A/N: Hey, this is Exodia here. I am so happy that my first chapter went so well with everyone. It's a wonderful thing to be able to write something that so many of you can enjoy. I don't really have a schedule yet, but I'll try to upload whenever I can. I welcome any criticism and positivity and anything that anyone else could throw at me.

Well... I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon

Pyrrha emptied the last of the contents of her breakfast into the waste receptacle that stood right by the landing gates of the airship she rushed off from. Her red hair flowed across her face as if shielding her face from passersby as she finished a dreadful task that would leave a bad taste in her mouth for hours afterward.

As many of the others are flooding out, each gazes in awe at the beauty of their new home. Smooth cobblestone paths all guide the way to the mammoth building that stands before them, a small distance away. Lamp posts were placed to provide night owls a guiding light to lead the way home, and draping banners adorning every other post.

A grand pavilion, surrounded by two grand open archways that provide shade for passersby, was where many stood. Some, to continue to gaze in wonder and awe at the glorious architectural masterpiece before them. Others, to meet up with old friends and to mingle with new ones.

Others, still, continued on towards the Academy itself. The true grand marvel of the wondrous Beacon Academy: The building. Connected to monolithic pillars, each tower holding untold mysteries, at least to the new students, as well as stories both told and yet to be. New experiences; new romances; new adventures, all were captured within the confines of this Academy.

Many of these students, gazing in awe at the magnificent Grand Tower, the highest peak of all in Beacon, each had a beckoning dream in their minds. The fantasy of the tower gives further credence to that dream; reinforcing to many that this was a dream come true.

Standing there, in the middle of the courtyard, Pyrrha could not tear herself from looking at the structure. She had spaced out for a few minutes, just in a mode of quiet reflection and awe at all she had gotten into.

An explosion coming from afar was just the thing to jog Pyrrha's mind. She moved swiftly towards the source of the explosion, both curious and concerned over its meaning. Apparently, it had been caused by mishandling of dust and a little girl, who was left on the ground. A second girl, with a white asymmetrical ponytail, who was somehow smaller than the one left on the ground, stormed off as the smoke began to dissipate.

"Hey, ya need a hand?" Pyrrha extended her hand to the girl on the ground.

"Thanks." She responded, quickly bouncing back upright.

The girl whom Pyrrha had just helped was rather interesting figure. She was a rather diminutive girl with a quick eye. Her hair held dark roots that presented a stark contrast to the ruby red dominant on the very tips. Her eyes were of a unusual colour; silver as the moon at its fullest peak. Pale skin only allowed these features to grab even more attention, making her seem like a pixie. However, when the girl looked around, her pale eyes flashed, with an edge of softness that made her seem almost... vulnerable.

"I'm Pyrrha."

"I'm Ruby."

"It's just… something that happens when I'm in the air for long periods of time. I'm used to my feet on the ground. But it happens to everybody!" Pyrrha tried to reason with a girl much smaller than herself. Being rather debilitating by nature, the nickname "vomit girl" created a sense of annoyance and shame for Pyrrha, who detested the name and all it entailed.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha; that was just the first name that came to mind!" Ruby's happiness was apparent. Like her, she was hopeful for the success at her time at Beacon.

"Well, what if I called ya crater face or something like that?" Pyrrha's half-hearted snap back made Ruby cringe some, but the diminutive girl kept face.

"Hey, that was an accident!" Ruby showed that she took actual offense at the comment, and Pyrrha's self-satisfied smile showed its success.

"Well, I'm just Pyrrha Nikos, not Vomit Girl. I am from Mistral. I'm just here to do my best and learn to become a Huntress." Pyrrha chuckled and tried to stand proud, but then looked down and sighed.

Ruby looked at Pyrrha with a puzzled expression. "Are…. you okay?" The sentence drew out, giving Ruby's question an even more confused tone.

Her youthful, round face allowed the pale eyes to shine. The look of concern… these added up. Ruby looked too young or experienced to be at Beacon.

"It's nothin'." Looking for a change of subject, Pyrrha tried to think of something to say, but Ruby beat her to the punch.

"So, I got this thing."

Ruby's scythe then proceeded to almost slash Pyrrha's face as it was launched out of its dormant state.

Pyrrha took a very defensive stance, rather frightened by the thing that threatened to take her face off.

