A crisp, cool breeze greeted the group of teenagers when they spilled out of a giant airship onto the academy docks. Overhead, the sun was partly eclipsed by clouds, leaving just enough light to remind them it was not quite evening yet. The class noisily followed the path laid out by their guide.
"This way, students," the guide called out. "Don't lag behind." She was a bespectacled blonde wearing a purple cape. Striding confidently along, she did not bother to check whether or not everyone was keeping up with her. Dozens of students shuffled along as they looked around at the docks and distant campus buildings. A few stragglers hurried to join the procession.
One student stood out among the crowd. Most appeared scared or uncertain, while others simply seemed bored. Not this boy, however. He smiled from ear to ear while holding a large, green yo-yo.
They finally left the docks and walked for what felt like an eternity. The group eventually reached a vast campus full of students like themselves. Tall buildings with sharp spires towered over the grounds. Their bold, darkly colored rooftops were tempered by softer grays, keeping the place from otherwise appearing dreary.
The students on campus were either practicing with weapons, carrying books, or talking as they walked to what the boy with the yo-yo assumed were their next classes. Minutes later, the group finally reached the main courtyard. A giant building temporarily diverted their attention from the person standing in the center of the courtyard. The silver-haired professor held a cup of tea in one hand. This man also wore glasses, like their guide.
"Hello," the professor began. His voice was steady and elegant, tinted lenses positioned perfectly on his face. "Welcome to Beacon Academy."
A mixture of reactions echoed through the crowd. Some whispered amongst themselves about how well the man had aged. He was obviously many years their senior, but looked no older than his late twenties. Other students felt underwhelmed, and openly doubted whether he was truly a Huntsman. The bespectacled guide accompanying the students held a finger to her lips, quieting them down.
The man sipped from his steaming cup of tea, then continued.
"You few standing before me today have proven yourselves skilled enough to enroll at this prestigious institution. Ordinarily I would receive you inside, but this year, I thought it might be nice to get some fresh air. My name is Professor Ozpin. I'm your headmaster."
The boy slowly zoned out while Ozpin explained how the students would be divided into teams, assuming they succeeded in tomorrow's challenge. Images of inhuman, black and white creatures known as Grimm consumed his thoughts. He continued to smile while the man spoke, the blonde guide standing close by his side.
I'm gonna get to kill some Grimm, the boy thought to himself, trembling with enthusiasm.
Someone nearby distracted him from his daydream. A slightly shorter boy standing to his left wore a green tanktop and baggy pants. He had a head full of auburn hair, and two shiny green handguns attached at his hips. He looked extremely nervous, and kept shifting from foot to foot. In addition, the stranger had gills on the sides of his throat!
Fascinated, he surmised that this student must be a Faunus. He decided to slide over and speak to him. After all, maybe the guy was jumpy and closed off because he needed a friend. Running a hand through his blond hair, he took a breath and tried to put on his most inviting face.
"Hey," he said with a smile as he tapped the stranger's shoulder. "I'm Alabaster, and-"
Something cut Alabaster off mid-sentence. He briefly registered the boy's mouth opening before he was flung backwards. His body tumbled across the pavement, heavy like a rock. Stopping the momentum was impossible - almost as if he were being thrown by some invisible force.
All around him, other students sprawled in various directions, hitting the pavement noisily or skidding to a halt in battle poses. Alabaster rolled backward, landing on his face. Grateful that his aura sustained the damage, he pushed himself up to a standing position and dusted off his forest green jacket and white pants. A commotion rose as the crowd recovered. The boy he had approached was standing awkwardly in the center of the chaos with his arms crossed in a protective gesture.
"What the heck was that?!"
"Everyone okay?"
"That was weird."
"Ow! My shoulder."
"Just what IS that guy?"
Alabaster watched the boy grow more and more uncomfortable, until he finally turned and briskly walked away from the crowd. He felt a deep sense of sadness for the boy as many of the other students came back together, giving the reclusive Faunus a collective stare of mistrust. The guide named Glynda and Professor Ozpin tried their best to keep everyone calm, and reassured them that events would proceed as planned.
An urge to go after the Faunus boy overcame Alabaster. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him in pursuit. Glynda called out for him to stop, but he didn't care. He wanted to make amends for frightening the fellow student.
"Hey man, I didn't mean to-"
The boy swiveled on Alabaster, petulant and trembling as they locked eyes. "Why would you do that? Don't just sneak up on people."
"I wasn't trying to sneak. My bad. I only wanted to...to say hi."
The Faunus paused, considering his answer, then resumed his defiant posture and attitude. "Hi," he said with unnecessary emphasis, then stomped off again.
"Wait! What's your name? Was that thing back there all you?"
"...Newt. Yeah, that was my semblance." Newt sighed and continued on.
Alabaster frowned and watched the boy leave. He heard Glynda's heels click as she caught up to him. She asked him to return to the center of the courtyard with the rest of the students. Reluctant, he dropped his arms to his sides and followed Glynda's orders as she pursued the stray student.
He returned to the class without a word. Professor Ozpin had moved on to explaining the entrance exam. Unlike in previous semesters, new students would not be expected to enter the Emerald Forest. According to the professor, a squad of students destroyed a large section of the ruins near the forest in a previous class, so team exercises were moved elsewhere. The students would split into two smaller groups, and then be sent to either Beacon's perimeter, or Forever Fall. An assessment of their performance would determine their teams for the remainder of their time at Beacon.
"Yay!" A nearby girl shouted, wiggling with excitement. She frantically raised her hand. "Ooh, question! If we pass, we get special uniforms, right? I heard we get uniforms."
Ozpin nodded, eliciting a squeal from the girl. Alabaster shook his head and laughed at her reaction. Her ridiculously colorful outfit and bedazzled purse already made her stick out like a sore thumb, so the passionate commentary wasn't helping any. Al mentally noted that she was cute, but in a childishly innocent way.
Snapped out of his thoughts by Ozpin's instruction, he obediently fell into formation with the rest of the students and marched into the large building behind the headmaster. According to him, they were to rest here for the evening and await the next morning's challenges.
Alabaster's weapon, Rimorta, was cool to the touch. The familiar sensation of the yo-yo's sleek surface against his palm energized him. Once again, he found himself thinking hard about how he just couldn't wait to kill some Grimm.