As Blake looked up to the gates of Beacon Academy, she couldn't help but feel more than a little bit intimidated. It was the most prestigious academy in all of Vale, and one of the top academies in Remnant entirely. The entire school was surrounded by a stone wall, adding a bit of mystery to the school to anyone who wasn't familiar with the campus, and the wrought iron gate was emblazoned with the school's emblem; a shield with two axes crossed behind it.

Weapons for an academy's insignia…interesting choice to say the least.

From what she had read, the academy grounds contained the academy itself, along with athletic facilities, high-tech science labs, an orchestral theatre, and even a rather large hedge maze, something that had gotten the nickname of the "Emerald Forest" for how large and complex the maze was. Even with all of these facilities, the school's most well-known feature was the strong teams that it built.

Yes, downplay your academic excellence and pure environment, and promote team building.

Blake shook her head, remembering how the pamphlet touted the team building over every single other thing that was a positive point for the school. Beacon was well known for producing students that were well endowed mentally, spiritually, and financially, yet the biggest point they wanted to get across was "building teams to last a lifetime."

This put Blake in an odd predicament. Her family had just moved from Vacuo in order for her father to organise and oversee the construction and opening of the first Vale branch of his café chain, "Jack Belladonna's Café and Bake Shop" (or as it's fondly known in Vacuo, "Jacky's"). As such, she had a very low chance of knowing anyone at the school, and was in a rather hard spot in finding friends.

It was also rather odd for the fact that Blake wasn't the most adept at making "friends." At her old school in Vacuo, she would spend her time reading books and generally being a loner, sitting out of the drama that seemed to follow the students around her like a plague from an angry god. It kept her out of trouble, for sure, but that sort of background would not be beneficial to her time here at Beacon, and she knew this. However, the thought of sitting by herself, reading and drinking a cup of tea was much more alluring than conversing about the boring trash and gossip that the girls at her old school would always talk about.

In reality, the only reason why she was going to this academy in the first place was because her family's first café just so happened to be near the academy, and she was able to easily pass the exams with little issue upon arrival. She had done very well, though it came to little surprise that several students still surpassed her. Beacon Academy didn't let just anyone in, after all.

*DING DONG DING DONG~*

At the sound of the warning bell, she hurried through the gate and onto the campus grounds for the first time. The first thing she noticed was that students were hurrying into what she could only describe as a bloody massive cathedral. It was in the distance a bit, on a slight hill, but it was massive. Three huge, Gothic-styled towers, and a very large stained-glass window on the front, showing off the school's logo again. She could also make out a rather large monument in the front, with warriors fighting off some sort of gruesome creature.

Glad to see this place isn't all rainbows and kittens.

She followed the students, figuring that they would know what was going on. Following the path up the hill (which looked much smaller from the gate), she received a much better look of the size of the campus. Even though the school, the facilities, the dorms, and this central cathedral meeting place were large and ornate, there was still plenty of green space, dotted with trees here and there, before leading out to forests that seemed to cover the perimeter as a secondary barrier from the outside. The cobblestone path itself was lined with flowers of all kinds, from roses to lilacs, foxglove to peonies, even a few exotic types that she couldn't quite identify.

I'll have to ask mother for one of her botany guides. It should have these varieties within its pages, and I could always study the flowers around campus for fun.

In her musings, she failed to notice that a girl in front of her had stopped, and she ended up catching the stranger off-guard and sent her to the ground.

"Sorry, I zoned out and I didn't see you standing there." Blake offered her hand to the girl she knocked over, who obliged and allowed Blake to help her up.

The girl looked rather young, shorter, with silver eyes and shortish, red-tipped hair. She had the normal Beacon Academy uniform, though with a red cape around her shoulders. Expecting a reprimand, Blake was surprised when the girl she knocked over giggled instead.

"Ah, no, sorry, that's my fault as well. I was looking at the flowers, and wasn't paying attention to…ah…" The younger girl trailed off as she looked at Blake, who waited patiently for the girl to continue.

"Ah…yeah…I-I need to catch up with my sister, bye!"

Before she could say anything more, the other girl sprinted up the hill, weaving between the other students with little difficulty. Blake merely stood and watched, both confused and amused at the girl's reaction.

Seems like she's a little shy, she thought with a smirk.

Blake looked over to the patch of flora that the strange girl was staring at, finding that it was devoid of the usual colours and instead was filled with a darker mix of hemlock, datura, and even the flower that held her namesake, belladonna.

All of them highly poisonous…this is what that girl found so interesting?

Blake couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued by that. She had a cursory interest in botany due to her mother's fascination with herbal teas (and regular tea, and coffee…really anything with caffeine), and she knew that some girls had an interest in flowers, but usually it was always flower arranging, which she always found was dull. She didn't really care for how the flowers matched with one another or how the flowers should be placed in a bouquet, but what the flowers did. She started to grow a few pots of mint and ginger on her windowsill to flavour tea (with her mother's guidance), but her pride and joy was a small pot of belladonna, which she had been taking care of for a few years. She found the deep purples to be beautiful, especially in the moonlight. The berries were also very cute.

Eventually, she made her way to the cathedral, feeling much more winded than she expected. I really shouldn't have skimped on gym… Upon entering the grand doors, she took a cursory glance over the students, looking for the girl with the red cape. Unable to find her, she took place in the back, standing next to a tall girl with a long, red ponytail and emerald eyes. The taller girl looked down and smiled, holding a hand out to her, which Blake hesitantly shook.

"You must be new to Beacon this year as well! My name's Pyrrha Nikos, what's yours?"

Complete opposite of that other girl…but she seems friendly enough.

"My name's Blake Belladonna, nice to meet you Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's smile grew, much to Blake's surprise. Well, can't say that it isn't a genuine smile.

"Likewise," Pyrrha said, "I'm rather excited to see how the team selection will work this year. Last year's high school students had an impromptu boxing tournament!"

Blake did a double take at the girl's words. To start with, she couldn't imagine the "most prestigious academy in Vale" would have boxing matches to create teams. More than that, she had thought that the "team" aspect was merely talk, and didn't actually mean that actual teams would be formed between the students.

"What do you mean…team selection?" Blake asked, wanting to make sure that she understood the girl correctly.

"Oh, it's…well, actually, I think Headmaster Ozpin will explain well enough."

Pyrrha nodded towards the stage, and Blake saw that a man with silver hair and dark glasses had stepped forward, flanked by a blonde woman with a purple cape. He carried a cane in one hand and a mug in the other, and Blake noticed that the mug had the school's symbol on the front as well.

As if they can't get enough of themselves…

"Good day, students," the man said, standing rather siffly at the front of the stage, "Congratulations on being accepted to Beacon Academy, Vale's most prestigious school for young men and women such as yourselves."

