Chapter 2
Well, it was now or never.
Ruby walked up the ramp, looking around for her sister's familiar yellow hair. Yang was bound to be here somewhere; this was where first years went after all. There were so many students, and so many weapons!
She simply had to pause to look at some of them. Stepping off to the side, Ruby stared with unabashed excitement.
A handmade titanium flanged mace. She could tell because of the parts. Some of them were non-standard.
Collapsible staff. The articulations were obvious to the trained eye. A little too predictable for her tastes.
Ruby spent a few minutes observing weapons before remembering her task. She had to physically pull her eyes away from openly ogling a cleverly constructed arquebus. Her enthusiasm faded away into anxiety as she saw the clusters of people on the ship. Already there were dozens of them, and more were arriving.
Self consciously, she adjusted her outfit, fiddling with the bandoliers and crosses holding them together. Her fingers slid over the spent casing on her right hip, and she clutched it for a moment, steeling her resolve.
Stepping forward, she tried to walk with an air of purpose and confidence, trying her best to ignore the occasional glance she got. Looking at the other students, she could tell that they were older than her, but not by much. When she had imagined Beacon Academy, she had expected big, strong men and powerful, athletic women. What she saw were students just like her. A few here and there who were obviously physically talented, but it still surprised her how...normal they looked.
Until she saw a flash of red hair, freezing her in place. Ruby blinked, unsure of what she was seeing. Who she was seeing. Pyrrha Nikos, the four time Mistral Regional Tournament champion. Ruby would recognize her red hair and bronze armour anywhere.
She can't possibly be going to our school, can she? A part of Ruby wanted to go ask for an autograph, but she was equally terrified of talking to somebody so cool. So instead she settled for just staring in blatant awe at the woman's weapons for a moment.
A familiar cheer rose above the crowd, and Ruby stood on tiptoe, trying to look over the students, catching a glimpse of yellow. Yang. Eager to make sure her sister wasn't causing any issues, she cautiously pushed through the crowd, muttering apologies.
To her immense relief, Yang wasn't actually causing a scene, just being Yang. Her half-sister had an energetic glint in her eyes and was looking out the windows with a bright smile. "Yang!"
"Ruby?" Yang perked up immediately, turning to look at her younger sister with an even broader smile. Before she could react, Ruby found herself in a positively bone crushing hug, made all the more tight by her sister's gauntlets. "Aw, did you come here to see me off? That's so sweet."
"Ah well...actually, you see the thing is…" Ruby fumbled, trying to figure out how to break the news to her sister. To her credit, Yang was silent and patient, letting her take the time to compose her words. "I'm kind of going to Beacon too?"
For a moment, it looked as if Yang hadn't heard anything, but that illusion was crashed as soon as her smile came back. It was a frighteningly large one too, and Ruby swore that she could hear her vertebrae snap when Yang hugged her again. "Yang...please…"
"I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" Yang cheered, seemingly oblivious to the lack of breath Ruby was receiving. To her lungs' relief, the hug was brief, and Ruby was more than content to stagger back a bit as she tried to remember how to breathe. "This is the best day ever!"
Ruby waved off her energy, noticing the glances returning. The words 'baby sister' rang loud in her head. "Really sis, it was nothing."
"What do you mean? It's incredible!" Yang insisted before nudging her with an encouraging wink. "Everyone at Beacon's going to think you're the bee's knees."
"I don't want to be 'the bee's knees!'" Ruby hissed, feeling her panic rising as the others looked on. It was a struggle to keep her voice down. "I don't want to be any kind of knees. I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."
"What's the matter Ruby?" Yang's expression mellowed a bit, and she spared a glance around, seeing things her excitement had blinded her to. For a brief moment, her eyes widened in realization, before a small smile covered it. "Come on Ruby, let's find a place to kick back!"
Ruby followed her sister closely, letting Yang lead (and push her way) through the crowd to a couple of seats by the window. Yang let herself fall back onto the seat easily, while Ruby fidgeted herself into place. "I'm just...I got moved ahead two years. I just don't want people to think I'm 'special' or anything. I want them to think I'm skilled, but not in a weird way."