"Is that a… scythe?"

"It's also a customizable, high impact velocity sniper rifle."

Pyrrha was slightly taken aback at these words. The mixture of weapons as volatile and… different as a tool for harvesting and a tool for hunting was admirable, although very unsettling.

"That's, uh, very nice." Pyrrha took a moment to try and collect her thoughts again.

"So, what've you got?" Ruby's rapid-fire response alarmed Pyrrha and got her to pull out her trusty Miló and Akoúo.

"I have… my trusted partners." The light drawl in her voice was evident as she held out the two weapons to Ruby.

Miló, the sturdy javelin held in her right hand, showed that it had seen much use. A few slight chips on the otherwise pristine red and dark gold showed that it had been put in the hands of one that would use it. Slight dents and bumps gave it a sense of character; showing the practice that the woman holding it must have undertaken.

The tip of the spear's head seemed to be dipped in gold, with the dark gold paint arching from it. The spear itself was in the shape of an elongated diamond, with a stout bottom half. Under this was the grip, which had become formed to Pyrrha's hand shape and was most comfortable for the young woman. On the lower half of the javelin itself, it split into four interlocking pieces. These could retract to a smaller form of the javelin for travel but had no further modifications.

Akoúo, her shield, shone in the bright Vale sun. The shield was covered in slight dents, but the emblem still stood proudly: two circles, one around the center and one around the outer edge, with four waves forcing their way inward. Two half-circles were from either end of the shield, but this did not detract from the shield's power itself. It rested upon Pyrrha's left arm in her battle stance but normally rode upon her back.

"Ooooooooo!" Ruby's bounciness seemed not to be limited to just her eyes. Those silver circles darted up and down, up and down, eyeing her weaponry with a look on her face that spoke of intrigue and curiosity.

"So… what do they do?" Ruby's face stayed curious, but her peering into Pyrrha made the redhead very uncomfortable.

"They just… are. No bells and whistles, just good ol' Miló and Akoúo." Pyrrha's light shrug seemed not to have any effect on the diminutive girl, who just shrugged alongside her. "I just… never took the time to make my weapons very complex."

"That's fine. I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a little bit overboard in designing it." Ruby's admission that it was her design did intrigue Pyrrha, but she just wrote it off as the imagination of the girl running around with weaponry and creating what she felt was best.

"Did you make yours too?"

To this, Pyrrha shook her head.

"No. At Sanctum, many kids brought their own weapons. My older brothers helped get me these before I went off to Sanctum." Pyrrha looked longingly in the direction of home, beginning to space out before being brought back to earth by Ruby.

"Uh, you okay?"

"Oh… yeah. Sorry, just thinkin' of home." Pyrrha's face had a mixture of sadness and longing upon it, and Ruby's face gained a look of concern and understanding.

"I understand. It's tough being away from home. I've been away from Patch too much recently. I was only able to return home to pack up for Beacon." Ruby flashed a small smile, showing her empathy for the other girl.

Ruby, though, had another question for the redhead.

"So, why'd you help me out back there in the courtyard?"

"Why wouldn't I? Ya looked like ya needed some help. My mother always told me, "If someone looks like they need help, you just give them the help that they need."" Pyrrha's toothy smile radiated to Ruby, who reciprocated with a smaller one.

By this time, they had been walking a rather long distance from the courtyard where Pyrrha had found Ruby covered in soot, lying down on the ground. The two looked around at their surroundings, suddenly realizing something important.

"Do you know where we're going?" Ruby piqued to Pyrrha.

"I was just following ya, to be honest. Do ya think there's a place where we could ask for directions?"

The two looked at each other, each with wide eyes staring right at the other.

The two, after getting directions, eventually found where they needed to be.

Opening the doors to the building, they peered inward. The building inside was very mechanical, with the inner workings of the clock tower at the very top open to the world. Giant gears ever turning, pulleys moving up and down above all of the students… it had been a theme that Pyrrha had noticed emanating throughout the entirety of Beacon.

"Well, here we are." Ruby gave a small smile.

"The ceremony should be a wonderful affair. Hopefully, we can-"

A booming voice shouting for Ruby broke Pyrrha's thoughts. Upon further inspection, the redhead realized that it belonged to a tall woman with long, blonde curls and lilac eyes.

