"We made it Ren, OHHHH look at this chair, it . is . so . COMFY, not as comfy as you obviously but still comfy as it can be, not that I'm saying weird things like I like you more than the chair, I like you but I don't like you, like you. Do you think Beacon has COMFIER CHAIRS?"

"Nora.."

"mhm?"

"I think they're called couches"

"…THOSE ARE EVEN MORE COMFY, which MEANS…*Sniff* Syrup?", "Syrup?", Nora didn't respond, to busy sniffing the air for more of the familiar scent. She spun around, looking frantically around the airship.

A boy wearing a hoodie stray white hairs visible even with the hood on, turned away from her.

She was in a light state of shock as she pushed herself through the crowd of applicants reaching for his shoulder. He turned.

"Can I help you?", No… his skin was a shade dark, and those eyes….they weren't nearly deep enough. "Sorry", she gave an awkward chuckle, "Nora?...what happen…Oh", Ren halted as he looked at the boy in realisation.

Nora was the type who had a single expression plastered on throughout her entire life, so it was often difficult to find any emotional sign other than exuberance from her.

Ren noticed. A slightly lowered gaze, a smile that was a tad forced.

She looked up at him when he grasped her hands, "we'll see him again, he promised after all didn't he?", it was equally rare to see Ren smiling, which is why it only took a gaze from the pink-haired air-head to bring her back to full force.

"RIGHT Ren! very soon, because that's a promise, and friends don't break promises, except when sloths are involved but that's not their…

Ren bid a farewell to the slightly confused boy before accompanying Nora back to the 'Chairs'. It was a shame though, had they stuck around a few moments more they would've seen the crowd part just enough too see a familiar figure tinkering with a scroll on the floor.

/_ /

To put something else on the record, changing a scroll enough for it to be encrypted through all communication channels was practically a breeze, even with the toothpick thin tools and precision needed to adjust the circuit boards inside. At least it was a breeze when compared to trying to argue with a scientist whose ego is too big to fit entirely on a peta-byte hard drive.

**: What do you mean your having issues with the schematics, I legitimately made step by step drawings on how and why to have the framework placed.

**: Doubts? You're Having DOUBTS? That's bullshit and you know it. I practically resurrected this project singlehandedly and your trying to tell me that there's even a hint of distrust on how we're proceeding?

**: Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore, I don't care what Atlesian commander decided to get a god-complex and start lording over you. You'll be finished by the festival, make sure she gets to Vale in One Piece, I'm trusting you with this, don't make me come there personally to solve whatever shitty excuse you have for turning towards betraying the promise you made.

**: Another thin *Ztzttssss*…. well shit.

Note to self: Using a Device while making experimental adjustments is a bad idea.

In all honesty I've made that note more than once…..at least it didn't explode this time.

Finding myself on a bullhead with all the other applicants was never my preferred method of getting to beacon, but the most of the other options included trekking dozens of kilometres through the emerald forest which was to say at a minimum…slightly less preferable.

Still there were of course benefits of being here, one of which came in the form of a stumbling nauseous blonde who was about to lose his breakfast to the bullhead floor. Solved by sliding over a portable trash can over him, specially designed to keep contents within from stanching up the room.

Ah the marvel of D-Bay, if only your delivery service was half as convenient.

He wasn't able to glance at his saviour as his stomach decided that it needed saving

Almost to beacon…

"Ew Yang Gross, You have Puke on your shoe", "Gross, gross, gross, gross"

Ah…. guess I was a little late…. "Vomit boy" is just gonna have to stick…

/_ /

"Ruby, come on, why don't you try and go make some friends of your own?"

"But…Why would I need friends when I have you?"

Yang smothered a chuckle, as cute as her sister was when she was socially awkward, she couldn't stay that way forever.

"I won't always be here, you know that Rubes… right?", It was almost subconscious in how my hand managed to be petting her head.

"I know… but...", said the nervous short-stack while half nuzzling into the hand.

Scratch that, she was extremely cute, and it would get even better as soon as she realised that she was being pet.

"Wait, HEY YANG, Agh!", and there it was.

On second thought, maybe she can stay awkward…just for a little bit.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this", I took in the entirety that was Beacon, like a castle that you would see in picture….books….

White hair.

Golden Eyes.

I did a retake, it was far in the distance, his figure barely visible underneath a thick oak tree but…. was that…?

"Yang? Hey! Yang! Where are you going?"

"No Time to talk Rubes we'll meet at the ceremony, Go FIND A FRIEND", I probably didn't help her much by shouting that, but I was slightly preoccupied sprinting towards the tree.

Was that him?

/_ /

It was simple enough, right up until Ruby, a huntress that could singlehandedly take on dozens of Grimm managed to trip on a wedge and fall "gracefully" on top of…you guessed it….an assortment of suitcases.

Some may call it 'Fate', 'Destiny', "Bullshit…", muttered by the boy watching from afar, it wasn't a favourable situation, especially when the suitcases were practically rigged to evaporate everything in a ten-meter radius.

An unmanned trolley of bags, a lone daughter of a major corporation and a perfect academy to put under wide media backlash. Terrorists would have a field day.

I wanted to shout at her for practically setting up a death flag, but that would take time. Time…

In the distance a small cloud of red dust was covering the two huntresses.

That I don't have…

/_ /

"What do you have to say for yourse… *Ahhc…*

It both came to them in that moment, no matter how untrained, hunters still had a survival instinct like no other. Weiss's eyes widened as she tried to back away from the dust cloud.

Ruby was incapacitated by an oncoming sneeze.

A suitcase sparked igniting the cloud, time slowed.

*POUUUGHHH*

A flash of blinding light. A loud explosion

It was a few seconds before the two girls were visible again.

Ruby with a newly acquired handkerchief.

Weiss with a newly acquired layer of soot.

The ground with a newly acquired crater.

"Unbelievable!", said the soot covered snowflake, still not fully processing what could've occurred.

/_ /

"uNBelieVaBle!", snarked the boy who found his second favourite pumpkin Pete hoody to be charred to a crisp, the issue with getting some dust types interacting with each other?

Instantaneous Combustion.

Ergo-massive explosion,

Ergo-Another Ruined Hoody

The damage would've at least obliterated that section of the walkway…that is if all the suitcases ignited. No, par one, they were all fine sitting snug right next to the crater, albeit in disarray. Where was the offending suitcase?

He dumped the charred rectangle and the now "well-cooked piece of cloth" inside a nearby bin.

It doesn't matter anymore.

"Better a burnt hoody than burnt lungs…", he watched as the shrimp looked at the handkerchief in confusion.

He left, heading towards the Hall.

Hands in his pockets, lightly rustling hair, and a final line.

"This is where it all starts"

…

""Pfff"", a chorus of giggling broke out,

"He was trying to look cool- ", one of the offenders choked out mid-giggle,

"A complete dork-", the other replied chuckling just as hard.

"He was probably monologuing in his head-", the giggles only grew from that.

"Melanie? Miltia?... What?"