Ruby, Jaune, and Team Infinity entered Beacon Academy's giant auditorium, filled to the brim with people.
"Well, this place is pretty big," Ben said as he looked around.
"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang called out, waving Ruby over.
"Hey, Yang!" Travis said, waving back at her with a smile.
"Hey, Travis! You guys can come over here too! There's some space behind me." Yang said as she noticed Travis and his group.
"What're we waiting for!" Kamikaze said and he immediately made a beeline towards the stands where Yang was. Team Infinity followed their leader leaving Ruby with Jaune.
"Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" Ruby told Jaune before leaving to follow join the others.
"Hey, wait! Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!" Jaune asked rhetorically before sighing in disappointment and sulking away. He moves on without realizing that a certain spartan armored girl named Pyrrha Nikos was standing behind him, a hand on her hip as she watched him walk away with interest.
"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked Ruby when she joined her.
Ruby folds her arms and pouts. "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?"
"Yikes! Meltdown already?"
"Yang sorry to say this but you're in the wrong here. You left your little sister behind." Travis said. "Also she did almost blow up, luckily Kamikaze got rid of the explosion."
"You're joking right?" Yang asked in disbelief as Ruby just scoffed.
I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
Team Infinity noticed Weiss behind Ruby.
"Oh shit! She's back." Kamikaze said.
"If we stay perfectly still she probably won't even see us," Ollie said.
"That's not how it works Ollie. She's not a dinosaur." Ben said.
"It's best we prepare for the inevitable..." Arcee sighed.
"You!" Weiss shouted at Ruby.
"Oh, Gods, it's happening again!" Ruby cried as she jumped into Yang's arms like Scooby-Doo.
"Yup, it's happening again..." Arcee said, pinching her nose as she remembers Weiss and Ruby's early interactions in her world.
"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Oh my Gods, you really exploded." Yang deadpanned.
"Hey Ice Queen, that explosion was your fault, not Ruby's!" Alma said.
Weiss then remembers Alma from their earlier confrontation.
"Not you again!" Weiss said in dismay.
"Feeling's mutual, sister," Alma grumbled.
"It was an accident!" Ruby said, only for Weiss to hold up a pamphlet titled "DUST For Dummies And Other Inadequate Individuals". "What's this?" Ruby.
Weiss lists off policies to a clueless and horrified Ruby, going faster and higher pitched with each word. "The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."
"Uhhh...?" Ruby, Kamikaze, Travis, Ben, Ollie and Toshinori said. Ben's eyes even turned into cartoon spirals as he was barely processing the white-haired girl's words.
"What were you droning on about?" Arcee asked.
"I was simply detailing how to handle Dust and other Schnee Dust Company products," Weiss said simply.
"Uh-huh," Arcee said, unimpressed.
Weiss then returned her attention to Ruby.
"You really wanna start making things up to me?"
"Absolutely?"
Weiss hands the pamphlet to Ruby. "Read this, and don't ever speak to me again."
"Well, that's just rude!" Alma scowled.
"She's not wrong you know." Kamikaze pointed out.
"Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?" Yang suggested.
"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby said as she put away the pamphlet and held her hand as, clearing her throat. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"
"Yeah!" "And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!" Weiss said in faux enthusiasm as she pointed at Jaune, which didn't go unnoticed by him.
"Wow, really?!" Ruby asked, completely oblivious to Weiss's sarcasm.
"No."
Ben leans over and whispers to Arcee. "Was Weiss in your world this much of a bitch?"
"Unfortunately yes but she did get better, eventually," Arcee said.
Everyone's attention is suddenly drawn to the stage, where Professor Ozpin is readying the microphone, with Glynda beside him.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled 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."
This causes the students to whisper among themselves while the members of Team Infinity share looks.
"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."
As Ozpin leaves, Glynda steps up to talk." "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
"He seemed kind of... off," Yang remarked.
"It's almost like he wasn't even there," Ruby said.
"Ozpin has a strange presence," Kamikaze muttered.
"I must agree with you, he is very peculiar," Drake commented.
"That's definitely what I thought of Ozpin when I first met him in my world," Arcee said.
"We'll definitely look into the Headmaster later," Ben said.
As Team Infinity was talking, Jaune approached Weiss from the side.
"I'm a natural blond, you know!"
Weiss puts her hand to her face in exasperation.
The first night at Beacon, students were all splayed out in sleeping bags. Ruby, in her pajamas and with a sleeping mask around her head, is writing in a journal when Yang crashes next to her, similarly dressed.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed.
"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though," Ruby said.
"I know I do!" She purrs as she watches several muscular, shirtless guys and Jaune, dressed in footie pajamas, waving to her, which makes her roll her eyes before she returns her attention to Ruby.
"Hey, you two," Kamikaze said walking up to the two girls followed by his teammates.
"Hey Kamikaze." Yang said.
"Hey, guys," Ruby said before going back to writing.
Team Infinity was dressed in their sleepwear like everyone else. Kamikaze wore a white cotton t-shirt and plaid slacks. Ben wore black and green pajamas. Drake wore crimson pajama robes. Travis wore a white wife beater and blue shorts. Momonga wore a black Yukata. Arcee wore violet silk pajamas. Yuki wore a white vest and pink booty shorts. Ren wore midnight blue pajamas with golden star designs. Alma wore a black t-shirt and black pajama pants. Ollie wore a white onesie. Finally, Toshi wore dark gray pajamas.
