Chapter 1

Yang Xiao Long heaved a sigh that she was hesitant to label as one of relief as she and her friends took their first steps onto the grounds of Beacon academy. She wondered if she should feel bad for ditching Ruby the moment the airship had touched down. Ruby was, after all, two years younger than anyone else here, in addition to having all the normal freshman problems like getting lost in an unfamiliar environment, but getting her little sister to socialize had never been easy anyway. If Ruby was going to use Yang as a crutch for the next four years, she'd never grow up. Catapulting her, sometimes literally, out of her comfort zone and into the real world would do her some good. That was the principle Yang had used to teach her to swim, and that had turned out fine.

Yang let herself smile and forget her worry. She was at Beacon now, and all her friends were walking at her side. Well, not all her friends, of course. She had known everybody at Signal, even the janitors, but if she were forced to sit for lunch on a single picnic blanket, these four were the ones she would choose to populate it.

At her right was Soren Glaux, the only boy in the group. He had chin-length brown hair and a narrow face, narrow everything really. Yang had never found another boy her age as easy to lift off the ground, which was made all the funnier by the fact that he was four inches taller than she was. He was dressed in jeans and his favorite shirt: a white tee with a large black owl with spread wings emblazoned like a medieval family crest across the front, and the leather jacket she'd given him as a birthday present last year.

At his right was Liseran Currant, the tallest girl Yang had ever met. She had two inches on Soren and had shoulders broad enough for Yang to sit comfortably on. People at Signal had called her Amazon for her figure, a result of having grown up on her parent's farm Yang had no doubt, but aside from that, the only evidence of her rustic upbringing was her penchant for plaid, flannel shirts, and even those she normally wore open over a midriff-baring tank top, as she was currently. She had blonde hair nearly as long as Yang's, but whereas Yang's was blessed with feathery waves and was the color of spun gold, Liz's was straight as straw and had the color to match, though Yang could attest that it was as soft as her own.

At Yang's left was Briseis Hippodameia. If Ruby were to discover that she had a long lost twin sister, Yang's first suspect would be Brie, even though the two looked nothing alike. Brie was about the same height as Ruby, but the similarities ended there. Brie's hair was a vibrant brown and so curly that Yang couldn't imagine her capable of using hair products that didn't have the words 'industrial strength' printed on the bottle. She had the brightest blue eyes that Yang had ever encountered, and the same could be said of her smile. She was as excitable as Ruby, which Yang supposed was the only personality trait they shared. The comparison really wasn't fair, she supposed. Brie was the most innocent child Yang could imagine, in spite of Liz and Yang's own self-proclaimed corrupting influences, whereas Ruby was only mostly innocent, just with a weapon fetish that bordered on the erotic.

The last member was Artemisia Wormwood. Looking at her, you'd think she never left the library, with her forehead-concealing bangs and thick glasses, but Yang never got tired of watching boys, who thought she was shy and studious, attempt to flirt with her, only to be confronted by the veritable force of sarcasm and cynicism that was Art. If fucking with people were a sport, Art would be an Olympic medalist. She had gotten people detention and worse back at Signal, and though her victims usually deserved it, Yang had to shudder at what Art could accomplish if she used her power for evil.

The five of them passed through a set of double doors into the school library, causing them to pause and take in the sight. Yang wasn't much of a reader, not since Ruby had grown up enough to read books for herself, but even she had to marvel at the size of the place. Most of it was probably full of textbooks that would put her to sleep, but she did see a fairly extensive fiction section she could probably get some mileage out of, provided her classwork didn't take up too much of her time.

"Did you guys hear that Pyrrha Nikos is coming here?" Briseis chimed. "Ooh, I hope I get assigned to the same team as her!"

"It's all you've talked about today," Artemisia grumbled.

"That's not true!" Briseis said, face turning red. "We talked about the view on the flight over, Liz talked about going drinking…"

"Liz talking about booze is practically background noise at this point. It doesn't count."

Liseran didn't dignify Artemisia's jab with a response, instead saying, "I know this Nikos chick's been on magazine covers and cereal boxes, but what's the big deal about her?"

Yang had to step back as Briseis whirled on Liseran with an expression on her face that most people reserved for religious blasphemers. "She's the best warrior of this generation, Liz! She's won every tournament she's ever been in!"

