Ruby's internal clock woke her up to a new day. She took a moment to turn and lie on her back. Her eyes gazed up at the ballroom's ceiling as she reflected on yesterday's events. Even now, she could hardly believe she was here along with her sister. Sure, she had a rough start so far, but there was also the positives; Ruby was here, today was when everyone would become part of their own team, and there was a chance one of those teammates would be Blake! She turned her head to look in her new friend's direction, but she wasn't there. Everybody else was still asleep, but Blake's sleeping bag was vacant.

I guess she's an early bird. I'm sure I'll see her again later.

Ruby got out of her own sleeping bag and got to her feet. She raised both her arms up and stretched her entire body, taking care not to make too much noise and wake everyone up.

Today is a new and very special day.

Ruby was one of the first students to walk to the school cafeteria for breakfast. By the time she had already found a table to sit at, Yang arrived and got her own tray of food. Yang went to Ruby's table and sat across from her.

"Morning, sis!" Yang greeted.

"Hey there!"

"Did you sleep well? You seem chipper this morning."

With Ruby's mind still under the effects of sleep inertia, she wouldn't have noticed her outward disposition if Yang hadn't pointed it out.

"Well, why wouldn't I be?" she responded. "Today is when I'm finally able to prove myself to Professor Ozpin. And to you, me…"

"Hey, I already know you've got what it takes! You don't need my approval!" Yang's enthusiasm dampened when a thought occurred to her. "This isn't about Weiss, is it?"

"Meh, only partially," Ruby answered. "I skipped ahead two years to be here, so you can imagine how much Professor Ozpin is expecting of me. I don't want to let him down, and I don't want to slow my team down." Then there was the matter of everyone else in her family, including her deceased mother. I hope I do you proud too, mom…

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself, Ruby. We've both wanted to be Huntresses all our lives." She leaned forward and reached a hand to hold Ruby's. "I'm proud of you for getting this far, and this early. Even if you don't pass, it isn't the end of the world. You'll be back at Signal where you left off, then you can attend again normally."

Ruby glanced down at her food on the table. It wasn't to inspect the partially-consumed foodstuff, but to allow herself a moment of deep thought.

Would it really be that simple? Ruby thought back to a moment she experienced yesterday. A part of her wanted to quit after just arriving. It was a sobering, if not alarming thought that woke up her sluggish mind at last. She recoiled, but Yang interpreted it as her shaking her head at the thought.

"Actually, I think I'm putting the right amount of pressure on myself to succeed," Ruby concluded. "I know you're trying to help, but I know what I'm doing."

Yang recognized where this attitude came from. She smiled, thinking, she really did grow up with my stubbornness. But she's got my determination. I'm so proud of her. Yang reached her other hand over, holding Ruby's with both. "I trust you. I'm just letting you know now that if you fail, nobody is going to think any less of you, especially not me. You're my baby sister, and I love you more than anything in the world. No matter what happens, that won't change."

Ruby cracked a smile as her silver eyes focused on Yang's lilacs. "I love you too."

"OH, I GOT IT! It'll be a secret signal, one that'll help us find each other in the forest!"

Everyone in the locker room had their attention drawn to the energetic and upbeat ginger whose focus was on her polar opposite: a man who was calm and stoic. Whoever she was talking to, he could be mistaken for a Mistralian ninja.

"How about a sloth?" she wondered. "You're good at imitating sloths, right, Ren?"

"… Nora, I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," Ren pointed out as he retrieved two green pistols with blades on the end of each one.

"Exactly! Nobody will suspect we're working together! But not like… together together…" Somehow, it didn't occur to Nora how quiet the entire room was, nor how loud she was talking.

"Come on, Nora. Let's go."

Everyone watched as the duo walked off, then continued with what they were doing before. In particular, Weiss returned her attention to Pyrrha. "You know, for a secret plan, it seems awful overt now, doesn't it?" she quipped.

"Oh, I was going to do the polite thing and pretend I wasn't listening," replied Pyrrha. "Still, I hope they pair up together with whatever team they end up on."

"Me too!" Weiss didn't care. Even if she ended up with both Ren and Nora on the same team as her, she hoped to at least be paired up with Pyrrha. Her athletic ability alone made her Weiss's top pick for a potential teammate. This, combined with Weiss's own tactical genius, and the position of team leader she was sure to obtain, meant that they would make for a truly invincible pair.

"Speaking of teams," Weiss continued. "Have you figured out who you wanted to pair up with?"

Pyrrha pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure. I was going to let the dice fall where they may. Why? Did you want us to be on the same team?"

"I do!" Weiss exclaimed. "I heard the process for forming teams is basically random. But if the dice fell in the right way, I bet we'd make a superb duo!"

Pyrrha was used to clout-chasers. But in Weiss's cause, there was logic backing her up; Huntresses and Huntsmen were meant to work in teams, and Weiss wanted to be part of a team who would perform the best. "Well, assuming we get to be on the same team, then that sounds delightful!"

"Great!" And why wouldn't it be?

"You know what else is great?"

Weiss hesitated, then looked over to see who interjected.

"Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."

