Through Her Eyes: Remastered

by Peroth

Ruby is born with the dangerous power to summon Grimm. Sheltered, shy, and under constant watch, Ruby is suddenly invited to join Beacon Academy. With the awful potential her power carries and a disturbing deformity that could out her to her peers, Ruby is tested in protecting the humanity of Remnant while keeping a dangerous secret. - AU, sorta follows canon. (Remaster of THE V1.)

4. First Impressions

"Good morning, students of Beacon." A chipper woman's voice spoke to the crowd gathered at an airbus's terminal. Ruby slid her headphones off and cocked her ear towards the ceiling while her family continued to chatter beside her. "The airship is experiencing a minor delay in unboarding, but we should remain on schedule. We'll be loading in just a few minutes, so please gather your things. When you are called, form an orderly line so the attendant can check your tickets, then direct you to your assigned seat. This will be a low-turbulence flight, so the viewing lounge will be open. Thank you for flying Air Vale, and we hope to see you again, future hunters and huntresses!"

Ruby let her headphones hang about her neck as she turned her attention back to the book in her lap, more interested in the budding romance of two hunters who, at the start of the story, could barely keep themselves from drawing their weapons when they spotted the other. She suppressed a smile, grew a blush, and nibbled the tip of her thumb.

Her family sat around her in cushion armchairs bolted to the skyport terminal floor, with Taiyang looking silently pleased, Yang barely able to peruse her magazine and scroll in her excitement, and Qrow lounging back, eyes closed. Overhead, the departure board listed the airship's various stops throughout the day, but the only stop that mattered was Beacon.

The terminal was filled with young hunters-to-be and their families and friends. All young, hopeful, and at their physical peak, which Yang only admired from a distance so her father wouldn't give her guff about getting distracted; her one job now was to make sure Ruby got settled into Beacon without any incidents. They all looked out at the airship, all of them excited to move onto the next stage in their education and careers–and, more than likely, get away from their families and live it up with their peers as opposed to their parents.

The excitement was palpable, but Ruby kept her head underneath it all by focusing on her book.

"Are you sure you don't want to at least come say hi? Maybe give us a little clout with the higher ups?" Yang gently ribbed Qrow, whose drinking hand was drumming his armrest.

"Yang, your uncle's not toasted enough to get on one of those things. If I have to come by, I'll take a boat." Qrow grumbled. He instinctively pulled his flask and tipped it towards his lips, but the contents had been 'confiscated' by security before reaching the terminal. Needless to say, the hunter was rather agitated.

"I don't get how you can be a world-class hunter if you won't even get in an airship. What, do you take a bus to Mistral? Walk?" Yang snickered, and Taiyang let out a short laugh.

"I got my ways kiddo. I got my ways." Qrow muttered in a conspiratorial fashion, then looked past Yang and right at Ruby. "Hey." Ruby turned her head to look at him, and he offered a small, tight smile. "Doin' alright pipsqueak?"

"Fine." Ruby answered calmly. She was tugging at her skirt, and wouldn't leave her music player alone. Qrow continued to examine her, and now Taiyang was watching her too. "W-w-what?" She finally asked, her nervousness cracking her voice.

"You look like you need a drink, Ruby." Her father answered her, leaving his seat to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I can't get you anything alcoholic, but I can grab you some water, or milk? How about coffee?"

"N-no, I drank a lot this morning. Too much more a-and I'll pee my-myself." Ruby was visibly paling around her thick goggles. "J-just... s'all a li'l much I th-think." Ruby stared out the huge, wall-to-wall windows that showed the airships arriving and departing. The ship she'd be riding in was already docked, but getting checked over and refueled before anyone but the crew got on.

"Well, it's been a shock for all of us," Taiyang ruffled her hair, making Ruby's cheeks puff up in indignation, "But Professor Ozpin's a good man, and I'll tell you, not sending you to Signal was a hard decision to make, but I'm proud of all that training you've done at home. You haven't had an outburst in years."

Ruby puffed up more, ducking her head to hide her chin behind the fabric of her cloak.

"I still don't like this." Qrow was leaning back in his chair, watching the ceiling with a frown as his family turned to look at him with a mixture of flat glares or fright. "But it's not my call. Pipsqueak, you gotta keep control, and you gotta clean up your own messes." Qrow settled his eyes on his niece, whose apprehension made her sudden confidence seem forced.

"I know!" Ruby huffed, letting all the air in her mouth out. "I just- I-I'm not worried about that… P-Professor Ozpin s-said they'd help me w-with my sem-semblance…" She rested a hand on her forehead as if feeling for a headache. "P-Professor Goodwitch sent me an email this m-morning with my out-of-class catch-up p-plan. I-I'm not gonna have a d-day off for a m-month at this r-rate..."

"Aww, c'mon, it can't be that bad." Yang held a hand out. "Lemme see!" Ruby passed Yang her scroll and Yang sat back to read. "Hah, history of Vale is easy. History of Remnant isn't much harder than that. Dust mixing is fun! Well, for me, I might mix for you. Y'know…"

"N-not everything I touch b-blows up…"

"Just in case! Okay, basic stuff, nothing you gotta worry about, I aced all those classes." Ruby reached over and scrolled down. Yang stared. "Um, hm... History and laws of hunter organizations across Remnant, basic day-to-day elementary classes including mathematics, linguistics, and the sciences, basic business sense for wanderers and hunters, Grimm anatomy and theoretical practices against them, and," Yang leaned forward, brown scrunched, eyebrows knit together, "additional classes may follow depending on your performance in class. Wow."

"Y-yeah."

"We went over most of that in Signal, maybe they'll sum it all up in one night." Yang shrugged, handing the scroll back over.

"Yeah, but you had five y-years to learn all of that. I g-get a s-s-semester to do this and cl-classwork! And c-combat training, which will probably be the b-best part..." Ruby crossed her arms with a huff, her face dipping down in worry. "Yang, will y-you help me?"

"Well duh, and we'll have teammates! Even if we don't end up on the same team, all of us can work together to get you up to speed." Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's midsection and crushed her to her side, making her sister wheeze. "So don't worry, sis. We'll make sure you get through this."

"Th-thanks… ribs…?" Ruby wheezed, letting out an unhappy squeak as Yang snickered and repeatedly squeezed her.

"And I have a surprise for you when you two get settled in at Beacon." Taiyang smiled brightly. He glanced to Qrow, who shot him a limp thumbs up and a smirk. "So look forward to it, will ya?"

"Attention." The soothing female voice announced. "Boarding for terminal 3A is starting; boarding for terminal 3A is starting."

Taiyang stepped back as Ruby and Yang both stood, taking a moment to size his daughters up. Yang's outfit was rather expected: something that would show off, make everyone think she was a daredevil. Though he didn't necessarily approve of all the skin, it looked good on her... the warm browns, bright yellows and cheerful orange all came together in a chaotic but charming mix that was uniquely Yang. He just wished she was a little more conservative.

Ruby though… His youngest had always been a daydreamer, a lover of fantasy and stories, and rarely had an eye for fashion. Her older sister knew her strengths, and Ruby looked… Taiyang stared at her outfit with a bit of wonder. Her mother would have approved, he knew that much. She looked like a young, dark maiden fresh out of a storybook. A modern interpretation of a classic tale of heroism and darkness protecting those in the light. Her ruffled skirt, her dark stockings, her tall black boots; even the corset tied the outfit together, making her look less like a little girl, and more like a young woman. She was, to his horror, growing up, and looking ready to attract a potential mate.

And that cloak… she was her mother's daughter.

He took a moment to reign in his emotions before speaking, "Okay girls." Taiyang smiled sadly, he opened his arms and the two rushed in, squeezing him tight. There were no words as they held one another, and Taiyang buried his face into their shoulders. He planted a kiss on each of their foreheads and stood back, his face bright with a sunny smile and watery eyes. "I'm proud of you both. Give 'em hell, my little huntresses."

Both girls smiled, Yang keeping an arm around Ruby's shoulder, and Qrow finally stood. "Welp, I won't see you two 'round the house anymore. Dunno when I'll see you again, so, I'm gunna be a little dramatic." He stood up straight and opened his arms. Both girls stared at him like he'd grown a second head, and he shuffled awkwardly, creepily widening his smile while making a hugging motion, as if his nieces didn't understand the concept. He was not prepared when the girls charged him with twin shrieks. "OKAY." Qrow glared from his back on the floor, both girls laughing wildly as they clutched their uncle. He tried to sit up, but they wouldn't let him, and he feebly tugged at their arms to try and escape before giving up with a shout, "Tai, call them off!" Taiyang was cackling as he tugged his daughters off of their grumpy uncle, allowing Qrow to stand, stretch, and cough in embarrassment. "I really need a drink. You two stay out of trouble and don't make me or your father worry. Bye!" He threw his hands up and walked off. It was a little hard to catch, but Yang thought she saw him glance over his shoulder with a tiny smirk before he disappeared behind a crowd.

Taiyang picked up his girls' carry-on luggage and handed it over, giving one last kiss and hug to each of them. "Don't worry about your uncle. I'll see you two soon enough, but I still want letters! Pass your classes, don't give your teachers trouble, and if either of you come out of school pregnant," His gaze darkened, and he cracked his knuckles, "the child's gunna come out a bastard. Got it?"

There were quick nods before their frantic dash to get into line to board the ship. Taiyang watched his girls board by themselves with a proud smile, but the moment they were out of sight his smile slipped. He went to catch up to Qrow for a few drinks. They'd need to start moving as soon as they could.

---

The tip of Ruby's nose pressed against the window as she looked over the vast, sprawling city of Vale. She had been on an airship only once before in her entire life, and it had been as a little girl, tightly clutching her mother's hand as they took a skyborne tour of Vale. The memories had long faded, and the thing Ruby remembered most about the trip was the smell of her mother's perfume, and her thumb soothingly running along the back of her neck. It allowed Ruby a fresh perspective as she stared at her city, letting her see how small, yet sprawling it truly was.

Vale, compared to the climbing vistas of Mistral, or the billowing tent towns of Vacuo, was a plain and efficient city. Dominated primarily by pyramid-roofed, square buildings in varying pleasant colors, the city of Vale was a lot like its people: simple, homey, and ergonomic. If Atlas was progress, Vacuo was freedom, and Mistral was beauty, then Vale was comfort. Nothing moved too fast, business thrived, and though there was a clear class divide in the more rich districts compared to the more rundown areas, the discrepancy wasn't as vivid as Mistral.

Ruby's recalled her father telling her all about how Vale was a diverse place where human, faunus, white collar, blue collar, rich, and poor could find a place to settle and make a life of comfort. According to her dad, Vale could be quite lively, but, after spending a few years in Mistral, also rather boring. He apparently liked it that way, 'Can hit the market and make it back home without running into crooked types or some artsy-fartsy street performers!' He'd joke.

However, even if it was simple and boring, it was all Ruby knew. She'd read about these incredible worlds in her books, she'd seen photos and video of the different nations, but this was the city she knew in person… as an acquaintance, if even that. This would be the farthest–and longest time away–she'd be from home. Her heart began to hammer, she was going someplace where she would have to be on guard all day and all night...

A tiny water bottle knocked against the side of her goggles, and Ruby snapped to attention with a start. She whirled towards Yang, then let out a relieved sigh. "You've got a look on your face like dad gets." the taller girl smirked, "Homesick already?" Yang asked teasingly, while Ruby sipped from the offered water bottle.

"No!..." Ruby insisted in a whiny tone, then hid her mouth behind the bottle's narrow neck, "... M-maybe a li'l…?" She tightened her grip, the cheap plastic nearly crumbling under her fingers, and looked out the window again. "Vale's a lot b-bigger up here… s'alotta city to protect."

"Well, that's why there's so many cops, and all the hunters too. Didn't think we could do it by ourselves, didja?" Yang offered, turning to look out the window with her sister. She spent more time studying Ruby's ghostly reflection in the glass than the majestic sprawl below.

"No!" Ruby pouted, her sister snickering by her side. "J-just… it's super far f-from home, a-and…" She reached back to rub the back of her neck, "A-and fulla people I w-won't know."

"Exactly!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her arms out in unabashed excitement. "We're going to be in dorms, surrounded by people our age!" Yang's smile got toothier. "Shared restrooms and women's locker rooms, so many opportunities to check all new meat out! Ooooh-hoo, I bet there are so many private places to sneak away to!" Yang began to drool, up until a quick smack to her elbow dragged her out of her fantasies. Ruby gave her sister a flat look, expertly crafted to be effective despite her more limited expression when wearing her goggles, and turned back to face Vale with a shake of her head. "But yeah," Yang shrugged, arms crossed, "it'll be a brand new experience for the both of us. Dorms, people from all over the world, there'll be like, no privacy, but hey, there'll be plenty of new friends."

Ruby suddenly stiffened, "N-no privacy…?" She touched her goggles, which suddenly felt very heavy on her head. "Sh-shared locker rooms?" She asked, clutching her cloak clasps as nervousness shot through her.

"Yeah, it's a dorm, Ruby. We aren't flying out to Beacon every day, and locker rooms are the norm in schools." Yang set her hands on her hips, thinking. "You can always slip into a bathroom stall to take off your goggles, and you should be able to set up your own thing in your dorm room. Pretty sure we can just get away with saying you have some nasty eye-condition. Nobody'll question that, hell, it's basically true…"

"N-new people… n-no-no p-pr-priva-vacy…" Ruby's head began to spin. People. She turned to look around at the numerous people she didn't know, also milling about the airship's viewing lounge. So many faces she didn't know, so many who met her goggle-covered eyes with curiosity, making her look away shyly. She was trembling now. "A-aa-ah…"

"Ruby, you…" Yang settled her hands on her sister's shoulders, trying to make her increasing shivering stop with a worried frown, "you knew there'd be other people, right?"

"Y-y-ye-yeah…" Ruby whimpered, her voice barely able to escape from her shaking. "J-just- it j-just k-ki-kinda h-hit me alluva s-sudd-den…" Ruby's nostrils flared, and she nestled up against Yang in fright. It'd be like this every day, with no house to escape to. She'd have to be social…

"Aww, c'mon baby girl, it's not that bad. Ya know I'll help introduce you to people, just remember the pretty ones are mine." Yang insisted with a wink, her sister's enormous frown nearly drawing a laugh. "These folks are all going to Beacon to become hunters! If there's no one else awesome in the school, we're doomed as a kingdom! Besides, you'll need to make friends if you're gonna be on a team."

Ruby felt a rock form in her stomach. Right. A team. A team of strangers. She'd have a picture-perfect idea in her head of her team, made with her and her three favorite heroines from stories, but that wasn't reality. She was going to be with people she didn't even know. "C-can't I just b-be-be with y-you o-on y-your t-te-team?!" Ruby asked in sudden distress, turning Yang's calming smile nervous.

