The ground grew distant from the windows of the ship carrying the students to Beacon. Violet rested her head against her hand, elbow propped up by the window itself. 'I'm finally here." After years of training, boring tutors, and long nights spent waiting for this moment… She was honestly having difficulty putting herself into action. Violet could see both Ruby and Yang off a ways, Yang excitedly talking about being proud of Ruby, and Ruby talking about wanting normal knees... but she just couldn't bring herself to walk over to them. An odd sort of anxiety had gripped her heart. 'What if I mess up?' was the thought that kept running through her mind. A loop with no end in sight.

Violet pulled herself out of her negative thoughts. She'd done this many times before, in other worlds. Failing to share a room on the train with Harry, being the last to speak up to join Frodo and the others get the ring to Mt. Doom…

Violet spent so long trying to psyche herself up that she had only just started to walk towards the two when the ship lurched to a stop and opened its doors on to the platform to Beacon. The cluster of students nearby cut her off from her quarry. She almost lost them in the crowd, but Yang at least was tall enough, 'and bright enough', to keep an eye on. The students surged out on to the platform. Violet followed, and as they reached the outside, they began to disperse, giving her enough room to push through and catch the tail end of the sisters' conversation.

"Well, actually-my-friends-are-here-now-gotta-go-catch-up-bye!" Yang spout off rapidly before running off with her friends. Violet didn't recognize any of them. They must not have made it through initiation.

And there was Weiss, butler pushing her bag rack straight towards an unknowing Ruby who was about to fall onto it and start a chain reaction of bickering that would carry on well past initiation. Seeing the telltale signs of what was about to happen, Violet stepped forward at a brisk pace, weaving between other students and then past the butler himself. She threw her hand out and caught Ruby, right before she could topple backwards into the dust-laden cart.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ruby exclaimed, freeing herself from Violet's arms. Ruby brushed imaginary dust off her skirt and grinned uncertainly at Violet. The butler muttered as he swerved around them, but without the commotion it seemed Weiss was still absorbed in something on her scroll, and didn't notice what had almost happened.

"No problem. You were looking a little woozy there and I didn't want you to hurt yourself," Violet replied with a good-natured smile. She held out her hand, open palmed, and Ruby took the hint, extending her own. They shook energetically, and as they did, Ruby's eyes drifted over Violet's shoulder to the handle poking out.

"Ooooooh~, is that your weapon?" Ruby asked pointedly, eyes growing wide. 'Figures that's how she'd start off a conversation. Didn't even ask my name first...That's okay, I'll bite.'

"It is!" Violet gave a mild chuckle at Ruby's expression. She reached up with her right hand and grabbed the hilt before flexing some of her aura into it. The mechanism holding it in place detached, allowing her to lift it off easily and draw it between the two of them.

"Oh. My. God! That looks like it could obliterate Grimm with one swing! How do you hold up all that weight so easily!?" Ruby's hands twitched at her sides, her weapon fixation threatening to take over reason. Violet figured it was easier to show her like she had done with Weiss than to explain, and held it out to her. When Ruby backed off a little, uncertain, Violet grabbed one of her hands by the wrist and brought it up to hold the hilt before letting go of her own hold.

Ruby's body reflexively dipped, expecting some massive weight to come crashing down on her, but her face conveyed the confusion she must have been feeling. Ruby backed away half a dozen feet and swung the sword in a wide arc, earning a startled 'Hey!' from some other student which they both soundly ignored.

Ruby returned the greatsword to Violet, seemingly lost for words before she was torn out of her stupor when Violet teased, "I showed you mine, now show me yours."

With a grin, and a deft series of spins and twirls that Violet could never hope to imitate, Ruby changed the form of her weapon from compact mode to full scythe and slammed the tip into the ground.

"...Oh, so it's a hoe?" Violet smirked, eyeing the crater it had left in the pavement.

Ruby looked down and her face went red, "N-no, it's a scythe!" she exclaimed, ripping her weapon back out of the ground. Pieces of pavement scattered off it around the hole, "It's also a customizable, high-impact, sniper rifle."

"Impressive," Violet replied honestly. Seeing Ruby's scythe in-person for the first time was both amazing, and somewhat intimidating. Ruby's weapon wouldn't have looked out of place in the hands of a villain, with its huge gleaming blade that promised to cut down anyone that was unfortunate enough to draw the ire of the small girl in front of her.

"Does it have a name?"

"Crescent Rose! My baby and me are gonna become huntresses and travel the world together, saving people and protecting towns, just like the heroes in the books!" Ruby exclaimed, "What about yours?"

"Zenith," Violet reciprocated, giving her greatsword a small twirl before reconnecting it to her back.

"What does that mean?" Ruby tilted her head as she asked, unfamiliar with the word. They started to walk towards the main building as they continued to talk. Violet led the two of them, knowing Ruby had no clue where they were supposed to go. 'It's a straight shot, how can you miss it?'