"I'm starting to smell a fangirl," Yang said, jabbing her elbow into Briseis's side.

Briseis turned away with an indignant huff. "I just appreciate seeing someone who works as hard as she can while still possessing natural talent. I bet she could even beat you, Yang."

"Not a chance," Yang said, grinning and flexing her bicep. "Don't forget, I've never lost a fight either."

"That's because your Semblance cheats for you," Liseran said with a smirk. "How fair is it for your opponent to get punished for beating you?"

"It's not punishing them for beating me," Yang said, winking and punching her palm. "It's punishment for thinking they could."

"Well, now we know what all that hair is for," Artemisia said. "It's to hide that swelled head of yours."

"Gotta admit," Soren interjected, "there's no telling the kind of students we'll find here. It won't be like Signal. People from all over the world come here, the best of the best."

"Well then, that makes us the best too," Yang said.

"What a distressing thought," Soren muttered.

They explored the campus for another hour, scouting out the locations of their dorms, the cafeteria, and the classrooms, before they decided to group up at the auditorium, where the headmaster was going to be delivering a speech for the incoming freshmen.

"I suppose we should ask for directions," Soren said as they came to a stop in the middle of a courtyard.

Yang peered around for anyone who looked like a local. There were a few groups of obvious newbies, who were still carrying luggage, but there was a Faunus girl with a camera sitting on a bench nearby, snapping pictures of the newcomers. Most likely a tourist, but she was the only possibility in sight. Yang motioned for her friends to follow her as she waded through the crowd.

The Faunus girl had tawny hair and rabbit ears that perked up every time she was about to take a picture. She was so engrossed in her photography that she didn't notice their approach.

"Hellooo!" Yang called, waving.

The Faunus girl looked up from her view finder. She put on a shy smile and lifted her arm to give them a little wave. "Hi," she said. She had one of the cutest accents Yang had ever heard.

Yang extended a hand to the girl. "I'm Yang," she said.

The Faunus girl took it. In spite of her demure expression, her grip was firm. "Velvet," she said. "Pleased to meet you."

"My friends and I are just moving in. Any chance you could point us towards the main hall?"

"Oh, that's easy. Just head back to the lobby, and it's straight across from the front door. Would you like a map?" She reached into her camera bag and withdrew a folded sheet of cardstock titled, Beginners Guide to Beacon.

"Thanks," Yang said as she took the pamphlet.

"They really should have handed these out when we get dropped off," Briseis mumbled.

"Headmaster Ozpin's says it's to encourage exploration and interaction between new students and old ones," Velvet said. "But, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just to save school funds. I thought some people might need them though, so I printed off a few myself."

"So, I guess you're a student here?" Yang asked.

"I'm a second year. I can still remember what it felt like being the new student though, so if any of you are worried, you can relax. Beacon is challenging, but it's also a really great place. My teammates are my best friends now, so—just don't be worried, I guess."

She chuckled awkwardly. Yang thought she was cute. "Well, thanks, Velvet," Yang said. "See you around."

"Goodbye," Velvet said with something resembling a seated curtsy.

"Hey, Yang," Liseran said as soon as the conversation had ended. "You want to head back to town to make a beer run after the assembly? There's not much else to do until lights out this evening."

"Oh," Velvet interjected, "I'm sorry, but you won't be able to get anything."

Liz smirked. "Yang and I know a guy who doesn't require ID, so don't worry about that."

"No, I mean you can't go back into town right now. To make sure they have enough space for all the students, the air ships aren't taking anyone away from the school except in emergency cases. It's a one way trip until tomorrow."

A wine grape couldn't have looked more crushed than Liseran did. "You're kidding."

"Sorry. Most of the teachers on campus are pretty lenient about alcohol though, so you can get all you want after tomorrow. Just don't let Professor Goodwitch catch you with it."

"Yeah, thanks," Liz said, though she didn't sound thankful, too busy gritting her teeth and giving a death glare to nothing in particular.

"Hey," Yang said, smiling as she nudging the taller girl, "there are other ways we can commemorate our first night at Beacon."

Artemisia rolled her eyes, and Briseis's face flushed. Liseran just sighed, "Not as fun without booze, but fine."

"You saying I require beer goggles?" Yang teased, crossing her arms in mock outrage.

"Not you I'm worried about," she said, giving Yang a soft jab on the shoulder.

