To call Beacon Records competitive would be an understatement at best.
Their success had crept up on the world, as they had spent fifteen years being nameless. Seven years ago the company was taken over by the enigmatic Ozpin, and four years after that their star band CRME was taking headlines across every continent. After that they were flooded with hopefuls, of which they would only take very small number. Beacon always had ten, whether bands or individual performers. Every year their would be at least one that left or was dropped, and at the beginning of every year their building would see a constant stream of applicants as they interviewed as many as they possibly could.
Ruby and Yang had been one of the first groups in the door, and it was a full month of waiting before they heard anything. Hopeful as they may have been, the interviewer saying you did well didn't mean so much when you were one of hundreds. As the cut off date drew closer, every day they could only try to ignore that they hadn't gotten an acceptance letter yet.
That is, until they received a phone call.
Ozpin wanted to meet them in person, and for them to bring their instruments. Well, for Ruby to bring her guitar- Yang was strong but no way was she lugging around an entire drum kit. They weren't told why, but the blonde seemed convinced it was because they were just that awesome. Ruby, on the other hand, was so nervous her hands were shaking. They weren't even in the meeting yet, just sitting in the waiting room. The blonde put her arm around her sisters shoulders, whispering reassurances.
Five minutes later they were brought in to Ozpin's office.
It was a large room, and rather empty. The only real things of note were the large desk and a globe in the corner. Two chairs had been pulled up, and the sisters sat down quickly, Ruby gently placing her guitar case next to her seat. Ozpin was facing away from them, staring out the large window that made up the back wall of his office. The man spun his chair around to look at them, and waited a moment before speaking.
"I'm afraid we'll have to make this brief. I want you both under my label."
Yang pumped her arm in victory, exclaiming "Yes!"
"But," Ozpin continued, "We've run into a conundrum. There is only one spot left, and we have two other independents that I simply don't want to lose."
Faces fell, and the pair met eyes for a second before returning to the man sitting across from them. Ozpin leaned forward, planting his elbows on the desk and hands under his chin. "So," He started, "How would you feel about becoming a four person band?"
The blonde blinked twice before letting out a confused "Wha?"
"We'll do it." Ruby started, not hesitating for a moment.
A small smile appeared on Ozpin's face. "Ms. Xiao-Long, do you agree?"
Yang looked at her sister, then back at the man in front of her. Her face crumpled a bit as she debated internally, but in moments she was grinning.
"Sure. Why not?"
Ozpin smiled, "Good, because they are already here." Standing up, he starting walking out of the room. He turned back to them just as he got through the door, "I suggest you follow me."
The sisters shared a glance, then rushed out of their seats. Ruby's was almost knocked over in the process of grabbing her guitar, but they caught up to the grey haired man without incident. He was moving quickly, long legs taking long strides as the passed through the building. Ozpin took them past the elevator, instead heading up the stairs. They continued up, and up, and up, and up...
Ten flights of walking up stairs later, Ruby wondered if that counted as a workout.
Beacon's floor plan made it seem far more like an apartment building than anything else. The offices only took up the first floor, the other ten were all dorms for their artists. Stairs opened into a small hallway, leaving space between the rooms door and the ways up. Ozpin pulled them to the side a bit, adjusting his glasses.
"Your new band mates are already inside. While they have agreed to join as a group, they both came here individually, so do keep in mind that they may not be so eager at first."
"No worries!" Ruby said. "I bet we'll be best buds by next week."
The man laughed softly, then moved to the door. It sat on the right side of the hall, a small plate on the front had space for a label but was blank. He opened it and bought them into a decently large living space, the wall to their right had a sliding glass door leading to a balcony. A kitchenette to their left, and a pair of couches facing a flat-screen on the far end. All in all, much nicer than the dingy place the sisters had been living in.
The best part had to be the two gorgeous girls who had been waiting for them.
Amber eyes were drawn to them as they entered, attached to a tall, dark haired girl. She was dressed casually, black jeans and a dark blue dress shirt. Rolled up sleeves showed off a tattoo of belladonna on her right forearm, blooming towards her hand. Twin cat ears sat atop her head, nestled in in dark locks. She was leaning against the kitchen counter with a black guitar case, and lifted a hand in greeting.
Yang waved back, but found herself a bit distracted by the other occupant. A white haired girl in a pretty skirt stood at the far left side, using her phone. Between the high heels and the skirt, the girls legs were framed perfectly, and Yang couldn't help but feel like this was going to be a much better arrangement than it sounded like.
But alas, her eyes were torn away when her sister suddenly said "Ohmygodyou'reamazing!"
In fact, Ruby had managed to draw the attention of everyone else in the room, but didn't seem to notice. She grabbed Yang by the arms and practically shouted "Do you know who that is?!"
Lilac eyes just blinked at her. "Uh...no?"
Ruby gave out a shocked gasp, then leaned in close. "That's Blake Belladonna." She whispered, as if the girl in question who was standing five feet away wouldn't be able to hear her.
"Still not following, Rubes."
Her younger sister just looked disappointed. "She played bass for the Fang! Y'know, the only reason I listened to them?"
Blake cleared her throat, and Ruby froze. Blushing, she turned to the dark haired girl she was just gushing over. "N-not that you guys were bad or anything! I mean, your later albums were a bit much for me, and your guitarist was kinda amateurish...but you were great!"
The faunas laughed a bit. "Yes, well, I left them for...a few reasons. Anything I should recognize you from?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head a bit. "Probably not. Unless you frequent the shady bars we keep ending up playing at." She punctuated that by shooting her sister a glare.
"Wha-? Those were good gigs!"
Silver eyes rolled, and Yang conceded "Well...maybe not all of them.".
The white haired girl took that moment to walk up, her heels announcing every step. "If introductions have started, I'd like to get them over with. I'm Weiss Schnee, singer. I assume you two are our guitar and drums?"
Yang threw an arm over her sister. "Yep! I'm Yang Xiao-Long and little red is my sis, Ruby Rose."
"...Right. Charmed."
Ozpin interrupted them, and they couldn't help but notice he looked quite amused. "With that out of the way, I believe it is time to properly introduce yourselves. The unmarked building next door is our recording studio, and you have it for an hour. Shall we?"
Ruby grinned and threw her arms up. "We're gonna rock!"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The recording studio was actually four studios, split between two floors. They were each soundproof, and the structure was designed to handle noise and vibrations. There was a woman waiting outside of the second room for the group, impatiently tapping her foot.
"Ozpin, I expected you ten minutes ago."
The man just shrugged his shoulders, a smile on his face. "Allow me to introduce Ms. Goodwitch, who will be your agent. She is one of our best, and will be providing any advisement or assistance you need. Also, she will be giving you your contracts as you leave. Ms. Goodwitch, they're in your care now."
The woman nodded, and Ozpin left the way they came. Her gaze turned to the four of them, and she held it just long enough to make them squirm a bit. "Congratulations." She said. "You are now a part of the most...unique record label in the world. The studio has already been prepped, please enter and get ready."
It was all the welcome Ruby needed, rushing in through the open door. She went over to an amp to her left that faced the door, and plopped down on the ground to unpack her guitar. The other three entered in a much more normal fashion, walking over to their respective positions without a word. Yang sat at the drum set that had been set up, letting out a low whistle in appreciation.
With her sweetheart plugged in, Ruby gave a testing strum. Crescent Rose rumbled through the studio, and she felt it run through her body."Oh, yeah." She said. "Best. Day. Ever."