Four and a half years. Weiss let out a slow breath. Four and a half years since the worst day of her life. Slowly, she opened her eyes, meeting her gaze in the mirror. Two pale blue eyes, one organic and one artificial, stared back out at her from a pale face, a wide scar tracing from her forehead to the middle of her left cheek. Long white hair was pulled into an off-centre ponytail, a tiara holding it in place. She stepped back and looked further down. True to Pietro's predictions, her prosthetic body had needed to be quite tall.

Even without heels she stood at seven feet in order to accommodate not only her organic torso within her new body, but all the systems needed to keep her healthy and the other systems that had been added. The 'skin' was white, and a thin surface coating gave it a somewhat more organic feeling than solid metal or plastic would have. The end result was an appearance like marble, a slightly softer finish that Weiss was more pleased with. After some consideration and a few conversations, they had decided to base the body off of Winter, since she was Weiss' only female sibling, with some random variation on the part of Pietro to approximate natural diversity between the two of them beyond just their faces.

A small, ice blue silk scarf wrapped around her neck, covering the seam where her real skin disappeared under the prosthetic shell. She wore a white dress down to her mid-thigh which flared out once past her waist, the colour graduating to blue at the hem. A white bolero jacket went over the top of this, internally lined with red and the family crest stitched into the back. Thigh-length boots the same shade as the rest of her outfit covered most of her legs, whilst long socks covered the rest of the distance between her boots and her dress. The wedges on her heels raised her height by an extra few inches, still in love with the style of them despite her already impressive height.

A scarf-like belt wrapped around her waist completed the outfit, supporting a large satchel bag the same style as her coat. Very little of her prosthetic body's 'skin' was shown, most notably around her hands. Like all such prosthetics their artificial nature was plain to see thanks to ball joints and distinct panels. Pietro had gone to great lengths to make the shape as natural as possible though, the fingertips even featuring nail-like shapes.

She started slightly at the knock on her door. "Miss Schnee? Are you just about ready?" Weiss smiled, walking over and opening the door.

"Klein!" she greeted him with a smile. "Yes, everything's packed," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the pile of suitcases and boxes stacked in the middle of the room.

"So I see. I think we'll need to get a trolley for all this," Klein said, nodding to himself with a chuckle. "We'll be leaving shortly, are you sure you have everything you need? Your sword?" Weiss reached behind the door and pulled a long case into view. Close to a match for her height, a long sling allowed her to carry it over her shoulder without dragging on the ground. "Ah, very good. And you remember all your maintenance and have all your tools?"

"Klein," she gently interrupted. "I've got everything, okay? It's been more than four years now."

"I know, I know. Can you blame a man for worrying?" he asked with a chuckle, before a deathly-serious expression settled on his face. "... Did you remember your toothbrush?" Weiss was silent for a few moments, before awkwardly walking into her bathroom, sheepishly returning and slipping the almost-forgotten brush into a bag. "And this is why I check," he said, his cheerful expression returning. Weiss chuckled.

"Now, I've said this before, but… Beacon is going to be a very different place to what you're used to. It's no fault of yours, but you've had very little opportunity to interact with people outside of Atlas high society, yes?" Weiss nodded after a second. "Beacon won't be like that, and Vale certainly won't. You're going to meet and work with people from all over Remnant and from all kinds of backgrounds, and that's going to be wonderful. Just… Try not to expect them to act like the sorts of people you're used to."

"I… Alright, I'll try," she said.

"And… There will be faunus there," he said quietly. A brief flash of emotion pulsed in Weiss' chest, and she swallowed stiffly. Klein quickly glanced up and down the hallway, before continuing. "I know that faunus are a… Sore spot for you," he continued, carefully choosing his words and keeping a delicate tone. "What the White Fang did was… Well, I have the words but I won't use them around the young lady I helped raise. But, the White Fang isn't all faunus. You see the problems with how your father and his directors run the company, yes?" Weiss nodded. "Do you think all Atlesians share the blame for those practices?"