"Oh. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jaune." Weiss did her best to be nice, but the reality was that her plans didn't have room for Jaune. If you twisted her arm, she would admit that the one thing he had going for him was his bravado and self-confidence. But it was greatly overshadowed by his messy blonde hair, his mediocre looks, and how hard he was trying to be a heart-throb (which only emphasized how much of a dork he was). "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, I want to know what I can help you with," Jaune answered. "I couldn't help but overhear you two talking about teams just now. As it just so happens, I have two spots available for my time, with both your names on them."

Pyrrha gave a sheepish smile. "That's a kind offer, but unfortunately, we're assigned teammates at random. We can't choose anyone to be with."

Jaune paused, putting the pieces together. "Oh." In retrospect, he should've realized how this academy worked. He turned his attention to Pyrrha. "Well, thanks for considering the offer anyway… um…?"

Weiss looked between him and Pyrrha out of genuine surprise. "Wait a minute. You have no idea who she is, do you?"

Jaune's lips became a thin line as he shook his head. He felt mild embarrassment.

"Pyrrha Nikos? Graduated top of her class at Sanctum Academy?" Weiss mentioned.

"I never heard of that combat school," Jaune replied, then looked to Pyrrha. "Where's it at?"

"Argus," she answered. "I was born and raised there."

"Oh, cool! I have a sister who lives there! I've pretty much lived on the farms in Vale all my life."

… He's a hick, Weiss figured out. That explains so much. Knowing this, Weiss exercised more patience with Jaune. "She's been the champion of the Mistral Region Tournaments for four years straight."

"Whoa, that's amazing!" Jaune exclaimed. "So what brought you to Beacon? I figure Haven would be a more convenient place to learn."

"I was invited by the headmaster himself," Pyrrha answered. "Haven would be more convenient, but Beacon is where the cream of the crop go."

"Well by the sound of things, you definitely fit here!" Jaune replied. Before either of the girls had a chance to say anything, realization dawned on him. "Oh!" He brought his hand up to his forehead in mild mental beratement of his less-than-stellar memory. "You're the Pumpkin Pete cereal girl! Man, I'm out of it this morning."

Pyrrha smiled. "That's right, I am. I was stoked when I got that brand deal. I never thought I'd end up that popular. Although… looking back, I wish I wasn't the face for a cereal that isn't good for you."

"In any case," Weiss interrupted, standing between the two of them. "Now that you know who Pyrrha is, did you really think you were ever in her league?"

"Um… maybe? Honestly, I'd just be fine if we were friends. Even if she's a celebrity and, well… I'm not."

Pyrrha reached around Weiss and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune. It doesn't matter how popular I am. If you can see past my fame and treat me as a regular person, then I'd happy to be your friend."

Jaune gave a comforted smile. "Thanks! And hey, if we do end up on the same team together, I'd be happy about that too." He returned his attention over to Weiss. "What about you?"

This… definitely wasn't a part of Weiss's plan. She wanted it to be Weiss and Pyrrha as a pair. There wasn't any room for a country bumpkin like Jaune on a proper team. However, she knew he meant well, thus she took the diplomatic approach. "That's a tempting offer, Jaune. I'll think about it."

The voice of Glynda Goodwitch filled the locker room via the academy's intercom system. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." That was everyone's cue to get moving.

"It was nice meeting you, Weiss!" Pyrrha said cheerfully, before she walked away with Jaune.

Weiss waved goodbye to Pyrrha. The heiress then frowned and lowered her head in disappointment. She didn't bother fighting against gravity as she leaned against the nearest locker door and slid down. She reached the ground and was practically slumped over. Well, that's just great. On top of being humiliated yesterday, I definitely won't be on a team with people who are on my level. Not when the process of forming teams is completely random. What am I going to do…?

"You sure you don't wanna be on our team?"

Weiss looked up as she heard Ruby's voice. She stood there beside Yang, who was already offering a hand. Reluctantly, Weiss accepted it, not really acknowledging how effortlessly she was hoisted back up.

"The selection process is random. You said it yourself," Weiss told Ruby.

"It is! But it's complicated." Ruby paused.

"How can selecting teammates be complicated, especially if it's random? It's a roll of the dice, isn't it?"

"Okay, this is what dad told us," Yang began. "We'll all stand on platforms that launch us into the Emerald Forest. After we get a landing strategy going, we partner up with whoever we make eye-contact with, then we go looking for objects that come in pairs. Whoever has both pairs then join together to become an official team."

Weiss stood completely still and stared at Ruby and Yang. She followed along with the explanation just fine, but she couldn't help but find the process convoluted. "Now I wish I stayed in Atlas and attended the Academy there."

"Why didn't you?"

Ruby's question caught Weiss off-guard. "I uh… I knew I would find greater success as a Huntress if I studied here instead of at Atlas." A white lie, but it was partially true.

"But you didn't think you'd potentially be stuck with me, did you?"

"Not really."

"Weiss…" Ruby spoke with a guilty frown. "I know we've had our differences, and I'm really sorry. But I want you to know that if you end up with either one of us, we'll be great teammates to have. Maybe even better than Pyrrha."

