Episode 3: Initiation, Part 1

Int. Elevator – Indeterminate.

We see a well-manicured hand holding a scroll, playing the video of Yang's altercation with Jaune. At the moment of impact, the man attached to the hand giggles, and scrubs back to the beginning of the clip.

We see that the man holing the scroll is NERO, 24, a lithe gentleman in a dark suit with well kept black hair. He leans over to the man next to him. XANDER, 24, is a massive and well-built man with wild black hair, wearing a tracksuit that appears to be a size too small for him.

NERO

"You've gotta see this bit, Xander, it's the best."

Xander looks down and watches the footage with a detached expression, but does crack a grin and let out a small chuckle at the punch.

XANDER

"Is funny, little man never saw it coming."

NERO

"Look at the expression on the red-head's face, she doesn't know what to do!"

Nero lets out a laugh, followed by a contented sigh.

NERO

"Funniest shit I've seen all week."

The elevator dings, and the doors slide open.

Int. Ozpin's Office – Same.

We see the elevator doors open from within the office, and the two men inside gaze wide eyed at the scene before them.

In the center of the room, Qrow and Winter are locked in a duel. Swords drawn and clashing at regular intervals with furious speed.

Ozpin sits at his desk, calm and collected, sipping on his drink and reading a light novel as if nothing is amiss.

Nero cracks a fresh smile.

NERO

"I stand corrected."

The duelists lock swords, both grunting with the effort required to pin the other. Qrow narrows his eyes, ripping his sword to the side violently to break the grapple. This move is quickly met by Winter heel kicking Qrow in the abdomen, sending him sliding back across the floor.

Qrow regains traction, charging forward with a yell. Winter does the same.

The two clash in the center of the room again, but this time Winter is prepared. She sweeps Qrow's leg, throwing him off balance and following him to the ground.

The move lands Qrow on his back with Winter straddling him, their swords still locked. The pair audibly strain with effort as they push against each other's defenses.

XANDER (O.S)

"For love of gods, enough foreplay! Just fuck already!"

Winter and Qrow both turn their heads in the direction of the voice.

We see that Xander and Nero have pulled up chairs to watch this event unfold, Nero filming everything on his scroll.

NERO

"You heard the big man, take it off!"

We see Winter flush with anger as she dismounts Qrow and stomps over to where the two men sit.

WINTER

"And precisely who do you two think you are?"

Nero puts his scroll away and extends a hand.

NERO

"Winter Schnee, I presume. Nero, nice to meet you."

XANDER

"Xander."

Winter slaps Nero's hand away. He doesn't seem too offended by this.

WINTER

"What business is it that brings you two ruffians here? You've interrupted a private meeting."

OZPIN (O.S)

"Oh no, I'm afraid these two gentleman are in fact on the guest list."

Qrow stands and turns to Ozpin.

QROW

"Excuse me? I was told this was a low-key operation, not a whole damn party."

NERO

"And you must be Qrow Branwen. Trust me, we can do low-key."

Nero looks to Xander, his grin faltering a little.

NERO

"Well…I can at least."

Nero and Xander rise from their seats and make their way to Ozpin's desk.

OZPIN

"Nero, a pleasure to see you as always."

NERO

"The pleasure is mine, professor. Tell me, how's the new batch of students adjusting to their new school? Did you hit them with the dead weight speech?"

Ozpin chuckles.

OZPIN

"No no, I haven't done that speech in years. I've been trying to improve my subtlety."

He takes another sip of his drink, eyes shifting to Xander.

OZPIN

"Good to see you as well Xander, did you handle the flight from Atlas okay?"

XANDER

"I did not fly."

WINTER

"You mean to tell us that you drove all the way here from Atlas?"

XANDER

"No."

OZPIN

"So how did you get here Xander?"

XANDER

"I walked."

The entire room fell quiet for a beat, before the silence is shattered by Winter's laughter.

WINTER

"I'm sorry, you intend to make us believe that you walked from Atlas all the way to Vale?"

A glint of light flashes across Xander's eyes.

NERO

"Oh dear, here we go."

Xander props one foot up on Ozpin's desk, hiking up his pants to reveal the chiseled musculature of his leg.