"No, no. I know what you're saying. Don't blame them all for what the White Fang did. It's just… It's hard, Klein. They did this to me and all I heard for months afterwards was 'the White Fang did this', 'the faunus attacked us'. I just…" She stopped for a moment, taking deep breaths, recalling the techniques the various therapists her father hired taught her. "It's hard not to think about what happened that night whenever faunus are mentioned."

"I know it is, Snowflake," he said reassuringly, patting her on the arm. "And I know it's not going to happen overnight. I just want to make sure you're as prepared as possible."

"I know. Thank you Klein," she said, leaning down to hug him. He returned the hug, patting her on the back and holding it for a few seconds before they broke apart.

"Not at all. Now, let's get a trolley for your bags, hm? Don't want to keep the pilot waiting."

"Aaaaah! Ohmygosh!" Yang stood smirking, one eyebrow raised as she watched her sister dance around the courtyard. Beacon Academy loomed ahead of them, the gigantic building dominating the skyline around them. "We made it! We're at Beacon!" Ruby dashed back over to Yang, petals scattering behind her.

"Pretty cool view, huh?" she asked, grinning. "Don't think I was expecting this many people."

"I know! So many cool weapons! Oh, look at that one!" As Ruby made to dash over to a student, Yang grabbed her hood and pulled her back.

"Easy there, sis'. It's just someone's weapon," she said, trying to calm Ruby down a little.

"Just weapons?! A hunter's weapon is an extension of themselves! And they're so cool!" she said, windmilling her arms.

"Careful, I think Crescent Rose might get jealous," she joked. Ruby let out an offended squeak, unfolding her scythe and hugging it tightly.

"Crescent Rose is the coolest, of course," she huffed. "But it's still great to see new weapons. Like meeting people but better!" She folded her scythe away, returning it to her back before starting to dash away, looking over her shoulder at Yang. "Now let's go, we're gonna be late- Oof!" She was cut off as she ran into something solid, bouncing off and landing on her rear. "Oww, what the-" she paused, as she opened her eyes, staring at a white pair of boots.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Ruby's eyes climbed higher, meeting the stranger's eyes. She loomed over her, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. A scar ran down the left side of her face, and her hair was tied back in an off-centre ponytail. Ruby yelped, scrambling to her feet.

"Ah! Sorry, didn't mean to run into you wow you're tall!" she blurted out, words tripping over themselves in their haste to leave her mouth.

"Well, pay attention to where you're running next time," she huffed out, folding her arms. "You could have knocked someone over and hurt them."

"Hehe, right, yeah, sorry," Ruby chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. Yang slowly wandered over to join them. "Oh! I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose!" she exclaimed, extending a hand to shake. "This is my sister Yang!" The stranger looked at Ruby's hand before carefully taking it. Ruby's eyes widened a little as she spotted the prosthetic.

"A pleasure. I'm-"

"Weiss Schnee," a voice interrupted her, and the three looked over to see another woman wandering over, reading from a book as she walked. She was dressed mostly in black and white with a black bow on her head, and a pair of yellow eyes flicked over to examine the group.

"Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of refined dust on Remnant. Infamous for controversial labour practices and questionable business partners." The practised smile that had begun to form on Weiss' face dropped back into a scowl. Whatever response Weiss had formulating was cut off by another voice.

"Miss Schnee?" one of the staff moving her considerable trolley of luggage called over. "We've been told where to put your things. Anything you need before we move it all?"

"Just one case," she said, stepping away from the group and retrieving a long, narrow case from the trolley. She nodded her thanks to the staff before walking away, heading towards the main building.

"Oh, and what's your… Name…" Ruby's question tailed off as she looked at the last woman, who had also turned and started walking away.

"Well that went well," Yang said, smiling at Ruby, who let out a loud sigh, shoulders sagging as she slumped forwards. "Maybe don't run headlong into the next person you meet?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Ruby replied with a depressed tone. "Did you see her hand? Wonder why she's got a prosthetic hand."

"If I had to guess, she probably lost her old one. Probably not a good idea to ask her about it though, yeah?" Yang pointed out, prompting a nod from Ruby.