"The highest point." At Ruby's look of confusion, Violet explained further, "In a way, it's like saying, 'This is the best it gets'."

Ruby nodded, appearing to understand.

"Anyway, we haven't properly introduced ourselves, yet. I'm Violet."

"Oh, right! Ruby Rose!" Ruby said boisterously, practically bouncing on her toes as they walked. The large open doors of the auditorium drew nearer as they walked, "So, where are you from?"

"Atlas. You?"

"Patch! It's a small island community off the coast. I went to school at Signal Academy! Where did you go to school?"

"I didn't. My parents paid for personal trainers and tutors to teach me everything they could before letting me leave to follow my dreams," Violet wasn't expecting the wide eyes that Ruby gave her, but shrugged it off, "They wanted their little girl prepared to fight the Grimm."

'If only Grimm were the only thing we'd be fighting.'

Ruby's look grew somber, and Violet realized she had probably reminded her of Summer. Thankfully, Violet didn't have to think up a distraction as they finally reached the auditorium. Ruby's eyes shot up at the crowd, quickly glancing around for a hint of yellow hair. Spotting the top of Yang's head, Ruby grabbed Violet's hand and led her that way. The two of them reached Yang right as she was excusing herself from her friends.

Yang turned her head around and noticed Ruby behind her, "Oh there you are, sis! I was starting to worry you'd gotten lost on your first day."

"You wouldn't have to worry about that if you hadn't ditched me!" Ruby seethed. 'Adorable.'

"And look at that, my baby sister making friends already!" Yang mockingly gasped, glancing down at where Ruby's hand still gripped Violet's tightly.

Ruby instantly pulled her hand away as her cheeks turned red, "Yeah, so what if I did? This is Violet. Violet, this is my monster of a big sister, Yang."

Recognition sparked in Yang's eyes, and Violet took the chance to adopt a thoughtful frown as well, "Do I know you from somewhere?" Violet asked, screwing her face up into as close of an approximation of confusion as she could manage.

"You're that girl from ten years ago!" Yang proclaimed loudly, shocking a few bystanders and drawing attention to their little group.

Violet had never had a good poker face, but she prayed 'to myself' that she was pulling off a surprised expression, "Oh! Then that means you're-!" Violet cut herself off, now pointing towards Ruby, "You've definitely grown from the last time I saw you. Did your uncle ever go back for that wagon?"

Ruby looked as confused as ever. No doubt because she had been only four or five at the time. Violet doubted she could have remembered anything more than the Grimm they'd seen.

"Who cares about the wagon!? I never got to thank you~!" Yang forcefully drew Violet into a tight hug that wheezed the air from her lungs, causing her to make a very startled 'hrk!' sound.

"Yang! Don't leave me in the dark like this! How do you know each other!?" Ruby demanded with a pout off to the side.

Yang let go, letting Violet inhale raggedly and cough, recovering for the moment, "She's the one that saved us, Ruby. You remember that time when I took you out on the wagon to go find that cabin?"

Violet had to step in before this got too out of hand, "Hold on. Those Grimm died on their own, I didn't have anything to do with it."

Yang scoffed and rolled her eyes, "They burst into purple flames when your eyes lit up! You can't tell me that was some huge coincidence. Grimm don't just spontaneously combust."

'Her eyes had…? I must not have noticed at the time. I was too focused on saving us. Is that why Ozpin was so interested in her? He thought there was some other eye power showing up that could help in his endless struggle against Salem?'

"I'll have to take your word for it. I don't really remember doing anything except stare at them. You were staring at them too. How do we know you didn't set them on fire?"

Yang's eyes peered into Violet's very soul as she spoke her next words with dire seriousness, "Purple. Flames."

"Your eyes are purple," Violet retorted.

"My eyes are lavender. And I know it wasn't me," Yang said heatedly.

Violet was saved from thinking her way out of the conversation as the sound of a microphone being tapped deafened the room.

'Or not.'

Yang kept her eyes on Violet in a "We aren't done talking about this" way before turning towards the stage with the rest of the gathered students.

Ozpin had taken the stage.

"Ahem. I'll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose; direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."

'Wow. He sounds like he's still bent out of shape because Jinn wouldn't talk about me.'

After Ozpin had said his piece and stepped away, Glynda took his place and began instructing the assembled students on where to store their weapons and where they would be sleeping for the night. Violet took the opportunity to veer away from Yang, making sure she was the first into the locker room and lost among the crowd. 'Hopefully she'll forget about it. Ah, who am I kidding. She won't stop asking until I give her something.' This time away at least gave her a chance to clear her head and think of an excuse. 'Yeah… I've got nothing. I'll just have to keep pretending I don't know what she's talking about. If I reveal anything, it might get back to Qrow, and that's a direct line to Ozpin… I can't take that chance.'

Violet chose a locker at random, which prompted her to set a new key code. She stowed Zenith and her bags, and mentally prepared herself for the verbal battle that would certainly take place in the future.