"There you are, Ruby! I had saved you a spot!" The loudness of the older girl's voice, combined with her wrapping her left arm, wrist encased in a gauntlet, around Ruby's neck and using the right hand to ruffle the little girl's hair… expressed a rather abrasive personality.

The older girl was much taller than Ruby, the petite girl coming up to not far past the bombshell's chest.

"Y-Yang… sis, you're choking me." Ruby's words gasped from her as her throat was tightly encased by the older girl, whose puffed brown jacket only served to make things worse.

The softness in her eyes… The gears in Pyrrha's mind turned. Yang's lilac eyes shared that same softness that the scythe-wielding pixie had. This, coupled with the declaration that Yang was Ruby's sister, allowed the redhead to achieve a rather sure conclusion.

"I gotta go, Pyrrha. I'll see you around!" Ruby said as Yang dragged her away.

"Ruby, wait!" Pyrrha called out for the other girl, but it was in vain. "Don't leave… me…" Pyrrha muttered and breathed a huge sigh. Her only friend in this Academy so far… gone.

"Where am I going to find someone else to talk to?"

The redhead walked around a large crowd, a bit nervous now that her friend had been taken away. She passed by a blond boy of around the same height as her, who seemed to get a look of intrigue as he eyed the girl.

The feeling of frustration was strong with Pyrrha. Many of the other people in the crowd had already formed little groups for the first day while she had been talking to Ruby, and now the young girl felt a little left in the dust.

The redhead came full circle around the crowd, a bit flustered having not found anyone who seemed to be interested in a conversation or even to give her the time of day.

While Pyrrha padded ceaselessly around the crowd, awkwardly trying to find a way in, the blond-haired boy continued to observe her every moment. A look of curiosity and a small smile were on his face.

Jaune stood in the middle of much of the crowd, eyes shifting around to see his fellow students. The boy preferred to sit in the background, ever watchful of what was going on. Despite this, many persons had recognized him. Champion of Vale's fighting tournament; well-tuned fighter; and mascot to his favorite cereal, Pumpkin Pete's… each gave him a singular piece of notability to his fellow future students at Beacon.

The group of three girls that had congregated not far from where he stood, in particular, caught his eye. As they had convened, Jaune heard loud shouts. A diminutive girl, with hair layered in black and red, had been caught in a headlock and was shouting at a taller girl with bouncy blonde curls. The blonde seemed to just go along with the antics of the smaller girl, even laughing before releasing her.

The third girl, however, just stood off from the duo, giving light glances at the two girls, and Jaune simply shook his head.

She seems rather uncomfortable. I wish I could help her out.

Jaune kept a watchful eye on the girl, who walked away from the two, with arms slightly drooped and head slightly down.

To him, she seemed to have a nice charm. She had looked him in the eye and had not noticed who he was… or noticed and did not care. It intrigued him to know her. He simply felt unnerved and frustrated to not be able to see this girl.

As she circled around the crowd that had quickly formed around him, Jaune noticed the girl's feeble attempts to join into the other conversations occurring around her. Each time saw her try to talk to the other people, but get utterly ignored.

Jaune wished he could push the crowd aside and go talk to her, but it was too densely packed to even think of achieving.

The redhead soon simply gave up, much to Jaune's chagrin. She wandered off, her red ponytail fading into the crowd. Jaune breathed out a huge sigh, missing the moment to meet someone who seemed interesting.

Jaune was interrupted by the crackling of a microphone, as were the rest of the people in the entire foyer.

"I'll...keep this brief." A man whose imposing height was only increased by his high podium stood behind a tall, antique microphone stand and filled the room with a loud, succinct voice. His wispy silver hair was ruffled in the front when the man quickly adjusted his glasses before continuing.

"I am Headmaster Ozpin. 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." Many of the future students expressed an unrestrained joy, and Jaune knew he was amongst these students. Jaune's heart personally swelled with the opportunities afforded to him at this prestigious Academy.

"All of you come from all walks of life. Noblemen and women; warriors; the keep of hunters and huntresses; even a few simple farmers…" There, Ozpin seemed to brush his hand across the stage, his gaze seeming to catch all of the eyes in the room despite being fixated straight forward.

"...all of you, in my eyes, have the same wasted potential. A potential in need of purpose – of direction."