The students began to clap, apparently expecting this to be a proper moment, but they were swiftly cut off as the Headmaster raised his hand, motioning for them to be silent. Blake was rather surprised at the authority that the man exuded.

"However, you will be nothing unless you can work together," the man's words made many of the students shift around, looking troubled by his words, "That is why we shall begin the team initiations today. Professor Goodwitch will explain the process."

With that, the man walked backstage, leaving Professor Goodwitch alone to explain the initiation. Though she looked calm to everyone else, Blake noticed a flash of irritation cross her face before settling back into her calm demeanour, stepping forward to the microphone.

Blake felt a twinge of sympathy for the professor. Ouch, left alone to the wolves. Poor Professor.

"As Headmaster Ozpin said, we will be having our initiation today. You will be blindfolded and lead into the forest by a teacher. When the bell tolls, you shall remove your blindfold and make your way to the central area of the maze. The first person you make eye-contact with will become your partner for the full time that you are here. Upon reaching the centre, you and your partner will take one of the artefacts and exit the maze."

A blonde boy in front of her raised his hand, and Blake noticed again a look of severe irritation flash across her features before going back to neutral. Blake couldn't help but, again, feel for the professor. This poor woman probably has to deal with this shit every single day…admirable

"Yes, Mr. Arc, what do you need?"

"Uh…what happens if we get lost in the maze?" The boy sounded rather nervous, and Blake didn't blame him. Reasonable question, she assumed.

Professor Goodwitch glared at the boy with such ferocity that she could almost see the poor boy's soul cower in fear. "Then hope that you get a partner that is good with their surroundings. Is there anything else?"

"N-No, Professor Goodwitch."

"Good. Now, if there are no other questions, please head outside and a teacher will be with you soon."

Blake watched as all of the students began to file out, hearing whispers about "The Wicked Witch" from the departing students. Seems like she has a bit of a reputation that I wasn't aware of.

She sighed and she joined the procession, looking back towards the Professor as she did. The woman looked absolutely livid, and Blake guessed that she didn't expect anyone to look back at her. However, Professor Goodwitch looked up at Blake and caught her gaze. Not knowing what else to do, Blake merely smiled and nodded sympathetically. Expecting a glare like what the blonde boy received, she was surprised as Goodwitch smiled back, tiredly, before heading off the stage.

Well, never hurts to get the professor on your good side, eh?

She was surprised when she heard a soft chuckle from her left, and turned to see Pyrrha hiding her smile behind her hand. Blake gave the girl a questioning look, raising an eyebrow, and Pyrrha cleared her throat.

"Sorry," she said, smiling, "I just found your smile to be cute." Noticing the surprise on Blake's face, she blushed and waved her hands frantically, "Er, I didn't mean- I…well…I'm sorry!"

Blake chuckled and shook her head, "You're perfectly fine, Pyrrha," she said, smiling. Looking back over to Pyrrha, she added "Your laugh is pretty cute too."

Her face turning bright red, Pyrrha muttered a quick "thank you" before hurrying out of the cathedral, leaving Blake alone with a smirk on her face.

Well, looks like she's a bit shyer than I took her for.

Blake waited around with the other students outside of the cathedral, watching as the group was slowly dissolved. It was then that she realised the class size wasn't extremely large, maybe twenty or so people from what she saw, but some students might have been taken before she got out. While waiting, she noticed a white-haired girl watching her from across the way. Taking it as a challenge, she watched the girl back, matching her gaze.

Scar over her left eye? For most people, scars would really stick out and mar the other person's looks, but Blake always found that scars added another layer of mystery and interest, and this girl was no exception. Looks fairly fresh too…interesting.

After a while, the white haired girl began to stomp over to where she was standing, much to Blake's amusement. Short people trying to look intimidating, just makes them look adorable. Blake merely watched as the girl made her way over, getting well within most people's personal space. She would have taken a more offensive stance if it weren't for the fact that she had to look down to meet the girl's eyes.

The short girl jabbed a finger at her, "What's your problem!"

"My…problem? What do you mean?" Blake was absolutely stunned that the girl had decided to call *her* out on the staring when she had started it first.

"You've been staring at me for the last ten minutes!" the girl looked rather irate, "Do you even know who I am?"

Blake smirked and shook her head, "Not a clue, but I take it you'll enlighten me?" Snobby, entitled princess? Check. Of course a school like this would have at least one of these. Dealt with plenty of them in Vacuo, and I have no time for another one.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." The girl took a sort of haughty pose, and Blake had to control the laugh that wanted to escape her lips. It was not that she viewed the Schnee Dust Company as meaningless. She realised how powerful the Schnee Dust Company was, and her father had worked several important deals with them in the past, but it was the fact that the girl looked a bit ridiculous with her arms crossed under where her chest would be.

Let's knock her down a notch.

"Ah, I didn't realise. My name is Blake Belladonna, and I must apologise for the grave mistake that I made, Miss Schnee," Blake bowed, much to Weiss's surprise. The white haired girl smiled, pleased with Blake's reaction.

"Apology accepted, Blake."

"I was merely undressing you with my gaze," Blake added with a smirk.

Now she gets really mad.

Weiss's face flared red, and she took a look that was equal amounts rage, surprise, and another emotion that Blake couldn't quite pinpoint. Is that happiness?

"I- You- How dare you!" With that, Weiss stormed off, Blake snickering as she watched the girl go away. Not the best way to make friends, but her reaction was well worth the price of admission.

"Miss Belladonna."

Blake turned around, and was surprised to see that Professor Goodwitch was standing before her, a clipboard in her hands. I really hope she didn't just see what I did.

If she did, she didn't show it. The professor handed Blake a black cloth, which Blake took and began tying around her eyes. If this wasn't the most prestigious school in Vale, I'd be concerned right now.

"I'm pleasantly surprised to see that you can tie your blindfold yourself." Blake could hear an underlying tone of relief from the professor, "The last few students I had to take had absolutely no idea how to work a knot."

Blake chuckled and shook her head, "It's nothing really. I take it that you're leading me into the maze, Miss Goodwitch?"

"Yes, I am." There was a slight pause, "You don't mind if I lead you by the hand, yes? The path is a bit bumpy."

Blake thought about cracking wise, but decided against it. "Please lead the way, Professor."

With that, Professor Goodwitch took her hand and led her towards, what she could only assume, was the maze. Blake noticed that the professor kept a rather gentle grasp on her hand, which was rather surprising. Professor Goodwitch's hands were also very soft, she noticed.

"Your family runs the café just down the road, yes?"

Is she making small talk? Blake was rather surprised, pleasantly so. She wouldn't have expected a teacher with such a sour reputation to make small talk with just a student.

