While Salem had decided to spend the night back in Beacon, she had come down to help guide the students onto the massive Airship that would take them all to Beacon. Ruby had met with a rather rambunctious young woman, it'd seem. Golden-blonde hair, lilac eyes, a beautiful face and attire that drew the eyes of the boys aboard the ship, not to mention some girls, much to Salem's surprise, all of these made up Ruby Rose's half-sister, Yang Xiao-Long, who was currently hugging and 'arguing' with her sister. In truth, Ruby had seemed uneasy since the start of this whole thing.
It was an experience, to be moved up several grades. So Salem assumed, anyways. She hadn't ever been to school properly, more-so being forced to study at home after her father locked her in that tower. She eyed a young man with blonde hair and clad in what looked like a very modernized version of a knight's armor leaning against the wall, hunched over and heaving.
Approaching him as the two sisters continued to talk, she placed a hand on his shoulders and asked, "Are you well, young man?" just as he turned around. Two piercing dark-blue eyes met hers. He stood there for a moment, still heaving as Salem noticed that was, in fact, not well. She sighed, then said, "Ah, well... Wait here. I will go find a nurse. Perhaps she may be able to give you medicine for the air sickness."
He nodded, his face green as he tried to stifle the oncoming tidal wave of presumable carpet-damaging substances from within his stomach. She marched up to one of the ship's medical offices, knocked on the door, then said to the nurse that appeared in the door, "We have a young man with heavy air sickness here. May I bring him in for you to check up on?"
"Certainly," The nurse smiled and nodded. Salem marched back up to the boy, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to the medical room. Entering the place with him, the two women set the boy down on the medical bed and the nurse immediately started searching her cabinet for it. She inquired, "Are you a chaperone or something, miss? I've seen you come aboard with a couple of young girls," Before she smirked, "Or are they your kids?"
Salem blushed, then chuckled awkwardly and said, "I'm afraid not."
"Should've figured," The nurse stated as she approached the boy. She handed him a cup of water and two pills, then said, "Take these, kiddo. They'll help with the airsickness until we reach Beacon," before she gave his shoulder a squeeze and turned back to Salem, stating "You, missus, are too young to have kids anyhow. Can't be any older than your early to mid twenties," while the boy took the pills.
Salem smiled again, then said, "Thank you. Again..."
"No problem. Now, get the kid back on the deck, missus," The nurse stated, sitting herself down and jotting down details on the boy. She looked to him again, then asked, "Gimme your name. Gotta keep a record of what meds I gave to whom."
"Jaune Arc," he replied awkwardly, his voice cracking as he was slowly standing to his feet and wobbling, "How long does it usually take for this stuff to kick in?"
"About five minutes and you'll feel better," The Nurse replied as she jotted down his name on the list with the meds. Smiling, she said, "Try not to throw'em up before that, Jaune."
She got a slightly unamused laugh from the boy before he bid goodbye. He and Salem walked back out onto the deck, watching as the group gathered around a hologram of miss Goodwitch. Salem smiled at the sight, then said, "I'm glad you're well, mister Arc. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find the two girls I came here with... I like the armor, by the way."
Jaune seemed taken aback by the compliment, but he nonetheless gave the woman an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck and stating, "Thank you, uhm... What's your name? I never got to ask," and waiting for the answer from the girl. Or woman, really. Jaune seemed to be aware Salem was a tad older than him. She was also beautiful, so that had gotten a reaction out of him, too. Embarrassment.
"Salem," She replied, none the wiser to his embarrassment or too kind to care.
"Nice to meet you," He extended his hand to the woman, still slightly hunched over and holding onto his gut with the other. Salem smiled brightly, shaking his hand.
"Likewise, mister Arc," She nodded, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should probably go find the two young women I travelled here with," before departing to the window. The girls were staring out at Vale as they were passing by, with Yang noticing Salem approach as she was about to switch places. She smiled, then gave a quick salute to Salem, which she returned quickly, all while smiling back.
Salem joined them at the window, then said, "Vale is a beautiful city..." as they passed over the myriad buildings below, "And the people seem like ants from here..."
"Heh," Yang snorted, "Yeah. Being on an airship does that. You doing alright, miss Salem? You kinda just vanished while I and Ruby were having our chat."
"I'm fine," She replied jovially, "Just had to aid a young man with airsickness," words which garnered a smile from both the girls. She smiled back, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks were tinged red by the unspoken compliment that sat on the girls' lips. Ruby had told Yang about Salem and their interactions and had praised Salem's fighting skill and her empathy.
She sighed then smiled brightly again and said, "There stands Beacon..." causing both girls to turn around and gasp. Over the Lake and above, on the cliff face, sat that same school that Salem had been living within, side-by-side with her beloved. As old as his soul may have been, Salem still felt the Ozma of old behind that age and experience he clearly showed.
She spoke, "A good home, I'd say. You two will fit right in."
"Awh, not you too..." Ruby sighed.
"Are you concerned over something, Ruby?" Salem inquired, looking to the red-wearing girl.