"Well, I mean… that's not super healthy, right? You gotta know more people than me. You need confidence!" Yang smacked Ruby's back, making the smaller girl yelp. "Confidence to meet people. You got the style-" Yang ruffled Ruby's skirt, "- you've got the talent, now you just need to be able to walk up to somebody and say-"

"Hey gorgeous," a brunette boy with a dashing smile and gorgeous eyes suddenly cut in, looking strictly at Yang, "name's Verdan, how 'bout we start the semester off with a li'l bang and I take you down to—"

"Dude!" Yang interrupted, her eyes flashing red, her hair streaked with gold, and the boy's smile fell at the threat. "Giving my sister life advice here! Also, got way too much going on down there for my liking, so no thanks!" The boy scurried away, and Yang jerked a thumb at the retreating boy while giving the somewhat stunned Ruby a little grin. "See? Confidence."

"... Y-you rejected h-him." Ruby muttered, and Yang shrugged.

"So? Never woulda known if he hadn't tried, but bad timing and all that! You gotta have the ability to puff up your chest, walk up to somebody with the knowledge you might fail, but the hope that you'll succeed! It's how you make friends, lovers, and enemies!" Ruby squeaked in terror, and Yang grinned. "Don't let that scare ya, enemies keep you on your toes! So c'mon, let's practice!"

"I-I-I- th-this s-ss-seems l-like a-" Ruby stuttered and danced in place, locked in place by Yang's hand around her upper arm.

Yang scanned the crowds, examining her fellow students closely. A majority of them were focused on their own little groups, hardly ready for a pair of intruders to come insert themselves, but there was one boy in particular who sat alone.

Ruby shook, silently pleading with Yang to not do this as she was guided away from the window, the thick soles of her boots making an obnoxious squeal as they completely failed to stop Yang from shoving their owner ahead like a bulldozer. They pushed through the crowd to approach the young man, who seemed nervous himself, with widespread legs and a hunched posture, as if he had a lot on his mind. His head jerked a bit when red-soled black boot toes slide into his field of vision and he eventually looked up to the two girls when Yang tapped her boot to make it clear they weren't just passing by.

"Hi there, I'm Yang Xiao Long!" She bumped her thumb against her breastbone, and pushed Ruby in front of her. "This is my sister, Ruby."

Ruby felt her stomach do a flip out of sheer terror, and she glanced back at Yang in betrayed shock. Yang pushed at her chin to focus her back on the boy in front of them, whose eyes had widened as his cheeks went pale. "Uuuh…"

"Just introduce yourself Ruby. C'mon, he seems friendly. Just say hi!" Yang encouraged softly.

Ruby looked to the boy. He looked so nervous, even afraid... Just like her. He was a handsome boy though, broad-shouldered, blonde hair, blue eyed, and strong arms. He wore basic white chest armor over a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, sorta looking like somebody from out in the country, where armor and costuming wasn't all that popular. He didn't look like any of the impossibly handsome men on TV, of course, but his more down-to-earth nature only made him seem more approachable, and she felt the knot of anxiety loosen ever so slightly, causing her to hold out a meek hand. She could sympathize with his obvious discomfort, and apparent freshness to everything going on around him. "H-hi, I'm Ruby R-Rose." She added a weak but hopeful little smile to the gesture.

The boy took a look at her, then her hand, and for a moment he seemed to ease, and something warm and grateful began to spread across his face… then his complexion turn sickly green, he tensed up painfully, and his arms curled around his middle. Ruby blinked behind her goggles, her mind going blank, as he folded almost in half to vomit all over her shoes.

---

Yang had one arm around Ruby's shoulders, her posture stiff and alert while trying to guide her through the crowd that went down the exit ramp as soon as it was lowered. Ruby's hood was pulled over her head and she was staring straight down, whimpering pathetically.

"I'm sorry." Yang whispered as she lead the way, her body language subconsciously informing most of the other Hunters-in-training to cut her a wide berth. She blamed herself for Ruby's… 'situation', but would gladly vent her stress on anyone dumb enough to stand between Ruby and a washroom.

Once on the landing pad, the students began to fan out, gathering in groups throughout the docking courtyard before heading towards the towering, open doors welcoming the incoming students to their new lives for the next four years. Yang scanned the area around them with a small frown.

"Look, I'm sure as soon as we get inside we can get your shoes all washed up." Yang assured her sister, but Ruby tugged her hood tighter around her head.

"I'm not going into B-Beacon with v-vo-vomit on my shoes!" Ruby's harsh whisper was accompanied by a frown that made her cheeks droop dramatically, and she hesitantly took a few steps forward. "It's my first day here, I c-can't- I won't let my f-first impression be my g-gross shoes squishing all over the floor! I j-j-ju-just- c-can't I get some towels or something? P-Please tell me you have t-towels!"

"Y-yeah, sure, they're in my bags..." Yang quickly searched the area, but failed to see anyone unloading luggage from the airship. She let out a small noise of annoyance. "Maybe we can talk to somebody inside and get our luggage early. Or maybe Beacon can spare some towels too! The place has to have laundry and-"

"Yang I really don't want to go in like this." Ruby hissed, her face downcast as her fists trembled. She metaphorically reeked of embarrassment, and people were staring at her in confusion turning into curiosity as she trembled in place next to her sister.

Yang muttered something under her breath and glanced around again. "I'll head in and get a towel for you." She finally said. She subtly pointed to a bench off to the side, where the docking area melted into the main courtyard. "Wait for me over there, okay? Just… try to relax and stay calm." Ruby lifted her head and looked up at the bench, then back at Yang almost fearfully, but then back down at her shoes…

"O-okay, but h-hurry?" Ruby pulled her cloak tighter around herself, trying to become invisible to the surrounding students. "I d-don't w-w-wa-ant to be a-alone!"

Yang took hold of her sister's shoulders, and made sure her younger sister was looking up at her before she spoke. "You're not alone. All these people want to be hunters like you. There's a small army of future-friends swirling around you, just waiting to lend a hand. If you need anything, ask someone, okay? They might surprise you, in the good way, like you want to do for them. I'll be back in a few, promise."

Ruby shifted her stance, unsure, but nodded at her older sister. Yang rubbed her head hurridly before she sped off towards Beacon, throwing one last glance towards Ruby before shifting into a full sprint, bellowing at people to get out of her way. Yang was considered slow by the standards of her old peers at Signal; her heavier frame and lack of movement-enhancing abilities limited her ability to cross distances to something closer to the human norm. That was hard to remember when those long legs of hers seemed to eat up distance with greedy gulps as her boots thundered across the lawn.

Ruby stood alone amidst the crowd of passing students, watching her sister disappear into the grand double doors of the main building. Ruby anxiously looked around, seeing the dozens upon dozens of her new classmates. Yang was right, they were trying to be hunters like her; by default, she had at least one thing in common with everyone here, so why was her heart still hammering?

Ruby cursed her fear of crowds. She was rarely surrounded by her family, let alone strangers, and when she went out alone she usually walked along walls or right next to buildings to avoid being hedged in. Here, in the open air, surrounded by a milling throng of humanity, she found that something like claustrophobia was setting in and leaving her stomach full of… not butterflies, butterflies were pretty and implied love. Ruby's stomach was filling with things like slugs, spiders, and sentient burnt cookies that hated taste buds and enamel…

She slid away from the thoroughfare, shaking nervously as she walked past the light posts lining the road to slump into the bench Yang had pointed out next to one of the columns supporting the massive ring of arches surrounding the courtyard. She was so glad her red cloak hid most of her poorly controlled trembling, even though she was aware she smelled, and every now and then somebody would look her way and her heart rate would spike, and she'd tense up for an insult, or a hostile glare, and then it didn't come, she'd spiral back into fantasies of how bad the comments would get once someone finally started making them.

She suddenly felt a hand land on her shoulder and her mind tried to erupt in a dozen directions at once. She whirled around with a loud gasp, pulling away from the touch, her hand moving to the small of her back, though she wasn't allowed to carry Crescent Rose until initiation. She stared at the surprised blonde boy as her fingers grasped at nothing, and she realized that he was the very same guy who had thrown up on her. A chaotic swirl of disgust, anger, and pity well up within her and judging by his wince, she was showing it on her face.

"Whoa whoa, hold up!" The boy held his hands up, looking just as worried as her as she cautiously eyed him up from behind her tinted lenses. "I just came to apologize." He held a hand out. "I, ah… sorta didn't make it to this part last time." His cheeks lit up bright red as he awaited her response in awkward, shuffling silence. Ruby stared as she sucked in her lips fearfully, considering his words. He looked significantly less green than last time, and certainly not quite as pained.

However, there was this unshakable anxiety in her, and she barely managed to sum up the courage to reach out and limply take his hand. She wished she shared the instantaneous groan of relief that slipped out of him at the stiffly formal contact.

"Look, I- ugh, that was super uncool of me. I mean, as far as introductions go, you really can't get much lamer." The boy was gentle as he shook her hand, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I've never been on an airship, I didn't know I could get airsick! There has to be some sort of medicine for that, but, like, I didn't know, and now your shoes are all gross, and man you smell-"

Ruby made an audible whine of embarrassment, making the boy stutter to a stop. He cleared his throat with a forced cough, forcing the conversation in a new direction.

"L-l-look, I'm going to make it up to you! For real, I don't have anything to clean it off, but I saw a place just around the side of the building. Follow me, okay?" He pulled his hand back, beckoning her with it. Ruby watched the boy, unsure of what to do or say… Yang wasn't there to offer counsel, and Ruby had no clue when she'd return...

She glanced to the building, took a moment of thought, and pouted. She bobbed her head at the boy. She was tired of the smell, and the way her shoes squished with each step on the polished stone. Silently praying this would end better than her last encounter with him, she followed him.

---

"I-I'm not sure this is al-allowed." Ruby whispered, staring down at the little man-made pond resting just outside the building. It was full of plate-sized, blooming lily pads that floated purposelessly atop the rippling water, and quite a few koi swam under the shade of the floating plants. It was a peaceful little thing, and beneath a dark window against the side of the academy. Ruby envied whoever got the view from that room.

"I guess we could find a bathroom or ask a teach—"

"Th-this is fine!" Ruby said promptly, but even then, the poor pond. The grossness she'd be washing off, not to mention if somebody was watching, or found out… She could get in trouble. What if this got her expelled?! Her bottom lip quivered, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the boy knelt down next to her.

She felt childish as he delicately pulled the red strings of her tall boots, trying to avoid the aftermath of his airsickness as he loosened them. Ruby felt like a toddler as she lifted her foot and let him pull her shoes off, showing her bright red socks. She vowed to tell Yang and watch her crush him if he dared to try and look up her skirt, not that he'd be able to see anything under all the ruffles and her modesty shorts, but that wasn't really the point. To his credit, he never moved his gaze above her knees.

He knelt by the pond and dipped her shoes into the water, allowing the yuck to float away to Ruby's humiliation, and then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He scrubbed off what he could, but it would take a much more thorough boot-shine with actual soap to totally clean it. Ruby slowly lowered herself to sit next to him, legs crossed as she watched.

She felt guilty as they dirtied something so beautiful and relaxing, but she didn't want to bring a similar shame to Beacon's interior. This was something she had envisioned for a long time: Beacon, the shining academy of Vale, the school of some of the greatest heroes in and out of war Ruby had read about.

She had a pervasive vision of the school in her mind, so shiny and clean; she pictured echoing footsteps as she wandered the grand halls, she imagined only the most intense, grueling obstacle courses to test her mettle, and combat classes that would push even Yang to the limit. She'd wanted to catch up on Yang's textbooks, wanting to proudly raise her hand and impress the teachers with her knowledge… but...

Her textbooks were difficult. Vale's history couldn't be summed up in a few sentences; it was a long, drawn-out affair involving mountainous trade acts, port cities, violent kings, and malicious wildlife. Grimm weren't just claws, teeth, and blind spots, they had genuine anatomy: various bone-plates and their shapings could mean the difference between a yearling Beowolf and a more experienced killer of the same pack. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlus each had different hunter regulations to be memorized to avoid conflict with local authorities and hunter guilds.

Nothing was simple, there was an extensive history behind every aspect of huntership, and Ruby had barely scratched the surface of Dust mixing, and even the basics appeared to be unanimously lethal in her hands...

The boy handed one boot back to her, soaked but reasonably clean, no longer smelling like like a septic tank. She offered him a quiet, if sad smile of thanks, and set the boot aside upside down, letting it dry. She noticed he kept glancing up at her face, like she was trying to measure her up, and he specifically eyed her goggles in thought, but he didn't comment on them. That didn't stop him from trying to strike up a conversation, however.

"I'm really sorry, Ruby." He sighed, washing her second boot.

"It's o-okay." She answered in a small voice. "A-at least y-y-you re-remem-membered my n-name."

"It's really not okay." He corrected, looking down at the water. "Y'know, I came here to try and be a hero, to try and, I dunno, impress girls; first thing I do is throw up on a girl's shoes." He grumbled in self-disappointment.

"You couldn't help it. B-Being sick is the worst." Ruby's voice was barely a whisper, but she was looking at him closely. His unfortunate lack of constitution aside, he seemed nice, not like some of the boys Yang teamed up with. As he wiped the last of the grime off her second boot, he passed it to her to be stood next to its twin. He eyed his handkerchief with distaste then soaked and wrung it out repeatedly, earning an unseen ghost of a smile from Ruby at his mumbled distaste.

"But Hunters aren't supposed to get sick by things like air travel…" He grumbled, continuing his nearly futile quest to clean the cloth without hot water and soap. "I hope they have laundry machines here."

"I- uh… I m-mean, w-we have like, um, ex-explosives, and w-we'll g-get sweaty, I-I think they'd h-have l-laundry machines." Ruby said with a tiny shrug of her shoulders. That got a little smirk out of the blonde boy, and he finally sat back, plopping the wet handkerchief onto the ground to dry. "A-and my uncle hates flying, and he's an aw-awesome hunter."

"Huh… guess there's the side'a history the books don't tell you." He stared up at the sky, leaning back in a casual stretch. "I always heard that hunters were these flawless, incredible people, capable of just, like, anything, and never having weird little problems like air sickness… or allergies." He flared his nostrils.

Ruby nodded, smiling a tiny bit. She'd read much the same, but she came from a family of hunters, and they were all different shades of 'goofball'. "Y-you know, my older sister, the blonde girl who shoved m-me at you?"

"She's your older sister? 'cuz wow." His eyebrows rose silently as he quickly compared Ruby to his brief memory of the much… taller blonde girl.

"Uh huh." Ruby cupped her hands in front of her modest chest, smiling mischievously. "She used to p-pad her bra before p-puberty kicked in."

He barked out a laugh as he thought back to his oldest sister as a fresh teen, standing in front of the mirror, scowling as she stuffed her bra with crumpled tissues and desperate hopes. They both smiled, he at the sky, Ruby at her feet, and she peeled off her socks and set them next to her boots. She stretched her toes and curled up, pulling her knees to her chin. "Don't think she'd appreciate that one in her biography." He finally said once he was done snickering internally.