"Yeah, Jack Belladonna's Café and Bake Shop. My father wanted to open up a branch in Vale."

"I'm very pleased to hear that," Professor Goodwitch said, "I remembered when I was teaching in Vacuo. I'd visit Jackie's every day just to read and have tea."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle, easily able to picture the Professor sitting by the window, sipping some Earl Grey and glaring at every student who came through the door. I wonder what she'd wear. Casual dress perhaps?

"I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of each other then, Professor Goodwitch."

"Ah…" the professor paused, "You can call me Glynda, just not in front of the other students."

Wow. Here I was, worrying about making friends the first day here, and I've already gotten a professor on my side.

"Well then, Glynda, you can simply call me Blake."

After that, the two continued in silence, allowing Blake to hear the rustle of what she assumed to be the surrounding hedges. Eventually, Glynda stopped, and Blake halted as well. She felt a small device press into her hand, replacing the gentle grip of her professor.

"When this device vibrates, you may remove your blindfold and begin the hunt." Glynda placed a hand on Blake's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze, "Good luck, Blake."

Blake merely nodded, and she heard her professor's soft footsteps as she walked off. Almost motherly in how she acts. Rather refreshing, actually. Figuring that she would be waiting for a while, Blake decided to take the time to think back on the people she met so far.

First was that young girl with the red cloak. Shy, definitely, but she seems to be interested in poisonous plants and flowers. Very, very intriguing.

Then the girl with the ponytail, Pyrrha. Tall, pretty, kind, and I swear I've seen her from somewhere before. Nevertheless, a bit socially awkward, but definitely a sweetheart.

Weiss Schnee. Haughty, bossy, and more than a little entitled. Still, her name carries a lot of weight, and I have a feeling she isn't used to being knocked down like that. I wonder though, why was she staring at me? Might have to ask her about that.

Finally, Professor Glynda Goodwitch. Very professional, very stern, but maybe those are just appearances? She was more kind than I'd expect from a professor, especially one that cut down that poor blonde boy like wheat to a thresher. Better to be on her good side I suppose.

Blake couldn't help but smile. Though she hadn't made any guaranteed friends yet, she felt as though she was making good progress. None of them seemed like the boring crowd that she went to school with in Vacuo, not even Weiss.

I think this school will be quite an interesting journey.

The small device began to vibrate, and Blake swiftly removed her blindfold. Stuffing the fabric in her pocket, she took a look at the device, and found that it had already turned off. Shrugging, she put that in her pocket as well, and began to traverse the maze. She was thankful for the small plots of flowers and statues that littered the maze, which served very well as landmarks, but after what felt like an hour of walking, she realised that she was hopelessly lost.

"Never was a huge fan of mazes…" she muttered to herself, passing the same statue of the same Goliath for the third time. She heard a rustling from her left, and she took a defensive stance. Maybe those judo lessons actually will come in handy?

Blake was surprised as a girl plopped out of the hedge, the girl stumbling forward a bit before straightening up and brushing off her shoulders. The girl had long, unruly blonde hair and lilac eyes. She began picking twigs out of her hair before noticing that Blake was standing there. Grinning, she stuck out her hand.

"Hey there kitty cat! The name's Yang, Yang Xiao Long!" Blake narrowed her eyes at the girl before dropping her defensive stance, grabbing the girl's hand to shake. She was taken by surprise as the blonde pulled her in and caught her in a tight embrace.

"What…are you doing?" Blake asked, feeling her ribs groan dangerously.

Thankfully for her bones, Yang let go of her, still flashing a stunning smile. "Sorry, just felt like greeting you that way! What's your name, kit' cat?"

"Blake Belladonna, though I must ask what your reasoning is for the…unique nickname." Blake sounded very unamused, causing Yang to grin wider. Cheeky bastard.

"Your bow looks like a pair of cat ears. Pretty cute, really matches you."

"Oh…" Blake reached up and touched her bow, having forgotten that it was there, "T-thanks."

"Wow, don't tell me a cat got your tongue!" Yang snorted and giggled at her joke, while Blake merely stared at the girl, visibly unamused.

Of course, the girl that I have to get as a partner thinks that she's the biggest jokester of all time.

"Wait…" Yang looked her up and down, causing Blake to feel a bit…exposed. Why is everyone staring at me today!

"Did you happen to run into a little girl wearing a red cape today?"

Blake blinked in surprise and nodded. "Yeah, she was looking at some flowers and I didn't see her stop."

"Ooooh! That's my little sister, Ruby! She came up to me before the ceremony and started just gushing over this girl that bumped into her." She giggled, "Oh, she had the most beautiful hair! Oh, she was so pretty! Crap, I didn't ask her name!" Yang mimicked Ruby's voice, rather poorly.

Gushing over me? Blake was going to bring that up, but Yang continued before she had the chance.

"Oh man, now we definitely need to get on a team with her! I didn't believe her at first, since she had never shown an interest in anyone before, what with her time spent in track and gardening, but now that I've met her little crush…"

"Wait wait wait," Blake held up her hands for Yang to stop, which she did. "How do you know she was talking about me?"

To her credit, Yang's face turned a bit red, "Well…she said that a really pretty girl ran into her…I just kinda put one and one together."

Wow. What a roundabout way to call someone pretty.

Blake decided to not bring it up, though she still smirked. "Fair enough. Now, how about we make our way to the centre? We still have a team to form."

Yang nodded, and the two made their way through the maze together. They put their two paths together, and made new routes in return. Not much talking was done while they walked, both simply enjoying the sound of the wind rustling through the maze.

I could get used to coming through here. Blake could only imagine the peace she'd get from just walking into the maze, finding a quiet spot, and just reading the day away.

After a while of walking, Blake realised that they had gotten lost again. While definitely in a completely new area, they had been walking in a circle for the last ten minutes. She sighed and tugged on Yang's sleeve.

"We've been walking in the same circle for the past ten minutes." Blake sounded rather annoyed at this.

"Yeah…I remember seeing that rosebush before…" Yang pointed to a bush over to the left. Before Blake could comment on how unhelpful that observation was to their current situation, she heard two familiar voices on the other side.

"I told you that we were walking in a circle, dolt!"

"Hey, I'm trying, okay?! This maze is really, really confusing, and you getting mad isn't helping!"

"Ugh, I told you we needed to turn left here! Why didn't you listen to me the first time!?"

"The last time we followed your direction, we walked straight through a briar patch! You're not any better, princess!"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Ruby and Weiss? Oh, poor Ruby, having to put up with the Schnee heiress in this perplexing maze.