"You are special Ruby," Yang assured, putting an arm around her sister, which Ruby returned, leaning against her sister. "You just-"
"Another robbery occurred, lead by none other than Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities." Ruby motioned for Yang to stop as she looked up at one of the screens that had been playing when they arrived. Yang obliged, looking at the report, slightly confused. A pair of mug shots of the orange haired criminal flashed up, and Ruby frowned. Even without his bowler hat, the man looked satisfied with himself, and she clenched her fist at the thought of him still being out there. It seemed that while she had thwarted one robbery, he was still at it. "If you have any information about his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."
Ruby tuned out as the face of Lisa Lavendar popped up on screen. Her mind was too occupied with the face of Torchwick. She hadn't been able to stop him on her own, and if Glynda hadn't stepped in, she would have taken a nasty hit, or been killed.
Shaking her head, she willed the thoughts away. She couldn't dwell on that; she had to focus on getting stronger. Now she'd have a team, and she'd do her best to back them up.
The sound of hydraulics snapped Ruby into attention, and through a small gap in the crowds she could see the boarding ramp begin to clamp up. The PA system dinged briefly, and the screens were replaced with a fading-in image of Glynda.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" The holographic-Glynda greeted.
"Who's that?" Yang asked. Ruby was about to reply when the hologram continued.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it."
Ruby couldn't help the small snicker that escaped her as she remembered finding Yang standing over a man she had punched through a wall only weeks earlier. "Peaceful" was not a word she would use to describe her sister. Fortunately, holo-Glynda continued before Yang could ask her what was so funny.
"You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world." With a small nod, the image faded out, and Ruby suddenly realized she could see the world moving by. At some point during the speech, they had taken off.
"Wow!" Ruby jumped up from her seat, rushing over to lean against the glass. Even though she had seen the view before, it still caught her off guard. From here, she could see all of Vale, including the sprawling fields spreading to its southeast. Even more humbling was the fact that she could see the entirety of Patch, including the towers of Signal.
Living on Patch, she had always felt like Vale was a good distance away, being separated by the channel. With the risks of water travel and the cost of flight, there weren't a whole lot of reasons to go to Vale. But right now, it looked almost like she could have walked between them.
"You can see Signal from up here," Ruby announced quietly. "I guess home isn't too far after all."
"Beacon's our home now." Yang put her arm back around Ruby, and the two stared out at the small island that had been their home. It was a humbling moment, and with the weight of her scythe on her back, Ruby felt like she was headed for something great.
"Hey guys!'
Yang enthusiastic greeting resulted in Ruby getting thrown off balance as her sister rushed forward to hi-five her friends. Greetings were exchanged, and quick discussions were had.
"You got in too?"
"We should catch up!"
"How's it hanging?"
Ruby just watched quietly for a moment, before turning away, busying herself with everyone else getting off the ship. This wasn't her moment; it was Yang's. These were her friends, that was fine, it was what friends did. She wouldn't get in the way of that.
"Uh...Yang?" she started, before realizing she had no idea what to say next. Still, with her sister's eyes on her, she felt like she had to continue. "Uh, we should...you should...you should catch up with your friends, yeah?"
Yang was silent for a moment before the concerned smile appeared. "It's okay if you want to-"
"No, it's alright. We can meet up at the auditorium for orientation," she suggested, trying to get out of the situation. She was all too aware of Yang's friends looking at her, and judging her. Isn't that Yang's younger sister? What is she doing here? Is she going too? "Besides, I want to uh...stay here and look at weapons some more."
Ruby tried to conjure the most confident smile she could, but felt like she was a kid with her hand in the cookie jar. She could see the conflict in her sister's eyes. "Trust me sis. I'll be fine, okay?"
"Alright. I trust ya. See you there!" With a bone crushing hug, Yang waved to her with a bright smile before practically being absorbed by her group of friends, leaving Ruby to watch them go with conflicted feelings.
Exhaling, she tried to calm herself. She could do this. She'd just watch for a bit. Yeah, that would help her. Maybe she could even make small talk. That was a thing people did. Normal girl, normal talk, normal knees.
That proved to be a bit harder than she expected. Everyone was either swarmed by their friends, or looked far too intimidating or focused to talk to. Nervously, she traced the grooves of Crescent Rose, trying to think up some way she could enter a conversation. She had no idea how Yang could do it so easily. She just...talked.
Finally, she spotted a chance. A girl was walking along, dressed in white. She wore no armour, and her weapon wasn't particularly menacing. A multi-dust rapier, if she had to guess at a glance. The trolley being pushed behind her had several cases, marked with the Schnee logo. Dust, Ruby guessed.
