Hi all! Again, same old spiel; I'm really sorry for the delay in updating, etc etc. I'm not giving up on this fanfic though, no way. I just have so many other fanfic ideas that I find so awesome and so much fun to write. Plus, you know, actual real world work. Blegh. Anyway, please enjoy, and please let me know what you think; it makes writing that much more satisfying when you know other people are enjoying it.

Chapter 3: Launch

Ember's POV

Mornings suck.

Consciousness claws its ways into my brain, and I groan my protest into my pillow. I briefly register in my delirium that my bed feels just slightly different to what I'm used to before more important matters – like going back to sleep – bat the thought aside. Or, you know, I try to go back to sleep. It would be a lot easier if there weren't all these voices, no matter how quiet they are. Why the hell are there so many people suddenly in my room?

Wait a second…

"Finally, you're awake," Aurora smiles from the mirror at seeing my torso shoot upwards like it's spring-loaded. Once the initial headrush has passed, I reabsorb the open-plan room, the many – and fine – bodies in varying states of the morning routine, and the electric excitement I wallowed in yesterday.

As Aurora finishes tying up her hair and turns around, it flows down her back, gleaming only slightly brighter than the amused glint in her violet eyes.

"I was worried how violent your reaction would be when I poked you awake so you didn't miss breakfast."

I have enough time to see her startled expression as I launch myself out of bed before I wrap my arms around her neck, spinning us both precariously around through momentum. Only her huntress training keeps her on her feet.

"We're at Beacon!" I squeal at her bewildered face.

And I've blown it. I've gone too far this time. Surely this excessive burst of weirdness is enough to scare her off. She's been far too tolerant of me so far, but that's the last straw.

But, miraculously, she recovers and starts laughing.

"We have been for nearly twenty-four hours now, silly," she rolls her eyes, nevertheless embracing me affectionately.

"Aren't you excited?" I cry joyfully as we detach ourselves.

"Of course I am," she replies smoothly, "it's just that I apparently don't suffer from memory loss immediately after waking up. You're really not a morning person, are you?"

"Nope!" I giggle, "but this morning I don't have any time to waste!"

"You mean any more time to waste?" I've long detached myself from Aurora and dashed away to get changed, but her raised eyebrow is still clearly visible from her tone.

"Don't go to breakfast without me!" I cheer over my shoulder.

I shower and dress in record time for this early in the morning, and simply grab Aurora's hand as I speed by her towards the food hall. When we reach it, I stop briefly to stare in wonder; the high-vaulted ceiling, the massive windows, the large stone pillars, the huge long tables, the chandeliers…. This would be a great place to practice parkour. I bet I could sneak down here after hours.

But for now, there are more important matters to attend to.

"Pancakes!" I celebrate. "This school knows how to take care of me in the morning."

"I shudder on behalf of nutritionists everywhere," Aurora grins. I just stick out my tongue and load a nearby plate with the fluffy goodies.

"You say that, but you're still taking some for yourself," I shoot back at her.

She feigns indignation. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If there's no other food provided, then of course I'll eat this."

As I roll my eyes, I catch sight of a bottle of syrup to my left. Eyes wide, I reach for it joyfully. Another hand clad in pink from the other side of the table grips it simultaneously. Glancing up, I meet a pair of almost turquoise eyes, equally surprised before they narrow in a challenge, the girl's short orange hair falling forward to frame her confident smirk. I like her already. So I grin back and grab the other side of the bottle with my other hand. She quickly follows suit, and I tug the bottle towards me, hoping I'll loosen her grip. No such luck, and she tugs back…and I'm suddenly halfway across the table, letting out a squeal and still clutching the syrup.

"Nora, what are you d-?! I am so sorry!" a soft but obviously disgruntled male voice tries to console me from further left. He tries to apologise more but I'm too busy gasping with laughter to hear him. As I calm myself down, I look at the victor of our little scuffle, loving the fact that she's laughing good-naturedly, too.

"Okay," I chuckle, "okay, you won that fair and square. Just leave a decent amount left for me."

"Deal," she says easily, releasing one hand to stick out to me, which I shake gladly.

I clamber back to a normal seating position on my side of the table, and shoot a smile at Aurora, who's sat red-faced with a hand on her forehead but an undeniable laugh shaking her shoulders.

"Well, aren't you a little spark?"

I turn my automatic smile to the male voice, my grin widening as I see the pleasantly bemused expression in his soft features. I take a few moments to admire his vibrant pink eyes and matching stripe on his right fringe of his long black hair before responding.

"Close; I'm Ember."

"Ren," he nods. "That's Nora."

"AKA, the strongest student at Beacon," I laugh.

Nora smirks while pouring syrup. "Don't feel too bad; it's one of my things."

Chuckling, I gesture to Aurora. "This is Aurora."

She tries to quickly hide her anxiety about being pushed into a social situation so suddenly, but she seems to relax at least slightly at my encouraging look. She gives her own gently radiant smile to our new friends. "Hi."

"Hi," Ren greets her, his reply short but somehow obviously warm.

Nora throws me the syrup bottle, which I luckily catch. "Here."