"Ruby! Over here!" Yang had also realised that it was Ruby's voice on the other side of the hedge, and she decided to catch her attention by shouting. Blake wasn't much of a fan of her tactics, instead wishing to simply go towards them instead of bringing more attention to themselves, but she couldn't deny the effectiveness as Ruby arrived in short order, with a rather flustered Weiss trailing behind. The flurry of rose petals that followed the caped girl was an interesting accoutrement.

She ran so fast that the rose petals flew off. That's…impressive.

"Ruby! I finally found you!" Yang scooped her sister into hug, and Blake almost felt her heart melt at the rather heart-warming scene. They must care for each other quite a bit. It's rather endearing, honestly.

Weiss finally caught up with the group, her face a bit red from exertion, though whether from shouting or running was the question in Blake's mind. Opening her mouth to no doubt reprimand the girl for running away, she noticed that Blake was present, and instead she turned her attention away from Ruby towards her.

"You!" Weiss jabbed her finger in Blake's direction, reminding her of their first encounter, "Don't think I've forgotten that incident earlier! How dare you, thinking that such a thing was proper to say!? It was highly inappropriate, and frankly I should have you charged with sexual harassment for what you said! You…you…dolt!"

Blake merely watched in growing amusement as Weiss rambled on, noticing that Ruby and Yang had turned their attention to the tirade and were becoming more and more intrigued. At the mention of "sexual harassment," Ruby's face took a look of horror while Yang's took a look of utter amusement and glee. Finally, Weiss stopped her shouting long enough to realise that two other people were present. Instead of being embarrassed like Blake thought she would, Weiss instead pointed to Ruby, a scowl on her face.

"And you! Why did you run off like that!? I could barely keep up!"

"It's not my fault you're not as fast as I am…"

"Why…I can be just as fast! We were just walking a lot, so I was already fatigued!" Weiss glanced away from Ruby, and Blake could tell that she was rather embarrassed that someone was better than her. The all-powerful heiress to the most powerful company in all of Remnant, and she feels bad that a little girl can out-sprint her. Blake found it rather endearing, in a way. It made Weiss seem a lot more human, instead of some kind of trophy to be put on a pedestal.

Apparently, Yang felt the same as Blake, because she started to snicker before bursting into peals of laughter. Ruby looked confused, Weiss started to turn red with rage, and Blake couldn't help but wait for this golden situation to unfold fully.

"Y-You…you're so…" Yang was doubled over, and she started to breathe deeply in order to gain control of her facilities, "You…are jealous of Ruby?"

Blake saw Weiss's eye twitch, and before she could explode, Blake made the decision to defuse the situation before their makeshift team erupted into a two-on-one (or maybe Ruby would stay out of it?) fight. Blake knew for a fact that she wasn't going to choose a side, not this early.

"Alright, that's enough Yang. Let's give Weiss a break, alright? You did say that your sister was in track after all, right?"

Yang cleared her throat and nodded, scratching her head sheepishly, "Yeah, she was the star runner for Signal. She could run circles around the third year students, and she had just started school!" She emphasised this by throwing her arm around Ruby's shoulder, making the young girl blush fiercely.

"Yaaaaaaaang, I told you not to tell people about that…" Ruby hid herself behind her cloak, something that Blake couldn't help but find adorable.

"Oh, Ruby, don't be ashamed of your accomplishments!" Yang gave her sister a friendly squeeze, "You should be proud, Racin' Red."

The name completely passed over Blake's head, but from the way Weiss's eyes lit up (as well as Ruby's face), she could tell that it meant something rather large.

"Wait…you're Racin' Red?" Weiss's voice oozed with disbelief, and Blake took it as a sign that Weiss either loved watching school sports, or that Ruby's name had spread just that far. Well, guess that shows what I might have learned if I had paid attention to any of the school activities…or gossip.

Ruby nodded meekly, digging the toe of her boot into the ground, "Y-Yeah…but I always preferred the gardening club! I only joined track because the coach insisted I did…"

"He insisted?" Yang chuckled, "He was practically on his hands and knees begging you, sis!"

Ruby merely lowered her head, hiding deeper into her cape as Yang laughed. Weiss looked absolutely stunned, but Blake still had a question to ask.

"Wait, what did Ruby do to catch his attention?" Blake, having not kept up with school sports, felt as though she was out of the loop. Yang merely grinned.

"He saw her sprinting to the school one day, outpacing two bicyclists and one of his top runners."

Ruby jabbed Yang in the side with her elbow, glaring at her, "Quit it! It was your fault that we were late! If you hadn't stayed up all night watching po-"

Before Ruby could continue, Yang pressed her hand over Ruby's mouth, her face lighting up. Weiss and Blake both gave her an odd look, and Yang could only laugh nervously.

"Y-Yeah, my fault that we were late, sorry, she's right. That's all we need to gather," She released her hand from Ruby's mouth and gave her a push towards Blake, who caught the girl, "We need to get going, right?! Artefacts and the like to collect! Tally ho!" Before anyone could say otherwise, she began to head back through the maze.

Blake shook her head at the foolishness of continuing without the group, and looked down to the girl in her arms. She had unconsciously wrapped her arms around her, and she noticed that Ruby also had her arms around her waist. "Are you alright, Ruby?"

Ruby looked up at her, and her face turned to the colour of her cloak before she sprinted off towards Yang, catching up to her in a matter of seconds. Blake could only blink at how quickly the girl left, and she decided to turn her attention to Weiss, who was watching the other two head off with barely restrained anger. Blake walked over and placed her hand on Weiss's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"So, Weiss, should we catch up to them?" Blake looked down and smiled at Weiss, hoping to at least smooth over their rather rocky start. Weiss looked up to Blake, and she sighed, nodding.

"They're going the wrong way though," Weiss said, irritation in her voice. Blake could tell that Weiss was getting a bit worn out from the maze, and Blake couldn't blame her. She was also starting to feel a bit fatigued and more than a little annoyed at the maze. Why couldn't they just do a lottery drawing, or even a bloody contest, not searching a bleedin' maze.

"Blake?" Blake shook her head, realising that Weiss was talking to her. Expecting irritation, she was surprised that Weiss held a look of minour concern, "Are you alright? You look a bit frustrated."

Blake smiled and shook her head, "Nah. Let's hurry up so we can stop those two before they get more lost, eh?"

Weiss nodded, and the two headed off towards Yang and Ruby, catching up with them not too long after. The four continued their search through the maze, but unbeknownst to them, they were being watched over…


Ozpin watched Glynda with some concern, noticing how the veins in her head seemed to have popped. He looked over at Professor Oobleck and Professor Port, who both held rather worried looks.

"Ah…Glynda, maybe you should start watching a different group of students? You've been watching Ruby's group for a while now…"

Professor Port grunted and nodded, "Indeed, Glynda, you seem to be rather upset. Too much anger clouds your judgement, after all."