Violet had managed to hide herself away from the two girls for the rest of the day, using what skills she had to vanish among the throng of students that milled around for the rest of the evening, chatting in groups of four or more. She had made it all the way to nightfall, changed into her pajamas, and used her sleeping bag to obscure herself from view. Violet's eyes roamed over the ballroom they would be sleeping in. She caught a quick peep of Yang and Ruby, both girls chatting while apparently keeping an eye out for her.

'Where to sleep, where to sleep?'

Violet's eyes finally settled on a small alcove, near what looked like a wardrobe. It looked like as good a place as any to bed down away from the majority of people. Her feet were already carrying her in that direction before she noticed candles being lit right next to her intended spot. Violet's eyes whipped over to the side, and there, previously hidden in the shadow of the wardrobe, sat Blake. Her knees were pulled up, allowing her to rest a book on them. The candle's light was certainly only there as a way to keep her cover as a faunus, more than being actually necessary. Blake's eyes would have been able to read it just fine with her faunus nightvision.

Violet's awkward shuffling in Blake's direction drew a wary eye, but when it became clear that Violet wasn't there to disturb her outright, she went back to reading her book. It was the way that she had to lower herself to the ground slowly to keep herself out of sight that got Blake's attention again. Violet unzipped her sleeping bag, still in a half-crouch, then immediately dove in. Her legs were backed into the alcove, with just a small part of her head sticking out of the top. She doubted Yang or Ruby would be able to spot the half of her head that stuck out, especially now that she was down at ground level.

Violet noticed the tilt of Blake's head, eyes still focused in her direction, "Don't mind me, just hiding away from an awkward conversation with a certain goldilocks that's been asking too many questions."

Blake's eyes left hers and gazed over the room before locking on to something, "You mean the one that hasn't stopped looking around since we got here?"

"That's the one," Violet replied with a half smile. 'Such an observant little White Fang defector, eh Blake?'

"Do you know her?" Blake asked, surprising Violet with the continued conversation. 'I would have thought you'd go back to your book by now.' The reason dawned on her a half second later. 'She's probably worried about Yang asking her too many questions.'

"Kind of. We met a long time ago and I haven't seen her since. I made friends with her sister when we landed, and she recognized me from way back then," Violet gave up as much information as she needed to about the situation. It wouldn't do for Blake to avoid Yang during initiation. 'Team RWBY needs to stick together!'

"Yang is a really nice person when you get to know her. She's strong, too. Really strong," Violet continued, trying to lead Blake on. 'You want her to be your partner tomorrow~'

"I'm Violet, by the way. Nice to meet you…?"

"Blake."

"Nice to meet you, Blake. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try and get some sleep before tomorrow. Enjoy your book!" Violet rolled over and pulled herself deeper into the sleeping bag. There was a quiet "Goodnight" from behind that surprised her, but she chose to ignore it. 'Stand strong, Team RWBY!'

Unfortunately, Violet couldn't keep up the act the following morning. She was busy 'sleeping' in her normal way, watching over her family back in Atlas with some melancholy, when she felt her body get violently kicked. She was sucked away, halfway across the world in an instant and sat up in confusion. Violet blinked back blurry eyes and looked up at the figure standing above her.

The first thing Violet could see was Yang's golden hair, lit from the sun's rays beaming through the windows behind her, "Let's go. Breakfast. And then I have questions."

Violet groaned and flipped over, pretending to still be tired, "Just five more minutes!"

"How about five more kicks?" Yang threatened. Violet felt her foot drawing back to make good on her promise and quickly ripped the sleeping bag off herself, "Okay, I'm up! I'm up!"

"That's better. Ruby is already in the dining hall. Let's go get you changed," Yang reached down and grabbed Violet by the back of her pajamas, hauling her up on to her feet.

"I can stand up on my own, ya know?" Violet said, not really angry, just irked that her plans had fallen apart so early in the morning.

"If I let go, you'll run off again," Yang smiled matter-of-factly, giving Violet a small push as she said it. Looking around, it was obvious why Yang had been able to find her so easily. Violet had 'slept' in longer than anyone else, too caught up in Atlas to notice the time here in Beacon.

Yang let go of her when they reached the locker room, but stood with arms crossed as Violet changed into her regular outfit. Yang finally noticed Violet's weapon for the first time, and when she turned around it was to see a large smirk across Yang's face.

"Compensating for something?"

"Rich, coming from a girl that fists everyone," Violet retorted with a smile of her own.

"Hey! Phrasing! I punch people!"

"Right, right. Fist, punch, grope. You do you, sister," Violet laughed.

Yang seemed ready to punch her if her eyes going red were any indication, but Violet stepped past before turning back to her, "The dining hall?"

Yang's hands trembled as she shut her eyes and forcibly simmered down. She stepped forward and shot a hand out towards Violet, who flinched, only for Yang to grab on to the back of her top again.

Violet smirked, "See? Groping."

Violet was glad Blake wasn't there to hear Yang's outraged scream. The poor girl would have gone deaf in both sets of ears.

