As the Huntsmen and Huntresses to-be lined up there was a bit of a kerfuffle at one end. Yang, Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, and anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby were involved in a bit of a shoving match to decide who would be standing where. By the time Glynda felt it was time to intervene they'd managed to at least narrow it down to a compromise: Yang, Ruby, Pyrrha, Weiss, Jaune. The three on the left were chatting playfully, Weiss wanted to crawl home to Atlas, and Jaune was wondering if it was too soon to ask for a pass to go for a pee break.

Ozpin gave his speech, which Ruby half-listened to while she looked out over the emerald forest. She was feeling refreshed, like the day could only go her way. She pat one of her back pockets to make sure the scroll she'd been loaned was still there. The school required all Huntsmen and Huntresses to carry one, a standard part of the kit in order to maintain contact with the school and her squad mates. She was required to return it after her time at Beacon was up, but she hoped that before then she could convince her father or Qrow to buy her one as a 'coming home' present. She felt just a touch nervous fiddling around with school property.

"The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ah. That complicates things.

She considered her options. With her semblance she could make it to the objective in a fraction of the time it'd take the others. She could just rush ahead and claim her piece then see who wasn't partnered up yet, but there was a non-zero chance that someone she didn't know might wind up getting there before the others. Ruby was sociable to a fault, but she would genuinely prefer someone she'd already met.

Ruby started to stretch as she gave it a thought, the panels at the other end starting to launch her compatriots off into the blue yonder. Pyrrha seemed an obvious choice, so did Yang. Her younger sis was sharp at a young age, and given how she'd put herself together and how she bragged about Signal she looked pretty competent. That'd give her a good chance to spend time together.

Click. Whooooooosh.

There was also Pyrrha, which secretly was probably Ruby's first choice. The fact she was (allegedly) an impressive fighter in her own right was pretty impressive, but she was also very, very nice. Ruby was a little envious of her position as a recognized talent, but that just made her want to compete even more with the younger girl.

"Hey Ruby?" Pyrrha whispered, causing Ruby to blink away her reverie. "Did you forget your weapon?"

The brunette was surprised by the legitimate concern, enough so that she momentarily panicked that she had in fact managed such a blunder. Smiling at Pyrrha with a mischievous glint, she reached under her poncho and produced a small swirling group of a dozen or so petals. At Pyrrha's confused look Ruby had to hold back a laugh as she hid petals once more, slipping them up a sleeve with a gesture.

"Remind me to show you some cool parlor tricks." Ruby grinned as she waved at Yang, who a moment later was launched skyward. "You'd be surprised what some sleight of hand can do..." Ruby crouched to get ready for her departure, but as she did so she reached out towards one of Pyrrha's ears and made a 'come hither' motion. As she did so another petal slipped by Pyrrha's cheek, and into Ruby's waiting hand.

With a wink Ruby was off, the platform under her feet launching her skywards and away. She had never done something like this before but she'd had her share of dives from cliffsides. Once free from the firmament she rolled mid-air to face her direction of travel, dead north. Looking to the side she could see that some of the first to be launched were already landing with varying degrees of grace. Yang was firing her gauntlets to skim over the trees, Blake was swinging from branches on her ribbon... It was looking like a fun time.

As much as she'd like to flex her muscles, she didn't want to get too far ahead of her friends. Assuming they didn't roam too far ahead early on they'd presumably land in the same area, the only question was finding one another.

A distant scream caught her attention, and Ruby was surprised (well not really) to see Jaune hurtling towards the ground with no semblance of grace. It didn't look like he'd land particularly... Nicely.

"Ruby!" Rolling over, Ruby could see Pyrrha flying towards her, concern etched in her features. "Could you get Jaune?"

"Uh." Ruby's brows furrowed as she nodded her head towards the tumbling blonde. "I mean, I need some course correction here."

Pyrrha didn't wait for Ruby to finish before pulling her shield off her back, giving the brunette a meaningful look. "One shot."

Ruby barked out a laugh before smirking. "It's all I need."