"Nah. A-as far as sh-she's c-concerned, she's h-had amaz-zing b-boobs since she was born. Her friends u-used to tease her a b-bunch. They still d-do but now s-she's p-proud of it, so…" Ruby rolled one shoulder in a lazy shrug. He nodded in understanding.

"Eh, yeah, my sisters did the same to each other; except Lydia, nobody made fun of her."

"Scary?"

"Scary." He shuddered. They both laughed, and Ruby allowed herself to smile more. He really wasn't all that bad, once you wiped away all the vomit. They were quiet for a few seconds, but the boy suddenly soaked his hand and dried it by vigorously rubbing it on the denim covering his thigh. He presented it to Ruby with a lopsided smile. "Jaune Arc, by the way. Yes that is my real name, admire all you like." His smile grew, and Ruby giggled as she took it. This handshake was warmer, shorter, and far less awkward than the first.

"C-cute name." She smiled back at him, prompting him to puff up his chest in joy. "Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" She stared at her toes, wiggling them playfully. Jaune laid flat out onto his back, beaming as he gazed up at the clear sky.

"No problem, Ruby." He answered with an easy warmth Ruby rarely heard outside of her family.

Ruby hummed quietly in contentment. She watched her drying shoes, every now and then looking over to Jaune laid out by her side. She tried to recall the last time she'd done something like this, and she realized she truly hadn't. Sure, she and her father went fishing every now and then, allowing for a moment like this, but this was different. This was with somebody she didn't know. This was with a boy, actually.

She blushed, but it was well hidden between her goggles and her hood. He also hadn't asked about those, and she couldn't have been more grateful about that. Maybe Yang had been right about reaching out to others more, this was nice; a different voice, a different outlook, somebody filled with new and different ideas and stories…

She glanced over, pulled from her thoughts by his waving hand.

"So, the blonde girl, you said she's your older sister?"

"Y-yeah, her name's Yang."

"Okay, how much older?" Jaune asked, and Ruby held up two fingers. "Cool, cool. She, uh, give you any advice on coming here? Like combat tips, or classes you should study for?" He was trying to play it off cooly, but she detected a tremor in his voice.

"Oh, no, th-this is her first year here too." Ruby looked to him. Like most people, his eyes didn't really focus on her face. With her eyes hidden, his eyes wandered, looking at her mouth, cheeks, and forehead, before settling on her goggles in the vague hope their gazes were meeting.

"Her first year too? Isn't she two years older than you?" He sounded confused as she sat up and wiggled around on his butt to fully face her. Ruby nodded. "So, she's nineteen coming in late?" Ruby pouted and shook her head. "... You're fifteen coming in early?" Ruby nodded. "Huh." Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Congratulations! I think. That's impressive! I think."

"I-I d-dunno either." Ruby giggled a tiny bit, resting a hand on her knee. "I was kind of... l-lucky about getting in." Jaune nodded at that. They were both vaguely aware of a slight rumbling and squeak coming from down the path behind them.

"Either way, that's a big deal. Congrats, Ruby." He nodded his head at her, earning a quick, sweet smile, right before a luggage cart attacked her. Ruby made the strangest shriek of indignant shock as she was knocked over, and Jaune's head swung around, as if to ensure no one thought he were responsible rather than to identify the culprit.

"Oh no!" They both heard. Both focused on an older, well-dressed gentlemen, but Ruby received a faceful of briefcase before she could make out anything past age and gender.

With another frightened shriek Ruby, was knocked on the head and partially buried in luxury baggage, the man's trolley tipping over as he desperately tried to pull it back onto its wheels. The girl yelped as she was finally pushed into the water, and Jaune scrambled to grab her arm while shoving the luggage off of her.

Ruby felt the weight of the luggage on her back, one arm being pulled at to keep her from sinking, and stared down at the bottom of the artificial pond while wondering if this was an acceptable level of embarrassment to excuse herself to drown.

She was finally pulled above water with a cough and a spit. She was up to her chest in the pond, and all around her were her attackers. The luggage was sinking quickly, bubbles leaking out as if they were feebly calling for help, and the older gentleman was frantically splashing around and grabbing them two at a time. Jaune was tossing any he could grab onto the grass in addition to pulling Ruby out of the pond. He may have been a country boy, but Ruby could admit he had some decent strength if he could toss her soaked body clear of the water with just one arm.

Ruby flopped onto her knees on the grass, coughing the last of the liquid out of her lungs. She was soaked through to the bone, and a feeling of revulsion ran through her as she remembered what they had just added to that pond not ten minutes ago. She only briefly had a moment to stare down at her clothes in silent despair.

Yang was going to freak. These were freshly bought, it was Ruby's big debut, and they were already wet! Her image! Her outfit! It was all ruined! Before she had a chance to truly sink into despair, a towel pressed to her face. "Young lady," the older man was kneeling in front of her, stricken with worry and embarrassment as he dried her cheeks and hair, "I cannot apologize enough for this! I wasn't paying any attention to where my wheels were going, this is- oh and these clothes, how can I possibly—"

"Archibald!" Came a sharp, feminine bark. All eyes turned towards a girl who was, with no sense of irony, absolutely princess-like. She was almost entirely white, her hair, her clothes, her boots, she was even paler than Ruby, with only a slight pinkness keeping her from looking like a ghost. Ruby found her breath caught in her throat as a girl from one of her fantasy novels stood before her. Those icy blue eyes, her long, thin limbs, the expensive clothes, the pride and grace in her every motion, it made Ruby forget she was drenched...

She was gorgeous. Heart-stoppingly beautiful, with a youthful girlishness in her dress, height, and face that Ruby had only imagined was possible with a team of makeup artists or the pen stroke of some fanciful author, and she was tempted to say as much out loud. However, the very non-friendly grimace on her face forced Ruby to reconsider doing anything other than maybe fleeing from the scene with a shouted plea for mercy.

"L-lady Schnee, I apologize for this sorry display, I wasn't paying attention and-" The man, Archibald apparently, stumbled over his words and only stopped when the girl a fraction of his height made a sharp, clearly practiced motion with her finger that immediately caused his jaw to click shut. Jaune blinked at the display, a briefcase dangling from his fist and dripping water onto his lap.

The girl walked forward with a powerful, authoritative strut before digging one skinny finger into the gentleman's chest, making him sweat profusely. "How many got in the water?" She demanded in an angered growl.

"A-all eight, ma'am." He gulped loudly, and the girl smacked her own face with one palm, muttering an oath of some sort to herself as the man visible shuddered. "We're gathering them now, they will be dry before you reach your room, this I promise you!"

"I don't care about the cases, Archie, what about what's inside?!" She grabbed the case from an awestruck Jaune, who barely made a move to stop her from spinning it around and clicking it open in a dramatic motion worthy of television. The girl's eyes narrowed as she eyed the contents, her nose crinkling as she frowned so hard it nearly turned into a pout. "You're lucky the vials are sealed. This is the third incident today, Archie!"

"A-hundred apologies miss Schnee, I-I have butter fingers today—" The man wrung his hands, his soaked white gloves squelching. She snorted, a shockingly subdued and elegant version of the noise, and shut the case with a damning slam.

"Well you either need to focus or get out! I cannot tolerate another mistake!" Her eyes narrowed into icy slits. The man paled so dramatically that Jaune and Ruby were suddenly worried for his safety. "I'm already running late since you misplaced my oils, I want this problem fixed without me hovering over your shoulder!"

"Pl-please, I'm trying, don't tell your father he—" The girl straightened her spine, somehow looming over her aid despite barely reaching the middle of his chest with her forehead.

"He isn't hearing a word about this. If anyone's punishing you it's me!" The girl silently counted the cases laying on the ground and spat out a hiss. "One is missing!"

Archibald frantically moved his eyes over all the cases around them as Jaune stared at the girl, head slightly tilted. Ruby sat numbly, unsure of how to react before she glanced into the pond. A gleam caught her eye, shining off one of the briefcase polished silver latches. It was easily retrievable, but well out of reach from the shore, so... she pouted; she was already soaked, but she didn't know how waterlogged leather could get before it went bad or whatever. She ultimately sighed, and at least tossed her cloak onto the grass with a pathetic, squelching slap.

Three heads jerked towards her as she slipped back into the pond with a noisy splash. She grabbed ahold of the case, grunting as she lifted it up against the resistance of the water around and now in it, and turned to 'Miss Schnee' to hand it over; however, she paused when she heard a faint sound. She cocked her ear towards the case, and detected a hissing that was steadily rising, a low rumble adding to the noise. She recognized the sound…

A dust reaction.

Frantically she opened her mouth as Schnee grabbed the case. Ruby clutched it, spreading her feet for balance to keep the other girl from pulling it out of her hands. "Wait!" Ruby blurted, and Schnee grit her teeth angrily.

"Give it here you little brat! That is Schnee Dust Company property-" She began, but Ruby shook her head vehemently, having no time for a monologue.

"N-no, you c-ca-can't- i-it-it-it's—!" Ruby stuttered uncontrollably in a panic, trying to pull it away from the girl. Schnee lurched forward at Ruby's pull, then latched on with both hands and pulled back.

"Listen here, you thief, if you don't let go right now, you are in for a world of suffering!"

Ruby ignored Schnee's threat, focusing on the sound of the hissing growing higher in pitch. She felt a tug on the case and pulled harder, snapping her attention back to Schnee's furious glare and forcing the other girl to inch closer to the water. A kiss of snow white light embraced the other girl's arms as the angry Schnee reinforced herself with aura. If the surge of power reached the already-acting Dust inside… "D-d-do-don't!"

Ruby pulled the briefcase back, and the toes of Schnee's boots hung over the water's edge. "I-I'm s-serious!" Ruby pressed a foot against the pond wall. "Y-you'll hurt yourself!"

Schnee stared down at her delicate, manicured fingers forming twin fists around the briefcase handle, then her hands turned an angry red as she clenched harder. "Let GO!" Schnee snarled, teeth clenched, glaring right into Ruby's eyes as Ruby began to shake.

"I-I-I'm-'m sorry!" Ruby heaved as hard as she could. Crescent Rose probably weighed nearly as much as the girl before her… once Ruby committed her full strength to the task, it wasn't even a contest. Schnee screamed as she tumbled head first into the water with a graceless flailing of her limbs, the briefcase smashing into Ruby's chest. Ruby clung to the case in terror as Schnee rose, her eyes wide and perfect teeth bared with utter fury, her hair and clothes hanging limply, or sticking to her wetly, as she held up her shaking fists. She stomped her foot, causing another splash that flipped a lily pad over.

"You wretched little bitch! What in the world is wrong with you?! My clothes! My luggage! My hair! What could- how dare you! Are you out of your so-called mind?! What inbred hillbilly acts this way!?" Schnee was screeching into Ruby's pale, terrified face. Shivering in fright, fumbling for words, Ruby heard the hiss turn into a warning wail.

Schnee's rage briefly diminished as the case in Ruby's arms began to violently shake. Schnee's face drooped into an expression of growing comprehension, and Ruby hurled the case back into the water. The pond bubbled loudly, and Ruby and Schnee barely managed to call up their auras and begin turning to flee before the case detonated.

Water rained all over the little garden pond and the sidewalk bordering it while fire danced across the sky like flower petals, and a new, fang-shaped boulder steadily grew out of the water at an odd angle. When his hearing came back and he'd blinked the worst of the spots from his vision, Jaune lowered his arms to stare at Ruby, laying on her back in the water with an unhappy groan. Archibald was already hauling Schnee out of the water and gently checking her, only to get swatted away with a furious scream.

Jaune ran over to Ruby and pulled her ashore, quickly examining her for injury. She shook her head like a confused dog, splashing him with water as she grunted and seemed to focus on him. "Jaune?" Ruby mumbled in quiet shock.

"Yeah, I'm here Ruby! Holy crap you two blew up!" Jaune lifted her, making her whimper, so he dropped her before he finished rising to his full height, making her squeak with more indignation. "Sorry!" Jaune wrung his hands in a panic.

Ruby looked around at the ruined little pond; several koi flopping about–and no doubt dying–on the grass, and the stone border was shattered across the rim of the pond. She swallowed thickly as she watched the small white-haired woman continue venting all over her aid. "Jaune?" Ruby finally muttered in a shaky, raspy tone.

"What- what is it, Ruby?" Jaune carefully ran his fingertips through her soaked hair, encouraging her to look up at him. He frowned a touch at the way her lips trembled.

"I-I d-don't think I'm c-c-cut out for B-Beacon." She admitted in defeat. Jaune glanced around at the mess that had been created, and was about to answer when he heard the sharp click of heels on concrete. He turned his head towards the noise, and flinched.

A lower, sharper woman's voice startled the rest of them to attention in short order. "I am inclined to agree, Miss Rose." Ruby and Jaune stared up at Glynda Goodwitch, who was glowering down at the four them. In the chaos of their struggle, and the ensuing explosion, no one had seen the woman approaching, leaving Ruby to cower away from her open disapproval, while the young Schnee hastily tried to make herself presentable with her fingers and some aura-enhanced body heat to speed up the drying of her clothes. "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, the three of you are to follow me to the nurse's office immediately. Then we will find you fresh clothing, get your outfits cleaned, and discuss today's events." She spoke with the authority only a teacher could carry. Without another word, she spun on her heel to storm away, all but daring them to defy her.

"Oh, great…" Weiss and Ruby groaned at the same time as they hauled themselves to their feet. The two girls turned to look at one another, sharing a silent moment of shared dread and mutual understanding… and Weiss lurched at Ruby with a low growl before being restrained by Archibald, while Ruby yelped and hid behind Jaune, who did not look comfortable being the new target of Weiss' glare. As two awkwardly moving pairs, the four of them began to follow Glynda, unwilling to risk losing her and dealing with the teacher's fury if she had to come back should they get lost.

This was not going well and deep down inside, Ruby wondered if this was all a stupid idea after all.

---

Ruby was used to her family avoiding her eyes to maintain a pleasant conversation, but she herself had never experienced the horror they elicited from others; when she looked into a mirror, other than finding them extremely ugly, Ruby was immune to the detrimental effects of her own gaze.

However, she'd begun to sympathize with her family a bit more as she did everything in her power to not look Weiss Schnee in the eye. Both young ladies were wearing a pair of old, gray pajamas that the school medical staff provided its patients, the school crests long-faded from time and regular washing. Yet while Ruby felt small, a tad silly, and even younger than usual in her borrowed pajamas, Weiss managed to maintain an air of frigid rage that was weaponized through a glare of such intensity that Ruby didn't know whether to freeze in place or flee. That Weiss looked dressed for a midday nap did nothing to detract from the palpable air of overt menace she exuded.

So instead of watching Weiss and encouraging the other girl to try and light Ruby on fire with her eyes, her gaze wandered the room–longer than it was wide, with around twelve beds surrounded by monitoring devices and privacy curtains–and took in the various medical posters advertising safety advice and admonishing young hunters not to do drugs or to inject Dust on a dare. On the far wall, windows with wound blinders were above each bed, allowing natural light to pour into the building. It was a pleasant room, and Ruby could imagine almost enjoying a stay in here if she needed tending to, but that was, hopefully, without the silent storm of arctic fury currently brewing next to her. Every once in a while she made it a point to check that she was still scooted as far away from the other girl as the rail-lined medical bed allowed, just to be safe.