"While I'm incredibly glad that headmaster Ozpin let me join, like, genuinely, don't get me wrong! I'm very happy to have gotten this opportunity!" Ruby defended herself as she looked to Salem, clear worry behind her eyes and in her words, "I still skipped a couple years too many. Shouldn't there have been more of a selection process or something...? Y'know, to vet me and other folks my sister's age."
"I'm certain the Headmaster selected you for good reason, Ruby," Salem noted, "I've known that man for a while. If he picked you, he has chosen you for reasons beyond your skill level, even if that is very impressive as well. Even according to miss Goodwitch, your skills in wielding Crescent Rose are... To put it in more modern terms, 'up there' with some of the best."
Ruby smiled melancholically, "Well, part of that's owed to uncle Qrow... You sure it's alright?"
"I am," Salem nodded affirmatively, smiling, "You and your sister may even become part of the best alumni Beacon has ever made. Or so I think, anyways..."
Yang smirked, "Thanks, miss Salem," before she gave a hearty slap onto Ruby's back, staggering the girl. She said, "Told ya to stop worrying. Bee's Knees, remember?" to which her sister sighed deeply. As the airship began its descent, the three prepared themselves to disembark, with Salem casting a glance to the back, to see Jaune no longer hunched-over, his complexion back to normal, too. Smiling, content with her little good deed for the day, Salem stepped off with the two girls toward the center of Beacon's gardens.
Salem regarded the place yet again. Never had she stopped being awed by the beauty and familiarity of the place. Even the great CCTS and clocktower of Beacon still provided an imposing feature in the skyline of the city-sized school, like a castle's citadel. She smiled, before watching as Yang bid a quick goodbye to them, vanishing with a group of whom Salem assumed were her friends.
She gasped as Ruby was about to fall, dashing forth to catch her. She managed to, just before she landed on top of a pile of luggage. The woman then said, "Your sister left you..." as she helped Ruby back to her feet. The girl was dizzied, stumbling as she looked forward, before her shoulders sagged. Salem sighed, then stated, "We will have a talk with her later. Why'd she leave?"
"She wanted to let me make friends on my own..." Noted Ruby.
Another girl approached, tilting her head. She wore white, her hair was white and she had a pair of piercing, bright-blue eyes, one of which had a scar running over it. She hummed, then said, rather snidely, one might add, "You seem to have lost your balance for a moment there. Good thing your... Uhm... Chaperone? Was there to catch you. It could've been disastrous if you fell on my luggage."
Salem wanted to reply to that little bit of snark from the girl. Instead, she corrected, "I'm not her chaperone, however, uhm..." She looked back to see the butler carrying the luggage on a trolley, then narrowed her lips and thought to herself that she'd hit a rich girl. Salem knew the archetype from one of her old adventures with Ozma. Turning, she asked, "If I may, miss, how would that have been disastrous?"
She paused for a moment, then hummed and approached one of the reinforced white bags on the trolley, bags which bore the same snowflake on them as she had on the back of her jacket. She then opened it and lifted up a vial of red powder with the symbol also plastered on the vial, before stating, "Refined Dust of various types. Very powerful and very volatile."
"Oh..." Salem hummed, "I understand."
"Sorry..." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well..." The white-haired girl with a ponytail that was skewed to the right sighed, then stated, "No damage was done and the vials are still whole..." as she set the item back into the luggage, shutting it and locking it before she waved the butler off. She then stated, "Do be more careful where you, uhm... Fall...? Next time..." and she raised a brow, as if asking something.
Salem hummed, then nodded and said, "Oh, of course, where are our manners... My name is Salem. This is Ruby Rose, a... Well, a friend."
"Huh..." She nodded, "Good to meet you both, I guess...? My name is Weiss Schnee."
"Pleasure to meet you, too!" Ruby smiled, "Wait..." Her face morphed into surprise, "Schnee? Like... The Schnee?"
"Yes," Weiss replied with a bit of pride in her voice, all whilst wearing a smug smile, "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, at your service."
"Wow," Ruby replied, the awe in her voice palpable, while Salem seemed a tad confused. Ruby looked to her, then said, "The SDC's a pretty big company on Remnant. Probably the biggest supplier of Dust to the entire world. I know'em from my weapons research... Half the ammo in the world has primary Dust igniters built by their weapons R&D Brigade."
"I take it you use some of our materials, then?" Weiss inquired, crossing her arms.
"Yep! Best ammo I ever used, honestly... Though I do like reloading my own brass," Ruby smirked, "Helps when some of the pieces I use have a lower tolerance to the extra-pressure ammo your R&D tends to sell."
"Oh. A weapon expert?" She raised a brow. Ruby nodded quickly, smiling, to which Weiss hummed, "Well, I'm certain we'll get to see what you bring to the table during the Entrance Exam... Eitherway, if you'll pardon me, I do have to... Find where to even deposit this luggage..." and she departed after bidding a hurried goodbye. Salem hadn't realized how tense she'd been until she managed to ease, letting her shoulders sag herself.
Salem said, "Well, she's..."