Pulling a barrel roll to increase her momentum, Pyrrha span twice before throwing her shield like a discus towards her target. Right as it got nearby Ruby pulled up her legs and planted her feet against the broad side of the shield, which made a very suspicious rotation mid-air to be perpendicular to the girl. Ruby put her faith in the redhead, and with a deep breath drew a gale alongside. An exhale and she shot off, nothing more than a streak of red as the shield disappeared in the opposite direction, nearly clipping Pyrrha as it whizzed by.

What had been a hundred feet or so was crossed in a flash as Jaune was plucked from the air with all the care of a car crash. Ruby grabbed him by the midriff and angled her trajectory towards the earth, wanting to avoid as many high-speed collisions with the ground as possible while on her way. She and Jaune disappeared into a cloud of petals as they dove into the underbrush, the cloud of red and yellow dissipating and wrapping around branches as the descent slowed.

When Ruby eventually released her semblance she was standing on the ground, Jaune over her shoulder and very much so unconscious. Ruby gently put him down against a tree and tossed her poncho onto his face to stop him from accidentally looking at her. It left her in just her wicking shirt but there wasn't much of a chill so she didn't mind.

She could either wait for Pyrrha, and thus snatch her up as a partner, or leave Jaune for the Grimm. Given that he didn't seem very comfortable with weapons – they weren't even strapped to him properly – she felt like she had pretty reasonable plausible deniability. She'd lounge around until Pyrrha came along; she had the time. There was the question of who Jaune would be partnered with, but he could figure that out on his own.

While she waited she drew the petals from her poncho, the breeze flapping the fabric a bit against Jaune's drooling mouth. When they were between her hands she focused on the shape of her weapon and lo and behold with a flash of red it came to be. She inspected it for a moment, making sure that she hadn't forgotten anything the night before, then dispelled it back into petals the moment she heard a noise.

In the corner of her vision she saw an Ursa hoovering through some bushes, doing its best to look bear-like. It'd probably been attracted by the sound she'd made as they fell, or possibly her semblance. Either way with the gentle breeze she was pushing the pair were downwind, and the Grimm just kept poking about.

Not particularly nervous about one Grimm she pulled her tablet out of one of her pockets and turned on photo mode. Kneeling down she switched it to selfie and threw up a peace sign while kneeling by Jaune's 'hooded' form. She'd need to set that as her profile picture later.

Settling for taking a few pictures she took a few of the clearing, the Grimm, and the sky through the treetops. It didn't take long before a commotion started to make its way towards them. Looking up she saw a disturbance in the underbrush. The sound of 'magic' got closer and she placed it as probably Weiss. Pulling a compression bandage from one of her pockets she lazily started wrapping her hands as she waited for the Heiress to get a bit closer.

Perhaps not as close as she did get, as Weiss zipped right into her while she was looking the other way. Ruby caught herself and grabbed the white-haired girl by the back of her dress in the same motion, groaning to herself as she tried to think of a way to weasel herself out of looking at the girl. Not thinking of anything better she tossed Weiss towards Jaune, and stood to face what was coming.

Through the undergrowth came 3 Beowolves, each of them licking their chops as they entered the clearing and started stalking in a circle. The ursa who had been nearby clued in to what they were doing and finally turned to look at Ruby and bared its fangs, though Ruby thought it looked a little surprised.

"Have you been running from those?" Ruby asked, not facing Weiss as she started to walk towards the Grimm, cracking her knuckles as she went. "These are some small fry Weiss, so unless you're here to give me a warm up I'm a little worried about what exactly you were doing wandering through the woods."

"I was-" Whatever Weiss was going to say was drowned out as Ruby flashed forward and drive a fist into the brow of one of the Beowolves, its skull giving way before it disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. The others launched themselves at Ruby without pause, and while one made it to her the other found itself impaled on the end of an axe that materialized from seemingly nowhere, the hilt buried in the ground while the twin axe-heads sunk into its chest. Ruby caught the other wolf and threw it at the Ursa, while with her free hand she grabbed the impaled Beowolf by its maw and dragged it down, forcing the axe through its back.