Someone–and Ruby was too polite to point any fingers without evidence, even though all her books had trained her to blame the no-doubt evil social sciences teacher–had thought it a good idea to ignore all the other beds available and put Ruby and Weiss right next to each other. Ruby assumed that, whoever this person was, they were the sort of person who worked at a school just so they could make younger people suffer for their sick amusement. She bet that they also punted kittens on weekends or something like that.

The door to the nurse's office opened, and Ruby was more than happy for the distraction, and almost feverishly pleased that Weiss stopped grumbling under her breath to focus in that direction as well. Professor Goodwitch walked in with an authoritative strut, followed by Jaune shuffling along like a kicked dog, and behind him was Nurse Nightingale, a short woman with a face full of wrinkles, a petite figure, with curly, bubblegum-pink hair. The older woman tried to meet Ruby's eyes through the tinted lens and flashed a pleasant smile. Ruby squirmed and shyly quirked her lips back, immediately deciding she liked her.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Alchemilla." Goodwitch told the other woman warmly, stopping at the foot of Ruby and Weiss's beds. Weiss subtly lifted her chin with a brooding, ashamed pout, but the Professor's stare was firmly on Ruby alone. "I didn't expect an incident before orientation." Her tone was decidedly less warm, making Ruby squeak unhappily while the old nurse cracked a far more wry smile.

"Perfectly fine, Glynda, I'm always happy to help. I know how chaotic excited kids can get." She chuckled and wandered over to a small desk to review the results of Ruby and Weiss' examination, and sign her approval of their release once she was satisfied everything was in order. Professor Goodwitch turned to Jaune, pointing to the door, and he shot a mildly relieved look at the two girls before he meekly complied, ducking out of sight with his hands buried deep inside his pockets. "As for you two," Goodwitch's disapproval rolled over the girls like an incoming fog as she focused in on the two remaining teenagers, "aside from detonating a pond, killing the fish Haven gifted us, and ruining your own clothing, you've managed to make complete fools of yourselves and of us for accepting your admissions. Explain yourselves. Now."

"Her." Weiss snarled, pointing at a cringing Ruby. Weiss' arm trembled a bit and her lips compressed into a hair-width slit as she took a moment to seethe before speaking again. "If she hadn't made such a fuss about giving me my suitcase or-or if she'd told me what was wrong, this never would have happened!" She turned to glare at Ruby, who hung her head and resisted the urge to curl into a miserable little ball.

"I-I j-j-just f-freaked out when I heard the d-dust start going off. I didn't w-want you to b-blow u-up!" Ruby's defense was delivered more like an upset whine than a heartfelt objection.

"And I almost did anyways because of your sad excuse for threat management! What if Archibald or that- that scraggly blonde you were with had been hurt in the blast!?" Weiss' lip curled in enraged disgust. Glynda let out a nearly silent sigh as Ruby sputtered, floundered and looked horrified at the idea of others being hurt by her mistake.

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch had her riding crop brandished in both hands, squeezing tightly enough to make the compact leather creak ominously. Both girls wisely gave her their full attention , and she all but glared down at them both in stern anger. "If I may remind you, Miss Schnee, Ruby was indeed trying to help–if in the most foolhardy way humanly possible." Her steely gaze darted between the two, daring them to argue. They wisely decided against it. "Lack of communication, poor equipment management, unauthorized usage of school property, and extremely immature responses from the both of you... may I remind you ladies that you are huntresses." The crop's head smacked the steel railing on Weiss' right, leaving a visible dent in the textured metal and making both girls flinch. "You have sworn to train as defenders, champions of mankind, and before making it to the main hall to be welcomed on your first day, you find yourselves here, being examined by a medical professional for possible internal damage and elemental exposure over an asinine round of Dust-fueled hot potato." Her teeth clicked shut after the sharp rebuke, and both teens winced, subtly twitching under Glynda's barely checked outrage. Finally, Ruby swallowed thickly and found her voice.

"Wh-what a-about the b-butler guy who c-crashed into me?" Ruby asked in a quiet little tone bordering on a whisper.

"He has been reprimanded by his employer: me." Weiss glared at Ruby again, though she could stand to learn a few things from the deputy headmistress. "I am responsible for his mistakes." She added in a tone that brooked no argument. The professor crossed her arms under her chest, and subtly raised one eyebrow as she peered down at the Schnee heiress.

"Then you are willing to take responsibility for the inconvenience and potential injury he caused Miss Rose?" Goodwitch asked accusingly, and Weiss chewed her lower lip a moment before she nodded slowly, and replied in an unhappy growl.

"Yes. Yes, I am responsible for her getting soaked, and any damage she, her clothing, or her equipment may have suffered in the crash, or while helping recover my belongings." Weiss glared down at her knees, her cheeks glowing a hot red as Ruby sniffled in relief. "Oh quit blubbering." Weiss snapped, making Ruby jump with a tiny squeak. "He shouldn't have crashed into you, okay, but that's no reason for you to give up on speaking Valean when you're holding a bomb!"

"S-sorry, I d-di-didn't m-mean to b-blow y-you… um, us up..." Ruby whimpered, getting nothing more than a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Weiss.

"And that is not entirely your fault, Miss Rose," Glynda interjected, "the packaging of the dust must have been substandard if some rough handling could set it off." Ruby perked up a bit and Weiss visibly deflated. Professor Goodwitch, however, was more than happy to spear Ruby with an icy look, and drain the spark of joy right out of her. "You did, however, fail to properly articulate the danger to others around you, preventing them from assisting you or protecting themselves. If not for the water absorbing some of the blast and your auras reacting to protect you, both of you would doubtlessly be in here much, much longer. If you two had been in the field, handling an actual high-yield explosive, or found yourselves ambushed by Grimm, and had attempted to resolve the issue with the same level of communication, you would both most assuredly be dead."

Ruby curled up her legs, holding her knees and trying to hold back tears as Weiss muttered bitterly beside her, wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill. Glynda allowed them a moment to dwell on her analysis before pressing on.

"I will expect drastic improvements in the near future from you both." She finished. Her eyes flickered between them both and, deciding her point had been made, she let the worst of her ire leak out of her voice. "Still, no one was hurt, not even yourselves, and as classes have not yet begun, it's been decided that no official punishment need be applied. I will personally see to it that you two do not get such leniency if anything like this happens again. Now, Miss Schnee, please leave the room and wait outside the door, I will be escorting you all to the Headmaster's office so that he can repeat his introduction for you two and Mister Arc. However, I need to speak to Miss Rose alone before we depart."

Weiss nodded crisply and slid off the bed and into the pair of slippers she had been provided; her suddenly slumping shoulders and forlorn sigh implied that she missed her custom-made boots. She took the time to throw Ruby one final dirty look, and stormed out with all the dignity she could muster in the grey, shapeless clothing she was stuck with, her gait a touch awkward without the heels she was accustomed to moving in. Nurse Nightingale had heard the order and met Glynda's eyes, nodding in understanding as she gathered up her papers and snuck away to her office to give the teacher and student their privacy. Ruby looked up to Glynda slowly, and Glynda focused intently on her.

"P-Prof-fessor?" Ruby felt her skin crawling as the professor sighed at her in response after a brief pause.

"I know that, more than anything, you wanted to come here and learn how to protect people." A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, "Professor Ozpin was generous enough to give you that opportunity, and you were bold enough to accept, but may I offer you some advice?"

"Y-yes m-ma'am." Ruby replied hoarsely and resisted the impulse to stare down at her own feet; she didn't want Goodwitch to become any angrier at her than she already was by implying she wasn't paying attention.

"Hunters need to be aware of their surroundings, of the who and what surrounding them, at all times. It is our job, our mission, to put the needs of others first. Not just when confronting the Grimm or engaging thieves, at every moment, in every situation. It is a terrible burden of endless vigilance and constant self-doubt that not everyone can learn to live with. I understand your lack of education and relative youth puts you out of touch with other students and the responsibilities they've begun to learn they must bare, but this tomfoolery will not stand. If you keep making more mistakes—"

"I-I won't!" Ruby insisted, trying to relax her tense body as Goodwitch studied her closely, frowning slightly at the interruption. "A-at least, not o-ones like this! I'll co-communic-cate b-better, and b-be m-m-more a-a-aw-aware, and c-catch up wi-with c-classes, and-"

"Miss Rose, do you know how many people here have been victimized by the Grimm?" Goodwitch cut in with a stern look. Ruby froze, her lips trembling slightly as her mind scrambled for something to say before ordering her jaw shut. Glynda subtly lifted her chin, satisfied with Ruby's reaction before continuing. "When I was eight years old, an Ursa Major destroyed my home and mutilated my father's arm before it was killed, leaving us homeless and without money for months." She began to pace, her heels clicking with nearly mechanical rhythm, and Ruby watched on with dismay as the older woman spoke in a clinical tone with the same far away look in her eyes that her father and Uncle Qrow sometimes got when they spoke of the past. "We spent that time sustaining ourselves on scraps. I quite vividly remember the pungency of a dumpster my mother and I were forced to scrounge moldy bread from–a smell that has lingered with me to this day. I spent my days in school assuring myself that through good grades, relentless practice, and tireless vigilance, I could pull myself from the depths of poverty, provide for my family that had so desperately tried to give me a decent life, and put myself into a position where I could ensure no one else would ever have to suffer as I had." Professor Goodwitch halted her motion, and gently pushed her glasses up her nose to refocus her gaze on Ruby, the grit in her voice disappearing. "I hold no resentment towards you for that." Her tone was reassuring, but did not allow for Ruby to respond. "My family's misfortunes were not your doing, obviously, it happened before you were even born. Numerous students are here, however, for some measure of vengeance towards the Creatures of Grimm, and being children, they often lack the wisdom and perspective to disregard coincidence. How do you think the student body would react to your abilities?" Glynda raised a thin, golden eyebrow, waiting a moment as the color rapidly drained from Ruby's already pale face. She nodded subtly. "You, more than anybody else, are being tested here. Your restraint, your prudence, your humility, in addition to combat strength. You have been invited here under the assumption that you are both trained and mature enough to entrust with the lives of the innocent and defenseless." Ruby bit her lower lip as Glynda's expression sharpened. "Do not–I repeat: do not let incidents like today become commonplace. You were flirting with expulsion the moment you stepped into this school. You must earn our faith, Miss Rose, before you can ask us to expend it on your behalf."

Glynda let out a breath, too softly to be a sigh, before she turned heel and began to walk towards the door, beckoning Ruby to follow with her riding crop. Ruby watched after her, her face pinched with dread, and a quiet realization came to her. "P-Professor Goodw-witch?" The woman stopped walking, turning her head just enough as to point her left ear towards Ruby. "Y-you… you d-don't want me h-here at all, d-do you?" She asked in a tight voice, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed anxiously, letting them wave numbly as she awaited an answer.

The blonde woman was still and quiet. Ruby couldn't see her face, and couldn't figure out how she was taking the accusation. Goodwitch gently pinched the bridge of her nose, and turned to face Ruby with as calm an expression as she could manage. "You are breaking numerous conventions in being here. Ignoring your Semblance entirely, your lack of formal education, your limited socialization-"

"B-but it is my p-p-powers, right? I-it's w-why I wasn't al-allowed in S-Signal. I-it's…" Ruby was squeezing the hem of her pajama shirt tightly. "It's w-why I-I don't g-get to go anywhere, o-or d-do anyth-thing…" She trailed off, her voice shaking.

"Miss Rose— Ruby..." Glynda corrected herself, and walked back over to the girl, leaning down to get eye-level with her. Her golden eyebrows knit together as she took a moment to articulate herself. "I was against your entrance since the very beginning. In my opinion, the risks associated with your semblance outweigh any potential rewards that may come from training you. However, Headmaster Ozpin made a choice, and I trust him. He believes in your capabilities and capacity for goodness over the innate stigma of evil everyone, including myself, will associate with what you can do." She reached out to lift Ruby's chin, and seemed to try to stare through the goggles. Her voice became softer and almost… pleading, in a way Ruby had never really heard before. "Don't squander this opportunity, Ruby. I am not an idealistic sort, but I want to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Grimm can be used for the betterment of mankind through you. It's my job to punish your mistakes even while I try to show you how to succeed… I want your dream to come true too, do you understand that?"

Glynda stood and let out a quiet, tired sigh as Ruby looked up at her in minor awe. She straightened her skirt, adjusted her glasses, and focused her teacher's gaze on Ruby, the look at the woman behind the role of educator officially over. Ruby stiffened to something like attention, and nodded at the woman firmly in answer to her question, who just barely inclined her head in return.

"You will be meeting with your professors after you three are officially welcomed to the school. Convince them of your potential as you did the Headmaster, and your tenure here will run much smoother for the both of us." Professor Goodwitch's eyes lingered on Ruby a few seconds longer, her face an unreadable mask as she searched Ruby's limited expression and abundant body language. The moment passed, and she turned away, walking towards the door at the brisk pace of a professional with somewhere to be. Ruby slid off the bed and into her own Beacon-branded pair of slippers, rushing to follow and, for the time being, stay in her professor's good graces.

---

"So, I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc." The boy, who had otherwise remained silent the entire elevator ride up, seemed to finally find the courage to introduce himself. Ruby glanced up at him, and she swore the attentions of everybody in the elevator settled on his head like some sort of mysterious, ethereal hat.

"Charmed." Weiss answered in a tone implying that she was anything but. Her foot tapped the floor of the rising transport as she firmly squeezed her hips. For a fleeting moment, silence reigned, and the ladies wondered if he had taken the hint and would stop talking.

"Cool!" Jaune bleated in nervous encouragement. "So, uh, I like long walks down old country roads, hot dinners after a hard day of work, the smell of the rain after a storm…" Jaune counted off on his fingers, missing the way Weiss' perfectly sculpted eyebrow twitched in growing annoyance, while even Ruby slowly lifted her chin to watch him in fascination, comparing her own habit of nervous rambling to Jaune's embarrassing display. Was that how she looked when she let her mouth run wild? No wonder Yang tended to cut her off... "Also hot dogs!" It was by this point, everyone present knew he had resorted to babbling, including himself if the sudden sheen of cold sweat was any clue. "Hot dogs are great!"

"They're disgusting." Weiss rebuked flatly, her tone as inviting as a windswept tundra. She refused to look at the boy, her shoulders hunched sharply in annoyance as Jaune's momentum halted with all of the grace of a train wreck. Jaune swallowed nervously, wondering what it said about his tastes that he found her more attractive when she was pissed...

"Well, I mean, sure, they're nothing compared to a good steak, and they're kinda not-at-all-healthy, but-" He was motioning with his hands, about to launch into his personal theory on the uplifting benefits of condiments when Weiss' eye spasmed, and Ruby, forced to bare witness to the conversation from the rear, silently pressed her back against the the elevator wall just to be safe.