XANDER

"You dare doubt the power of these glorious hams!? I could crush man's head like egg between these thighs!"

He gives the top of his thigh a meaty slap as punctuation at the end of his statement.

Nero covers his face with a hand as everyone else in the room stares awkwardly. Nero lets out a frustrated sigh.

NERO

"Xander, you do realize I was joking when I said 'take it off,' right?"

QROW

"I agree with pinstripe over there, please put the man-meat away."

XANDER

(covering himself)

"Don't hate on the man-meat, it's not my fault I'm beautiful."

NERO

"I will smack you."

OZPIN

"Alright children, if you could all settle down. I did bring you here for business after all."

Xander removes his boot from the desk, and everyone seats themselves in a semi-circle facing Ozpin.

OZPIN

"As you are all aware, there have been an increase in robberies around Vale in the past months, particularly against shops that specialize in weapons, military surplus, and dust. The kicker is, based on my sources, these robberies are organized."

NERO and WINTER

(in unison)

"White Fang."

The two glance at each other briefly.

NERO

"Jinx, you owe me a cola."

Winter groans.

OZPIN

"The White Fang are certainly high on the list of suspects, considering a demonstration from them timed around the Vytal festival would bring media attention to their message. However there are other suspects, a laundry list of them. This is where you come in. Local law enforcement have proven time and time again to be unreliable at breaking up organized crime on this scale, so I have assembled the best team I can for the job."

QROW

"So you want us to play detective, is that it?"

OZPIN

"For the most part, yes, but there is a catch."

Ozpin reaches into his desk and pulls out a stack of papers, on top of which are four ID cards.

OZPIN

"Since I can't exactly put you on the payroll for this…operation, you will also be teaching here at the academy for the duration of the investigation."

Xander laughs.

Winter cocks her head to the side, eyes focused on Ozpin.

WINTER

"I beg your pardon?"

OZPIN

"No need to worry, the lesson plans are already written up for you so you can focus the bulk of your efforts on the job."

WINTER

"Why would we need to pretend to be teachers at the academy for the purposes of an investigation like this."

QROW

"It's a deep cover operation, I'm guessing so that whoever we're looking for doesn't know they're being hunted."

OZPIN

"That's correct, you're not to tell a soul about the details of our arrangement here."

Winter clenches a fist on her lap. Ozpin notices.

OZPIN

"Are we copacetic, Ms. Schnee?"

Winter relaxes her fist.

WINTER

"Yes sir."

OZPIN

"Excellent; I believe we have everything in order then. Meeting adjourned. I suggest you all rest up, you do have to get up in the morning after all."

Int. Gymnasium – Night.

We see the rows of bunk-beds arranged as before, but the scene is now changed. The full-moon shines in through the windows, and the interior lights are dimmed. We see the student body has changed into their night-time attire of choice.

Everyone but Ruby, who we see attempting to hang blankets on the sides of her bottom bunk in an attempt to give herself some privacy. It's of little use, as the blankets can only cover one side of the bed, and Ruby sighs in frustration as they slip from the top bunk, the friction alone insufficient to hold them aloft.

Yang leans down from her bunk.

YANG

"Stop fussing over your little blanket fort. Just change, everyone else is too bummed out and tired to peek at you."

RUBY

"Not helping."

We see Blake on her bunk, reading as usual, look over to Ruby with a small smile.

BLAKE

"It's really no big deal Ruby, I can keep watch from up here if you want."

Weiss rolls over in her bottom bunk adjacent to Ruby's so that she faces the wall.

WEISS

"It's not like anyone wants to catch a felony on their first day at Beacon anyway."

Ruby sighs, looking side to side with a blush before furrowing her brow in determination.

We see Yang lying on her back on the top bunk as the sounds of angry mumbling and cloth shifting can be heard off screen. Yang cracks a small victory grin.

RUBY

"Alright, I'm done."

YANG

"See, wasn't too hard."

RUBY

"It's still incredibly embarrassing, anyone could have seen me."

We see Ruby, now in a set of pajamas, sitting up in bed. Weiss turns back to face her.

WEISS

"That's why they make us do it; Gotta get used to the feeling of the whole world staring at you if you want to be a successful huntress. It always sucks the first couple times."