Despite herself, Violet managed to keep Yang distracted with more jabs and snarky comments all through breakfast. There was a mood Violet could keep her in that was just right to keep her distracted, but not have it end with a punch to the face.

Glynda's voice boomed over the school's intercom, informing the students that they should gather their weapons and be ready for further instruction. A general sense of unease settled over the student population around them. Most of them looked nervously amongst each other, knowing that only a small portion of them would actually succeed, passing the initiation test to become full-fledged students of Beacon. Even Yang was rendered silent as she started to focus up on her goal, which Violet took advantage of to immediately break away again.

Violet was typing the number she had chosen into her locker's keypad when a familiar voice announced it's presence, "Oh, it's you! I didn't know you were going to Beacon!"

Violet recognized the voice and peeked her head back around her open locker door, "Weiss! I could say the same! Did you retire from your singing career?" Violet feigned mock surprise.

What was surprising was that she'd somehow managed to choose the locker side-by-side with Weiss's own. Violet gave Weiss a glance. Everything was as it should be, combat skirt, ponytail, and Myrtenaster clipped to Weiss's hip like she'd been born to use it. A flash of red and gold behind her caused Violet to flick her eyes in the direction for a brief instant. 'Right on time, Pyrrha.'

"For the foreseeable future, at least. I've decided to dedicate my life to helping others. I want… to improve my family name," she said the last bit much more quietly, seeming to trust Violet enough to share the tidbit but not wanting it to be overheard.

Violet nodded in understanding and stepped forward, towards both Weiss and Pyrrha. She made sure to project her voice a little bit louder than was necessary if she'd only been speaking so that Weiss could hear, "I can't say my goal is all that grandiose. I've just been lonely at home. I was hoping to… make some friends." Violet whispered out that last bit the same way Weiss had, but she could tell Pyrrha had picked up on it. Brilliant green eyes turned in their direction.

Weiss sighed and spoke candidly, believing themselves away from prying ears, "Friends would be nice, too."

There was a truthfulness to it that spoke volumes. An honest desire, one born of lonely days spent all alone in her mansion, only servants, admiring fans, business partners, or Whitley, to keep her company for months on end. Violet shuddered when she saw Pyrrha's smile grow genuine, her gaze taking in nothing but the young heiress that was none the wiser to the two beautiful green eyes burning a hole in her back. 'Damn it, Weiss. You're supposed to be helping me! Not making Pyrrha go after you! Team RWBY must live!'

"Would all first your students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon cliff, immediately." Glynda's voice once again rang out through the school's intercoms. Pyrrha left before Violet could get another word in. Violet's shoulders slumped.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine," Weiss smiled and put a hand on Violet's shoulder.

'...RWBYYYYY!'

The students had all positioned themselves on the launch pads as instructed, while Glynda and Ozpin stood closer to the cliff, looking over them. Yang had taken up the pad directly to Violet's left, and given her a glower when she arrived. 'Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.'

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin began the small lecture, getting the student's attention fully devoted to the two adults before them.

"Now. I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Glynda continued where Ozpin had left off, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."

"What? Oohhh…" Ruby simpered a little way down the line.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired to someone with whom you can work well. "

"Ohhhh…"

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"Whaaat!?"

Violet couldn't help but laugh. It was so much better in person.

Ozpin continued his explanation, but Violet ignored it. She knew the rules. Instead, her focus drifted across the line of waiting students, towards Pyrrha. Violet sighed. Pyrrha was stealing glances at Weiss. `My plans are ruined. Foiled before they'd even started.'

Ozpin finished his speech, and the furthest student to Violet's left was launched skyward. It repeated, over and over. Pyrrha, Weiss, Nora, Ren, Cardin, Ruby, then Yang.

Violet braced herself, using her semblance on her own body to try and let the pad send her even further than it would normally, "See you on the other side, Professors."

The tiniest of smiles stretched one corner of Ozpin's lips, as Violet was launched into empty air. Nothing but trees and hard packed earth beneath her a hundred feet below.

Immediately, Violet dropped her semblance from her body. Letting the launch pad send her off with the least amount of resistance was good, but if she kept it up, it would be like throwing a feather into gale force winds. Completely ineffectual. Instead, Violet soared through the sky, outstripping many of the other students. The only one that kept ahead of her was Yang, who was using her Ember Celicas to increase her speed before she disappeared into the trees. Violet watched Pyrrha land, pull out Miló, and scope in on Weiss.

'Oh no you don't!'

Violet tracked where Weiss landed as well. The girl used her glyphs masterfully, landing in an empty clearing to avoid the trees. As it was, Violet was going to overshoot the two of them by a hundred feet or so. 'Time to act like a feather.' Violet felt her semblance's influence wash over her, reducing her forward momentum almost instantly due to the wind resistance against her entire body. Violet looked down and, happy that there were no Grimm in sight directly beneath her, allowed herself to drop, kicking in her semblance at the last moment to ease herself to the ground.