"Are you going anywhere with this, or are you assuming I'm going to write your biography for you?!" Weiss finally snapped, glaring directly at Jaune now. He paled in surprise, and rubbed the back of his neck with a sickly, nervous smile of apology. Ruby stared at the floor, listening to every ding of the elevator in the hopes one of them would let them out of this tiny, confined, very-much-awkward space. Professor Goodwitch, meanwhile, stared straight ahead, lost in thought, ignoring the teenage squabbling with the skill of a true professional.

"W-well, see, I know it's early in the semester but we get some free days every week, right?! So I was thinking- umm, picture this…" Jaune waved his hand like he was trying to direct her attention towards his plans for a shared future, but Weiss's cold stare was firmly locked onto his face, possibly in an attempt to freeze his head, the cold sweat turning into a more active dispensary of liquid tension. "A nice table and two chairs by the coast, you and me, dining on lobster-"

"Shellfish allergy." Weiss shut him down harshly, whirling away with a more defiant stance. Jaune babbled and grappled with words for a few moments, before giving up with a sigh. He flinched as a tiny hand pet the small of his back, and he gave Ruby a small, forced smile she returned easily.

The elevator slowed, stopped, and the doors opened as the final 'ding' of the floor counter echoed into silence. The three students stared into the spacious office after blinking away the blinding light it was bathed in. Being so high up on Beacon's central tower, the sunlight poured in, highlighting the entire room in pronounced glow that took a moment to adjust to. Ruby glanced up at the clocktower gears that churned steadily above, and found that, despite the repetitive ticking, its volume and pitch were such that she could easily ignore it, or allow it to lull her into a hypnotic daydream.

She snapped to attention when Professor Goodwitch beckoned her with a quick word, and she followed the group inside. The headmaster had a grand, classical sense of taste, with columns supporting a second story adorned with bookshelves of equal height and width, while the main floor of the office had the headmaster's massive, ornate desk and winged chair.

Professor Ozpin, sitting at his desk, stroked his bald chin thoughtfully as he stared at a holographic chessboard, floating a few inches below his eye line. The entire board looked like a very messy game had taken place, as the differing pieces intermingled on opposing sides, and Ruby could only assume they had started in the normal, orderly, segregated fashion she was used to. As the three students stepped in, Professor Goodwitch walked straight to the headmaster's desk to stand at attention, clearing her throat loudly for the headmaster's attention. He did not look over right away.

His finger delicately tapped the rounded head of a black pawn, causing it to light up yellow, but then he touched his remaining black knight. He seemed to reconsider, and touched the nearby black rook. As he thought, Ruby took in his situation: she wasn't much of a chess player, but she recognized the pieces; he had taken four of the white pieces and was missing three of his pieces. While he had one piece more than his opponent, the headmaster had taken almost exclusively pawns, while he was missing several of his backline.

Everybody was silent, even Weiss had stopped tapping her foot to avoid breaking Ozpin's concentration as he moved his rook to capture an opposing pawn. Ruby felt apprehensive as the rook was almost immediately captured by a white bishop, but Ozpin merely cracked a knowing smile, and took the bishop with his queen.

He flicked his finger and pressed a button that appeared, causing the holographic game to turn red and fade out. His game successfully paused, Ozpin turned to face the three teenagers with a friendly smile and crossed legs. "Hello, students!" He greeted them chipperly, even as his sharp eyes told them he knew precisely what they had done. "Despite your schedules clearly stating for you to attend the welcoming speech, it seems each of you somehow earned a trip to the nurse's wing instead! That's quite the drastic change in plans." His tone was warm, amused even, as he eyed them.

Ruby was barely able to look up at his eyes–not that he could tell–and was shuffling her feet. To her side, Jaune managed a forced smile, and wiped some hair out of his eyes. On his other side, standing as far away as she could without looking as if she was trying to avoid the scolding, Weiss was looking at the headmaster, trying to remain firm, but her eyes were too soft, and the edges of her lips quivered in preparation for the expected reprimanding.

"Don't look so glum," The headmaster ordered cheekily, drawing mystified frowns from the three students. "Professor Goodwitch has been kind enough to fill me in on your troublemaking and administer disappointment for me, so I'm going to move straight to the congratulations: Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, welcome to Beacon Academy. Each of you have made it here through your own unique merits, but don't mistake your entrance here as the end-goal of your lives. It is, quite frankly, delusional to assume that this safe, controlled world we built within Vale will be able to fully prepare you for the world of hunting. Our goal here at Beacon Academy is to give you the skills to survive, but it is your job as students to strive to succeed." He looked into each of their eyes, evaluating their timid, unsure responses before he gave Professor Goodwitch a nod. The deputy headmistress gave a small sigh at Ozpin's expedience, and gave the three a stern look.

"Mr. Arc, Miss Schnee, help will be waiting on the first floor to escort you to the banquet hall for the night. You may socialize, explore the public areas of the school, or catch up on your rest. You will not be given your weaponry until tomorrow morning when the first test begins." Professor Goodwitch told them, gesturing towards the elevator. "You are dismissed."

"Wait," Jaune looked between Professor Goodwitch and the headmaster, "that's it? That's the speech?" He asked. Ruby shuffled a bit, silently relieved she wasn't the only confused one. She had expected grandiose lectures on the nature of hunterhood; she wanted to be wowed by a carefully crafted presentation, and encouraged by the promise of greatness...

Ozpin gave a small, throaty chuckle before answering. "Brevity is a gift only given to few, Mr. Arc. Please, enjoy your stay and education at Beacon, and try not to make it to this office too often." Professor Ozpin smiled at him, though there was a flicker of warning in his strained lips that reinforced the recommendation's last point.

Weiss and Jaune both stared at the headmaster, then turn to look at Ruby. She could almost hear the wheels spinning in their minds as they tried to guess why she wasn't being dismissed alongside them. Weiss shot Ruby one final, sharp look before turning, trying to strut while her slippers clopped against the floor noisily. Jaune looked down at Ruby, then to Professor Ozpin with a suspicious frown. "Is Ruby going to be okay?" He asked, eyes locking onto Ozpin's. There was no hostility to his gaze, but Ozpin did note that it was the first time their eyes had met for longer than two seconds.

"Perfectly fine, Mr. Arc, but due to unique circumstances regarding her admittance we need to hold her for a few minutes longer. Thank you for your concern, however, a Huntsman should always be ready to watch out for the wellbeing of his allies." Ozpin inclined his head, hiding a small grin behind his hands.

Jaune hesitated, but Ruby laid her fingers on his forearm and motioned for him to go with a tilt of her head. He walked passed to join Weiss in the elevator after a quick nod, and giving a small, silent goodbye to Ruby. Weiss refused to let her eyes wander over either of her contemporaries, her narrowed eyes focusing straight ahead at nothing until the doors closed.

Ruby shifted nervously as the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch talked briefly, then Professor Goodwitch summoned a pair of chairs from the second story with a small wave of her crop to place around the desk, each at opposing ends. Ruby marveled at the casual usage of Aura–probably a Semblance–and quietly envied the old woman's effortless mastery of her power. Goodwitch sat in one chair, and a tap to the desk, followed by a flick of her fingers, summoned a holoscreen for her to review the day's updates.

Ozpin, in the meantime, gestured to the other chair with a smile towards Ruby. "Please sit, miss Rose." He offered, tapping the floating button by his chess game to restore its color and opacity. Immediately, the white king shifted into an open space away from Ozpin's black queen's line of sight. The headmaster chuckled, staring at the board in silent thought as Ruby quietly slid into the offered seat.

After a few moments of watching the headmaster consider his move, Ruby began to squirm in discomfort. The headmaster was focused on his game, Goodwitch was busy with something on the desk's computer, so that left Ruby watching. And waiting. For something. After a few more seconds, Ruby finally, quietly peeped: "Wh-who are y-you p-playing with?" Ozpin clicked his tongue in thought.

"A friend of mine in Mistral. With any luck, you may get to meet him someday." Ozpin pinched his chin, and reached out to touched one of his pieces, but he hesitated. He worked his jaw as he considered the near dozen moves he could make, then inspiration seemed to strike. He looked to Ruby. "What do you think, Ruby?" He gestured to the chess board. Ruby immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, u-uh... I'm n-not all that g-good at ch-ch-chess..." She had only played with her dad a few times out of boredom and found the game to be counterproductive as far as entertainment went, and equally frustrating due to her short-sighted decision-making. Despite this, she leaned over the board to examine its contents. The white king was well protected, and Ruby couldn't see any obvious one-move trick that would end the game in the headmaster's favor.

"In the long run, it doesn't matter how good you are at a game." He reassured, while Ruby idly highlighted pieces until she touched a rook. Nothing seemed obvious to her, she had to do something... "You have all the opportunities in the world to get better at a game. Thankfully, chess is a mere brain teaser, we can't expect practical chess application on the battlefield." The headmaster said as she used the rook to knock out a pawn defending the white king. Instantly, a white knight Ruby hadn't accounted for took her rook, and she recoiled in horror.

"I m-messed up." She pouted, and Ozpin let out a soft, comforting chuckle.

"Come now Ruby, it's only a game." The headmaster seemed unworried about the loss of such an important piece, and dismissed Ruby's childish worries with a pleasant smile. "We can play it anytime we like, however we please. Even if we sweep the pieces off the board now, we can simply restart. What is important is that you made a decision."

Ruby's face silently pinched up, and she didn't want to meet the headmaster's eye as she realized where this was going. "L-like w-when I r-re-realized th-that briefc-case was g-g-going to e-explode..." She mumbled, drawing an agreeing nod from Ozpin as he leaned forward, bridged his fingers under his chin, and spoke calmly and clearly.

"Correct. I understand that it can be difficult to raise your voice in a tense situation, especially for someone as out of practice at it as yourself, but when emotions run high, someone must serve as the voice of reason." Ozpin grimaced the tiniest bit, as if he was very used to being that voice. "You can't hesitate to act, you must consider the best course of action in the shortest time possible and be willing to learn from your inevitable mistakes. You have a rare opportunity, and I'd like nothing more than for you to succeed, but you have to be willing to reflect on your decisions and determine how you can do better."

Ruby quietly nodded, a small frown on her face as she considered the advice, as well as his opponent's next move. "... Th-they took your queen." She mumbled, and Ozpin immediately glanced at the board, his face sagging in overdramatic disappointment at the loss of one of his more important units.

"Well then." Ozpin pouted. The elevator dinged, and three heads turned to look as three new people walked in. Ruby wasn't sure how she'd done it, but she'd ended up behind Ozpin, watching in quiet worry as the two vastly differing men and one woman walked in with an air of familiarity. The headmaster paused the chessboard again, and straightened in his chair to greet the new arrivals with a broad smile. "Professor Port, Dr. Oobleck, Professor Peach, it's good to see you looking so lively this early in the school year."

"Absolutely, headmaster!" An average-height, silver haired man with a particularly bushy moustache, and a rounded belly said with a dramatic enthusiasm. "Thank you for having us, today is truly a day of excitement, curiosity, revelry!" His hands moved as he spoke, emphasizing his words with sweeping motions and a sense of extraordinary importance. Ruby, tense as she was, felt a sort of grandfatherly goodness from him, as well as what her books would have called 'the air of old guard,' one of the few remaining of his generation.

By Professor Port's side was a tall, green-haired stick-of-a-man chugging a cup of coffee. "Indeed," he piped up with a snap in his voice, "many many things to cover before classes start in two days. Coffee machine in the third floor faculty room is broken yet again, and my order of 'Vale Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday' has yet to come in." The tall doctor spoke rapidly, gesticulating almost randomly compared to his silver-haired companion. He didn't have the appearance of a hunter in any way, he was too lanky, too relaxed, he seemed more like a scholar than a fighter, but Aura was not choosy once unleashed...

That left the one lady of the group. "I'm good." The shortest of them spoke, a brown-skinned woman with a head full of dreadlocks. Unlike her formally dressed fellow-professors, this woman wore a grease stained tank top and long gray slacks with a utility belt with a few standard tools. Her heavy duty brown boots were the best fitting thing on her, other than, as Ruby noted, a reddish-brown mechanical right arm that started at the shoulder. "Though I'll need a little help installing the new forge ya ordered for me." She also didn't seem much like a hunter, and Ruby could only guess how she lost her arm; Dust or Grimm, both were equally capable of removing a limb if mishandled.

"Of course, we'll be sure to have everything in order for the start of classes." Professor Ozpin moved towards the three, Professor Goodwitch closing her holoscreen to join them, leaving Ruby to stand alone. The five created a brief social circle in which they chatted and laughed. Ruby watched quietly from behind the tall back of Ozpin's seat, feeling a mixture of amusement and envy as the five professors prattled on to each other. Even the headmaster joined in on some friendly ribbing and was the target of a joke or two, but Professor Goodwitch was like a black hole of amusement, no jokes came her way, and she did not spare a joke in turn. Even still, they seemed so equal, and friendly. Despite being professionals, each no doubt an excellent hunter on their own, they were socializing as old friends, having shouldered burden and triumph together, and a closer inspection of the blonde deputy headmistress told Ruby that the humorless woman was more relaxed than she'd ever seen her.

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up a little. It was calming and fun to watch them socialize; they were friends, their own little family, with lives outside of hunting and teaching. She liked that, it reminded her of home, and reminded her that the lonesome legends of old truly did miss out on something special. Every hunter fought with a reason, for some cause, or somebody, or something, but those that fought alone and still became legends were some of the most highly revered, but mysterious of individuals.

Ruby feared the idea of having to go down that route… Her attention slipped as she thought of a life fighting the Grimm in the woods, away from her beloved family, but she tuned in as a mysterious chill ran down her spine; she frowned, where had that come from? She glanced up at the group of professors, and froze as she caught sight of the taller professor watching her. His glasses seemed as opaque as her goggles, but he lowered them down the bridge of his nose to show his brown eyes. The more portly professor elbowed him good-naturedly, but the man didn't lower his gaze; it was only when he didn't answer a question did the rest of them turn to see what he was looking at, and those warm and fuzzy feelings the group conveyed quickly turned into tight apprehension.

She squeezed her hands together nervously, her heart pounding in her ears as she found herself in the spotlight, the three professors sizing her up distantly. She had the compulsion to rock in place, a nervous habit she'd had since she was a child, but she knew it would have been poor showing to regress on her first meeting with her teachers. It would also probably be bad form to slide out of sight behind the chair entirely, but the longer the silent stares dragged on, the more tempted she was to start moving left...

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch drew all the attention to herself while moving to Ruby's side. "As I explained in the memo this morning, you will be meeting the special-case student the headmaster has been preparing us for the past month. This is Ruby Rose-Xiao Long."

"J-J-Just R-Ruby Rose is f-fine…" She swallowed thickly and tried to stand up straighter, remembering her earlier plan to avoid getting on Glynda's bad side with a lack of apparent effort. She didn't seem any angrier, so Ruby counted it as a small win for the moment.