"Indeed! I would have to say that you seem very close to blowing up on any of us should we end up angering you any further!" Oobleck took a quick sip of his drink, "Knowing how angry you can get, that would be bad for the three of us!"

Glynda lowered her binoculars and quickly turned towards Ozpin and the others, a deep look of rage on her features before she turned back to the scene. The three of them took her nonverbal communication as a sign that their arguments were nugatory, and they merely watched with varying levels of nervousness as Glynda seemed to get even angrier…

Ozpin couldn't help but wonder what she was looking at, but he had to admit that it was a pleasant surprise to see Glynda care about something so deeply, even if it meant that the three of them would find themselves at the pointed end of her blade of rage.

Maybe one of our students finally got below that hard exterior?


In another part of the maze, Pyrrha was having a rather enjoyable time being led around by a sweet yet incompetent blonde boy…if you would replace "enjoyable time" with "feeling sorry for the poor boy so she let him lead."

I wonder where that black haired girl went…Blake. She seemed like she would have been great as a partner. Ever since she had met the girl, she couldn't help but think of her. She seemed so mysterious and intelligent, and Pyrrha felt compelled to find out more about her.

Still, as it stood, she was stuck with this boy, who introduced himself as Jaune. He really was a rather sweet boy, but he had absolutely no leadership qualities besides his confidence. She sighed inwardly as they turned another corner…the same one that they had passed for the fifth time.

"Jaune…we've passed this corner several times now." She had kept up her perfected faux-pleasantries, and though her smile looked genuine, she was starting to get more and more irritated by the boy's antics. "Maybe I should take the lead?"

"Now now, Pyrrha, I'm sure we're going the right way." Pyrrha had to give it to the boy, he was able to keep up the appearances of being confident, but she could tell that he was putting up a front. At least he tries, I suppose…

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she merely grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and pulled him along, easily able to keep a hold of him "H-Hey! Let go of me!"

Pyrrha ignored his pleas as she made her way through the maze, and it wasn't too long before she came across the centre of the maze, where many over-sized chess pieces were located. As she entered the centre, she saw a ginger-haired girl excitedly leap over the hedge, falling into a combat roll and snatched both rooks as she rolled by them. A few moments later, a taller boy with black hair and pink eyes (and a pink highlight in his hair, she realised) came in, breathing heavily.

What.

"I'm the queen of the castle~!" The ginger-haired girl began dancing, and the boy walked over, setting a hand on her shoulder. She calmed down almost immediately, though she booped him on the nose and snorted before giggling.

"Nora…you aren't supposed to jump over the hedges." The boy had a rather neutral tone of voice, though Pyrrha noticed a very small smile on his face.

"Ugh, whatever Ren, you can choose the boring way if you want, but I'm going for efficiency!"

"Um…hello." The two looked over at Pyrrha, who was waving at them. "Well, I suppose that we'll make a group, yes?"

"Yup! Here!" Nora launched the second rook at Pyrrha, who caught it one-handed. She looked it over, not noticing anything particularly special about it, but she shrugged and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Who's the baggage?" Nora pointed at the boy that Pyrrha was dragging, and she let him go. Jaune stood up and brushed himself off, taking a confident pose.

"Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it."

Pyrrha chuckled, "That's what he told me, but it seems that his mother is the only lady that really loves it."

Jaune's confident pose fell apart and he sighed, scratching his head, "W-Well, they will love it."

"I'm sure they will, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "At any rate, we should begin our trek back, yes?"

Ren and Nora nodded, and the four of them began to make their way out of the maze. The four of them chatted amicably as they did, though Pyrrha was still a tad bit disappointed that she hadn't found the girl she met earlier.

I hope her team is at least competent…

"I told you we were going the wrong way!"

Pyrrha and the rest of her team looked over towards where the shout game from.

"Well, excuse me, but you haven't been helping much either!"

"Guys, please stop…"

Jaune looked over to Pyrrha, "Uh…do you think they might need help?" Pyrrha looked back to him, and was about to tell him that they needed to continue going forward when another shout came from the unknown group.

"Will you two stop arguing!?"

That…sounds like Blake! "Yes, Jaune, and we need to go help them!" She grabbed the boy by the wrist and forcefully pulled him in the direction of their voices.


Blake watched as Yang and Weiss began to go at it, with Ruby trying to stop the two of them from fighting. They had been travelling through the maze for what seemed like an hour, and the patience of the other three members had finally worn away. It began with Yang leading the way, and while Ruby had high optimism in her sister, Weiss and Blake didn't have nearly as much, though Blake kept quiet about it. Weiss began to make small jabs at Yang's ability to lead, until finally Yang decided to hand leadership to her.

So, then Weiss began to lead, though it wasn't long before she, too, proved to be unable to navigate the maze. She was more stubborn than Yang, and she bit back whenever Yang made a quip against her. The back-and-forth slowly grew into full-on arguments, and finally the tension snapped as they passed the same statue for the fifteenth time.

"I told you we were going the wrong way!" Yang was yelling now, pacing back and forth as Ruby tried to calm her down.

Strange, I could have sworn that her eyes were violet, not red…

"Well, excuse me, but you haven't been helping much either!" Blake had to give it to Weiss. She was much shorter and definitely didn't look as strong as Yang (who Blake swore was giving every opportunity to show off her abs), but she still stood her ground.

She's either foolish, stubborn, brave, or a combination.

Ruby nervously looked between the two of them, and Blake could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Guys, please stop…" However, Yang and Weiss didn't notice her, and Blake watched the tears begin to trail her cheeks.

Alright, now that's enough.

"Will you two stop arguing!?" Weiss and Yang looked over at Blake, who was glaring at the two of them before motioning her head towards Ruby, who was now sniffling and wiping her eyes. Yang immediately broke off and ran over to her, hugging her and rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry Rubes, I'm sorry. We'll stop, okay?" Yang spoke softly, and Ruby nodded through her sniffles, wiping her eyes again. Blake looked over to Weiss, who was watching the two. She caught Blake's gaze and she sighed.

"I agree to stop arguing," Weiss looked away from Ruby, but Blake could tell that her voice was genuine, "I'm just…frustrated."

Ruby smiled at Weiss, "I understand Weiss…I just don't like everyone arguing."

"Hello again!"

Everyone looked over to the other end of their corridor, and Blake noticed that the red haired girl from before was there. She waved at the group, and Blake waved back, though the rest of her team members were still a bit surprised about the whole ordeal.

"Oh, hey Pyrrha," Blake smiled as the girl approached, "How has your search of this blasphemous maze been?"

"Oh, well, we found the centre a little bit ago actually. It sounds like you guys are having a bit of trouble?"

Blake sighed and nodded, "Yeah, a bit…do you think you could help us?"