She turned back towards where she needed to go. If Pyrrha was on her way to Weiss, then Violet would need to cut her off. Deciding on an angle of approach, she set off at a run, weaving her way between the trees and vegetation that made up the floor of the Emerald Forest. 'No Grimm. So far so good.'

Violet burst into a clearing and smiled. No sign of the two, yet. 'This should be about where Pyrrha will come through.' Violet moved over to the side that Pyrrha would have to come from and hid in a bush, waiting for her chance to pop up and pretend like she'd just stumbled into Pyrrha. 'Shit happens, sorry Pyrrha. I promise I really do just want to be friends.'

Violet saw a flash of red and gold through the trees off to her side, 'There you are,' and spared a glance to the other side of the clearing. Her face paled as she noticed white moving through the trees. 'This is going to be close.' Watching the different approaches of both, Violet timed it to right before Pyrrha would get into the clearing, and stepped out from her bush.

A rush of movement and then a startled 'Eep!' behind her caused Violet to swing around in surprise before something dressed in red came blurring out of the woods behind her. She only had time to see a pair of silver eyes before the head attached to said eyes slammed into her own. Violet's world turned black.

"What were you thinking, running around like that!?" Weiss's voice came in as a warbling mess, unfocused and distant.

"I'm sorry! She just kind of popped out of the bush in front of me!" Ruby's voice could be heard, sounding on the verge of tears.

"I'm sure it was an accident… It looks like she's waking up now," Pyrrha's voice could be heard more easily, as Violet sat up, her head starting to clear. There was still a high pitched 'eeee!' that refused to leave no matter how hard she shook her head.

Violet took in the scene around her, Ruby was standing behind both Weiss and Pyrrha, all of them looking at her with concern etched across their faces.

"Did anyone get the number of that rose bush? I need to call my lawyer," Violet mumbled, the high pitched sound finally starting to fade away into the background.

Weiss huffed, "She's fine, thank god." Weiss offered Violet a hand, and she gladly took it, swaying only slightly when she was fully on her feet.

"You know, you should introduce yourself to Weiss the same way. Might serve to break the ice between the two of you."

Weiss rolled her eyes and let go of Violet's hand. They were still in the clearing, though Violet couldn't tell how long she'd been out and decided to ask the others.

"Just a few minutes, actually. Are you sure you're okay?" Pyrrha replied, still a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Violet sighed before stepping up next to Ruby. The girl was still looking far too guilt stricken, "Really. I'll be okay, partner." Violet ruffled Ruby's hair for good measure to show there were no hard feelings between the two. The smile returned timidly to Ruby's face, and the four of them stopped to take in their surroundings.

"Pretty sure it's that way," Violet said finally, pointing northward towards the mountain that could barely be seen over the top of the trees.

"I can't disagree," Weiss stated, taking the lead in that direction. The other three fell in line, and Violet chose to introduce herself to Pyrrha.

She gestured toward herself, "Violet, and you're Pyrrha Nikos, right? I watched the tournaments each year. You're really good."

Pyrrha's cheeks colored slightly at the praise, but Violet was content to leave it there. Pyrrha didn't like to be overly-acknowledged.

Weiss scoffed from in front of them, "Really good? Pyrrha's the best."

Violet sensed where this might go, and quickly stepped up next to Weiss, "Speaking of being the best. I listened to all of your songs after we met that day, Weiss. Can I get your autograph?"

Weiss sighed, "I guess after we finish initiation I could spare a moment to sign something for you."

Violet leaned in close, getting Weiss's attention and gave a meaningful head nod, back to where Pyrrha was ten feet behind them, staring at the ground in front of her as she walked, "I don't think Pyrrha really appreciates the attention of adoring fans, either. Maybe try to keep that sort of thing to a minimum." Violet whispered it, trying to make sure that Pyrrha didn't over hear them. Weiss gave Pyrrha a long, steady look before turning back to Violet and nodding her agreement. 'Might as well ease up any problems in the future if they're stuck on the same team.'

"But enough about that, let's keep focused on the task at hand. Does anyone know what 'relics' we're supposed to be finding out here?" Weiss asked, drawing everyone's attention.

Pyrrha looked happy at the change in subject. Ruby's eyes glazed in thoughtful silence, as if she was trying to remember the exact words that Ozpin and Glynda had used up on the cliff. Violet just shrugged. She knew, but there was no way she was supposed to know.

A howl cut them off. Violet's eyes narrowed as she peered through the trees ahead of them. She spotted a blur of black, then another, and another.

"Beowulf pack. They caught our scent," Violet stated, preparing Zenith by raising it in front of herself. The others each drew their respective weapons, and Violet looked around at each of them in turn with an approving nod, "I'm sure we can take them."

The others smiled in agreement before taking positions. Pyrrha took the rear with Ruby, raising her shield up to chest level and holding Milo at the ready. Ruby spun Crescent Rose backwards, lowering to the ground in preparation to activate her semblance and blitz the first Grimm that popped into sight on her side. Violet noticed Weiss giving Ruby an uncertain glance and chuckled before whispering over to the girl, "She can take care of herself. Focus on your own fight." Weiss still seemed uncertain, but turned back to her side all the same and focused.