BLAKE

"I suppose we should have guessed that you'd know all about it since the whole world already has eyes on you, Schnee."

WEISS

"Correct, and it's not like any of those photography studios had private dressing rooms either."

RUBY

"Are you serious?"

Weiss shoots Ruby a deadpan look, and Ruby shrinks into her bunk a small bit in response.

Weiss rolls onto her back to stare at the top bunk.

WEISS

"You get used to it eventually."

YANG

"Okay then, that's enough heavy shit for tonight. How about we all try and get some shuteye before tomorrow comes."

Everyone agrees, and conversation quiets down.

We see each of the four girls lying awake, contemplating what's in store for them in the coming days.

Ext. Beacon Courtyard – Day.

We see the freshman class of Beacon gathered in the courtyard, dozens of fresh and rested faces ready and waiting as Ozpin and Glynda set up what appears to be a bingo-cage filled with ping-pong balls.

We see Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrah all among the crowd.

After assuring that the machine has been properly situated, Ozpin steps forward to address the crowd.

OZPIN

"Alright. Freshmen class of Beacon academy, today we are going to accomplish two goals that are necessary for your full enrollment in this institution. The first goal is to group you into teams of four, which will be determined randomly by this machine."

A few giggles and murmurs seep out from the crowd as their attention is drawn to the dinky piece of equipment.

OZPIN

"I know this method may seem, outdated, but it is a simple way to determine fair random selection. Every one of your names is written on a ball in this machine; We will randomize the balls, pick a name from the cage, and then rinse and repeat, with every four names we pick constituting a team. Once a team is formed you will be escorted by one of our teachers to the Emerald Forest, just off campus, where the second goal will be accomplished; That being your initiation."

Weiss raises her hand, which Ozpin notices.

OZPIN

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

WEISS

"What will the initiation entail? If you don't mind me asking of course, Professor."

OZPIN

"A valid question, Ms. Schnee; But one I'm afraid I cannot answer that. Each teacher has an initiation test of their own design in store for you, so each team's experience will be different."

Weiss' hand lowers, a hint of nervousness on her face.

Ozpin scans the crowd for any other raised hands, and seeing none he continues.

OZPIN

"If there are no further questions, we will begin the randomization process now."

Glynda holds out a hand toward the bingo-cage, which begins rapidly spinning of its own accord, the balls inside flying about at intense speeds and ricocheting between the interior walls.

It slows to a stop, and Glynda opens the cage to pick a ball at random, which she then hands to Ozpin.

OZPIN

"Jaune Arc, please step forward."

Jaune flushes nervously, but clears his throat and steps out from the crowd and stands next to Ozpin.

The process repeats.

OZPIN

"Pyrrah Nikos."

Pyrrah reflexively does a small fist-pump to herself before walking out to stand next to Jaune at Ozpin's side.

OZPIN

"Nora Valkyrie."

We see NORA, 18, a ginger girl in a dress and matching combat boots. She steps forward to line up with Pyrrah and Jaune, waving energetically at her new teammates.

OZPIN

"Lei Ren."

Nora lets out a small squeak as we see REN, 18, a slim young man in formal dress with a long ponytail. He calmly walks up to join his team at the front of the crowd, standing next to an elated Nora.

Glynda steps up to the newly formed team, pulling out a list and a pen.

GLYNDA

"Now, to assign our first team with a teacher."

Glynda and Ozpin consider the list for a moment before coming to a decision. Ozpin turns to the four students gathered around him.

OZPIN

"Your initiation will be led by Professor Blackburn."

On cue, the doors of a nearby building open, and out walks Xander. He approaches the gathered students, whom he towers over. He looks at Jaune and Pyrrah, letting out a small chuckle as he does so.

We see Ruby in the crowd, looking at the mountain of a man that is Xander in a mixture of wonder and fear.

RUBY

(quietly)

"So that's what a professional huntsman looks like."

XANDER

"Alright squirts, let's roll out. Don't want to keep others waiting."

The four students look between each other nervously in the shadow of the giant man, with the exception of Nora, who stares up at him in awe.

Xander leads the first team off in the direction of the forest, out of the scene. They follow, attempting to keep pace with Xander's long strides.

Ozpin clears his throat.

OZPIN

"Now to select our second team. Glynda."

