PART 2: NEW EXPERIENCES

Transcript 1: Planned Absence

"I can't believe it's already over!" moaned Lina as she filled her suitcase. "It's like it never even happened!"

Underneath a storm of flying uniforms, coat hangers and assorted woolly clothes which landed mostly on her bed, Gale smirked. "I said at the beginning of the break that two weeks would fly by."

"Yeah, especially with you around. Never a dull moment."

"I still don't think your sister really forgave me for what happened the festival. I swear I caught her looking at me very frostily a few of the times she visited."

"And now you don't have to worry about her," chimed in Jasper from the other side of the dorm room. "Not when we're off to Atlas, across the other side of the world! Oh, and speaking of that, don't forget to bring a few things to keep entertained, travelling to the other end of Remnant is quite a long trip."

"Not for meeeeeeee!" trilled Gale, a veteran of the train journey between Vale and her hometown of Hammerhead Point. "Don't come complaining to me when you're bored. I'll have you know I'm extraordinarily patient when I put my mind to it."

"Lies, you're the least patient person I know, Gale" argued Lina.

"Waiting in line doesn't count," she countered. "There's no scope for anything except small talk and imagination, and sometimes it's just not the right time."

"I believe you, I don't think I've ever seen you really get bored, Gale," said Nero. "Except the first lesson we ever had with Professor Port, you were dead to the world in minutes. I had to wake you to get to Oobleck's class."

"That's because I wasn't expecting it, Nero" said the pile of flying clothes. "You can make something out of anything if you are ready for it, even waiting in lines."

A thousand decisions and a few bouts of Lina's muttered swearing later, the group finally managed to stuff everything into four bulging suitcases and locked the door behind them. Team AKKH was waiting for them in the hallway.

"Hey!" said a shock of blonde hair. "Have you guys heard about the living arrangements on the transport ship yet?"

Jasper smiled and looked up at his fellow team leader. "Hi Amazon, no we haven't. Care to fill us in?"

"Well," she began, twirling her jade staff. "There are fifty beds on the airship with blocks of eight per room, plus an extra two for the pilot rotation. Team MAJE and CFVY have already bunked in together, so we thought we would ask if you'd like to be with us?"

"That sounds great!" responded Jasper, turning to his teammates. "What do you guys think?"

A chorus of agreement came from their lips, and both teams trundled down the hall in the direction of the military landing pad, dragging comically stuffed suitcases towards the airship. The huge size of the vehicle was noteworthy in of itself, but a further surprise greeted the first-years once they reached the inside.

"Oh no, they expect us to learn here as well?" groaned Oliver Crumb of Team TOPZ (topaz) as he saw the rows of benches laid out in the central platform.

"Nothing wrong with a little freshening-up while we fly, Mr Crumb" said an amused Professor Ozpin, seeing the shocked expression on Oliver's face after being caught out. "The trip takes two days, and while we can't exactly train while on the flight, you can't sit around all day doing nothing. A Huntsman always strives to learn from his surroundings, no matter what they are. As Dr Oobleck informs me, that includes learning IN his current surroundings, so I will be continuing his history lessons while we are away."

"I didn't know you taught history, Professor Ozpin" said a surprised Harley Hayze from beside Jasper.

The professor smiled. "As both a Huntsman and as headmaster, I am well qualified across a range of subjects, including but not limited to history. Dr Oobleck insists this next topic I will be presenting will be vital towards your development, and is especially relevant seeing as we are heading to Atlas."

The students were separated into groups of eight and assigned their room number by Glynda Goodwitch, who had appeared just as suddenly as the headmaster. As the students dispersed, they pondered what they might learn over the coming days.

"First day we stop at Argus before going over to Atlas," said Nero as Jasper, Gale, Lina, Amazon, Plum, Knight and Harley followed him into Room 3. "I bet it will have something to do with that, or else just Atlas after the war."

But unlike the others, a wide-eyed girl with grey hair wasn't listening to what Nero was saying. Designed as a carrier ship outfitted for military transport, the room layouts prioritised efficiency and use of space to reduce unnecessary weight. Which only meant one thing.

"Bunk beds…"

"Gale, no!"

With the students safely in their rooms to unpack, and not due out for another hour for the history lesson, Professor Ozpin made his move. Unseen by the rest of the crew on the ship, he carefully made his way down the gangplank back towards the school. In the shadows of a nearby lecture hall, Qrow stood waiting for him.

"Are you sure you're gonna be right with all those students on board?" Qrow folded his arms and looked over at the ship. "Those kids love asking questions you know," he drawled.

"They have already been told we are bringing back equipment for the school, which is true. Ironwood's stasis chamber will just be among the rest of it, it's inconspicuous in plain sight."

"They haven't asked why it's coming on board in the first place and hasn't just been sent over?"

"Not yet, but it's more convenient to bring it back with us than have a whole another ship deliver it. There's also a chance that it would have been intercepted, especially if she found out."