The three new professors did not speak as they continued to silently evaluate her. The atmosphere of easy camaraderie was completely gone as curiosity, and measured looks took over. Professor Goodwitch gestured to each of the three teachers, repeating their names, though Ruby had been listening long enough to know who was who.

"Intriguing!" Ruby nearly lept out of her skin, the green-haired man–whom the other professors referred to as Oobleck–had moved so quickly she hadn't noticed until his nose nearly brushed hers, his breath washing over her chin as he spoke. She smelled coffee and… something like burn Dust? He was holding his chin, his glasses hiding his eyes in a way that made Ruby squirm and understand why her goggles made newcomers uneasy at first. "Thompson model." He spoke again, not quite a question given the certainty in his tone.

"Huh?!" Ruby squeaked as Oobleck, without permission, rest his fingertips on the straps of her goggles. She momentarily feared he was going to remove them, and her hands reached up to touch his wrists, but then he brushed her hair aside and turned her head so he could stare at the strap, and Ruby was too nervous to stop him.

"I was correct! Exploration wear, for the sands of Vacuo. Perfect, absolutely perfect model; I've never met another eyewear developer with such fine quality and taste in all my years." Oobleck radiated genuine pride as he turned Ruby's head the other way. "Ah, the Sumusarian line too. Expensive, most expensive, but I've seen a pair get stepped on by a Goliath and the only thing that needed to be replaced was one lens. Truly an excellent set of headgear! For a young huntress, these will last you well into your career!"

Oobleck stepped back, and Ruby stood in quiet stillness, unsure whether to feel complimented or violated as the older man seemed satisfied with his findings. Professor Port and Peach seemed less sure in their approach, however, while the headmaster cleared his throat. "Focusing on the matter at hand…" He walked over to Ruby and extended a friendly hand. Ruby took it, hesitant to follow, but not having much choice as Professor Ozpin walked her closer to the professors.

Ruby looked up at both Professor Port and Professor Peach with a small, bewildered frown. Professor Port had his arms crossed as he looked her over, while Professor Peach stuck out her remaining hand. Ruby flinched, but took it out of polite convention, getting a firm, strong shake. "Hey li'l lady, welcome to Beacon!" Her voice was warm, her eyes full of healthy curiosity as they shook. "Headmaster's made a bit of a hubbub bringing you here." Her smile was thin and pinched, but wide, as if she was fighting her apprehension with forced excitement.

Ruby tried to match it. "Th-thank you. S-sorry if I c-c-caused any p-problems, I really d-didn't mean t-to." She balled her hands together once they were free, wishing she had her skirt on so her hands could squeeze the frilled fabric, settling for setting them to wrestle one another nervously as Professor Peach chuckled.

"Ah, don't worry about it too much, we've had a few special cases come through here before, though certainly none quite as, mm…" Professor Peach rolled her jaw as she hunted for the right word.

"... Wrong?" Ruby offered. The professor's eyes widened, and she waved her hands while trying to laugh away the girl's sudden apprehension.

"No, no honey, not wrong, I was thinking more along the lines of, uh, y'know…" Peach seemed at a loss for words, and Ruby wilted the slightest bit. A large, stubby hand extended towards her, and Ruby looked to Port, then his hand curiously.

She took it, and rather than shake, he firmly squeezed her smaller hand while his dark brown eyes searched her face. "Welcome, Miss Rose. I'm the professor in charge of Grimm Studies here at Beacon, and, experienced as I am, I have never heard of anybody quite like you."

Ruby nodded meekly, keeping her hand relaxed, not wanting to possibly offend the man as Professor Peach offered an awkward smile. "Professor in charge of Dust Chemistry and Mixing, also have a hand in the forge if something were to happen to your weapon." She explained. Oobleck immediately seemed to appear to Ruby's side, taking her free hand and shaking it with both of his vigorously.

"Doctor of History, Oobleck!" He let go of her hand just as quickly, and Ruby balled both her hands back together as they watched over her.

A hand rested on her shoulder and Ruby flinched violently, the shadows under her feet thickening and swirling a moment before she willed them still. She clenched her jaw and cursed her nerves as Professor Ozpin lifted his hand in response and let it hang by his side, making Ruby frown guiltily. "These people, along with Professor Goodwitch and your Physical Fitness coach, will be your teachers here at Beacon Academy, Ruby." He gave her a pleasant smile, and Ruby nodded, calm and slow as she tried to relax. "They each teach very important skills, and are each very qualified for their positions. I want you to pay attention in their classes, your catch-up studies will directly feed into their lessons and propel you to graduation faster than you would expect."

"Indeed." Dr. Oobleck raised a finger thoughtfully. "The keystones of being a hunter aren't just skill, strength, and speed, but intelligence and understanding. What we teach here won't just prepare you to fight, but to anticipate, adapt and protect!"

Professor Port nodded, his furrowed brow lightening as he clasped his hands casually behind his back. "But the key to victory isn't just knowing Remnant's history, one has to know their foe! You shall not leave without being able to tell me all of an Ursa's weak points!"

"Knowin' about people may not help you in battle, but will help you understand why your job is so important." Peach chimed in. "Speakin' as the Dust professor, even your education is all about mixing the best ingredients we got available: why you fight, watcha fight with..." She gestured to Goodwitch.

"And," Professor Goodwitch spoke up, "of course, how to fight. Be in against the Grimm or the humans that seek to threaten our peaceful existence. The world is full of dangers, human and inhuman, and as a student of Beacon, you will be made prepared."

"Speaking of both human and inhuman," Professor Port refocused on Ruby with a very slow, contemplative voice, his hands locking behind his back in an attempt to steel his nerves, "may we see your eyes, young lady?" His tone was respectful and polite, though Ruby still felt it carried the slightest edge of a command.

The other adults quieted down to await Ruby's response, but while Ruby had been enjoying their collective speech with a growing smile, the request turned her blood ice cold, and she immediately back-pedaled away from the group. Her attempt was cut short when a hand pressed against the small of her back, and she glanced to Professor Ozpin, who quietly bowed his head.

"Don't be afraid, Ruby. These are your professors, each one will have a hand in training your mind, your weapon usage, and your power." He spoke in a very calming voice, not forcing her back into the circle. Ruby was still, her skin itched, and she refused to meet anyone's eye. Ozpin, sensing her worry, clapped his hands to draw attention from her. "Everyone, Ruby here is a bit shy in regards to her eyes; let's give her some space and a chance to trust us before we try and pressure her into anything."

At the recommendation, the five professors looked amongst themselves for some form of idea or suggestion, then, as one, focused on Dr. Oobleck. He tightened his lips, creating a rather dramatic pout. "If I must." He huffed. Ruby watched the tall man unscrew his thermos and fill the plastic lid with a goodly amount of coffee. Her mouth immediately felt dry, and she realized she hadn't had a drink since leaving the airship, and the smell of the coffee was mouthwatering...

"One lump or two?" Professor Oobleck asked, opening a little belt pouch.

"Oh, u-um, I-I guess t-two's okay." Ruby assured him. Judging by angle of her head and point of her nose, she was staring strictly at the coffee. "U-um… though… I-I usually t-take four." Ruby whispered with a blush, watching shyly as he popped four cubes of sugar out of his belt pouch and dropped them into the hot coffee to dissolve before passing the drink to Ruby.

The warm cup immediately relaxed her hands; it felt natural and comforting, relieving that ugly, clammy feeling that had built up in her paranoia. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a long drink, shuddering in delight as she savored the flavors. "Oh wow, th-this is really really g-good!" She stared into the cup in surprise, as if the brown liquid would offer some explanation behind its mysteriously quenching flavor.

This prompted a somewhat proud smile from Professor Oobleck. "Specially bred coffee beans grown in a perfect artificial climate in an Atlas coffee shop I visited some fifteen years ago." He sipped the coffee straight from the thermos and sighed in comfort. "Small then, but steady progress allowed them to expand their business and sell their coffee overseas at wallet-gouging prices!" He suddenly exploded, then looked into the thermos. "The price we pay for perfection..." His next sip seemed much more somber.

Ruby squeaked as Professor Port moved to her side, and gently nudged her with his elbow. "Young lady, do you like fairy tales?" He asked with a dramatic raise of his left eyebrow.

"Oh, here we go." Professor Peach mumbled as the older professor almost shimmied in excitement.

"Y-yeah…" Ruby answered, despite the other professor's various warning looks. "F-fairy tales and h-hu-hunter legends a-are why I w-want to become a huntress." Ruby answered honestly, feeling childish at admitting her inspiration came from storybooks, but the man cheerfully wrapped his arm around her back and held her close, his other hand extended in front of him to cast Ruby into a world of pure imagination.

"Picture, then, yours truly, standing at the forefront of a hunting party searching for one of Mistral's most fierce Grimm predators!" Professor Port turned, moving Ruby with him to stare out the window. "It was me, my companions Yugo, Agate, and Solomon, searching for the dreaded Razorswine, the largest, angriest boarbatusk Mistral had ever known…"

Ruby stared at his hand, then out the window, utterly transfixed as her easily intrigued sense of wonder stole her away from her purpose in the headmaster's office. The other four teachers behind them collectively groaned in silence at Ruby's interjection. "Wow, really? W-what happened?"

'Chairs.' Ozpin mouthed to his companions, and they spread out to find seats.

Ruby wasn't terribly sure when the cheese and crackers had showed up, or who had found them, nor when she'd found herself in a seat. She sipped the last of her coffee and nibbled a cracker, watching Port stalk against the window, his head turning sharply like a cornered animal. "The beast had smelled my blood, and being a creature of Grimm, I knew I had to think quickly, or meet my untimely demise! My companions, lost in the caves of Kailos, would be of no help, so when the dreaded pig showed its face, I used my ultimate weapon!"

"Your semblance?!" Ruby asked, on the literal edge of her seat, her heels bouncing and causing her slippers to flail beneath her.

"No!" Professor Port whirled to face her, his eyes wide like a maddened beast, but the intricately combed whiskers he wore made him a whole lot less intimidating. "I used my sheer presence to frighten it into submission with my signature warface!" His lips peeled back as he let loose a grizzly roar, leaving Ruby giggling in her seat. "The beast fled in confused horror, unable to comprehend such a magnificent foe as myself!"

Ruby grinned quietly as the rounded professor conducted himself once more, his cheekbones risen with delight at having such an attentive young audience. "Of course, there is much more to this story, but I'm saving the grand climax for the students who pass my midterm!"

"Aww..." Ruby pouted. She turned as Professor Oobleck approached her, handing him the thermos lid to wash out. Professor Port stood by her side, a hand on her shoulder in a friendly fashion. "So, y-you really used t-to be on a team f-fighting the old, l-legendary Grimm?" Her eyes came as close to sparkling as they got behind their tinted covers as she took in a legitimate figure of heroism and legend.

"Well, once upon a time. Alas, though it may not look it, I have grown slower, and cannot pursue the beasts of great like I once did. Tis such a bittersweet pleasure to work at Beacon, to train my students how to find and fight these mighty monsters, but knowing I will rarely be able to add to the legend of Peter Port." He stared down at the floor, though even Ruby could tell the difference between genuine sadness and Professor Port being melodramatic.

"B-but, don't a lot a f-fairy tails talk about the legends being mentored u-under some great, wise h-hermit? S-Simba of Vacuo tutored under the honorable Rafiki, Seras of Mantle u-under the dreaded V-Vladimir, th-they always mention the teachers who s-slayed great beasts before them." Ruby gently nudged the older man with her shoulder, flashing him a tiny grin.

Professor Port visibly perked up, and gave Ruby a comforted look. "That's quite true, young lady. In that case, when you give interviews in the future, remember to give due credit your teachers!" He pat her back, and Ruby bobbed her head in agreement.

"Allllllllllright then." Professor Peach spoke up behind them. Port and Ruby both turned to look at the other four Professors. Goodwitch and Ozpin each sat at the headmaster's desk, while Peach nudged Oobleck to get off his scroll. "Miss Rose, how ya feelin'?"

"Um…" Ruby made a bit of a face, obviously still uncomfortable as she reached up to touch the strap of her goggles. "I-I think I'm a l-li'l better. Are… a-are you guys ready to, u-um, see?" She asked, a part of her brain screaming to stop, but she ignored it. They were good people, good hunters, they gave her food and drink and entertained her, even when there were more obviously pressing matters.

"Absolutely!" Oobleck stood up quickly. Professors Peach, Ozpin, and Goodwitch each stood to move back with the group. Ruby felt surrounded again, but she felt significantly less intimidated as she stood up.

"Let's start small, Ruby. Please, show us your eyes." Professor Ozpin smiled at her, and gestured for her to present herself. Ruby nodded quietly and gripped her goggles, hesitating as she willed her fingers not to tremble. "You may remove them completely if it would make you more comfortable." He offered. She let out a slow breath and set her jaw, her lips compressing in the beginnings of a serious frown.

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each watched, Oobleck leaning forward in anticipation. After a final sigh of resignation, Ruby slid her goggles over her forehead and off her face, holding them in front of her chest in quasi-self defense. When she opened her eyes, her three professors were in varying states of shock and horrified awe.

Professor Port had reared back, one hand over his heart, his entire face completely slack and his eyes wide open now. His free hand hung limply at his side, though his fingers twitched at his hip as if searching for a gun.

Professor Oobleck had turned to face the wall, chancing several looks, but always turning back after he gave the most visible shudder of them all. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders before very firmly forcing himself to watch Ruby from the corner of his eyes.

Professor Peach had her metallic hand over her mouth, the other hand squeezing a wrench on her utility belt in a white-knuckled death grip as she took deep, stressed breaths. Her dark skin seemed much more pale, and sweat was visible on her remaining upper arm.

Ozpin and Goodwitch both did their best to not look directly at her while still watching her face, but both gave an inevitable cringe whenever their eyes wandered above her little, button nose. Ruby stood still, arms tight to her sides while she clutched the goggles closer to her chest. She felt very small, very exposed, and she did what she could to not focus on anybody, but curiosity and nervousness made her search their faces for reactions and any possible hints of a threat.

Her big red eyes carefully went from adult to adult, and her heart began to beat faster as they stiffly began to move. The three professors tried to stand still, arms in relaxed positions, but with little success as they stared at the floor, ceiling, or around Ruby rather than at her.

Each of the professors had experienced their own brushes with death in their days. Some on the battlefield, some in the workshop, some in exploration; few hunters had cushy enough positions to never feel death's breath on the back of their neck, but Ruby's eyes did something different, something sinister.

"Ahem." Professor Port spoke up. "Well, your findings were true enough, headmaster. She is quite difficult to look in the eye." He stared at Ruby's feet, silently testing himself again and again. Ruby felt awful; Professor Port seemed like a magnificent hunter, he had probably faced some really awful Grimm in his lifetime, yet here he was, trying to keep himself from cowering before her. Some people would have taken pride in the gruesome influence her eyes had, but Ruby did not, she could only feel ashamed to bring her teachers to such a cowed state.