"What are you writing there Ruby?" Travis asked.
"A letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going." Ruby said.
"Aw, that's so cuuuute!" Yang squealed and she got knocked back as a pillow was launched at her face by her sister.
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!" An embarrassed Ruby said.
"What I'm I chopped liver?" Kamikaze said.
"Not you guys, I am glad that we met," Ruby said with a reassuring smile.
"What about Jaune? He's sort of nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!" Yang said.
"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero…" Ruby moped.
"There's no such thing as negative friends! You just made one friend and one enemy!" Yang said.
"Yang's right you know, you either have friends or not," Ben said. "That's how it goes with me, especially. Course a lot of my friends tend to try and kill me but what do I know?"
"Yeah not everyone is going to want to be your friend," Kamikaze added. "What matters is choosing the right people to be your friends.
"I get what you're trying to say but it is really hard to make friends," Ruby said.
"Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!" Yang said.
Everyone notices a candle being lit nearby, and Blake is seen leaning against a wall, reading her book.
"That girl…" Ruby muttered.
"You know her?" Yang asked Ruby.
"Not really. She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything." Ruby said.
Kamikaze absentmindedly was staring at Blake.
"She's cute."
"Looks like someone has a crush…." Ben said slyly as he noticed the look Kamikaze was giving the girl.
"Shut up Ben."
"Don't be a hypocrite Kamikaze." Drake reprimanded.
"Yeah, don't think I forgot you made fun of my crush," Travis said in an annoyed tone.
"Alright, I won't make fun of anybody's crushes anymore," Kamikaze said with his fingers crossed behind his back.
"Well, now's your chance to make a new friend!" Yang said and she grabs Ruby's arm and lifts her up.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ruby said, panicking as Yang dragged her over to Blake's location.
Blake looks over her book to see Ruby unsuccessfully struggling against Yang's grip as she leads her sister over to Blake's spot before letting go.
"Hellooo! I believe you two may know each other?" Yang said in a sing-song manner.
"Aren't you that girl that almost exploded?" Blake asked bluntly.
"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby! But you can just call me Crater…Actually, you can just call me Ruby!" Ruby rambled.
Blake went back to reading her book.
"Okay."
"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to Ruby.
"I don't know, help me!"
"So... What's your name?" Yang asks.
Blake sighs as she's interrupted from her reading.
"Blake."
"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!" Yang says.
"She likes her bow? Seriously?" Yuki said flatly.
"That girl has Butch Lesbian Disaster written all over her," Ben said with a roll of his eyes.
"She sounds just as awkward as Ruby," Arcee says.
"Thanks!" Blake says irritably.
"It goes great with your... pajamas!" Yang continues causing Arcee to groan.
"Wow, not even at my most awkward would I have said that," Ben said.
"Damn she's almost as bad as my dad," Toshi remarked.
"Right…" Blake muttered.
Yang continues blissfully unaware of Ruby's discomfort or the lack of interest from Blake.
"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang asked.
"Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!" Blake said sarcastically. Ruby and Yang stand there, having not gotten the hint. "That I will continue to read." Cue Ruby and Yang continue standing. "As soon as you leave!"
"Are Ruby and Yang that terrible at social interaction?!" Drake asked. "Did their Dad do that shoddy job at raising them?!"
"I don't know Drake, I really don't know," Kamikaze said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause," Yang tells Ruby.
"Honey, I think you need to look in a mirror," Yuki said sarcastically.
Ruby notices the book Blake is reading.
"What's it about?"
"Huh?" Blake said surprised.
"Your book. Does it have a name?" Ruby says.
"Well... i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." Blake nervously explains.
"Oh, yeah! That's really lovely!" Yang says sarcastically.
"That sounds awfully like smut," Ben said. "And I should know."
"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!" Ruby said.
Blake laughed a little. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!" Ruby said optimistically.
"That's very noble Ruby," Kamikaze says.
"That's very ambitious for a child," Blake said but she suddenly frowned, looking quite somber. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."
"Ain't that the truth," Arcee says bitterly as she remembers the fate of her world, Ben putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. What happened back then wasn't your fault." Kamikaze said telepathically.
"I know but that still doesn't change things," Arcee replied back.
"Well, that's why we're here! To make it better." Ruby beamed.
"That's the spirit, Ruby! We can make a difference if we are willing." Travis said.
"Yeah!" Ollie cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang says as she hugs Ruby.
"Cut it out!" Ruby says, trying to escape Yang's hold. The forced sisterly bonding evolves into a dust cloud of fighting limbs and flying stars.
"Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha-" Blake says before she is interrupted by a familiar Ice Queen.
"What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"
"Oh brother, this is gonna be a long night…" Kamikaze groaned.
Weiss stared at Team Infinity specifically at Alma, who noticed her with an annoyed frown.
"Oh, not you again!"
"Hooray! The Ice Queen has returned!" Alma said sarcastically.
"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!" Ruby said.
"Oh, now you're on my side!" Weiss says accusingly.
"I was always on your side!" Ruby retorted.
"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!" Yang said.
"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss said.
"Miss Schnee, you are being rude," Drake said.
"What I said is true!" Weiss protested.
"No, what you said there was mean," Arcee said disapprovingly.
"Besides you started the accident!" Alma added accusingly.
Blake rolls her eyes at the fight, simply closes her book, reaches over to grab her candle, and blows it out.
"Wait! That's how we're ending this chapter?!" Ben complained but nobody gave him any sort of response.