Before Pyrrha could answer, Jaune stepped forward and put on his most confident pose, strutting past Blake and towards Weiss, who watched him with a mixed look of annoyance and disdain. He flashed a cheesy grin, and Blake had to hold in the laughter that was threatening to come forth from his actions.

Oh sweet divines, he is actually going to try and hit on her. Blake would have felt bad for the boy if this entire scene didn't seem so comical.

"Well, hello there snow angel," Jaune said this in what Blake could only assume was his most suave tone of voice…which is to say, it was laughable. Still, she gave him props for trying.

Weiss, on the other hand, was not going to give anyone props for anything, "Snow angel? Really now, you couldn't think of anything better?"

Jaune had an almost serene smile on his face, "Nope, but I would have to say that angel suits you well."

Weiss put her head in her hands and sighed, and Jaune took that as a sign to put his arm around her shoulders, "I heard they're making teams-"

"I'm already taken."

Everyone looked rather surprised at Weiss's declaration, and Blake could see the very moment that Jaune's heart tore in two. He let go of her, nodded, and sulked back over to his group. The tall, black haired boy gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Ouch. Weiss doesn't pull any punches, does she?

Weiss looked rather confused at the sudden change in atmosphere, "What? I do already have a partner. Professor Ozpin stated that our partner would be whoever we made eye contact with first, and that happened to be Ruby in my case."

Jaune immediately turned around and flashed Weiss another smile, "So, other than the group thing, you're single? I'm a natural blonde you know."

Weiss blanched at that statement, and both Blake and Yang couldn't help but snicker slightly. Pyrrha merely smiled sweetly as she ushered Jaune back over to Ren before returning to Blake.

"At any rate, we would love to help you to the centre. If you would like…" Pyrrha held out her hand to Blake.

Blake smiled and nodded, reaching to shake Pyrrha's hand. Before she could, however, Weiss reached forward and shook her hand instead, causing both Pyrrha and Blake to look rather surprised. She had the complete look of a professional, however, and Pyrrha shook her hand in return, also keeping a professional look on her face.

"It is in much better grace to shake the leader's hand, isn't it? No doubt you are leading your group as well?" Weiss asked in a very kind and professional tone, yet Blake could tell that something was off with it.

Pyrrha nodded, "I…suppose it is. I'm sorry, I figured that Blake was the leader of this group."

"Ah, simple mistake, but please, lead the way."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby nudged her in the side and shook her head, putting a finger to her lips. Ren had an eyebrow raised in curiosity, Nora was snickering in the back, and Jaune simply looked confused. Blake had to question why Weiss would step in as such, but she decided to save such thoughts for later.

Pyrrha turned and began to lead the group to the centre, and before long the group of eight reached the middle. Yang went over to one of the knight pieces and picked it up, turning back to Blake.

"Well, how about this cute little pony?" Yang smiled and held the piece out to her. Blake chuckled and nodded, taking the piece and putting it in her pocket. Ruby grabbed the other knight piece, and the eight of them began their journey out of the maze.

However, something felt off to Blake, and she couldn't help but feel that they were being watched from far away…


*SNAP*

Ozpin, Oobleck, and Port all watched in amazement as the binoculars in Glynda's hands snapped in two. Ozpin heard Professor Port swallow and take a step back, while Oobleck nearly choked on his drink. He merely sipped his coffee, noticing how tense Glynda seemed to be.

"Hmm…Glynda, might I suggest heading to the entrance of the maze? No doubt whoever you are looking after will be there soon?" Ozpin simply watched Glynda, sipping his coffee.

I really hope she doesn't decide to turn around and punch me.

Glynda nodded and headed away from the group, leaving the binocular pieces with Port. The three professors watched Glynda head off to the maze. Professor Port cleared his throat and looked up to Ozpin, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Ozpin, what exactly do you think is going on with Glynda? I've never seen her this…driven!"

Oobleck nodded in agreement, taking a long sip of his beverage, "Indeed, Ozpin, do you know anything about this change in our dear Glynda? I haven't seen her this excited about something since she heard about that café opening up down the road!"

"Mmm…indeed you are right, gentlemen," Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee, "I do wonder, though, just how she is going to react to finding out about what is making her feel this way."

Indeed, Glynda, just how will you handle your emotions when you find out?


I can't believe I have to work with those idiots!

Glynda looked absolutely livid as she made her way to the maze, passing several groups of students who hurried out of her way. She completely ignored them, however, as she arrived to the entrance of the maze.

I'm mad? No I'm not mad! Why would I be mad about Miss Xiao Long ogling Blake? Why would I be mad about Miss Nikos trying to hold her hand? Why would I be mad about Miss Rose basically coping a fe-

Glynda caught her thoughts before they went too far. Deep breaths, Glynda…deep breaths. She began her deep breathing exercises, and before long she was completely neutral.

Atta girl Glynda, no reason to feel that non-existent anger towards your students, yep. Everything's peachy.

After a short wait, Glynda saw the group of eight come out of the maze, all chuckling and talking amongst themselves. Glynda couldn't help but notice how Yang, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha were all staying rather close to Blake…too close in her mind. She cleared her throat rather loudly, causing all of them to look up at her. Blake smiled, and Glynda couldn't help but give the girl a smile of her own.

She seems promising…respectful, kind, intelligent, she seems to have it all.

"Now that you have all returned, I shall escort you to your dorms. We will be having a celebration banquet at 1900. Please be in the main hall by that time, thank you."

Before Glynda could head off, Jaune raised his hand, much to her inner irritation. "Yes, Mr. Arc, what is it that you need to ask?"

"Uh…where's the main hall?"

It took all of Glynda's willpower to not snap the clipboard she was holding in half. Where's the main hall? You were in the bloody main hall just two hours ago! HOW COULD YOU NOT-

"The main hall is the building with the statue in the front, I would assume?" Blake asked, looking from Jaune to her. Glynda's angry thoughts mellowed out as she nodded.

"Yes, that is the main hall. I suppose it isn't labelled as such, is it?" Glynda smiled and chuckled, not noticing how wide Yang's, Jaune's, Nora's, Ruby's, and Pyrrha's eyes went, "At any rate, I will be leading you to your dorms. Please follow me."

Glynda turned and began leading the way, though she used the metal bit on her clipboard to keep a watch over the group behind her. They were close to Blake, sure, but they weren't doing anything indecent to her.

Just making sure the rules are being followed, of course. After all, we can't have anything indecent happening to any of the students, not just Blake.

"Miss Xiao Long, unless you would like detention, I suggest raising your eyes." She couldn't help but smirk as Yang's face went bright red and her eyes immediately shot up. The rest of the group looked rather confused, but she got her point across.