The sound of Crescent Rose firing off behind them announced the arrival of the first Grimm, and its subsequent death as the scythe cut through it in one fell swoop. The rest of the Grimm immediately charged in from their various hiding spots. Weiss threw up a glyph to speed herself and flashed forwards into the first on her side. Violet recognized the familiar sound of Milo in rifle mode, firing off at the Grimm on Pyrrha's side.

Two came charging out of the woodworks at Violet, lumbering roughly through small bushes and knocking over saplings in their wake. 'If you find yourself facing multiple opponents, focus on speed first to avoid taking damage, then get in hits whenever you find an opening.' Pepper's training droned through her head, beaten into her skull until she could recite it all verbatim. Violet activated her semblance on her own body, feeling it lighten considerably. 'Try to use their numbers against them. Put one of them between you and the other at all times, so that you aren't being flanked and can focus on one direction in front of you.'

As they approached side-by-side, Violet used a sudden burst of speed and dashed diagonally, positioning her body to the right side of the right beowulf. The other would have to plow through his own pack mate to get to her. The one closest snarled and reared back a clawed hand. 'So predictable.' Violet dropped low, letting her greatsword lay almost flat behind her as the claws wooshed above her head, leaving it exposed. 'No hesitation.' Violet dragged her greatsword across the ground from behind her, then swung it upwards, putting the weight back into it the instant before it made contact with the beowulf's neck. There was a satisfying sound as the head was cut clean off, sent flying somewhere behind her as the body dropped with a thud in front of her.

The second beowulf was just then getting around the side of the other beowulf's body. It charged at her angrily, and she used it's momentum against it. She stepped to the side, twirling like a matador to confuse it, then slammed the full weight of Zenith into the path it's nearest leg was taking. Unable to stop itself, the beowulf plowed through the edge of her greatsword, lopping off its own front leg in the process. Violet immediately capitalized on its downed form. It used its other legs to try and push forward for a bite, but instead it ate the full forty pounds of steel that Violet slammed down onto its head.

There was another rustling sound behind her, and Violet turned around to see another beowulf that had remained hidden, already leaping with its claws raised, snarling eyes focused on her face in a cold fury. A red blur met it halfway, and Violet was forced to duck as the upper torso of the beowulf flew over her head. She gave Ruby an appreciative nod. The girl smiled, finally in her element. Violet turned back to see how the others were faring. There was no need to worry, the fight might as well have been over before it even began. Pyrrha stood over the pieces of three beowulves, Weiss over two, and looking around, Violet could spot the bodies of five others that were most likely Ruby's handiwork.

"Told ya," Violet said to Weiss with a smug grin. The girl could only nod when she also noticed how many Ruby had handled.

"Shall we continue?" Weiss asked.

"Right behind you, fearless leader!" Violet replied to Weiss, pointing with certainty towards where she knew the ruins would be.

Weiss huffed, but seemed pleased. 'She does want to end up as a team leader, after all.'

The group set off again. The mountainside was slowly approaching off to their left, and Violet looked over curiously. 'I guess the deathstalker won't be making an appearance-' Violet's train of thought was cut off as the trees cleared, and she noticed the rubble in front of the cave. The sides of the cave entrance were smashed to bits, as if some large creature had… 'Its already out!'

Violet suppressed a gasp and let her composure resettle before turning to the rest, "Guys, look," she pointed off towards the cave, "That rubble looks fresh to me. I might be jumping to conclusions here, but if some big Grimm was trapped in there and broke out, it can't be good. Someone is probably in trouble. We should hurry."

Weiss frowned. It really was a leap in logic, not one that Violet would be able to explain now, but could chalk up to a lucky guess later on, "I have a decent idea of where we need to go. If you're all okay with it, I'll use my semblance on all of us so that we can run there without too much strain."

"If you're really that worried…" Weiss started.

"What does your semblance do?" Pyrrha asked uncertainly.

"It'll make us all lighter," Violet said briefly, looking at each in turn. Weiss had already stepped up next to Violet, and shared in giving a questioning look to the other two. Ruby stepped up immediately, pressured into agreeing by the two older girls. Pyrrha took a second longer, but taking the hint, stepped closer to Violet as well.

Violet closed her eyes and focused. Reducing the mass on her weapon and herself was easy enough. Extending it to another person could be tiring if she kept it going for too long. Four people? 'I'll be tired by the time we reach the ruins, but if it gets the three of them there faster and feeling fresher for the fight, then it will be worth it.' It took a few seconds of concentration before each of the three girls around her widened their eyes in surprise. Weiss did less so, but Violet knew well enough how pleasant it was to suddenly feel a tenth the weight that you normally did.