Somewhere behind her Ruby could hear Weiss gasp, which she ignored as she pulled her axe from the dissipating Wolf before throwing it overhead at the remaining two monsters. As it left her hands it collapsed into a petal, which then rocketed forward. There was a flash of red and both Grimm disappeared in a puff of smoke, while a tree behind them fairly exploded from the impact.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Shouted Weiss as Ruby started walking back, her eyes scanning the ground studiously to avoid eye contact, which she doubt Weiss was doing. "What sort of crazy, dangerous, bizarre fighting style is that?"

Ruby shrugged and inspected her nails before replying, "Oh, you know, do some push-ups, do some sit-ups, kill lots of terrifying monsters and you learn a few tricks. I prefer 'avant-garde' to bizarre though..."

The sound of a twig breaking nearby gave Ruby a moment of hope, and she looked up to see Pyrrha beating a path through the underbrush. She tried to meet the gladiator's eyes but she wasn't looking her way, instead generally in the direction of Weiss and Jaune. Ruby didn't want to sound desperate and shout something at her to get her attention, and if she did she'd be getting Weiss' attention too, which further would complicate things.

Flexing her fingers, a breeze blew past Pyrhha. The girl looked over towards Ruby and they finally made eye contact. Before one of them could speak, however, Jaune piped up.

"Well, at least I'm with Pyrrha." He grumbled, putting a hand to his head and pulling Ruby's poncho off his chest, where it had slid. As he spoke the three girls looked at him with more than a little bit of surprise.

"But... When..." Weiss sputtered, looking from Ruby to Pyrrha, then to Jaune. "You sneaky little..."

Ruby watched Weiss get up and start throwing punches and kicks at Jaune, who held up his arms as the Heiress let out her frustration. She rolled her eyes at the display before glancing back to Pyrrha, who had a bit of a puzzled look in her eyes.

"If our dorm rooms aren't next to each other I'm gonna file a complaint." Ruby sighed, not really keeping the disappointment out of her voice. She smiled at Pyrrha, who appeared to be biting her tongue, before walking over to Weiss and pulling her off Jaune. "That's enough, that's enough."

Weiss fought for a moment against the grip but eventually relented, glaring at Ruby with all the force of a dozen peeved cats. "Put me down."

"Sure thing partner." Ruby drawled, letting the other girl down before helping Jaune up.

"We should probably get going to the north of the forest." Pyrrha said, her tone slightly strained. Ruby looked back to her but Pyrrha was busy fussing with one of the laces on her boots.

"I can't believe he beat me." Weiss grumbled under her breath as she stormed forward to Pyrrha, beating a path in a seemingly random direction. Ruby definitely could commiserate but kept her emotions veiled as she followed behind Weiss, leaving Pyrrha and Jaune walking together.

"So this is north Miss Schnee?" Ruby asked, her hands in her pockets as she followed behind.

"Of course!" Weiss grumbled as she walked straight through a prickly bush without pausing. "I know my way..." Her mumbling became inaudible as they passed by the tree that Ruby had destroyed at range. Splinters had rained down on the nearby area and it took a moment for her to find where her axe had impaled itself in the ground. As she walked by it she drew it from the earth and shook it clear of any loose dirt before slinging it over her back.

"So where did you hide your axe Ruby?" Pyrrha asked. "You certainly didn't have it with you before."

"She's lucky I happened to walk in this direction or else she still wouldn't have it." Weiss snarked under her breath, but Ruby ignored her.

"My semblance lets me turn things into Rose Petals." Ruby explained, turning to walk backwards for a moment. "Myself, things near me, that sort of thing." Ruby pulled off her poncho and with a flick of her wrist it turned into four petals that she slipped into a pocket. "I can do other things, but that's the most practical."

"Does it help you walk backwards?" Jaune asked, eying Ruby with a hint of jealousy.

"Not at all." Ruby turned back around and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Though I guess if I was floating off the ground in a rose scented cloud I wouldn't have to worry about tripping."

"If anyone feels like asking me," Weiss said, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped and turned to face the rest of the troupe, "my Semblance allows me to create a variety of powerful glyphs." Closing her eyes and turning her nose up slightly she continued, raising a hand as if she was lecturing a bunch of children. "It's hereditary, and all of the women in my family have mastered the art."