Qrow grunted. "Not as convenient for them. It's cramped enough in those things as it is."

"It's suitable for our needs. If it can help Amber, the trip will be worth it."

"We'll see. I still don't think she'll wake up from this one, you know."

Ozpin sighed and tapped his cane on the ground. "Neither does Glynda. But we have to try. Thank you for agreeing to take care of her."

Qrow snorted and pulled out his hip flask once again and spread his arms dramatically. "Working for you doesn't always mean big scary surveillance missions. And you'll only be gone for what, two weeks? It's not that big of a deal, you know." He raised the container to his lips.

"If anything changes at all – anything – let us know immediately. It's a very precarious situation. We don't know who her last thoughts were of, or if she's still aware under those eyelids. Things are building, Qrow and if the power goes to her attacker, that's the last thing we need right now."

"What, you really think one Griffon attack means the world is gonna end tomorrow? I know she's making things, Oz, terrible things, but I haven't seen any of it in Vale."

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "The spring maiden went missing ten years ago, and we haven't heard from her since. It's possible that she found her."

"Or maybe not."

"And Grimm are becoming stronger, more prevalent. The White Fang are becoming more vocal, and are even beginning to raid dust stores to make a statement. I can't help wondering if someone's stirring them up."

Qrow emptied the last of the alcohol down his throat. "You worry too much, Oz. There's always unrest somewhere."

"When you have millennia of experience, you get a sense for these things, and I can't help but worry. You probably think it's more normal because of the things that can happen around you with your Misfortune."

Qrow sighed and looked up at Beacon Tower. "Maybe you're right Oz. Maybe. But for now, I'm going to focus on the task at hand. After Amber's safe, then we can focus on how to deal with whatever may not be coming next. Maybe I can get some more intel."

"That sounds like a very good idea."

"By the way," said Qrow, his cape fluttering has he turned to leave. "Where did you end up putting the crown? If it's not in the vault, isn't it a little exposed?"

"Somewhere very safe. No one will ever find it, at least not until this whole ordeal has died down."

"Are you going to tell me where it is?"

Ozpin stared deeply into his friend's red eyes.

"No."

Transcript 2: Pillow Talk

"And that's why Harley wears those sunglasses" explained Knight Hayze.

Harley shifted uncomfortably. "It was only an eye infection."

"Yeah, but now it's all yellow," prodded his twin. "And it has stayed that way since he was six!"

"Give us a look!" pleaded Gale, with the rest of Team JNGL looking on eagerly.

"Yeah, come on!" grinned Lina. "We'll bound to see it sooner or later bunked up together like this."

Harley looked at her, seemingly with a twinkle in his eye, or rather his sunglasses. "Alright." He said. "But only if you answer my question."

"What's that?" queried Nero.

"Do you brush your fox tail? Does it moult?"

A muffled gasp went around the room at such a probing demand, while Lina sat with a serious expression on her face.

"That's two questions…"

"Same thing."

A stiflingly long pause screamed through the room as Lina thought furiously.

"Deal."

Loud whoops came from the rest both sides, particularly JNGL's, as they had seen neither, and stood to gain two reveals at no risk to themselves.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Since I agreed, you go first."

Harley dutifully revealed the discoloured organ for the others to pore over, and after a short wait he snapped the sunglasses up again.

"Now you, Lina."

She looked about a little uncertainly, then rolled her eyes and decided it wasn't the end of the world.

"Yes. And yes."

Stunned expressions flooded onto Team JNGL's faces as they learned this about their teammate.

"But how did you keep it a secret for a whole semester?" asked an amazed Jasper.

Lina pulled the familiar black aura projectiles from her body and began throwing them at her teammates as an equally surprised AKKH looked on, having only seen her semblance in combat a handful of times.

"The only time I brush it is when it is moulting, Jasper! You nosy parkers will have to wait until summer before that happens! There, now you've had a biology lesson as well as a history lesson today!"

Exasperated at Jasper's constant dodging, she put her hand back and grasped behind her for another weapon. Finding nothing except her pillow, she launched the fluffy object towards Jasper's amused face. He blocked it with ease, and the pillow plopped harmlessly onto the bed in front of him.

"You know, Lina" said Gale, picking up the fallen object. "If you are going to use something as soft as that, you have to throw it HARDER!"

A nearly supersonic blur of white grew in Jasper's vision and clapped him on the cheek, sending him sprawling across the tiny room. Coughing and blowing out feathers, he reached across the floor to return fire, but met with a storm of new pillows and was buried underneath the pile.

"I think that got him?" observed Plum, holding the last pillow on Team AKKH's side of the room.

"Hey, use your own!" cried Amazon, snatching it back from her teammate and bashing it on top of her head.

The room descended into a flurry of white, punctuated by irregular thuds like some erratic drummer lay hidden inside the ship.