"Thanks." I hold the bottle up to Aurora. "You want some, too?"

"That would be great, thanks."

I'm careful as I soak my pancakes to leave enough for Aurora should she wish the same sugar rush for breakfast.

"So," Nora speaks around a mouthful of pancake, "who do you guys think you'll be on a team with?"

"Well, it doesn't help that we haven't been told how teams will be picked, so I have no idea," I shrug. "In terms of who I'd like to be on a team with, we haven't actually met that many other people, so the jury's still out on who would be good. Oh, although I did meet two great guys last night. But you only even saw one of them, Aurora, let alone talked to them, so I wouldn't want to drag you into anything you didn't want to."

"Right," she murmurs, her face turning vaguely pink, no doubt thinking of the eye-sparks she and Dys traded last night. I smother my smirk with some breakfast.

Aurora then frowns and swallows her mouthful. "Wait, what do you mean by 'drag me into it'? How would I be affected by you teaming up with them?"

"Oh, we'll be on the same team."

Her lips twitch, eyes twinkling. "Oh, really? And how can you be sure of that?"

"Because I say so," I grin.

Her soft sweet laugh chimes. "Right. Sure."

I hold her violet gaze. "I'll make sure we are."

She smiles, moved. "Alright, then. Good."

After our moment of camaraderie, Aurora seems to get self-conscious. "In any case, whoever our teammates are, let's just hope they're not those imbeciles from the airship."

"What happened on the airship?" Nora asks as I nod in agreement.

"Eh, just some thugs mocking me for being a faunus," I wave a dismissive hand.

Ren rolls his eyes, sighing. "There are always some. I'm sorry you experienced that."

"Yeah!" Nora calls, clenching her fists. "I mean, your tail is awesome!"

My face heats up at the same time I feel my tail twitch in pride. "Thanks."

It isn't long before we've finished our breakfast and good-natured chat, and need to head to our lockers to prepare for our first day. Apparently, it's going to be slightly different today; we won't start classes and homework and tests and all the other typical school shebang until tomorrow. Today we've got some sort of practical assessment for initiation in the Emerald Forest. We've not been told any more than that. Not at all ominous or nerve-racking.

Still, the excitement for the first actual day of Beacon is enough to convince me to dance my way to the lockers. I swipe the door open with a flourish, briefly donning a darker smile as I grab my twin pistols and twirl them into their hip holsters after I'd checked their ammo. Spinning around to face her, I spot Aurora doing something similar; she tests the tension of the four faintly glowing wires attached to the back of the gun part of her bow, checks her own ammo and the attached dust compartment for her stock, then gives the bow an experimental draw, probably checking for any bends or weak points she can feel. I'm lost for words as the shy meek young woman I've come to know is suddenly standing taller, straighter and bolder than I would have expected, staring confidently down the dealer end of a deadly weapon. She nods in satisfaction before stowing it on her back. She blinks at my stunned look in confusion, but quickly gives her sunshine smile.

"Ready to go?" she says.

I blink to clear the lingering awe from seeing that transformation. I hope I get to see it again. For now though, I give my dark grin again.

"Oh, yeah."

I can't stop my swagger as we make our way to the clifftop; I feel totally badass. Aurora shoots me the occasional amused glance, but doesn't say anything, which I hope means she feels similarly awesome. When we reach the meeting point, Glynda instructs us to each stand on a plate in the floor with the Beacon logo on. As we position ourselves on the plates to face Glynda and Professor Ozpin, I almost buzz on the spot, grinning as Professor Ozpin's lips twitch as he catches sight of my excitement.

To make the moment even more awesome, Dys and Raven arrive just after us, Dys taking the plate to my left and Raven standing on the one beyond him. I grin and dance a little at Dys, and though he rolls his eyes, he can't hide how his lips turn up slightly. Nor how he directs his attention to Aurora on my right. Keeping his small warm smile, he nods gently, and I don't need to try hard to imagine the equally small but delighted smile on Aurora's face as she returns the meaningful pleasantry. As I try and suppress my grin I glance at Raven and see him doing the same thing. He unleashes its full paralysing charm on me, then throws a wink in for good measure. My cheeks flood with heat…from the adrenaline of initiation. Yep, definitely because of that. No other reason.

Professor Ozpin takes a purposeful step towards us students, obviously intending to start the lesson, so I turn diligently back to face the front.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin declares grandly, silencing any chatter from other students, "and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." He gestures to the green expanse that stretches outwards from the bottom of this cliff.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams," Glynda interjects. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion: each of you will be given teammates. Today."

I'm pretty sure I hear someone groan quietly while I share glittering looks with Aurora.

Ozpin continues. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Wow, that seems really poorly planned. Then Aurora mutters almost to herself:

"Of course; they're testing our ability to not only work well with someone we choose and have well-established synergy with, but to think on our feet and create a functional partnership with someone we may not normally pick."

I raise my eyebrows, impressed at both the headmaster's idea and at how Aurora managed to figure it out.

Ozpin's voice draws my attention again. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." He gestures towards the horizon, his expression suddenly grave. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene."