"Does it help you run away too?" Ruby teased as she passed Weiss by and ruffled her hair, earning herself a disgruntled 'pah' from the heiress. "I'd love to see it in action regardless."

"You'll be amazed!" Weiss insisted as she crossed her arms and followed. "I don't use Parlor Tricks."

Ruby guffawed at the comment, barely containing her laughter. "You were listening to us chat were you?"

Weiss' ears turned a shade of red, but she didn't deign to reply. Instead she turned to Pyrrha, "What's your semblance Pyrrha?"

Ruby listened intently for the answer as she pulled her scroll from her pocket and snapped a quick picture of the four of them walking along the path. The compass on the home screen indicated they'd fallen a bit off course, Weiss' random path was heading in a north-easterly direction. She changed their course as Pyrrha answered;

"I have a bit of control over magnetic fields." Pyrrha's answer seemed a bit lame, like she was intentionally downplaying it. "It's useful in a pinch. How about you Jaune?"

"What's a semblance?" He asks, and Ruby turns her head to see him sporting a rather confused expression.

"It's an ability driven by your aura that allows you to perform feats that resemble magic." Ruby offered as explanation. She paused to look over the small slope that lead into a grassy area, a bank of sandy earth and rock from where the wind had eroded the bank. "If you use your aura enough, and in the right way, you might develop one."

Ruby slid down the embankment and turned around to wait for the others. Weiss and Pyrrha made the slide without much of a problem (though Ruby did make a point to tease the Heiress when she stumbled). Jaune on the other hand looked at it a bit leerily.

"Is that a Beowolf behind you Jaune?" Ruby said with a gasp, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Jaune squawked as he hopped onto the sandy ground, his feet slipping against the loose soil. He didn't even draw his weapons when he ran past Ruby, fairly cowering behind her.

"Ruby." Pyrrha chided as she placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "She was just trying to scare you, let's get going."

"I don't understand why you feel the need to be so unprofessional Ruby." Weiss grumbled with a scowl, pointedly sneering at the older girl. "It's not acceptable to surprise your fellow Huntresses like that."

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby chuckled, dismissing Weiss' expression. She started walking again and pocketed her hands once more. "I'll keep that in mind for the next time we have to scare Jaune across some stepping stones." Ruby offered Jaune a smile, and he offered a slightly frazzled grin back. "And Weiss I assure you that over the next four years at Beacon you're going to find I'm exactly as dramatic as I need to be."

"I seriously doubt that." Weiss huffed, crossing her arms. "When we get back to Beacon I'm going to protest being grouped with some drop-out with a sailor's mouth."

"Yeah well," Ruby rolled her eyes, "Pyrrha's still partnered with Jaune so unless you can get rid of him you're still not going to make it into any one-on-one slumber parties nor avoid any of his ravishing advances."

"Did someone say ravishing?" Jaune piped up, his earlier embarrassment forgotten.

"Not. You." Weiss grit out, shooting him a withering glare. "And it's not like you didn't try and partner with her too, that's why you were hanging around Jaune for so long."

"You caught me red handed." Ruby sighed, shaking her head sadly. Her grin didn't stay away for long because she grabbed Pyrrha by the arm and clung to her, a bit of an awkward look because she was a bit taller than Pyrrha in her boots. "Not that you mind, right Miss Nikos?"

"Of course not Miss Rose." Pyrrha pulled her arm gently away and shook her head. "But you two had better learn to get along, don't use me to provoke her."

Ruby pouted and took her arm back, but her smile never faded.

"Hey guys." Jaune said, sounding a bit puzzled. "Is that a really big bird or am I still recovering from a concussion?"

AN: Given that Ruby is older than she is in V6 it shouldn't be too surprising that she's got a better handle on her Semblance. AFAIK nothing here is really impossible given what we've seen.

Also, this chapter really could have been bundled with chapter 4, but I got on a bit of a roll and don't want to include the next chapter in here. Enjoy your double update weekend! There won't be too many of those.