Hi. This chapter was harder to write than I thought.

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or anything else I may reference. I have some claim to my OCs.

Chapter 2

The view from the airship is spectacular. I can certainly appreciate that, even if I don't recognize any landmarks. I may sound strange but since I spent most of my time at the facility training, working or sleeping (guards had quartes there) I rarely went into the city itself, and even then not for very long.

My full reflection stared back at me from the glass. Short black hair, blue eyes, a thin frame that would be better described as wiry than muscled, strength is not my…strength, so to speak.

I tried going for practical with my outfit. Long sleeve shirt with a camouflage pattern, long pants with plenty of pockets and the same pattern as the shirt, black combat boots. I also had on a light armour vest over the shirt, again with a camouflage pattern, my Aura may be my main defence but a bit of extra protection could mean the difference between a wound and death.

I also have a scarf (camouflage pattern), it's pulled down now but I can pull it up to cover the lower half of my face….I admit I have the scarf because I think it looks cool.

One may notice a trend with the camouflage pattern. I don't think that it would help if a Grimm really wanted to find me (or in a place with less green like Forever Fall) but it should help. It would help with stealth a lot more than what some of the others around me are wearing I'll say that.

…And I think the camouflage pattern looks badass…

I've got my weapon folded up on my back, extra ammo, and a combat knife just in case. I also have a grappling hook. My one regret is that I couldn't get any flash bangs, Grimm still need to see and hear so they could have been useful.

I've been trying my best to be prepared, to do research on the Grimm and think up plans. I'm not as strong as most, okay maybe all, of the others here so I pretty much have to try and fight smart.

Yet I still feel like I've forgotten something…

Anyway...

Thus far I have yet to see anyone I would recognize. This isn't a complete surprise as there are several airships heading to Beacon.

Although come to think of it I haven't really paid much attention to current events. Hell there never was a timeline for the events before the series. So for all I know I could be heading to Beacon before or after…

"The robbery was lead by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick…"

…Never mind, they're on a different airship. Thank you news report.

I just tune the rest of it out, I don't need to hear that speech from Goodwitch and I definitely don't need to hear about the White Fang disrupting that protest.

God, the White Fang…

Having been employed at the facility, which was owned by the Schnee Company. I know for a fact that the concept of the company being at war with the White Fang is not an exaggeration. In fact, the number of attacks has increased over the past few months, maybe longer.

Things are escalating. The Schnee Company is losing money. Things are bad on that front.

"Attention. We are approaching Beacon and will be docking shortly..."

Well Sam this is it. Soon you will be setting foot in the place you will be spending the next four years of your life. Try not to make a fool of yourself.

…

…Try not to make too big a fool of yourself.

Soon enough the airship docked and everyone moved to the exit. I decided to hang back a bit. I don't do well in crowds, I like my personal space, and preferred to not be in the middle of the excited rush. Soon I was out and took my first real look at my new home.

####

Beacon…is big.

…Well it is.

It occurs to me that there was probably a map in the information packet I got with my acceptance notice. But it would be in my bag, which will be brought from the ship later.

Well done Sam, you try to put emphasis on planning, and you forget the bloody map. Great start, keep it up.

This reduces me to wandering aimlessly around the docking area. Well, it's not as though I can't think of anything to do next. Just listen for yelling…Or an explosion, either way.

"What are you, brain-dead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!..."

Yelling it is.

It doesn't take long to find them.

Yep, that's Weiss, and there's Ruby. Which means…

*ACHOO*

*BOOM*

I flinched at the explosion. I looked back…and something nailed me right between the eyes.

…Okay, time to take stock here. I'm lying on the ground, looking at the sky, and my head hurts…

What hit me?!

I turned my head to the side.

Ohhhh, that's the bottle Weiss was holding. The one that flew out of the explosion…

…I feel dizzy.

After a moment I heard footsteps.

"Are you okay?"

I turned to look at the speaker. Dark hair, book, bow. Yep that's Blake.

"Ugh, not sure, could you hold up a few fingers?"

She did so. "Three?"

"Yeah"

"Okay then. I think I'm fine…apart from my head hurting…and the loss of my dignity."

"Okay." There may have been some amusement in her voice there. I suppose I might find it funny if it didn't happen to me.

I sat up, slowly due to my aching head. Blake meanwhile picked up the bottle and headed towards ground zero.

*sigh* Well…I suppose I could have made a worse first impression. Just not without actually trying.

I stood up, a moment's pause determined that the dizziness was gone, and made my own way to…the aftermath apparently, Blake and Weiss had just walked off. I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't give my opinion about the explosion (and the cause thereof), but on the other hand my head is still aching and I want to give it a chance to ease up before any potential yelling.

But it seems that I am just in time for Jaune to arrive.

"Hey. I'm Jaune."