As I take a deep, grounding breath, the light excitement in my chest turns to the burning oil of resolve in my veins. This is real, Ember. Time to show what you've got.

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

A blond guy further down the line squeaks: "Yeah, uh sir –"

"Good!" Ozpin calls over the poor sod. "Now take your positions."

Only after he says that do I realise they intend for us to throw ourselves off the cliff towards the Emerald Forest. The anticipatory thrill bubbles up from my chest in a giggle, which earns me a weird look from Dys as he assumes a solid stance, right foot planted firmly behind his left in a wide spread, looking almost completely immoveable as he stares down the horizon. A sound further down the line to the left makes me check over Raven's shoulder as he turns towards it too. At first I would have dismissed it as someone loading their weapon, but a split second after the cocking sound, a student is flung into the air towards the forest by the unassuming plate beneath their feet. And beneath all ours, too.

"Ohoho, yes!" Raven's grin at me and Dys is pure adrenaline, his eyes wild as he faces forward again and shakes his arms out.

"Someone's excited to be in the air," I mutter amusedly to Dys, feeling like not even my excitement matches Raven's.

Surprisingly, Dys quirks a smile that borders on pride as he glances at me out of the corner of his eye. "Just watch."

Soon enough, Raven's platform clicks its warning, and he tenses up in preparation, his hands splayed in front of him above head height, like he's gently warding back a large animal. Then, just at the moment his plate launches him, he throws both his hands down to his sides, and a huge gust of wind buffets the ground, dirt and rocks flying everywhere as he is fired into the sky. I can only stare in wonder as best I can while shaking the dust out of my eyes and coughing slightly. Dys just smirks up at the rapidly shrinking figure of his brother.

"His semblance is the air itself. He was born to fly." The mix of awe and affection in his voice is as obvious as it is surprising.

The now-familiar click of Dys's plate causes the three of us to glance down at it, but he raises his gaze just briefly to me and Aurora.

"Don't get killed," he throws out casually before being launched into the air.

"Duly noted," I snipe back with a smile, despite knowing he's already fifty feet away. And then my platform clicks, and I gasp in excitement.

"My turn!" I giggle, beaming at Aurora. "See you soon!"

Her response is lost to the sudden distance, the rushing wind in my ears and my own screech of exhilaration. My breath is stolen by the speed, the thrill and the sight of the forest canopy far below me. The wind drags its fingers through my curls, making my scalp tingle, and snatches at my open shirt. I arch my back, closing my eyes to relish the sun on my face as I spread my arms out.

Nearby buoyant laughter catches my attention, and I open my eyes to see Raven grinning at me on my left, gliding on his back with his legs crossed lazily and his hands folded behind his head, as if he's just lying in bed. At my disbelieving cackle, he winks again and flips to face the right way. He throws his hands back, propelling himself again through the air in a spiral of pure excitement, his cheer leaving a trail behind him. Laughing, I glance around quickly to see who else I can catch being awesome in the air before I need to worry about myself.

Raven continues to spin and twirl away with the wind as his will, dropping then floating in turn to command his descent. Where Raven is grace and control, however, Dys is brute force. His hands are now gripping tonfa with an additional curved blade on the tail ends, but he doesn't even use the blades; any trees he encounters as he falls are met head-on with the heads of the tonfa. Any he judges to be too sturdy to simply plough through is shattered by a preceding explosion originating from the head of the tonfa, now revealed to be the barrels of rocket or grenade launchers. I glimpse Ren being casually awesome and spiralling around and down a tree trunk he latched onto with his bladed pistols. Aurora floats at the top of her launch, arched gracefully as if gravity were a language her body had never learned to speak. But she finally plummets, straight as an arrow, eyes closed and expression serene. Then, as the trees get worryingly close, she whips her hand back to grab at her bow on her back, then swings it forwards. One of the blades that curve with the bow flings out attached to a chain, and the other one on the other end of the bow does the same. They both latch onto nearby trees, slicing into the trunks as Aurora flies past and tension slows her. She quickly flicks the blades back to her though, still airborne. She flips off one branch she encounters, swings from another lower one, and rolls as she hits the forest floor.

Okay. Now.

Grinning in literally electric excitement, I fling both my semblance and my body wide open, my eyes never leaving Aurora's landing spot. The wind drags against my skin, my clothes, my hair, and it all begins to tingle. Then prickle. Then sting. Panting with the strain and exertion, I gather all the energy I collected and hurl it downwards, aimed at where Aurora landed. The static I had gathered with my semblance shoots forward with a deafening crack, the streak of lightning dazzling my eyes

Now the hardest part.

Trying to ignore both the molecular instinct that physical bodies don't like doing this and the general weird sensation of actually going through with it, I let myself – my essence, I guess – get swept away with the current. I close my eyes as the pull starts to tug at my aura, and half a second later, if that, I stumble as I hit the forest floor heavily. My eyes start to adjust as I lean bodily against a mercifully nearby tree, panting. Aurora stands gaping at me from the edge of this small clearing, her weapon drawn and pointed at me but thankfully unfired. I grin as confidently as I can while still recovering.

"Told you…I'd make sure…we're on the same team."