They said goodbye to Velvet once more before heading back inside towards the assembly hall.

#

Blake Belladonna stood amongst the crowd inside the assembly hall, doing her best not to draw attention to herself. A few people attempted to rope her into a conversation, but she turned them all away as delicately as she could. Her stomach was in knots, though she had perfected the art of concealing her concern. It had been an eventful few hours since her feet had touched the cobble grounds of Beacon. She had run into the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, seen a girl explode, and toured the school that was going to be her home for the next four years. She hadn't encountered many other Faunus, but she supposed that seeing any at all was a blessing on some level. Then again, if representatives of a company as anti-Faunus as the SDC were also here, then there was no telling whether the environment here would be accepting or not.

She breathed a sigh. How long had it been since she had been out in the world, rather than shifting from hideout to hideout? Probably not since the White Fang's change in management. Just thinking about them, about Adam, made her want to shiver, but she repressed the urge. That was all behind her now, and she would tell herself that every day until she finally felt it had come true.

Not wanting to speak with anyone else, and seeing that the headmaster had yet to appear to address them, Blake took her earbuds from her pocket, plugged them into her Scroll, and turned on an album by Katatonia. She could still hear the room fine, due to her secondary ears hidden beneath her hair bow, but she closed her eyes and did her best to tune out the sounds around her and slip away with the music. She mouthed along to the lyrics:

"…Revolve inside,

My blood is yours too.

That's what you say.

It couldn't be further from the truth.

I find the soul in medication.

All my loving has turned and washed away…"

Perhaps she had picked too poignant a song for forgetting about Adam. Her finger was moving to skip to the next song when a female voice rang out through the crowd. Blake had to fight not to let her cat ear's twitch at the sudden noise. She turned her head to see a tall blonde waving a muscled arm over her head. Her jumping up and down was causing her large breasts to bounce, earning the attention of most of the boys standing near her.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" she was shouting.

She was joined moments afterwards by the girl in the red hood that Blake had met earlier. The one who had exploded. She seemed no worse for wear, which was nice. Didn't want Schnee coming out on the better end of that exchange. Speaking of Schnee, she spotted the heiress marching straight for the other two girls with a look on her face that suggested the earlier incident had not been forgiven.

Their words grew too quiet for Blake to hear over the general chatter, but she kept watching if only to pass the time. The moment the girl in red, Ruby, realized Schnee was standing behind her, she leapt straight into the busty blonde's arms. Blake felt a pang of sympathy. The girl looked so young and fragile, and even though earlier had clearly been an accident, Blake could see that Schnee was laying into her pretty hard, going so far as to hand her a pamphlet about Dust safety.

The busty blonde stepped in and seemed to be trying to talk them both down. Ruby nodded along, extending her hand to Schnee in a gesture of peace, but Schnee didn't seem to be having any of it. There were four others, one boy and three girls, standing next to them, friends of Ruby and the blonde by the look of it. All of them were glaring at the young heiress, looking ready to go to war.

That, Blake thought. That is how I feel right now. Nice to know that there were at least a few humans she had solidarity with, if only in that the name Schnee put a bad taste in their mouths.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a series of thumps from the loudspeakers announced that Ozpin was ready to speak. She looked back at the stage to see the headmaster standing at the microphone, the professor she had seen on the flight over, Goodwitch, standing beside him. She silenced her music just as the line "I see, you don't want liberation…" finished playing.

"I'll—keep this brief," he began, his voice dimming the clamor of the room. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."

Blake had to agree with that one. She doubted many here had matched her feat of being accepted to Beacon without having first been through one of the lesser combat schools around the world, and her initial impression of most of the students around her was that they wouldn't make the cut. She only hoped they were weeded out in combat practice before they were sent off and got eaten by a Beowolf.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this," Ozpin continued, "but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Not quite the speech she had expected, but one Blake agreed with wholeheartedly. Knowledge was nothing without action. It was no different than all those who claimed to support Faunus equality but were ever absent from each rally and protest. That was something Schnee would never understand, and, if Blake were lucky, maybe the heiress would prove herself equally unfamiliar with real combat and be sent home before a semester was out.

Goodwitch was saying something about spending the night in the ballroom until initiation and room assignment the next day, but Blake turned her music back on and slipped out through the crowd to beat the exit rush.