No one is going to be ogling my students while I am on the watch. No one.


Yang could tell that the professor had it in for her. Sheesh, teach, you'd think you were her girlfriend or something!

She wasn't going to deny that she was checking out Blake. She was many things, but dishonest was not one of them, and she wasn't going to change that now. Belladonna got a booty, and I am not ashamed to notice it.

She couldn't help but snicker softly. Bellabooty! Shit, Yang, that's perfect!

"What's so funny?" Blake looked over to her, curious, and Yang quickly stopped snickering and shook her head, smiling.

"N-Nothing, just remembered a joke that I heard a while back."

Okay, a little lie here or there is fine, right? Can't just tell people what I'm thinking all the time, that's boring!

"Oh? Wanna share it? I do enjoy a good joke every once in a while." Blake smirked, and Yang knew that the little kitty cat was trying to put her on the spot.

Oh, she knows, and she wants to play a game.

"Sure! So, a neutron walks into a bar. He asks for a drink, and the bartender replies 'For you, no charge'."

Ruby snorted and began to laugh, and Blake started snickering as well. Weiss rolled her eyes and turned away, though Yang could see her shoulders shaking slightly.

Smooth one, Xiao Long! I knew this was the group to appreciate some science humour! And everyone just thinks I've just got brawn and beauty.

"Ah, chemistry jokes, ya know? All the good ones…argon!"

Blake began to laugh, and Ruby's laughter increased in volume. Weiss, too, began to chuckle, and Pyrrha's group joined in as well.

"Wow, calm down guys, I don't need you caesium on me! Most people find my jokes to be rather basic, but you guys are reacting rather well!"

Yang couldn't help but grin as the entire group started laughing, and she caught a glimpse of Professor Goodwitch smiling, covering her mouth with her hand as she chuckled.

Boom. Ice Queen, Amazon, Kitty Cat, even the Wicked Witch! Yang Xiao Long, bringing smiles and good feelings wherever she goes!

"Alright, alright, those were some pretty good ones." Blake took a few deep breaths and settled down, the rest of the group following. "I thought you were only good at terrible puns, Yang. You've pleasantly surprised me."

"Aww, thanks kit' cat!" She grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders, "I'm glad you could Yang in there for me!"

"Ah, and there goes that pleasant surprise," Blake smirked at her, and Yang stuck her tongue out at her.

"Some people just don't understand. Seven days without puns makes one week."

Weiss audibly groaned, and Ruby looked away from her sister in embarrassment. Even Pyrrha looked a bit ashamed, and Blake couldn't help but cringing. Yang shrugged.

"Jeez, tough crowd tonight."

"Miss Xiao Long, please cease with your horrible puns." Professor Goodwitch looked back, frowning. Yang looked away and nodded, though when the professor turned around she stuck her tongue out at her.

"Miss Xiao Long, you are really asking for a detention, aren't you?"

"No m'am, sorry." Yang sighed, while Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ruby snickered. Yang glared at them and poked Ruby in the side, causing her to yelp and poke her back. Yang could hear Professor Goodwitch sigh as the two sisters delved into a poke fight behind her.


Weiss watched the two sisters for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head. Ugh, those two need to grow up. They're going to the most prestigious academy in all of Vale, and they're acting like middle schoolers!

She turned her attention over to Blake, pursing her lips and furrowing her brow. And that Blake Belladonna! She's a rude pervert, but she can be kind as well. Still, absolutely uncouth! Undressing me with her eyes…I'm sure she'd like to undress me, perv.

However, the thought of Blake undressing her came to mind, and she had to look away from Blake before her face turned into an inferno. Stupid, stupid, stupid girl! She's a nuisance, and she's not even saying anything! Who says that, anyway? Undressing you with my eyes, that's just so…lewd!

She jumped as a hand fell on her shoulder, and she looked over to see Blake looking rather concerned. "Hey, are you alright Weiss? You look a bit…frustrated."

"I-I'm fine, thank you! Don't think I've forgiven you for what you said, either! Dolt!" Weiss nodded firmly and turned her attention forward. She heard Blake snicker after she did. She did not expect Blake to lean very close to her ear and oh gods I can feel her breath on my ear quit it Miss Belladonna!

"You mean the comment about undressing you with my eyes?" Blake's voice came out as a whisper, and Weiss had to do all she could to keep her legs from shaking, "Look, I'm sorry about that. You were acting rather…brusque, and I felt that you needed to be taken down a peg."

Weiss gulped and nodded, "A-Apology accepted…but that doesn't change what I feel about you being a pervert."

She could see Blake smiling out of the corner of her eye, and she released the breath she didn't know she was holding as Blake backed away. Sweet gods above, she has absolutely no understanding of personal space either it seems! Leaning into my ear like that, so…so…

Weiss couldn't think of anything to say, and she instead focused on the studying that she would begin doing when they arrived to their dorms.


Alright Ruby, take the chance, you can talk to her.

Her little spat with Yang had ended after a few moments, and Ruby was now trying to psyche herself up to talk to Blake. It wasn't much she wanted to say, really, just to apologise for running away twice and to ask what she liked to do in her freetime.

Just…pull her sleeve to get her attention…

Ruby reached forward and gently tugged Blake's sleeve. Blake turned around and, seeing it was Ruby, smiled. "What's up, Ruby?"

Now, just talk! You're good at that, Ruby!

"I…wanted to apologise for running away earlier," Ruby looked towards the ground, her embarrassment bubbling up again, "I-It wasn't your fault! I…I just get nervous when meeting new people…"

She heard Blake giggle, and she looked up to see that Blake had come to stand beside her instead, "It's fine, Ruby. I know what it's like to meet new people and not really know what to say," Blake put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, causing her to blush lightly, "I did want to ask though, what were you looking at?"

Ruby's eyes lit up. She wants to talk about botany?! "Oh! I saw this really lovely patch of hemlock and belladonna! Yang doesn't let me grow any at home, because she says that my herbs take up enough room, so I was absolutely fascinated. They have this kind of beauty that lies in their properties, and…well, I just absolutely fell in love with them."

"Oh? You grow your own herbs?" Blake asked, and Ruby nodded in response, "I actually grow a bit of ginger and peppermint at my home, though my prize beauty is a pot of belladonna that I have been growing. Maybe I could show you sometime?"

Oh my god she's inviting me over! And she grows plants! Nice job, Ruby, we found some common ground!

"I-I-I would absolutely love to!" Ruby practically leapt at Blake's suggestion, and before she could really think about it she hugged Blake. It took a few seconds for her to register what she did, but she wasn't able to break the hug before Blake returned it, chuckling softly. Ruby's face turned a deep red, and she broke off from Blake.

