Focus. Temperance. Willpower.
The key traits of any marksman.
Although, what happens when you throw Enthusiasm into the mix?
"Excuse me, coming through!" Tiras said as he made his way through the crowd off a ferry.
Vale was a breath of fresh air compared to the deserts of Vacuo; and while Tiras preferred the warmer weather, it was nice not having sand fly in your face every five seconds.
The lack of turbulent sandstorms really got Tiras itching to spread his wings, both figuratively and literally.
He realized how fortunate he was, being a Hawk Faunus with actual wings. His other friends had similar traits to hawks, but none of them had full-bodied wings.
Of course, it wasn't easy trying to fly for long periods of time with a raging sandstorm.
"Gah!" Tiras stumbled as someone shoved him.
"Move on animal." came a bitter voice.
Tiras ignored it as he made his way towards a hotel where his uncle had reserved a room.
Tomorrow, he would be attending Beacon Academy. Most of his friends and siblings would be attending Shade Academy, but he wanted to break away from tradition.
He packed light, only bringing a small backpack, his combat gear, and a large metal case holding his family's weapon.
Crossfire, a double barrelled bolt action .308 rifle. The firing mechanism was crudely designed, but apparently it had been passed through his family for generations.
He entered the hotel and walked up to the front desk. The female receptionist raised her eyebrows at his wings, she didn't comment.
"Welcome to the Moonlight Hotel, how may I help you?" she forced a smile.
"Hello, I have a reservation under the last name Bradley." Tiras politely replied, hoping it would alleviate the stares from the other staff.
"Ah yes, let me grab your room key." she replied with a smile.
Tiras noticed out of the corner of his eye that the staff stopped staring at him. He sighed in relief as he was handed his key and headed up to his room.
"Well this is nice." Tiras said as he looked around the small room on the second floor. He set his belongings down before starting a letter to his family back in Vacuo.
He was just about to finish it when his stomach growled.
"Heheh, better get something to eat." he chuckled as he grabbed his metal case and left his room, locking the door behind him.
He was walking through the streets downtown looking for a cafe or something quaint; when suddenly the sound of glass shattering caught his attention.
"Stop thief!" someone cried out as Tiras noticed a man carrying a large bag running towards him. Tiras tried to use his case to trip the man, but the man smirked as he leaped over Tiras.
Tiras decided he had no choice and quickly brought out his rifle. He always kept it assembled and loaded, just in case he had to defend himself.
The man had almost rounded a corner when Tiras fired. The man was barely able to dodge one bullet but the other caught him in the leg.
"Argh!" the man cried out as Tiras flew over and restrained him.
Tiras kept him pinned as he looked in the bag.
Dozens of Lien cards laid within.
"Freeze!" came another voice. Tiras looked up to see two police officers with their guns raised. He quickly got up and raised his hands.
"Officer, this animal was trying to steal my Lien!" the man complained.
Tiras was appalled, was this man seriously trying to do this?
"Alright, hands behind your head Faunus...I don't need any White Fang crap today." the officer sighed, much to Tiras' shock.
"Wait a minute!" a voice from behind panted. Tiras turned to see a young brown haired girl catching her breath.
"Officer, that's money from my mother's cafe." she explained as Tiras sighed in relief.
"...Very well." the officer replied before apprehending the man on the ground.
Tiras and the girl got the rest of it sorted out before Tiras was invited to the girl's cafe.
"Thank you very much for stopping that thief. Now all that's left is to repair the window." a much older version of the girl from earlier (who Tiras assumed was her mother) was sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee.
"You're welcome ma'am. And no offense, I expected you to not serve me." Tiras smiled back with a bagel in his hand.
"Nonsense. I may detest today's White Fang but I'm not one to suspect every Faunus." she calmly replied.
Tiras silently wished that more people would think like this kind woman.
"If you don't mind me asking, are you a Beacon student?"
"That's right. I might be from Vacuo but I graduated from Primary Combat School all the same. I just wanted to do something different compared to my friends and family." Tiras explained as he leaned back in his chair.
He continued to chat with the woman and her daughter late into the evening, all while enjoying some delicious baked goods.
Tiras got back to his hotel room late in the evening. He sat down at his desk once more to finish his letter. He then read it over.
"To Mom, Dad, and Uncle. My initial impressions of Vale have been mostly favorable. There is Faunus discrimination like you all expected, but I have already met a few who have embraced the unpopular truth. We are still part of Remnant. I'll write again after I've gotten through Beacon's first day. Your loving son, Tiras."
Tiras prepared his letter, but just as he was sealing it...another loud crash came from outside.
He peered out the window and saw someone else running away with a bag.
"Heh." Tiras scoffed as he quickly grabbed his rifle.
He had the target in his sights.