No rest for the weary...
The airship landed.
Gwyn sighed. He was alone, as none of the other students had wandered to the area of the airship he had found. Peace and quiet.
Hopefully there will be more times like this at Beacon.
Gwyn rolled his shoulders and made his way through the airship, looking for the exit. Empty?
A pleasant surprise. It seemed that the other Beacon students had already made their way off the airship. It was with that thought in mind that he came across the corridor leading to the exit. It was also when he saw the girl standing at the end of the corridor.
She was relatively short compared to the other Beacon students, save Ruby, and had stark white hair styled in a ponytail. Her outfit matched her hair, a pure white bolero and dress combo with a red lining on the interior. Her arms were crossed, and her austere blue eyes glared at a uniformed man who scrambled to assemble a mass of silver cases onto a luggage cart.
"Would you hurry it up? Look, the others have already gone ahead!"
The man gave her a short bow. "Apologies milady. It will only take a moment longer."
"Hmph. Fine."
Gwyn glanced around the corridor. Confrontation inevitable. He sighed and thumbed the silver sphere in his pocket. After letting the cool sensation of the metal sink in, he straightened and strode down the hall, his head held high and shoulders held back. With any luck, it would be enough for the girl to ignore him and leave him be-
"Hm?"
Never a moment's respite, is there? Gwyn suppressed his sigh and turned to face the girl.
She tilted her head. "I thought all the students had gone ahead. What are you still doing here?"
Gwyn gave her a curt nod. "Hello to you as well."
The girl flushed. "Ah, forgive me. I didn't mean to be rude." She cast a brief glance at the uniformed man, and then stepped towards Gwyn, her right hand extended. "Weiss Schnee."
Gwyn bowed. "Of course. It is a pleasure to meet the heir of the Schnee corporation."
Weiss gave him a bright smile. "It gladdens me to be recognize. And you are?"
Gwyn glanced outside. The majority of the student body had already entered the school.
"I beg your forgiveness, Ms. Schnee, but I'm afraid we'll have to finish this introduction later. I would like to have some time to explore the campus before the opening ceremony." He gave her another bow, and then set off at a quick pace down the hallway. "Until we meet again, Ms. Schnee."
Before he could take more than a few steps, he heard Weiss call out. "Wait!"
He stopped, and this time he did sigh. He turned around and said, "Yes, Ms. Schnee?"
The uniformed man had finished loading the silver cases, and now bustled about to secure the last of them. Weiss, on the other hand, stood with her arms crossed, a frown on her face. "You aren't so rude as to leave me without your name, are you?"
Gwyn stuck his right hand into his pocket and gripped the silver sphere resting there, letting the cold metal calm his rising temper. "Adams," he said. "Gwyn Adams." He turned back around and started walking off at a brisk pace. "Farewell, Ms. Schnee."
He heard a scoff behind him.
"How rude!"
Beacon Academy was an impressive establishment, a fact that Gwyn would freely admit.
The central building was a grand structure, towering above the rest of the campus. With the circular arrangement of the rest of the buildings, it was somewhat reminiscent of a castle or temple.
As for the school grounds themselves, they were simply beautiful. The serene grass lawn gave off the impression of a calm park, making it a perfect for any students to study. This was in addition to the breathtaking view beyond the mountainside cliffs that the academy was built near, a sheer drop that could make for a romantic setting, if one were so inclined.
Gwyn acknowledged all of this as he made his way through the school, avoiding any social interaction with a practiced ease.
He had intended to find the library, but didn't manage to do so. Instead, he found a secluded spot by a window overlooking the central plaza. Unfortunately, someone was already there.
She was a girl with black hair and matching bow on her head. Her outfit appeared to be a butler's uniform, retailored for ease of movement and to suit its wearer. She had a book in hand, and was leaning against the windowsill, flipping through its pages.
Gwyn sighed. I suppose it isn't meant to be. He should have expected that he wouldn't be able to find an isolated area, considering the number of students attending the academy. Not only that, but they would soon be assigned teams, meaning his immediate future would involve prolonged social contact, whether he desired it or not.
He resigned himself to that fact and decided to take up a spot on the opposite side of the window.
In the corner of his eyes, Gwyn noticed the girl stiffen and turned to look at him.
He ignored her and stared out the window, looking out at the grounds.
After examining him for a few moments, the girl returned her attention to her book.
It was a bright and sunny outside. A perfect atmosphere for a good first impression of Beacon Academy. A portion of the student body took advantage of the good weather and milled about outside. But eventually, the number thinned until only two remained: Ruby and a blonde boy Gwyn vaguely recalled passing on the airship.
"They look lost."
It was a soft voice that had spoken. Mellow, and almost solemn.
Gwyn turned towards the source to see the girl staring at him.
Golden eyes... how unexpected.
"So they are," he said.
The girl closed her book and straightened, stepping away from the window. "The opening ceremony will start soon."
Gwyn cast another look at the pair still wandering the school grounds, and then stepped away as well.
"Then let's be off. They'll make their way eventually. Ruby has a good enough grasp on directions to get them there." Hopefully.
The girl tilted her head and stared at Gwyn for a moment, then nodded. She tucked her book under one arm and set off at a brisk pace.
Gwyn hesitated, taking another glance towards the window. A few more moments will be fine-
"Gwyn! Heeeyyy!"
A blur of yellow crashed into his side.
He blinked away the spots of light in his vision from the sudden impact and then looked at the culprit. "...Yang?"
Ruby's sister stepped back and gave Gwyn a wide smile. "The one and only!" She grabbed his hand then started off at fast pace, pulling him along. "Come on, it's almost time for the opening ceremony to start!"
Gwyn took another glance at the scene outside the window and then slumped, resigning himself to the fact that his rest would be nowhere in sight for the immediate future.
"Alright. Now can you let go?"
Yang gave Gwyn a sly smile and tightened her grip around his hand. "Nope! Still gotta thank you for cheering up Ruby, after all."
"Right."
Gwyn suppressed a sigh. Might as well follow her lead. "Well then..."
He jerked his hand away, and then broke out in a sprint. "Catch me if you can!"
"Hah! That's the Gwyn I know!"
Despite his blistering pace, Yang was fast closing. "But you've still got a long way to go before you can outrun me, Gwyn!"
He plastered a smile on his face and increased his speed.
He had an appearance to maintain, after all.