"Indeed. Indeed indeed. Difficult indeed. Very difficult." Professor Oobleck muttered, his eyes moving up to meet hers. Something strange passed across his expression, like he was having a fight with himself over what to do… he quivered, his jaw firming harshly enough to make Ruby make her suppress a whimper, and his sweating hands clenched into fists as he briefly peeled his lips back, showing his grounded teeth.

Professor Oobleck took a deep, steadying breath. His head lowered, eyes firmly on Ruby in a stare that was nothing short of intimidating, and he walked towards her. She began to back away nervously, with clear hesitation in each step. He reached behind his back, and Ruby began to shrink, her expression begging for his mercy as he handled something small, then struck without warning. Ruby recoiled in fright as his arm extended, but his fingers stopped a few inches short of her face. In his hand was a small make-up compact, lid popped open to reveal the dark-toned blush and a little hand mirror. Ruby stared at herself, then up to Oobleck in confusion, unintentionally threatening him with her gaze.

"Ah-hah!" Oobleck turned, holding the compact up for the other professors to see in a mixture of confusion and, in Goodwitch's case, outrage at the stress he had clearly caused to a student. "She is immune to her own fear effect! Somebody write that down. The gears of progress whir to life in this very moment, and it must be recorded!"

"Bart, did you for real steal my makeup?" Professor Peach all but snarled as she walked forward with an angry gait. "Give!" She held her hand out, and Oobleck complied without complaint.

"The very first step to semblance discovery is knowing whether or not you are affected by it as well! Imagine, if you will, young miss Rose fighting a dastardly opponent who decided to employ mirrors! There is no more humiliating a defeat than one at your own hands!"

Professor Port approached Ruby, looking thoroughly emasculated as he tried his hardest to examine her eyes with mounting frustration. "The Grimm have a gaze far more forgiving. Please pardon my nervousness, Ruby, it's hard to adjust to." His tone was far more reserved than normal. Ruby squoze her goggles tighter, the leather and plastic creaking, as she mumbled some incoherent mush of understanding.

Professor Peach appeared by his side, and both watched her like she was a never-ending trainwreck. The spectacle and horror on their faces were genuine, but they weren't attempting anything violent. Ruby finally hung her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels as she tried to calm herself.

"Sorry. Th-they're a-al-always l-like th-this. My f-f-family s-said it t-too-took a w-while t-to adjust to them, a-and they s-still c-can't l-look me i-in the e-eye... If y-you'd like m-me to p-put my g-goggles on-"

"Preposterous!" Professor Oobleck called from Ozpin's desk, holding a pen and a pad of paper. "We are hunters, we will not be intimidated by one of our own students, even if she has the very eyes of evil itself! Now do you wear contacts or glasses?" He asked, writing rapidly. Ruby blinked, not sure how she should feel about that… then she shook her head, realizing she'd been asked a question.

"N-no. W-we did a h-home t-test and it s-said I had p-perfect vision." She answered, earning an excited nod from Oobleck.

Professor Goodwitch took a few silent steps closer, making herself known by her presence alone. Oobleck paused, and Ruby, Peach, and Port all looked to her as she moved the chairs back to their places with an elegant sweep of her riding crop. "Professors, if you will stand aside, I believe it's time for a demonstration of her abilities."

Professor Ozpin walked to Ruby's side, pointedly keeping his gaze on his fellow teachers rather than Ruby herself. "As I've told you all, Ruby has a power both incredible and dangerous. Despite our busy schedules, I'd like for each of us to lend her the time she needs to bring it under her control, in addition to getting as much information regarding it as possible."

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each nodded, their body language changing as they stood to the side and watched Ruby's feet, clearly having been informed of the basics in advance. Ruby looked to Ozpin worriedly, but his gentle nod made her take a deep, calming breath. "W-well, okay. Um, I c-can summon Grimm." She watched their reactions, but other than a single nod from Port, her teachers remained curiously passive. Ruby took a deep breath, steeling herself. "O-o-okay. Okay... So, I-I c-can summon G-Grimm, and it's a-a little… iffy."

"Iffy?" Oobleck repeated in an unimpressed deadpan.

Ruby nodded in quiet sadness, "S-see, um, I-I can summon p-pieces of G-Grimm, l-like an arm o-or e-even a wing..." She extended a hand, and every eye was on the floor beneath her. A pitch black pool spread from her feet, creating a wide circle of darkness that Ozpin moved away from.

Contrary to a shadow, the pool stirred as if alive, ignoring the angle of light or absence of obstructions as it spread and began producing black bubbles, all while the edges expanded and regressed as if it was breathing. Every now and then a small wave seemed to form, almost creating a claw or a wing, sometimes a serpentine tail before falling flat. Oobleck dropped to his knees and laid on his stomach, cheek pressed to the stone floor while eyeing the darkness, noting that though it seemed flat, it had a barely notable height that was in constant fluctuation. He wrote from his place on the floor while Professor Port cautiously walked over.

Ruby stayed still and watched the portly man kneel, his hand over the black pool, though he seemed hesitant. From the darkness, a barely discernible shape emerged, with an appearance like a hand pushing up from underneath a blanket. However, the muddled shape began to sharpen, and with a tightened focus, the small Beowolf arm, capped with bone-white claws, thrashed feebly; it was like it was alive, and Port noted that it grabbed at her slipper and feebly squeezed, though Ruby either had enough control to keep it from mauling her barely protected toes, or enough control to keep it weak. "How is it, like this? Your connection to them, the feel of it, Ruby?" He asked, looking up at her for just a moment before he caught her eyes. He settled for examining the pool with a cold shiver.

"Um, well, n-nothing comes out u-unless I allow it…" At his curious glance, she tapped her fingertips together. "I c-can, um, f-feel them like th-this. Like, th-they know I-I've made a h-hole they can g-get out of. S-sometimes…" She swallowed. "S-sometimes, wh-when my control's n-not so g-great, I c-can feel them trying to push through. I-I haven't h-had an incident in a l-long time, though, not for three y-years!" Her jaw quivered as she focused on the ceiling and collected her thoughts. "Th-they really w-want out, b-but I make sure th-they're trapped."

"'Trapped…'" Professor Goodwitch repeated, her tone a mixture of disbelief and accusation. "What do you mean by 'trapped?'"

"W-well, see, i-it's like..." Ruby took a deep breath, and raised her foot. Port watched with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction as Ruby ruthlessly stomped the the arm back into the puddle, creating a brief 'crack' as the Grimm's claw broke, then a satisfying 'splort' as is turned into liquid. It did not, however, turn to a black dust and dissipate in the air, as every Grimm any of them had slaughtered had; instead, it simply seemed to melt back into the pool of black ooze it had spawned from. "I c-can feel them in there. S-sometimes I can f-feel a lot of Grimm, s-sometimes o-only a f-few. I c-can feel wh-what they a-are, a-and I c-can control which o-ones sh-show up, b-but the w-worse I f-feel, the h-harder they t-try to escape, a-and the m-more sh-show up." She stared down at the pool, focusing. Port watched as the shifting puddle of pitch black formed another wave, and what he recognized as a malformed, gooey creeps' foot poked out, its claws not formed and the leg itself recognizable purely by size and shape.

"Hmm." Professor Port knelt down lower. "YOU THERE!" He suddenly bellowed, making Ruby leap in surprise as he continued, "Yes, you! Damn Grimm, I know you can hear me!" The rolling puddle seemed agitated, squirming in a more lively fashion, even shrinking in some areas to add mass where Port was shouting at. "I am Professor Port, you have been my prey for years! You don't like that, do you?! Your slayer is right here, what will you do, Grimm?!" He roared at the puddle. The room was silent, and Ruby stared down at the professor as he watched the darkness like he was a madman. He glanced up at Ruby curiously. "Any change to how it feels?"

"Th-they hate you a-a lot..." Ruby murmured, making the professor smirk. "I-I think th-they knew you were t-talking to them? Th-they went q-quiet, a-and are trying t-to- w-wait what are you doing?!" Ruby nearly screamed as Professor Port plunged his hand into the darkness.

His arm disappeared up to the elbow, and Oobleck, Peach, and Goodwitch instinctively ran forward to grab the back of his collar and his arm. His brow knit, and his upper lip curled as he resisted. He let out a gasp of surprise as his arm sunk deeper, well into the floor. The pool began to shrink as Ruby recalled it, though the Grimm mass still clung grudgingly to his arm. Her black aura flickered to life as she grabbed his arm, her strong grip tearing the clinging Grimmstuff off the portly professor. The retreating darkness snarled furiously, half-formed teeth clicking together inside a clay-like maw before it shrunk back into nothingness beneath Ruby's feet. The inky void returned to simple shadow as Professor Port examined his hand.

"Peter!" Professor Goodwitch was staring furiously at the man, her teeth grit. "Of all the stupid things you could have done! We have materials to test this- this madness and you could have lost a hand! What were you thinking?!"

Ruby had her hands over her mouth as Professor Port wiggled his fingers; a pinprick of blood was dribbling down his thumb, and he looked to Oobleck. "Bart, note the consistency: like a living sludge. Smooth, constantly moving, immediately latched onto my hand and tried to keep hold. I felt the point of a fang in my thumb, meaning there is most certainly a malevolent, Grimm-like presence in there. Unformed, angry, but weak."

"Very good information, Peter." Oobleck smacked the back of the man's head, making him yelp and give the assaulter an offended look. "Mighty stupid of you. Good information though." He began to write as Professor Peach beat on Port's back and ranted at his idiocy.

Ozpin gave a little frown and touched Ruby's shoulder, getting her attention. She looked worried, her eyes forming perfectly normal, clear tears of frustration that Ozpin delicately wiped away with the back of his fingers, suppressing the surge of distress from getting so close to touching those hateful orbs. "Very good Ruby, I think you've roused their curiosities. Their questionable decisions aside, I think we will yet make progress in figuring out what you can do and how to control it." His tone was pleasant and comforting, and Ruby's fright dissipated as he pet her head. "Thank you for the demonstration. Would you like me to walk you to the banquet hall?"

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch approached, looking firm. "You still have work to do, headmaster. I will escort her."

Ozpin gave a soft chuckle at her insistence, but ultimately stepped away. "Very well. We'll schedule our next session sometime after you settle in, Ruby. Enjoy your rest, and remember: progress begins at step one."

Ruby considered his words as she was lead to the elevator, the headmaster and three professors gathering at the desk to talk. When the lift doors closed, she slid her goggles on with a soft, resigned little sigh. Ruby stood quietly, chancing a look at Professor Goodwitch. The woman had her eyes firmly forward, arms crossed over her chest tightly, her spine straight and legs together. Ruby thought to ask Professor Goodwitch if she was okay, but the teacher shot her a suspicious look.

Ruby clamped her mouth shut and stared forward again, her tummy full of agitated butterflies. She worried what could have happened to the old hunter if she didn't recall the Grimm fast enough, she worried what would have happened had he'd gotten mauled… she pulled her hood up over her head to try and drown out the humming and clicking of the elevator, and breathed deep.

She was at Beacon… she couldn't let herself slip.

---

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT!" Was the last thing Ruby heard before she was knocked onto her ass by a flying towel. She was suddenly hoisted up by the armpits and shaken violently until the towel fell off her head, giving Ruby a good look at a very angry Yang. "I went looking all over the place for you! Do you know how many people I shook down trying to get them to talk?! I had to bump into some sad old butler guy to figure out where the crap you went! Ooooh, I'm so mad I could- I could-" Yang's rant ended in an inarticulate roar-howl that Ruby matched with a brief, panicked shriek before she was crushed into a hug, her face buried into the valley of Yang's cleavage as she sniffled. "Idiot. Stupid! Making me worry."

"S-sorry Yang." Ruby gasped, popping her face out of Yang Canyon for air. Yang didn't let Ruby go, and she frankly didn't want her to. She was enjoying the warm embrace and unrestrained affection, even as her ribs protested under Yang's raw strength. After a long while of silent cuddling, Ruby whimpered out, "S-so much happened."

Yang finally let Ruby go and tsked worriedly while she brushed the hair out of her little sister's face, giving Ruby the chance to examine her surroundings. The banquet hall was a well decorated room with high windows and low-lighting, though contrary to the name, there didn't seem to be any food, or for that matter, tables. Everything seemed to have been cleared out to make room for the new students to lay out their sleeping bags and, judging by the gathering of students in varying states of casual dress, socialize. Ruby suddenly felt much less like a sore thumb in her plain gray pajamas.

"Yeah, the butler guy told me you and a Schnee blew up." Yang lightly bopped Ruby's forehead as she frowned, earning a tiny pout from the shorter girl. "What in the world are you doing getting into arguments with a Schnee?!" Yang was familiar with their products and services, but from all the rumors, the comparisons to dictators, and the pictures from various magazines, she was fairly sure they didn't actually exist; no family that perfect yet that seemingly evil could be real.

"W-we d-didn't argue!" Ruby groaned in a defeated tone, feeling pale just from thinking about it. She rubbed her forehead where Yang had thumped her and let out a huff. "I a-accidentally got her w-wet."

Yang stared at Ruby with a wide-eyed, but otherwise emotionless expression, slowly tilting her head and trying not to smile until Ruby realized her mistake and facepalmed. "Wow. Uh, way to go, killer. Save some for the-"

"Shut up Yang." Ruby slumped, her cheeks a vibrant red. "Her l-luggage attacked me, an-and I pulled her i-into a pond by a-accident, so we b-both e-ended up soaked, and then a b-briefcase exploded, and P-Professor Goodwitch w-was mad at me, and now my clothes a-are who kn-knows where, and I-I h-have to wear this, and I'm really really sorry I-I didn't m-mean to make y-you worry!" Ruby covered her eyes in shame, and Yang opened her mouth, closed it, considered for a moment…

"Um..." Was all she managed.

The silence between them was extraordinarily unhelpful in alleviating Ruby's mood, so she finally broke it with a mutter. "The p-professors are nice though." She rubbed the back of her head. Yang cocked her head to the side like a confused Zwei.

"I thought I was going to have a story to tell with breaking into the room they kept all our luggage. Yours," Yang let out a small, relieved chuckle, "yours sounds way more interesting. I saved you a spot next to me on the floor, let's just sit down and chill, okay?"

Ruby nodded, only to look past Yang and quickly freeze in place. Yang raised an eyebrow and turned around to follow Ruby's line of sight, quickly spotting an approaching girl. White hair, blue eyes, lithe and lovely, and currently glaring at her scroll. Ruby sighed when Yang let out an appreciative hum at the sight of the approaching Schnee heiress… Ruby understood the impulse, but Yang hadn't spent an hour with the celebrity trying to will you dead the entire time.