"A bold claim," Weiss quipped. "But I see your point."

Yang pointed behind her with a thumb as she started walking. "Lets go. We don't want to be late for initiation."

Weiss took the first couple of steps, but realized she was missing something. "Wait!" Weiss pointed to one of the lockers. "I forgot my weapon!"

"I got it!" Ruby went to the locker and opened it. She glanced inside, then down at the weapon known as Myrtenaster. Her curiosity came over her as she picked up. She turned around and continued to look the weapon over. "Somehow, I'm not surprised you use a MADR."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Do you even know what that stands for?" As much as that came off as her ribbing Ruby, it was meant to be a genuine question.

"Of course. Multi-Action Dust Rapier. I remember when I was younger, I kept confusing the "R" for "Revolver" instead of what it actually is." Ruby brought two fingers to the revolving cylinder and gave it a cursory spin. "And if I remember correctly…"

Ruby pointed the rapier, which was intentionally aimed at an empty part of the locker room. If memory served, she knew that a key feature for MADRs was that it was built with parts made partially or completely out of Aurite. It was what allowed the Dust loaded into it, and other Aurite weapons, to augment regular attacks or enhance certain kinds of Semblances. It was just a matter of channeling one's Aura into the weapon and…

… There! A flash of rose-red along the weapon, like a shield forming along its silvery surface like a semi-corporeal second skin. Then as soon as it showed up, it immediately went away, yet it was still there.

"Whoa…! Now that's smooth!" Myrtenaster was definitely made entirely of Aurite. She didn't feel any kind of resistance that would be present if the weapon were only made partially of the material. Ruby grinned as her inner weapons nut was already out. "Gotta hand it to you, Weiss. You've got some expensive, but awesome tastes!"

Weiss reached over and took Myrtenaster as it was handed to her, still surprised. "Thank you… If you don't mind me asking, are you—"

"A gun nut?" It was Yang's turn to talk. "Yeah, that's my sister alright. You should've been there when she was ogling everyone else's weapons after we got here."

"I even helped make her gauntlets!" Ruby added. "I was experimenting with weapon ideas at Signal, and I ended up making improvements to what she made before."

"Signal?" Weiss wondered.

"The Huntsman trainee school in Patch."

"Huh. So that would make you a backwoods blacksmith, then."

"And proud of it!"

For once since the two of them met, Weiss cracked a smile. "Lets see how initiation turns out for us."

Weiss was the first to walk, then Yang and Ruby caught up to follow her out of the locker room.

Everyone stood at the cliff which gave a remarkable view of the Emerald Forest. Each student, to a varying degree, felt the pressure of passing initiation, yet the quiet view and the gentle wind put their minds at ease. Even Ruby felt herself achieve a determined calmness. It was as though she was the only thing that existed here. No anger, sadness, happiness, not even the future path she was destined to walk. The only thing that was here, at this very moment, was her.

"For years, you've trained to become warriors. And today, we'll be evaluating just how far your training will take you in the Emerald Forest."

Yang shared her younger sister's ambitions. They both wanted to become Huntresses to help those in need. But Yang also had a strong wanderlust, and being a Huntress meant she could travel the world and see what Remnant had to offer her. This would let her experience thrills that just weren't possible on a tiny island a stone's throw away from Vale.

"Now, some of you may already know Huntsmen and Huntresses will all be put into teams, and that each academy facilitates the assignment of those teams. However, the way it's done here will differ slightly from what you've been lead to expect."

Blake wasn't going to run anymore. She ran from her family, then the White Fang, but she can't do it now. If she backed out of becoming a Huntress, she wouldn't have the strength to confront her past. And once she did, she could focus her attention on the inequality between humans and Faunus. She wanted to do what she expected of the White Fang: putting a stop to injustice without resorting to bloodshed as a means to an end.

"Instead of assigning teammates to you or allowing you to talk among yourselves to see who you wish to be with, you will be paired up with the first person you make eye contact with after landing in the forest."

So she was telling the truth, Weiss thought to herself as she gave Ruby a quick glance. Still, this wasn't going to stop her. She sacrificed too much to get here. Her time, her energy, her own money… She upended her entire life to train and study at Beacon, just so she could get away from her father's influence. I will become a Huntress. I will bring prestige to my family name. And this selection process, nor my father, will not stop me!

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest and collect a relic from the abandoned temple you will find there. The relic each pair chooses will determine who will make up a full team. But take heed; you will meet opposition that won't hesitate to kill you on sight, just as you should do the same if you want to live."

Ruby gave Ozpin a look of zen-like focus, powered by her sense of purpose slowly blossoming. She was more than ready for this; her dreams were around the corner. She only had to, as Ozpin said yesterday, take the first step. And that same first step, Ruby knew, would be the start of the next four years at Beacon.

"When you are ready, step onto the metal plate in front of you. And good luck."

Ruby glanced down and took a couple of steps forward, just as everyone else did the same. Each student readied themselves as their pads gave several mechanical clicks, then they were launched one at a time. Yang Xiao Long was launched, then Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and finally Ruby Rose who took flight. This was their figurative first steps.