"Ruby"

"…Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

Well. No time like the present. I walked up.

"Hi. I'm Sam"

####

"All I'm saying is motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

Honestly, I can sympathise with that. "Yeah, I get that. I get seasick." Ugh, I hate that.

"Look, I'm sorry Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby said.

"Oh yeah? Well what if I call you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"

Might as well speak up here. "I arrived just in time for that, how did it happen?"

"Uh, well I tripped over that girls luggage and then she got really mad and started yelling at me, then she was waving a bottle around and dust got in the air and then I sneezed and…well…" She really doesn't like thinking about that incident.

"Ah. Well…"

"Wait, if you were there for the explosion, why didn't we see you sooner?" Ruby interrupted.

"Oh, uh…*sigh*…A bottle flew out of the explosion and nailed me between the eyes."

Ruby flinched at that. "Oh, sorry."

"Relax. Your sneeze set off the Dust, but you didn't put the Dust in the air. It's not your fault." Okay this is getting a little awkward. Time to change the subject. "Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah." I turned to Jaune. "Not Vomit Boy."

"Hey! It's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

"Do they?" Ruby seems sceptical, as am I.

"They will. Well, I hope they will. My mom always says that…eh, never mind."

Heh. They're two awkward dorks aren't they. I may fit in better than I thought.

Ruby broke the silence. "So, I got this." She pulls out the scythe and slams the tip into the ground. Wow, seeing it in person, that thing is cool.

Jaune is just as awestruck. "Woah! Is that a scythe?" I've always thought of Ruby described as 'Little Red Riding Hood as trained by the Grim Reaper'. That opinion has not changed.

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle." Ruby said, holding the scythe up.

"A…wha?"

"It's a gun as well." I supplied.

"Oh." He said. "That's cool!"

"So what about you two?"

Jaune went first. "Oh, uh. I got this sword."

"Ohhhh." Ruby really does like see new weapons doesn't she.

Jaune unfolded his shield. "Yeah, I got a shield too."

"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked. She touched the shield, at which point it snapped closed, then open again. This cycle repeated while Jaune fumble to get a grip on the shield. When he did he folded it again and put it away, the sword sheathe within.

"The shield gets smaller. So when I get tired of carrying it I can just…put it away." He said, seeming a bit embarrassed by the earlier fumbling.

"But, wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah it does." Jaune sounded a bit depressed.

"Actually, I don't think it's about weight. I think it's about space."

They both looked at me.

"I mean…A normal shield would have to be carried on your back, or you'd keep it on your arm. But this way you've got more space for…well a backpack or something. It still weighs the same but it's easier to carry."

I think Jaune looks a bit better. Ruby seems to agree. "I guess that makes sense. So, what about you Sam?"

Right, my turn. I take my weapon off my back and it unfolded. "Basically, it's an assault rifle with a bayonet." When it came to my weapon I decided to go for something less complicated. It looks a lot like an M16A4, with a blade like a combat knife extending about 25 cm past the end from below the barrel. It also has a camouflage pattern to go with my overall theme. "It can fire semi-auto, three round burst, or full-auto. There's also a scope." The scope flipped up and extended. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done.

"Cool, does it do anything else?"

"No. At one point I considered putting in an attachment that uses Fire Dust. The idea was to give shots an incendiary effect that I could switch on and off." I shrugged. "But in the end I decided to keep it simple." Ah what the hell. "This is my rifle, there are many like it, but this one is mine." I said with a smile.

"I guess that works. Heh, I guess I went a little overboard in making mine."

"Wait, you made that?" Jaune asked.

"Of course. All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you guys make yours?" Ruby replied.

I went first. "Sort of. I had some help putting it together, but now I can take it apart and put it back together on my own. I need to maintain it."

"Mine's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." Jaune said.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me. Well I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days." She turned to me. "And not every weapon needs to be fancy to be effective."

I nod and put my rifle away. It may be simple in comparison to some other weapons. But it's mine.

"You said they were your great-great-grandfathers? They must be really well made." I said to Jaune. Seriously, they're that old and are still effective weapons? That's impressive quality right there.

"Heh, yeah…"

There's a moment of silence.

"So why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard." Ruby said to Jaune.

"Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'." Jaune replied.

I have to smile at his cheerful attitude.

"Hey where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I dunno. I was following you." Jaune replied.

"Don't look at me. I'm a follower not a leader." I said.

And so it begins…

I'm still not sure ho happy I am with this chapter. It went through a few rewrites.

Sams weapon based is on the M16A4 rifle. I decided to go with something comparatively simple for Sams weapon. He's going to be a decent shot, but close combat will be trickier for him. Also it seems like a weapon someone from Earth could use.

I'm trying to build a better reason for him to be at Beacon than 'reasons'. This is why he arrived a year before cannon. To build up his skills a bit.