At the moment, though, in her ratty, gray pajamas and wearing a prideful scowl, she looked less like her PR presented her, and more like the focused mass of unpleasant anger Ruby had come to know. Wordlessly, Weiss brushed past Yang, who began to frown when Ruby scooted back, and stood before the silently shivering Ruby, waving a plastic lien card over her scroll's scanner. It beeped, and she sniffed to herself as the read the scroll's screen, then held the card out to Ruby with a glare. Ruby stared down at the card, squirmed in place, and carefully raised her head to regretfully meet those icy eyes. Weiss almost grunted, and Ruby felt Yang growl next to her.

"For your wet clothes." She stated, her expression stiff. Ruby thought Weiss looked like she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from her as realistically possible, even if some sense of duty had won out for the moment.

"Oh, uh…" Ruby took the card, and Weiss whirled around. She took two steps away, then stopped, looked down, seemingly in thought, then turned on her heels to give Ruby a dramatic, angry point and matching scowl. The two sister raised their left eyebrows in matching expressions of confusions, though Ruby's quickly knitted into distress when the shouting started again, while Yang's just inched higher in disbelief.

"Don't take this as some sort of apology!" She ordered, furiously shaking her pointer finger at the wilted girl. "I've paid what I owe, but that doesn't mean you're forgiven for your- your idiocy!" Weiss snapped, tearing her eyes off of Ruby to storm off without another word. Yang looked from Ruby to Weiss, then back again. Her eyes flashed red, making Ruby wince even as Yang stomped after the much smaller girl.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby gasped, watching her sister muscle past clusters of chatting people like an Ursa muscling aside foliage.

Mid-stride, a hand on Weiss's shoulder whirled her around to stare into Yang's furious lilac eyes. "Hey princess, you want some advice?" Yang snarled, staring down at Weiss as her grip tightened. "Don't go picking on my little sister!"

"Little sister?" Weiss sneered, looking around Yang at Ruby. Ruby stood, very still and very quiet, her body weighted with horror as Yang held up a fist to Weiss's face. "If you're stupid enough to think your shoddy manicure and dry skin constitute a threat, I'd say you're more of an oversized twin. I can assure you that nobody wants anything to do with her!"

Yang let out a disbelieving snort, standing up straighter, putting Weiss's chin near Yang's bust line, causing the white haired girl to stare straight down at the taller girl's cleavage with a scandalized expression. "Look, I may not know all the details, but she doesn't deserve your attitude. There are Nevermore who don't deserve your crap."

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is clearly my mistake..." Weiss gave Yang one hell of a stink eye, causing Yang to growl. "I thought this was Beacon Academy, for hunters. I wasn't aware they had a daycare. Do you change her diapers and burp her as well? It must be tedious to tend to two giant infants."

"Hey, you know how it is out in the sticks, we have to do everything in groups to make up for the lack of exploited laborers and price gouging."

"Excuse me?! My company is a respected employer across all of Remnant, you are a blustering ape trying to impress me with your girth and THAT little pain in the- that girl nearly got me expelled after setting off my property! So, you can play the wounded family member all you want, but if anyone is out of line here, it's you!" Weiss's voice was raising. People were starting to quiet down to watch the pair more expectantly.

"Oh please, Schnee, I've heard enough about your family. If I snapped at your little brother, none of you would take it sitting down!" Yang growled. Ruby whined, wringing the hem of her shirt in distress, silently begging them to stop.

"If, by any chance, you somehow had the misfortune to run into my little brother, we wouldn't even need to step in if this is what you think counts for intimidation!"

"Please, princess, people like you don't know how to solve problems you can't buy or sue your way out of!"

"I'll have you know that the Schnees have a long, proud history as hunters, unlike some no name, roughneck, top-heavy bimbo trying to start a fight in a school because their sister's a walking disaster area!"

Ruby was shaking in place, trying to work up the nerve to go push the two girls apart as her sister squared off with Weiss at maximum volume. This was too much; people were gathering, taking seats around the pair, shouting encouragement at them to start throwing punches. Ruby wanted to disappear and go home forever, she wanted to bury her face in a pillow and just cry for a while, let all this negativity out in one big, boogery sob.

More than anything, she was so terrified of her dream falling apart right here, right now.

"What in the world is going on?" A flat, disbelieving voice asked from Ruby's side. She turned her head in shock and just… paused, all the stress of the situation suddenly melting away as she stood in the presence of the avatar of her literary wet dreams.

The black-haired teen next to her turned to meet her gaze, her golden eyes gently shifting as if reading through her goggles. On her head was a cute, fashionable black bow, and she wore a rather short black robe with white trim. Her taste in clothes was excellent, but Ruby's head tilted as her eyes ran along her long, slender legs. She'd assumed awe-filled first-impressions were a once-in-your-life sorta deal, since there was never more than one per story, but this girl was quickly proving her wrong. She'd always assumed she'd meet the right boy someday, so she wondered why only the other girls were impressing her so far...

"Hm?" The black-haired girl's head tilted as Ruby's eyes traveled down, from thigh to toe, taking in the smooth, flawless skin and the supple muscle forming lovely curves along each leg. Slowly, her head lifted to meet the girl's eyes once more. A delicate black brow arched, and golden eyes sparkled with something approaching amusement. "I'm willing to ignore that if you tell me why they're being so loud." She offered in a dry tone, and Ruby immediately heated up. She balled her hands behind her back, looking down at the floor and not at the girl's legs, though to little success.

If Weiss was every noble princess in every book Ruby had read, this girl… this beauty, whoever she was, was the dark action heroine–or the mysterious rival, or the bad girl that would turn good, but always the love interest–that Ruby adored the most in all of her stories. She even had the 'unreadable expression' down pat...

"S-sorry. Um…" Ruby looked back up at the ongoing conflict; Yang and Weiss weren't throwing punches yet, but the shouting match had devolved into petty sniping and minor hair pulling, which was just asking for trouble where Yang was concerned. "I-I k-kinda... m-me a-and the g-g-gi-girl in t-the w-white-"

"Weiss Schnee." The dark girl said with an unnoticed bristle in her voice.

"- y-yeah, W-Weiss Schnee. W-we k-kinda had a-an in-incident 'c-cuz I-I w-was stupid a-and d-didn't say 'l-look out, y-your briefc-case will e-e-explode', a-and then it did a-and now m-my older s-s-sister's really m-mad a-at her 'cuz she th-thought Weiss w-was p-picking on me w-when she w-was j-just being k-kinda, um…"

"Snooty?"

"Y-yeah... I-it was my f-fault, and n-now th-they're f-fighting, and- and-"

"You blew up Weiss Schnee, who got mad at you, so your sister's mad at her?" The girl summarized in a disbelieving tone. Ruby nodded slowly, shuffling her feet in utter shame, looking sorry beyond belief. "Wonderful. 'Above all things, a hunter is a force of inspiration and wisdom.'" She shook her head, turning away to find somewhere quieter. She stopped, and turned to look as Ruby's hand took hers. "Did you need something?" She asked in a tone that demanded a very good reason for such a violation of personal space, her eyes sharpened into narrow, golden slits.

"S-sorry!" Ruby dropped the girl's hand, keeping her eyes above the waist. Then above the chest... The eyes, those are pretty AND safe. "B-but, um, y-you read Trendove?" Ruby motioned to the book in Blake's hand before she moved her own hands behind her back, watching the girl's yellow eyes. They travelled the width of Ruby's face, flitting about curiously, taking some time before they settled on her goggles.

"... Of course." She answered, running her fingers through her dark hair before flipping it over her shoulder, never turning to face Ruby; instead, she kept her body half-cocked, looking out of the corners of her eyes while inadvertently showing off every womanly curve she had. "His essays on the societal impact of hunters in Mantle were why I chose to join an academy."

"... I k-kinda thought he was full of it." Ruby admitted. The girl turned more fully, her shoulder pointed at Ruby as she gave her her full attention, one thin eyebrow raised in curiosity. Ruby swallowed thickly. "H-his belief that 's-society rests on the laurels of h-hunters both old and new' l-leaves out all the hard work everyb-body else p-puts in. Sure, w-without hunters there might be d-different cities, or maybe no c-cities, but anybody can pick up a s-sword and a gun and p-protect themselves. Not every h-hunter is a carpenter, so, i-in a way, we all k-kind of, um… need each other, r-right? I wouldn't want to s-sleep in the dirt every n-night 'cuz I d-don't know how to make a b-bed." Ruby's nose crinkled a bit at the idea.

The girl eyed Ruby slowly, carefully, a low, curious hum escaping her throat. "Blake Belladonna." She finally spoke. Ruby's face fell a moment in lack of comprehension, and the girl clarified with an almost-smile. "My name, it's Blake Belladonna."

"Oh, uh…" Ruby stuck out a hand. "Hi. Ruby Rose. My n-name." She nodded, and Blake shook her hand stiffly. "S-sorry, just, I d-don't really get to talk to p-people about the th-things I read." Ruby gave a small, happy smile, the scene behind her now totally forgotten.

"I see. Have you read Alfheim?" Blake asked, turning to face Ruby with her whole body, arms crossed over her bust. Ruby bobbed her head, almost bouncing on her heels, gleeful at being able to converse with someone without screaming, insults or explosions.

"I've r-read bits and pieces that were used in other books. He wr-rote 'A Fuzzy Perspective', right?" Ruby touched her chin with one finger, recalling… "Yang h-had to r-read it for some of her c-classes at Signal. I-it was about the struggle of F-Faunus in Remnant?" Her face scrunched in thought a moment, but that stopped when another tiny, almost-smile ghosted across Blake's face.

"Correct. From the first faunus enslaved by humans in Mistral, to the struggles of modern civil rights. What did you think?" Blake tilted her head, and Ruby swore part of her bow turned towards her.

"Well, I d-didn't read everything a-about it, but he didn't s-seem bad." Ruby paused, coughed, and back-pedalled to better explain. "H-He was really passionate about the faunus and e-equal rights, but everything I r-read focused on all the bad stuff that happened between them. Humans and faunus have been w-working t-together for a while now, right? I-I mean, the Faunus got Menagerie as a g-gift, so it wasn't one-hundred percent bad…"

Blake said nothing for a few moments, her lips quirked oddly in what could have been a smile or in agitation. Ruby wasn't sure if she had said anything wrong, but the girl then nodded. "Sure, not one-hundred percent bad. I'll loan you some of his works later, if you'd like."

"Y-yes!" Ruby blurted out, her cheeks reddening without knowing why. There was something darkly forbidden about borrowing books from a mysterious stranger… and the tiny, itty-bitty, almost non-existent rebellious part of Ruby liked it! "I m-mean, if you don't mind." Ruby shrunk, tapping her fingers together as Blake officially gave her a single, tiny smile.

"It couldn't hurt. I'm going to go read." Blake pointed to a spot against the wall and turned away from Ruby, looking over her shoulder. She paused, looking beyond Ruby a moment, her eyes widening before she cleared her throat, her tone now a touch nervous. "Uh, no offense, but I'll need my peace and quiet so... Later."

"By-bye!" Ruby managed to squeak out as Blake walked–well it was more of a subdued strut–away. Ruby stood in place, not really focusing on anything. Did she really just have a conversation with somebody? About books? She inwardly burned in nervous delight. Did that count as making a friend though? Blake was hard to read, so Ruby wasn't sure what to think...

… She was also amazingly pretty. Ruby felt a nervous blush fill her cheeks, and her gaze locked on Blake's retreating backside, a pleased rumble bubbling from her chest… She swallowed roughly, and a truly awful realization filled her: she was like Yang; she had gotten a… desire from a girl. A girl she'd never met before and only barely spoken to, but it was unmistakable. Sweaty palms, shortness of breath, hot cheeks, butterflies in her stomach…

"Oh no…" Ruby whispered, wriggling in place, ignoring the way her loaned pajamas made her hips itch. "Y-Yang's never gunna let this go…" Ruby sighed thickly at the realization. She was working out on how to broach the topic with her older sister when a heavy hand landed on her head, making her yelp.

"Ugh." Yang scratched Ruby's scalp, drawing annoyed little whimpers. "Some people are just unbelievable. That girl was- I mean- just absolutely the most stuck-up, pissy, mean-spirited little… ugh." Yang gnashed her teeth furiously, not noticing how trembly and red-faced Ruby was.

"Uh… ah!" The fight! Ruby looked back where Weiss and Yang had been arguing, but Weiss was gone, and the crowd was dispersing amidst laughter. "Y-you… she's gone?" Ruby whispered, confused, and Yang shrugged.

"I kinda chucked her." Yang admitted with a roll of her purple eyes. Ruby's face, and jaw, fell as she stared at her big sister. "What?" Yang blinked, a frown forming across her face. "What?! She only got, like, three seconds of airtime; she had her aura up, she's fine!" Ruby let loose a horrified whimper. Ruby thought back to how Blake's eyes widened so suddenly... "Some blonde dude cushioned her fall!"

"Y-you d-didn't… Yang!" Ruby peeped in a mixture of fright and frustration, and Yang held her hands up. "I-it's not e-even our f-first day and you g-got into a f-fi-fight?!" Ruby hissed through her teeth, and Yang's eyes narrowed furiously at her little sister.

"She was trying to walk all over you! I can't let somebody–especially some rich, snooty tart–talk down to my sister like that!" Yang insisted angrily, but before the flash of red could enter her eyes, Ruby's lips began to tremble, her head hanging in humiliation.

"I-" Ruby gulped down some air to ease the burn in her lungs, "I d-don't n-need you t-to f-fight my b-battles a-a-and g-get us i-in t-trouble!" By this point, her encounter with Blake was no longer enough to suppress the stress of the day, and as Ruby's anger grew, Yang began to fidget in a rare display of growing guilt. "Y-you need to a-apologize."

"What?! After all the shit she said?!" Yang demanded in raging disbelief, barely able to keep her anger in check for her sister. "That's not- you're unbelievable! She was such a- I am not-" Seeing Ruby's firm cheeks and tight lips–a sign she was glaring–Yang petered out, seeming to fail at grasping any justification that would satisfy her little sister's sense of… justice. "D-..." Yang's jaw clenched, and she ground her teeth in frustration in the face of Ruby's disapproval."Damnit…" Yang turned away from little sister, giving off just enough heat to make Ruby frown.

"Y-Yang…" Ruby reached out, but Yang pulled away from her hand and clenched her fists. "W-we can apologize t-tomorrow, i-it'll be-"

"I'm going to bed." Yang interrupted in a loud, flat voice, walking away in an impotent, aimless anger. Ruby felt… lonely as her older sister, and best friend, left her to try and settle into a sleeping bag and come to terms with whatever internal conflict Ruby had triggered. She quietly scanned the crowd of students, and saw Weiss against the corner wall, looking despondent and furious, and Blake was by her lonesome on the opposite side of the room, nose deep in a book.

Ruby had the impulse to find Jaune, to see if he could come up with a solution, but she couldn't see him anywhere… Ruby felt her lips tremble, and she slowly shuffled her way over to a sleeping bag next to Yang. Ruby slid under the cover, and turned towards Yang, trying to catch her eye, to maybe talk a little more, but Yang was turned away from her, completely silent.

She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, and quietly prayed that the next day would be better.