Violet nodded to them, "Keep close. The further you get away from me, the harder it is to keep this up. Ruby, if you see someone is in a desperate situation, I want you to use your semblance and get in there to help as fast as you can. You're speedy enough as it is without my help."

They all nodded along, and followed closely as she took off running. Weiss stuck two steps to her left, Ruby two steps to her right, and Violet could feel Pyrrha only a few behind the rest of them, running in a diamond formation with Violet in the lead. It took three minutes of hard sprinting, Violet could feel her semblance's strength waning, before they burst out into a much larger clearing than before. Violet's eyes took in the ruins, the chess pieces small glinting specks on their raised pillars, and the battle that was currently taking place.

Blake was behind the Deathstalker, trying to get its attention with Gambol Shroud, but the small dagger and pistol combination wasn't enough to distract it from the prey in front of it. The Deathstalker slowly walked forward, pincers snapping over and over again towards Yang, who was desperately dodging them, taking every chance she could to fire off shots from her Ember Celicas into the creature's face.

"Yang!" With an outraged cry, Ruby crossed the distance like a bolt of lightning. Violet dropped her semblance's influence on Ruby as she felt the strain instantly start to tank her stamina. In a flash of red that the Deathstalker could never have hoped to react to, Crescent Rose dug a groove straight through the front of its face, gouging out several of its eyes in one long, jagged line. The Deathstalker shrieked in pain and pulled its pincers back towards its face in an attempt to protect itself, giving Yang the breathing room she needed to get out from where she had been boxed in.

Violet's eyes quickly looked over the rest of the clearing. Ren and Nora were currently distracting the Nevermore. Ren was dipping and dodging through a hail of feathers thicker than his arms, and Nora was pounding it with shot after shot from Magnhild. The combination was effectively throwing off the Nevermore's aim, it screeched in annoyance but refused to land, instead dipping away to circle back and try for another strafe run.

The Deathstalker was still distracted, the pain overwhelming its desire to feast on the humans right in front of it. The three of them, Violet, Weiss, and Pyrrha had managed to get within a couple dozen feet of it now. Violet dropped her semblance from the two next to her and herself as she shouted to be heard over the Deathstalker's screams, "Weiss, Ruby! Grab a relic and let's get the hell out of here! There's a cliffside off to the west. If we keep ahead of the Deathstalker, we can at least gain some high ground and avoid it altogether!"

Violet felt a little bad about lying. There was a cliffside to their west, but it would be separated from them by the canyon. Their only choice would be to use the ruins to their advantage, but Violet knew they could beat these two Grimm. There was little danger in the farce, and it would be easy enough to play off as her not being able to see the canyon either until they were right up on it.

They all took it in stride, though. It seemed like Ren and Nora had heard her as well. Nora idly tossed the rook she had taken, repocketed it and waved energetically towards them. Ren kept his eyes on the Nevermore that was still a ways off, giving them time to take a breather. Weiss used her glyphs to quickly get in and out past the Deathstalker. Ruby was already in the ruins, and flew out at a speed that the Deathstalker couldn't have hoped to keep up with, even if it had been fully aware of its surroundings. Violet sighed, she hadn't seen what pieces they'd grabbed.

'No time for that now.' The Deathstalker was finally shaking off the pain, its pincers swung back out from its body and clacked together ominously as it spun to face the group that gathered around her. Violet sighed. 'I'm so damn tired.' The run to get here had felt more like a marathon. She'd essentially supported the majority of four people's mass plus her sword's. 'Thankfully they're all fit young women.' Violet shivered at the thought of having to do that with team Cardinal. 'No way. I'll leave them to die. It'll be better for my health.'

Weiss seemed to sense her fatigue, and looked towards the western cliff that was just barely visible over the treetops. She jumped in where Violet faltered, "Let's go! That Deathstalker isn't going to wait for us to catch our breath."

Everyone nodded their assent and took off after her. Weiss glanced back towards Violet a few times, but Violet worked up the best confident expression she could and smiled at her. Violet had done a lot of stamina conditioning during her years of training. She knew her body's limits, and she was still a ways off before she would end up collapsing from exhaustion.

The cliff was thankfully a shorter distance than it appeared, sitting low at only about a hundred feet above the ground level on their side of the canyon. The ruins started off as a bridge that then led out into a spiral tower, reaching up with decrepit stonework to the edge of the opposite plateau. The group took it in stride, though. The Deathstalker plowed through the treeline behind them, coming into view with a sickly shriek as it found its prey once again. A screech from the sky answered it back as the Nevermore sighted in on them now that they were back in the open.

Weiss reached the beginning of the bridge first, but didn't cross. She stopped at the edge and turned backwards, firing off dust-infused shots from Myrtenaster with elegant flicks of her weapon. Ice, fire, gravity, lightning. Each hit didn't slow the Deathstalker nearly enough. It was still gaining on the group. Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Violet crossed first, but had to fling themselves forward as the Nevermore's massive form took advantage of their positioning and exploded through the middle of the bridge. Weiss, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were left on the opposite side. Stuck between a thirty foot gap stretched over a yawning canyon with no visible bottom, and a Deathstalker. Violet didn't fault them for trying their luck with the Deathstalker.

