of clear acknowledgement. It was a silence that Ruby knew all too well, things would be dangerously close to being…

Wanting to make things a little less awkward, as Jet continued to watch her, she pulled out Crescent Rose and unfolded it. "What do you think of my weapon, Crescent Rose?" she asked, embedding the blade into the grass. Jet's eyes widened, but not from fear, it seemed. He reached out, a little tentative.

"Could I feel it?" he asked. Ruby let go of her precious pseudo-partner, and he did indeed feel it, all the way from grip to barrel to blade. His touch seemed almost like a caress, his surprisingly slender fingers dancing across the steel like a skater on an ice rink, tender like a lover's touch.

"You've done a really good job making Crescent Rose." he said, his voice tinged with admiration. Ruby once again met his emerald eyes. Now she was surprised. How had he known?

"How did you know I made it?" she asked. He chuckled again.

"Ruby, I can see the custom design and the unusual choice of high-calibre sniper rifle plus scythe." he said, as if it were obvious, which to Ruby, it was. Now that Ruby thought about it, all students of Beacon made their own weapons. Ruby was starting to take a liking to him, almost too quickly, but she let it slide. Perhaps this stranger, Jet, was a friend she hadn't met until now. She wondered about his own weapon. Was it as intricate as her own?

"What about your weapon?" she asked. Jet let go of Crescent Rose, and Ruby folded it away as he responded.

"I don't have a single weapon, like yourself. The one I'm currently using is this." he said, pulling from within his jacket a silver pole, similar in size to a classroom ruler. Jet stood up, and Ruby watched him, entranced, as the pole lengthened until it was the same height as Ruby herself.

Then, purplish flames burst into life from the tip facing the sky, as twelve spikes protruded from this flaming end, each pointed outwards, curving over the flames. Jet twirled the staff, then embedded the non-flaming end into the ground. "Meet Shadow Meteor." he said, proudly, as Ruby rose to fully see the staff. "One part silver staff, two parts flamethrower, eleven parts death."

Ruby could only stare in wonder. This was all familiar too! That weapon was… had she definitely seen it before?

"That's incredible! Did you make that?" she asked.

"This one I did. Most of my combat roles involve dust or lasers to some degree, in support." Jet said. Ruby grinned, for she had finally found some-one with similar interests to her own, even if he seemed to give her a dose of weird feelings. Finally, someone who appreciated the effort that went into a weapon's design, and who seemed just as interested in other weapons besides his own.

Maybe she finally had someone who liked the same things that she did.

Jet checked his scroll as Shadow Meteor collapsed into its original form, spikes retracting and flames vanishing. Ruby looked around, and noticed how dark it had become, now that the sunset had ended. The distraction of meeting a new person was starting to wear off, and Ruby felt unusually… heavy.

"It's getting late, and by the looks of things we're looking at headaches in the morning." Jet said, showing Ruby his scroll. It was 10:30, way past when Ruby normally fell asleep. Jet paused, and looked at his scroll again. "Wait, that can't be right. Is this thing even set right?"

Ruby was definitely feeling the exhaustion regardless of what time it actually was, and was starting to feel her eyes droop. She could barely keep her eyes open, and sleep was not to be denied her, even if they were past curfew and the gates to Beacon were closed.

"J…Jet." she mumbled, trying her utmost to somehow show this to him, just as the boy in question noticed her starting to fall over. Now it was getting scary. How was she suddenly feeling this tired after being wide awake before?

"Oh crud." he cursed, as Ruby blacked out, the tiredness finally claiming her consciousness.