"Pillow fight!" yelled Yarrow Floss as Team SYLC passed by, and more heads poked outside the surrounding rooms and more raced past to join the fray. Even Team CFVY joined in, with a distinguished and sensible Coco snapping and dealing deadly blows when a stray pillow crushed her beret, and Yatsuhashi clearing a path to the centre of the writhing mass. The fight spilled out into the adjoining hallway, and as numbers continued to grow, so too did the casualties. Aside from Coco's beret, Harley's glasses lay crushed on the floor, Zelda Prentice received a bruised tailbone after tripping over some luggage, and Hunter Anstone's bandana was nowhere to be seen.

The feathers abruptly ceased to fly when all the pillows soared upwards and assembled in a pile overhead. Glynda Goodwitch stood by, her arm raised, wearing a frown all the way from her glasses to tip of her crop.

"The pilots kindly ask that you refrain from these activities. You're rocking the whole west wing, and interfering with the ship's flight calculations."

Once released, the students sheepishly gathered up their bedding and headed off to their respective sides of the ship, all the while under the harsh glare of the tall huntress. Ozpin appeared by her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't look so stern, Glynda."

"How can they be so carefree about this trip? It's a serious training exercise."

"They aren't feeling the same tension we are right now. And they're only young. The trip to Atlas may be a serious one for the students, and also for us, but it's a long way to travel. They're bound to make certain compensations."

Glynda sighed. "It's not even the end of the first day."

A smile twitched across Ozpin's face. "Time often passes faster than you think" he said. "Out of anyone, I should know that."

"When will we see Atlas?"

"Depends if there's any fog up that high."

"We should be able to see it in the next few minutes, according to Pilot Burns."

The first-years pressed towards the front to catch the first glimpse of the magnificent floating city, much like they had when the airship took them over the cliffs on their first day at Beacon. Although similar in nature, the sight was even more famed than that of the academy and soaring tower back in Vale. It wasn't every day you saw an entire city floating above than the clouds.

A few of the students however, particularly the Faunus constituent, while marvelling at the city above, were drawn to the dimmer browns and yellows coming from below. All had learned the horrors which Faunus and some lower-class citizens of Mantle had endured even within the last one hundred years, but it really hit home for those who had experienced some of the discrimination first-hand. Velvet Scarlatina was looking down at Mantle for a different reason. She already knew what life in the sky was like, at least for the Atlesian scientist, having spent a month there last summer with her father, Will. She had been mostly sheltered from the goings on down below, surrounded by white and steel and military funding. Working with one of General Ironwood's top scientists had helped her avoid most of the derogatory comments, but this time around she couldn't help but feel it wouldn't be so cosy, especially around other Atlesian students and down around Mantle.

Coco snapped Velvet out of her contemplations.

"Hey, if we're training with the Atlas students, we'll be able to catch up with Vega Bleu! You remember her from Pharos?"

Velvet shook her head. "Vega? I remember her but didn't really have much to do with her."

"You didn't have much to do with me before Beacon."

"True."

The ship drew closer and rose higher still until they could look down on the floating island. The whole city seemed oriented around the academy, blending in around the base in sweeping arcs leading to the top of the mountain on which the academy lay. Lina thought the two semicircular patches of farmland made the whole city look rather like a giant fish. Not that it meant anything of course, or took away from the splendour of Atlas as a whole.

Suddenly realising they would be landing soon, some students who had not prepared earlier rushed towards their rooms to repack their belongings, and stood harried and breathing heavily as the doors opened to let them down the ramp. But the students at the front stopped short, drawing their breath in surprise as Professor Ozpin extended his hand towards the famous figure.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, General."

"Likewise, professor."

General Ironwood led the way across the large concrete courtyard where many Atlas students were doing exercises, and the large central building of the academy loomed ahead, seemingly much taller than even Beacon Tower. It was all very stylish and extravagant to the wide-eyed first years, or at least most of them. Some of the teams, however, had different ideas.

"It's all very… regimented" commented Amazon to Team JNGL. "Even the building looks military-like."

Jasper nodded. "That's what you get when you combine the army and the huntsman academies, especially with someone like General Ironwood at the helm."

"It's completely the opposite to Vacuo" said Nero. "It's like they're out of a mould, not individuals who fight for their own way in the world."

"They're looking at us!" hissed Ally Teal, as Velvet and Lina fell under the gaze of some of the closer Atlesian students.

Never did those Faunus students feel more acutely aware of their animal characteristics. Although maybe not as openly discriminatory as some places in Mistral, the segregation of most Faunus to the slums below in Mantle still weighed heavily on their minds. Even though many Faunus students had graduated in the past, and though the visitors were authorized to be up there, the atmosphere of history and of the Atlesian students made them feel decidedly unwelcome up in this shining symbol of a city.

Many of the other Vale students also felt the tension in the atmosphere.

"Looks like we're going to be in for an… interesting trip" thought Jasper.