"Right, yeah. Now let's go, initiation's starting soon right?" she said, grabbing Yang's arm and attempting to pull her sister along. Yang resisted for a couple of seconds, and then allowed Ruby to lead her onwards, having made her point.

Blake was very glad she had her book as she walked away from that confrontation. It served as a shield, dissuading anyone else from trying to start conversation. Which was good, because despite her outward aloofness, her mind was racing and tripping over itself. Weiss Schnee at Beacon?! None of the publications I saw said she'd be here! Just my luck, fuck! She cursed away internally.

Every member of the White Fang, hell probably just about every faunus knew about the attack on Schnee Manor. The fallout of the attack and the media circus honing in on the horrific injuries to the Schnee heiress had shaken the White Fang, dissuading previously-sympathetic faunus from working with them. Even Sienna Khan had publicly disavowed the branch responsible for the attack, though with a final note that the faunus would be dancing in the street if the attack had instead killed Jacques.

And now I'm going to fucking school with her?! Blake's pace increased unconsciously. Ok, calm down Blake. She doesn't know you're a faunus. The chances of you ending up on the same team as her are really low. It'll be fine. Maybe she's ok with faunus? She mentally paused to analyse that last thought. Yeah right. After what we did to her, and with Jacques for a father? She'll probably try and kill me if she finds out I used to be in the Fang.

She thought back to how tall Weiss was. The way Ruby just bounced off her despite running headlong into her. All the rumours that had circulated in the White Fang about the heiress' new body. She then decided to try to avoid thinking about the possibility that Weiss might actually be able to kill her.

Weiss stood in the crowded auditorium, ignoring the chatter around her as she adjusted the long case hanging around her shoulder. Despite her efforts, she caught fragmentary mutters around her, mostly some variation of 'wow she's tall', but she heard numerous mentions of her name, and even some students who had noticed her prosthetic hands.

She resisted the urge to hide her hands in her sleeves; part of her didn't want to give them the satisfaction of a response, whilst another part recognised it wouldn't be too long before her fellow students knew about the extent of her prosthetics. At least a few of them probably already knew anyway. Close by, she noticed Ruby and Yang chattering away. Ruby was excitedly talking Yang's ear off about something, who smiled and nodded along with whatever her sister was gushing about.

Her attention was drawn to the stage as the various conversations around the crowd stopped. On stage, two figures stood. The first was Professor Ozpin, wearing a dark green suit with small glasses perched on his nose. The second was Professor Goodwitch, also wearing glasses along with a pleated white top and a black pencil skirt.

"I'll keep this brief," Ozpin started into the microphone, the last echos of muttering silencing. 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." At these words, several students in the crowd visibly swelled with pride.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." The pride immediately vanished, replaced with sudden doubt and scattered whispers. "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." With that, Ozpin turned and walked off the stage, the whisperings getting louder before Professor Goodwitch stepped closer to the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. The staff can show you to where your luggage is currently being stored if you need anything from your bags. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Weiss frowned, unsure what to make of Ozpin's 'speech'. The other students were clearly as confused as she was. Her train of thought was derailed by the sound of someone next to her clearing their voice. She looked down to see a blond boy in a black hoodie and armour on his torso and shoulders smiling up at her.

"Hey~ Anyone ever tell you how tall you are?" It took a second for Weiss to register that that was an attempt at flirting. She stared at him in silence for a couple of seconds.

"No, never," she said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable, before turning and walking away, beelining for one of the staff members dotted around the hall.

That evening the students were gathered in the academy's ballroom, going through the stages of getting ready for bed. Some of the more jetlagged were already in their sleeping bags despite the continuing chatter around them. Weiss sighed as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Out of the day's clothes and into a nightie and pyjama trousers, the extent of her prosthetics was a little more obvious. Her arms were exposed up to the bicep exposing her artificial limbs, and the seam around her neck was visible without a scarf to cover it. I suppose I could have brought a onesie… She tried to imagine herself wearing one and shook the thought out of her head. Ridiculous.