She had her own troubles to worry about, though. The Nevermore was circling back around. Yang, Blake, and Ruby were up, firing shots at it that just pinged off its thick feathers and hide. Violet took a quick inventory of weapons and semblances at their disposal. She knew Yang could get the Nevermore down if she fired directly down its throat. After that… An idea started to form in Violet's mind, and she quickly called out to the others to put it into action.

"Yang, we need to knock it down to the ground. Ruby, once its down, try and pin a wing down with Crescent Rose. Yang and Blake should do the same to the other wing, but stay away from the middle of its body. Once its immobilized, I'll be able to have a guaranteed shot at it."

Yang and Blake looked at her with some uncertainty, but Ruby agreed immediately, "You heard her, Yang! We don't have much time!" Backed by her sister, Yang gritted her teeth and climbed up one of the taller pillars. The Nevermore had finished its lazy return and was now headed back for them. Yang started punching the air, firing off shots and drawing its attention to herself. Trusting Yang to do what needed to be done, Violet moved into position.

The Nevermore flew at Yang in outrage at the shots that were slamming into its front side. As it approached, she pointed her Ember Celicas down, firing them as she jumped and launched herself higher than she could have jumped unaided. The Nevermore took the bait, angling its a body and opening its mouth to swallow Yang whole. With a feat of pure strength of will, Yang stopped herself from being bitten in half by slamming one hand up into the roof of its beak, and pushed down with her feet, forcing the Nevermore's mouth to remain open, while her free arm fired shot after shot directly down the Nevermore's throat.

It gave an agonized scream and lost control. Yang jumped out of its mouth at the last moment as the Nevermore's body slammed heavily into the cliffside, stunning it. As it tried to pull itself back up, the red blur that was Ruby came flashing down from the sky, Crescent Rose opened to its maximum, and pierced straight down through the Nevermore's wing, burying the scythe's blade a foot and a half into the stone beneath. Blake took her queue, and fired Gambol Shroud as she threw it to Yang, keeping a hold of her half of ribbon that they then held over the top of the Nevermore's other wing.

Violet sent her aura surging down into Zenith, its form shifting dramatically into a shape that resembled a long rifle. The center split open, revealing coils on either side that started to hum loudly, sparks shot back and forth between the coils, charged with compact lightning dust fed up into the weapon from where she stored it in her pommel. The grip and trigger fell into place. Violet reached down to her belt, removing one of the six, fifty caliber, bullet-shaped pieces of pure steel that she kept strapped to her ammo belt. There was no blasting cap. Her 'gun' wasn't as conventional as that.

Violet slotted the projectile directly in between the coils. As soon as it got close, the electromagnetic field they were producing pulled it out of her hands and into a floating position, locked into place by the opposing polls that surrounded it. Violet breathed out, absorbed every ounce of the forty pounds of steel her weapon usually weighed, and forced it all into the projectile. It didn't sag of falter, still held by the magnetic fields locking it in.

She sighted down her railgun, aimed at the Nevermore's head, and squeezed the trigger.

The ground in front of her erupted outwards in a cone, as the projectile itself tore through the air, going from a standstill to Mach 3 in the span of four feet, creating a massive heatwave at the end of her weapon. Protective ice dust was vented simultaneously from the spot nearest the grip, protecting Violet from the resulting backlash that still threatened to knock her backwards.

The Nevermore never heard the shot that killed it, as the heat alone coming off the projectile liquified anything in its path. The resulting crater left in the canyon wall would remain a harsh reminder to Zenith's destructive power, as the Nevermore's body offered no resistance. A foot wide hole was visible through its entire body before the Nevermore's weight collapsed in on itself, unmoving.

'At least those sci-fi universes paid off.'

Violet's legs gave out and she fell backwards, laying out flat on her little section of the bridge that remained, Zenith limply held in her outstretched hand, still in railgun mode, but coils dimmed and silent. Its full charge of concentrated lightning dust had been spent in that one shot. Violet was too tired to even crane her neck to see what the trio's faces must look like. 'I'm popping back in time later to take a picture,' she promised herself.

"Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha Nikos. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team Siren (SRNN). Led by, Weiss Schnee! Congratulations!"

'I failed. Team RWBY is no more…'

Team Siren vacated the stage after applauding Weiss. They at least looked happy with the results, and Violet couldn't fault them for that. It was her new team's turn now.

"Violet Regalia, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you shall work together as Team Vibrant (VYBR). Led by, Violet Regalia."

'Oh no, and I'm the leader… This couldn't get any worse…' Violet's eyes roamed the auditorium and she paused, 'No, scratch that. I could have ended up on team Cardinal somehow. I would rather be on a team by myself than with that bunch.'

Violet's team congratulated her and each other as well, but in that moment, she wasn't feeling particularly cheerful.