There was a common ground. Ruby's own weapon took a variety of Dusts, and she often bought Schnee brand. Maybe she could get her talking with that? Taking a deep breath, Ruby sat up, and began to stroll up.
"Hey, I noticed you've got a lot of Dust. You-?"
"And who are you?" The girl turned to her, looking supremely unamused. Ruby was caught off-guard by the sudden inquiry, and stammered a moment before snapping back to reality.
"I'm Ruby...Ruby Rose. I saw your weapon and your Dust."
"And? What about them?"
Ruby bit her lip. Was she annoyed? Or was she doing this whole thing right? Still, this was further than she had gotten before. With a flourish, she extended her weapon to full length, touting it proudly. 'Well, Crescent Rose here is capable of taking multiple Dust types, so I thought I would ask what kinds you use."
"Wanting to leech them from me, is that it?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.
"What? No no! I just wanted to talk, I swear!" Ruby was startled as the woman jabbed a finger at her, causing her to take an unbalanced step back.
"Listen here. I don't care what game you think you are playing at, but I will not have my family's good name being taken advantage of." With each word, the pointing got more intense, and the last one threw Ruby off balance. With her scythe in her hands, she wasn't able to catch her balance, and fell back on the trolley, knocking the cases open, spraying Dust everywhere.
And yet, the only thing Ruby could focus on was her words. "Your...family name?"
The woman looked about ready to scold her when a new voice interrupted. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Same Dust you are sitting in."
The new girl looked almost the opposite of Weiss. Her dark clothing was far more outstanding in the brightness of the day, and her black hair was untamed compared to the side tail of Weiss. Her golden eyes appraised them in an almost bored fashion.
"I see you at least know who I am," Weiss pointed out guardedly. Or at least, that was what Ruby picked up from her crossed arms. Maybe it was appraising?
"How could I not? The Schnee Company is one of the most successful Dust corporations in the world." That caused Weiss to ever so slightly lighten, a fraction of a smile edging onto her lips. She prepared to retort when the stranger interrupted again. "And one of the most controversial due to its use of Faunus slave labour."
"Excuse me? Who exactly are you to make such allegations? I will have you know that Schnee Dust is a perfectly legitimate business."
"Sure it is. Whatever helps you sleep at night, princess." Weiss never even got a chance to retort as the girl turned, leaving them both to simmer in her words. Ruby took advantage of the moment to grab some of the vials of Dust, trying to put them back in the case. Lifting one, she extended it out to Weiss.
"Sorry about that," Ruby tried, hoping it would be enough. Weiss snatched the case from her hands casting a glare that Ruby was not sure was entirely directed at her. "I...I didn't mean to."
"Well, since it was an honest accident, I will choose to forgive you," Weiss said pointedly, before cracking an eye to look at her, then glanced down inside the case, counting the vials. Satisfied, she motioned for Ruby to step to the side as she handed to case to the man moving the trolley.
Ruby knelt down retrieving a few of the vials, handing them to the man. "I am so sorry about that. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Weiss looked down at her with obvious disbelief, but reigned it in quickly. "Do you know who I am?"
"Weiss Schnee? Uh...Heiress?"
Weiss looked down at her, and Ruby could not read her expression. It seemed almost...pitying? Sad? It was gone before Ruby could read it though. "Do you know what that means?"
"You...have a lot of Dust?" Ruby tried. What was Weiss looking for here?
To her surprise, Weiss cracked a small smile. "That is one way of looking at it, yes. If you want to impress me, you will have to work hard. Surprise me, Ruby Rose."
With that, Weiss waved her porter to move along, and turned on heel, but not in a huff. Ruby watched her go, thoughts too jumbled to make sense of it all, or even straighten out. In the end, she ended up sighing and sitting back on the bench.
Had she offended Weiss? What if she didn't like her? Then there was the whole Heiress business. That meant she was in line for the company, but why was she here?
"Hey there. You look kind of down."
Ruby snapped up in surprise, almost hitting the hand extended to her in the process. The young man offering it jumped back in surprise. "Oh uh, sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"
"Just noting you were looking down. You okay?"
"Y...yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Uh...did I miss your name?"
"Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
"They do?"
"They will...I hope." Ruby had to chuckle at his nervous smile, and she took his hand.
"Ruby Rose. Pleased to meet you."