"Nicer than the Rich Girl attitude would've let on?" Ruby smiled. The woman nodded and the two let out light chuckles as they, too, prepared to move forward. Ruby chuckled, then said, "Then again, she was more worried about the Dust vials than the well-being of the person who was about to fall butt-first into them..."
"I'd guess the volatility outweighed the life of one person," Salem shrugged, "If not, well... I don't know what to say. She almost seemed to challenge you on your weapons design there, though. Are you really that good?" then she watched Ruby yank out her scythe, Crescent Rose. Salem hummed, smiled, then stated, "Good point. I'm sure you'll impress even miss Prissy Princess Schnee."
Ruby snorted, while another voice joined in with a chuckle. Salem's eyes grew wide as she turned to the left, only to see a familiar face and a pair of amber eyes. Her memories returned and she greeted, "Miss Blake! So good to see you again!"
"Hello, miss Salem," The black-haired girl greeted back, smiling, "I didn't know you'd be studying at Beacon..."
"Well," Salem chuckled, "I'm not here to study, miss Blake."
"Oh?" She raised a brow, "Teacher, then?"
"Something akin to that," Salem noted, smiling. She looked to Ruby, then said, "Oh, sorry, Ruby. This is Blake Belladonna. She helped me before miss Goodwitch brought me here and she's a very friendly person... Some times she is aloof, though," and that got a chuckle out of Blake. Salem then motioned to Ruby and said, "Blake, this is Ruby Rose. She's a great fighter and weapon expert."
"Good to meet you, Ruby," Blake nodded, then walked up to the Rose and extended her hand. Ruby gripped and shook. Blake then noted, "Wow. Pretty strong grip."
"Well, I do need a bit of muscle to haul my baby girl," She smiled, patting the weapon on her back. Blake hummed, looking at the box form of Crescent Rose, before stating, "Presume that's your weapon?"
"Yep!" Ruby nodded, then extended Crescent Rose again, somewhat stunning Blake with the acrobatics. She explained, "This is Crescent Rose! She's the best thing I ever built at Signal. My grades, meanwhile..." then she chuckled awkwardly. After the initial shock wore off, Blake offered a nod of approval to Ruby as she examined the weapon thoroughly. A true master crafted piece.
"It's nice... Though I'm more for stuff that's less bulky..." Blake stated, turning around to reveal her sword/sheath/pistol combo. Ruby gasped, examining the weapon quickly. Salem could only smile as she saw the two girls seemingly bonding over the weapon, before noticing that Jaune was also approaching. The young man also joined in, waving to Ruby and Blake.
It seemed as though Ruby had found her own little group. Content with that, Salem whispered a quick goodbye before departing down a quicker path toward the amphitheater, where she would luckily find Oz. She needed to talk to him about that crystal before they began the Entrance Exams proper. Walking into the amphitheater's rear area, the girl approached Ozpin as he was jotting down necessary information. He turned as he heard her footsteps, then smiled.
"Ah, Salem," He said jovially, "I take it miss Rose and her sister have arrived safely?"
"Yes, though Yang left Ruby and I alone. We nearly had a moment with... Well, one miss Schnee, though I was thankfully able to defuse it by catching Ruby," She noted to which the man chuckled. She rolled her eyes, still smiling as she approached him. He seemed to have become a bit more reactive to her presence, at the very least, so she was happy to wrap her arms around his shoulders and look at what he was working.
"I see you are making the final notes..." She said, "Ruby seemed a bit unconvinced, by the way. Distressed at being moved forth two years."
"I'm certain she will fit in quite well. She just needs to trust my judgement," He replied, peering over his own shoulder at the woman that had dropped in just a month ago. His own thoughts were still muddled, the shock of her truly being here and alive still not quite out of his system. Still, he found little reason not to smile at her. She was the one he had loved so, so long ago.
"Oh, yes," Salem hummed, then checked one of the pouches she had on her belt. Lifting the strange, shimmering crystal out of her pocket, she asked, "I wanted to ask you about this. I stumbled upon it while on that shopping trip to retrieve my Scroll with miss Glynda," Then she winced and admitted, "Well, I sort of stepped on it..." before she noticed the look which Ozpin gave the item. It was a combination of confusion and concern.
"I've never seen anything like this before," He stated, partly concerned as Salem handed it to him to examine, "It looks like... Like a Dust crystal. Although, I've never seen the type before," and he looked to Salem again, "Bring it over so we can examine it. One of the laboratories within Beacon should be able to assist, provided miss Peach is willing to help."
"I will do so," Salem nodded, "But I guess we have the ceremony to start, do we not?"
Ozpin smirked, "Indeed. Miss Goodwitch!"
The combat professor appeared, offering Salem a welcoming, standard friendly smile of hers, before turning to Ozpin and growing serious. Salem hummed, her gaze locking onto the door that led out onto the amphitheater's stage. So, next came the Opening Ceremony of Beacon, the very start of the year where Salem would presumably help teach the youth how to defend themselves and their homes from the hordes of Darkness.
She beamed. This was going to be an exciting, new year!