These words crunched at Jaune's inner being and awakened his inner anxieties. He knew this; despite all of the training he had done to the latter, problems still arose. He was not yet good enough to survive in a world overrun by Grimm, not yet good enough to be a hunter- one who would protect what remained of humanity's strongholds.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. Here at Beacon, you will be tested to your greatest strengths and your greatest weaknesses. You will succeed and fail… and here, we will mold you into what you are destined to become. It is only up to you to take the first step."

Jaune slowly breathed out. The cheers that erupted around him gave him a better feeling, one that took over and enveloped him. Jaune himself joined in the cheering.

Later that evening, Jaune had stripped himself of his armor and had put on pajamas. He wore, quite simply, a breathable white shirt and black pajama pants. The first night was a relative free-for-all, where every student was meant to sleep in the grand halls of Beacon itself.

Jaune was not wholly displeased with this arrangement, as he wished to meet possible future partners. He eyed the area, searching for suitable people to meet.

This action did not last long, as a redheaded blur quickly flashed in front of his face.

"Hello!" The girl finally came into full view. She was amongst the shortest girls he had seen at his time in Beacon. Following her was a boy that was much taller than her, albeit still shorter than Jaune.

"I'm Nora Valkyrie and this is Lie Ren! We're so excited to be here and it's nice to meet you! What's your name?" Her voice was saccharine, dripping with sweetness and spontaneity.

"Uh, Jaune Arc." Jaune shot a look of concern at Nora's companion Ren, who just shook his head and gave a curt, polite smile. I guess he's used to this.

"Tomorrow is the day! It's the day! So… ooh, what's your weapon?" Nora's pink fingerless gloves began to touch the hilt of Crocea Mors, a twinkle in her eye.

"It's… um, Crocea Mors. It's my family's weapon, passed down the line for generations. It's a sword and…" Nora jumped back, falling on her behind as she accidentally activated the shield function. "Yeah…"

"Well, it seems as if Nora is very interested in you." Ren finally spoke, his voice cutting through the awkward silence seamlessly. Jaune reached over at the shield, adjusting it back into its hilt form. "She was coming to see everyone, but we were looking to scout out partners."

"Oh! Ren! I almost forgot! We need to set up a signal! In case we get split up tomorrow. Ooh! What about a sloth? Or a Puma?" Nora seemed very interested in making sure that she was paired up with Ren, while Jaune hadn't even a clue who he could pair with. Maybe that redhead girl he saw in the crowd? She seemed interesting enough.

Jaune shook his head. He had not even met her. Besides…

"I don't think… sloths make a lot of noise, Nora." Ren just kept behind his bouncy friend, adding commentary to ground her thoughts and to entertain her.

"You asked me what my weapon was, Nora. Why don't you show me yours?" Jaune quipped, breaking the stream of conversation that was occurring and returning to the one previously at hand.

Nora quickly whipped out her weapon, a gigantic warhammer. She held it in both hands, the hammerhead showing the design of a heart crashed through by thunder. It seemed to eclipse her in height, although she held it with relative ease despite both the height of the weapon and the seemingly cumbersome weight.

"This… is Magnhild."

Jaune was taken slightly aback by the power that Nora exhumed in such a small space. I don't think Ozpin would take well to something being destroyed on the first night of the year.

His fears, however, were relieved when she quickly put it back up. The two seemed like an interesting pair to Jaune, the girl especially piquing his interest. Jaune did value power, but he also valued good moral character.

Ren soon did interrupt again, this time a lot more curtly. "I apologize, Jaune, but we do need to sleep. I hope we can cross paths again."

Nora quickly chimed in afterward. "It was nice to meet you! Maybe we could all be on a team together! Night night!"

The three parted ways. Nora and Ren walked a few meters and then fell to their own sleeping bags. Nora's snoring almost immediately emanated through the hall, disrupting the slumber of so many others. Jaune heard calls of annoyance ring through the halls as many now could not sleep due to the tiny girl's loud snoring.

Jaune was left lying on a cot on the left side of the hall. His neck-length blond hair was left sprawled over his pillow, the boy trying to sleep. His excitement bubbled within and threatened to spill out & ruin his sleep. Jaune kept his calm, however, and gazed through the window into the night sky. It captivated his thoughts for quite a while, giving his mind the distraction that he needed to gather.

Sleep soon overcame the blond-haired boy, who passed out on his cot with a smile upon his face.