The headmistress spins the cage four more times. The selected students are Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake. Ruby and Yang share in a fist bump when they find themselves on the same team, while Blake seems neutral to the affair, and Weiss groans aloud when her name is called.

The four students stand with Ozpin as before as the two heads of the academy once again choose the group's mentor.

OZPIN

"Your initiation will be headed by Professor Sapphirus."

The doors open once again, and out steps Nero, typing away on his scroll in one hand while carrying a bundle of training swords under his other arm. He strolls up to the front of the crowd.

Nero finishes his message, tucking the scroll away, and turns his attention to the students before him. He smiles mischievously when his eyes fall upon Yang.

Ruby reaches out a hand to greet him.

RUBY

"Nice to meet you prof…"

Nero walks past the group.

NERO

"Introductions later, walking now."

Ruby stands frozen in her pose as the other girls turn to watch Nero walk in the direction of the forest.

NERO

(still walking)

"That was an order."

Ruby shakes herself out of her stupor and frantically begins catching up.

RUBY

"Yes sir."

The three other girls collectively roll their eyes and begrudgingly follow along.

Ext. Emerald Forest Clearing– Moments Later.

We see the group led by Nero enter the clearing in single file with the Professor at the head of the group, typing away on his scroll once again. The forest is filled with the sounds of wind and wildlife.

Nero looks up from his scroll and scans the terrain. After a nod to himself, he tucks the scroll away.

NERO

"Alright, here we are. We can rest up for a moment before we begin your test."

The girls collectively groan in exhaustion and find places on the ground to sit.

RUBY

"So much walking."

NERO

"Don't let Professor Blackburn hear you say that, or he'll…Actually you know what, I'll let you find out."

Nero tosses a bag onto the ground between where all the girls are sitting.

NERO

"Go ahead and snack up, gotta make sure you blood-sugar levels are properly maintained."

Ruby's eyes light up as she tears the bag open and begins distributing snacks. Nero produces a granola bar from his coat pocket and munches idly as he scrolls on his scroll.

BLAKE

"So…Are we gonna do one of those 'getting to know you' icebreaker games?"

Nero looks up at Blake, unable to contain his disgust.

NERO

"Absolutely not, we'll do introductions the old-fashioned way. You may call me Professor or Mr. Sapphirus, I will be your weapons teacher for the duration the year."

He points the tip of a training sword at Blake.

NERO

"Now you."

BLAKE

"I'm Blake Belladonna, originally from Menagerie, but I moved to Vale for schooling."

Nero nods, notably unimpressed. He turns to Weiss.

NERO

"Erm…Everyone knows who you are."

He then points to Yang, ignoring a now furious Weiss.

NERO

"How about you, uppercut?"

Yang cocks her head but brushes past the nick-name.

YANG

"Yang Xiao-Long, Vale."

Ruby jumps in.

RUBY

(with a full mouth)

"Ruby Rose, also of Vale, niece of Qrow Branwen."

Nero raises an eyebrow.

NERO

"So Professor Branwen is your uncle, huh?"

He looks Ruby's outfit up and down.

NERO

"Actually I should have guessed that."

YANG

"Actually he's both our uncles."

Nero's look of disgust returns, though milder this time.

NERO

"I see."

Off-screen there is a sound of a tree collapsing in the distance, followed by screams of terror from multiple voices also in the distance.

Nero smiles and stands.

NERO

"Well, I suppose that's enough of a break. It's time that we moved along with the first step of the initiation."

He tosses four training swords at the feet of the girls, leaving one for himself which he swings about to test for balance. Nero then backs up several paces, putting the majority of the clearing between him and the students.

NERO

"Alright girls, the rules are simple, take up those swords there and try to strike me."

The girls look to the swords and then to Nero.

WEISS

"So are we just supposed to ignore those screams? It sounds like somebody's in trouble."

NERO

"My guess is that your friends have just begun their initiation with Professor Blackburn. They'll be fine…Probably. Now come and prove that your tuition money wasn't a complete waste."

The girls exchange a glance between each other, their expressions shifting from nervous to determined. They each spring to their feet, grabbing swords and charging toward Nero with a collective war cry. They quickly close the distance between themselves and their instructor.

He just grins.

End of Episode 3