"S-Sorry, I just got really excited to hear that someone else appreciates plants…" Ruby's gaze turned towards the ground again, but Blake placed her hand on her shoulder, making her look back up to see that Blake was smiling.

"It's fine, Ruby. To be honest, I didn't expect someone as young as you to be interested in botany."

Ruby mumbled a soft "thank you" and returned to her side by Yang, who nudged her in the side and gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice job there, Rubes!"

"Shut up Yang…"


At the head of the hill stood a small group of students, watching the eight students led by Professor Goodwitch, consisting of a tall boy with silver hair, a tanned girl with green hair, a short girl with tri-colour hair, and a beauty with long, black hair.

"Cinder, who do you think they are?" The girl with green hair spoke up, keeping her eyes trained on the taller girl with black hair.

"I do not know in the slightest, Emerald, though they've caught Neo's attention…" the black haired girl looked over to the short girl, who was watching the group with an intensity that she hadn't seen before. Interesting…

"Neo, what's up? You aren't looking for a fight, are you?" Cinder smirked as Neo shook her head, keeping her gaze firmly planted on the group below. Cinder watched as well, wondering just who exactly caught her friend's attention. Roaming across the teacher and the students, her eyes landed on a girl with long, black hair and a black bow.

Oh? My lien's on her.

"Girl with the black bow and black hair?"

Cinder almost burst into laughter when Neo jumped, "Ah, she does seem interesting…"

Neo turned around and glared at her, making a slicing motion across her throat. "Oooh, afraid you might have some competition?"

Cinder watched as Neo began to sign quickly, I will end you, Cinder.

Emerald stepped forward and smirked, "Aww, you two competing for the same girl? Too bad you'll have to watch her get taken away by yours truly."

Her confidence was stolen as both Cinder and Neo turned to glare at her, and she stepped back. The boy with silver hair sighed, "Come on, let's head back to our dorm before you three get us thrown out by starting a fight. First day too…"

Cinder huffed and nodded, "Fair enough. Come on, Popsicle, Emmy, let's head back."

Neo's eye twitched at the nickname, but she followed the rest of the group as they walked to the dorms. She looked back one more time, just in time to see the girl with black hair look back at her. Deciding to take the chance, she winked to her and blew a kiss before skipping to catch up with the others.

Cinder and Emerald won't stand a chance. No one else will…


Who…is that girl?

Blake felt her cheeks light up, having just watched the multi-coloured girl skip away. She had looked up to the top of the hill, feeling that they were being watched, and found that her instinct was on the money. What she didn't expect, however, was a girl to wink at her and blow a kiss her way.

"Miss Politan seems to want some disciplinary action as well…" Blake heard Glynda mutter under her breath, and she noticed that the older woman was glaring at the top of the hill. Blake had to keep herself from laughing.

Glynda is rather…strict, but I don't think she's strict for the right reasons.

"Oooh, seems our resident kitty cat is a lady killer~" Yang teased from behind her, and Blake turned around. Instead of scowling at her, she smirked.

"Why, Yang, are you afraid that your position will be compromised?"

Yang's eyes went wide, and both Ruby and Weiss looked between the two, "I, ah, what do you mean, kit' cat?"

"Oh, it just seems like you'd be the lady killer around the school, Yang. Thought you might feel a bit threatened." Blake snickered as Yang turned away from her, her words having hit their mark. Yang's face went bright red, and Blake took it as a victory in her book.

It wasn't much longer before the group reached their dorms, and they found that their rooms were right next to each other. Glynda walked over to the leftmost room and opened the door.

"Miss Rose, Schnee, Long, and Belladonna will all be situated in this room here," she then walked over to the rightmost room; "Mr. Ren and Arc, along with Miss Valkyrie and Nikos shall be taking this room. If you have any questions, please see me in my office."

Noticing that Jaune was about to raise his hand, she sighed, "It's marked on your Scroll, which is the device that you should have kept after removing your blindfolds." Jaune put his hand back to his side.

"On that note, I shall be leaving you to your devices. Remember, a banquet will be held in the main hall at 1900, along with the official announcement of your teams. Please arrive in your uniforms," Glynda looked over the eight of them before resting her eyes on Blake, "I look forward to seeing all of you there."

With that, Glynda left, parting a path through the throng of students who stood around in the hallway. Blake, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang looked towards their room. Ruby took the first step into the room, and the rest of them followed, with Blake stopping in the doorway and looking towards Pyrrha.

"Well, it looks like we'll be neighbours for the next four years." Blake smiled at Pyrrha, and Pyrrha smiled in return.

"I look forward to seeing a lot more of you, Blake."

Blake snickered, "Is that supposed to be an innuendo, Miss Nikos?"

She got the expected result as Pyrrha blushed, "I-I didn't, I mean, I look forward to seeing you more, not…more of…I mean, not, well…I-" Blake held up her hand, silencing Pyrrha's ramblings.

Poor girl, I think I'm going to have too much fun with her.

"It's fine Pyrrha, I know what you meant. I was just teasing you," she looked into her room and frowned, "I suppose I'll be seeing you at dinner, yeah?"

"Of course, Blake, I'll see you then." Pyrrha went into her room, and Blake entered hers. The reason for her frown, of course, was the fact that her three teammates had decided to take their beds and create bunk beds out of them. One pair was made by using books to create distance, while the other was held up with very dangerous looking ropes.

"Okay…so, who is sleeping in what?" Blake looked between her teammates, "For starters, I am not sleeping under that death trap." She pointed at the precariously swinging bed on the right.

"Oh! Don't worry, I'll take that one!" Ruby smiled and leapt onto the top bunk, and Blake nearly had a heart attack as it swung far to one side before settling in position, "See? It holds perfectly fine!"

Yang chuckled nervously and hopped onto the top bed of the book bunks, "I will, ah, take this one. Rubes…do be careful."

Weiss and Blake looked between each other, knowing that whoever took the bed under Yang would force the other to sleep under the potential murder machine that Ruby slept on.

Weiss took a deep breath and sat on the bed under Ruby, "I…suppose I will risk myself with this bed, Blake."

"Weiss-"

Weiss held up her hand, and Blake raised her hand in a salute, "Your sacrifice will be remembered by all, Miss Schnee. Your family would be proud."

"Don't talk about me like I'm dead!"

Blake giggled and took a seat on her bed, patting the pillow and lying back. She shut her eyes and smiled.

Well, this school seems like it's going to be interesting.


AN: Well, this is the first thing that I have ever uploaded onto FanFiction, and the first RWBY fic that I've done! I hope you lot enjoy it! Questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to ask!

At any rate, updates will be rather sporadic as I have both a job and my university classes. However, I think I will be giving this fic a lot of love, so don't fret.

Anyway, this is General Katyusha, signing off!