Splashing some water on her face to steel her nerves, she turned and walked out of the bathroom and back into the ballroom. She carefully weaved through the scattered students and to where she'd left her bags, making sure not to trip over any legs or errant luggage.

Finally reaching her things, she sat down on top of her sleeping bag and started rummaging through her bags. As she rummaged, she was being watched by a curious pair of silver eyes watched her. "Whatcha doin', sis? Got a crush on someone?" Ruby squawked in surprise at Yang's voice, rolling over and pitching a pillow into her sister's face.

"Yang!" she huffed, folding her arms. "I was just looking at that girl from earlier. The one I ran into?"

"Yeah, I noticed," she said, removing the pillow from her face to smirk at Ruby.

"It's not just her hand. Both of her arms are prosthetic," she said, glancing back to Weiss as she pulled some kind of computer pad out of her bag, running a cable from it to a lifted panel on her arm.

"Huh," Yang said, glancing over her shoulder. "You're not the only one who's noticed," she remarked. The girl with the black bow sat against the nearest wall, book propped up against her legs, but Yang caught her glancing repeatedly at Weiss. "Maybe she knows, let's go talk!" Without further warning, she grabbed Ruby's arm and started pulling her towards the woman. "At the very least, maybe you'll make a new friend!"

"Ah, Yang, nooo," she pleaded, unable to stop her sister dragging her along. Blake blinked, distracted from her book at the approaching noises, and looked up to see the scene of Yang dragging Ruby towards her.

"Um, hello?" she asked, raising a bemused eyebrow.

"Hello!" Yang cheerfully greeted her. "My baby sister Ruby here is a bit curious about the girl over there, Weiss. You sounded like you knew her earlier? Called her 'heiress'?" She more or less presented Ruby to Blake over the course of the conversation, moving her sister in front of her.

"I mean, I don't know her, I just know of her. You've heard of the Schnee family, right?"

"Really big dust company in Atlas, right?" Ruby replied.

"The really big dust company," Blake corrected, sighing as she closed her book. "The Schnee Dust Company is currently run by Jacques Schnee. Weiss is his daughter, and the next to run the company. Hence, heiress."

"Huh. Why's she at Beacon then? And how'd she end up with prosthetics like that?"

"You'd have to ask her about the first part. The second… You really never saw the news about her?" At the pair of confused expressions she received, Blake sighed, setting her book down after bookmarking it. "A few years ago there was an attack on the Schnee Manor. I don't know exactly what happened," liar, a voice in the back of her head protested, "but the story is Weiss got hurt. Badly. A lot of people thought she'd died. The story still comes up every now and then."

"We don't really hear much on Patch," Yang said by way of explanation. "Unless it's like really major news or sports, a lot of it just kinda washes over. Oh!" Yang exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "I forgot to introduce us! I'm Yang, this is my little sister Ruby."

"I'm Blake," Blake replied, glancing around. "Now, it's getting late and we should get some sleep before initiation tomorrow, yes?"

"Sure thing Blake-y! Come on Ruby, let's get some sleep," Yang said, smiling at both of them before walking back to her sleeping bag, collapsing onto a pile of pillows.

"It was nice to meet you!" Ruby said, following her sister. "Initiation… We'll get put into teams then, right? Do we get to choose or..?"

"I dunno, guess we'll find out tomorrow," Yang said, voice muffled.

"I hope we end up on the same team," Ruby grumbled, slipping into her own sleeping bag. Yang sighed, lifting her head.

"You know you're gonna have to make some friends here, right? Even if we do end up on a team together, that still means two new people you'll need to learn to work together with."

"I know, I know," she huffed. "It's just… Scary, this many new people, away from home…"

"Hey, it's gonna be great. Tomorrow you get to show off as well." Ruby smiled a little at the idea of getting to show off her skills in front of the other students.

"That's true. Night Yang," she said, letting her head hit the pillow.

"Night Ruby," Yang replied, voice again muffled by her pillows as she started to doze off.