Chapter 2

The Shining Beacon

Jaune Arc dismounted his assigned airship along with several other soon-to-be students of the prestigious Beacon Academy. The very academy that resounded throughout the kingdom of Vale and was one of the four renowned academies in the whole of Remnant tasked with training huntsmen and huntresses. He breathed in the fresh air, thankful that he was finally able to purge the recycled cold air that circulated within the airship. He watched his fellow students pull out their luggage, some travelled light much as he as denoted by their backpacks or side bags. Others had one or two suitcases but what caught his attention was a white haired girl accompanied by a staff of the airship and what seemed to be a couple of suitcases amongst several other luggage.

Talk about rich kids. Jaune thought as he walked on the platform situated by the edge of a cliff.

He was greeted by what he could only describe as a large estate. Several towers loomed over the new students as they walked on pristine pavements. Concrete arches surrounded a circular structure on the middle and a much taller tower by the end of the path. He was at loss for words, there were no such structures in their village or even anywhere near them, it was as if he now stood in front of one of the castles described to him by his deceased grandfather. Jaune was pulled from his enchantment with a slight rumble on the ground and a distant sound of explosion. His head swiveled only to see that the white haired girl that he had seen just moments ago was berating the same girl in a red cloak that stood beside him as he meditated.

"Hey look, it's Weiss Schnee." A fellow new student whispered to her companion.

"So the rumors were true, why did she choose to attend Beacon instead of the Atlas Academy?" The brunet companion replied as she pulled her bag.

"Beats me, maybe because of that time…" Jaune failed to continue on eavesdropping as the pair of girls was quickly swallowed by the crowd.

The blonde slowed his pace and tried to search for the girl in the red cloak. He stopped dead on his tracks as he saw the lone figure, her head hanged low as she walked to some unknown destination. He forced his head forwards in a desperate attempt to ignore the girl.

Not my problem. Remember why you're here Jaune.

But alas, despite of his silent words, his feet carried him behind the red girl. He sighed as he neared her, he made a mental note to try and change his rather soft nature. He watched with a certain amount of surprise and curiosity as the cloaked student lied on the ground. He wondered as to why she was garbed in such dark colors of black and red but the thought was quickly disregarded.

Jaune argued with himself whether or not it was wise to approach her but the sudden realization that he was alone in an unfamiliar environment sealed the deal.

"Hey," He called out while he offered his hand.

"I'm Jaune." The gesture was accepted and he pulled her to her feet.

"Ruby." She replied as she dusted herself.

Jaune looked at her with interest. She had pale complexion, an odd mix of red and black for her hair but what took his attention were her…

"Silver eyes." He mumbled unconsciously as an old memory was struck deep within his mind.

"Umm…I was told that it was rare but I did not expect it to be that 'rare'." She told him.

"Oh…uhhh...sorry, I just kind of remembered something that my mother told…never mind." He immediately backed off as he was not too keen on sharing a tale passed down within the Arc family to a complete stranger.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Way to go Arc, now you just made a helluva first impression on her.

"Sooo…new to the school?" Her cheery voice announced that her prior melancholic atmosphere was dispelled.

"Yeah, and you?" He returned the question as he beckoned for her to follow him.

"Same, I arrived with my sister but…" Her voice trailed off followed by a slight smile on her features.

"Let me guess, she ran with her own friends and left you alone?" His assumptions were confirmed with a nod.

"I feel you, happens to me all the time." Jaune told her as they neared the main path where several other students were walking towards the main building.

"You have a sister?"

"Sisters, seven to be exact." The look of utter shock on Ruby's face made him chuckle.

"Yep, mom and dad were a bit too energetic at times." He smiled.

With much amusement, he watched as Ruby's face became as red as her cloak.

"Oh…uhh…anyways where are you from?" Jaune saw her desperate attempt to change the topic and he obliged.

"I came from a village called Camelot just by the boundary of Minstral and Vale. And you?" He replied as the pair unconsciously rounded a turn in the path.

The change of directions effectively secluded both of them from the rest of the freshmen population.

"I live in the western end of Vale." Ruby answered back.

"By the way, where's your stuff?" Jaune pointed at his back where he carried a large brown backpack.

"The staff said that they will deliver mine and my sister's belongings to where we will be staying for tonight."

The blonde knight gave a long realizing 'aaahhh' as he wondered why he had not done the same.

The two newfound friends were lost in their conversation to notice the lack of students nearby. They conversed about a wide range of topics but mostly concerning on how they were accepted into Beacon. Jaune was impressed with how she single handedly stopped a dust store robbery. They walked on a circular path, a massive fountain on their right and several arches surrounded them. Trees and bushes were systematically placed at the side of the pavement.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune explained while maintaining a dignified voice.

The conversation quickly morphed to their experience during the overnight travel to Beacon.

"Look I'm sorry, vomit boy was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby attempted to diffuse the triggered Jaune.

"Oh yeah? What about if I called you crater face?" The knight fired an insult in retaliation, his voice was laced with a tinge of annoyance.

"Hey that explosion was an accident." His companion claimed in her defence.

"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short and sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." He jokingly announced accompanied by stretching his arms.

Ruby chuckled. "Do they?"

"Nah, never tried it. I was too occupied with training with dad and my older sisters and all." Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he was suddenly struck by his sheer lack of experience in the said field.

The sweet and innocent laughter once again filled his ears followed by an awkward silence as they continued to walk on the path.

"Sooo…" Jaune cocked an eyebrow in Ruby's direction.

"I got this thing."

He backed away as she revealed a red and dangerously looking scythe. It transformed from its compact size to the fully extended weapon. He stared both fearfully and admiringly at the pristine sharp blades and couldn't help but whistle in admiration.

"Is that a scythe?" He asked even though he already knew that it was.

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." Jaune watched with awe as the enormous scythe transformed into a scoped rifle.

"I also designed this by the way."

"Wow." He simply mumbled as he looked at his companion under a new light.

Wait…where did that scope came from? Jaune wondered but decided not to ask in fear that he would be pulled into Ruby's fascination with weapons.

He snapped back to reality from his wild imagination involving him listening to ruby's explanation about her weapon when she cleared her throat. He looked at her curiously, a tinge of pink in her white complexion.

Crap. He realized as to why with the sudden awkwardness.

"Uhh…sorry, kind of spaced out back there. I just remembered my dad's old friend who also wields a scythe."

As if to serve as his saving grace from ruining his first bond, the memory of the almost constant drunk resurfaced from his mind.

Ruby nodded understandingly before adding a rather hopeful and cheerful question. "What's his name?"

"Hmm?" Jaune looked at her once again.

"Your dad's friend who is also a scythe wielder…" Her silver eyes glimmered as she pressed her body uncomfortably closer to him.

"Who is he?"

"Qrow Branwen." He hastily replied and backed away, suppressing a sudden blush in his features.

Too close for comfort, too close for comfort.

Jaune looked at her wide grin that spread across her features.

"That's my Uncle Qrow!" She announced jubilantly.

"Wait what?" Jaune looked at the still grinning girl dumbfounded.

"That's my Uncle Qrow! So I guess this means that we should be friends."

Jaune tilted his head in feigned confusion. "But I thought we are friends."

The two laughed as they walked side by side. But as silence regained its hold on them, a stray thought entered Jaune's mind.

Wait…where are we? Where are we going?

"So what about your weapon?" Ruby inquired, looking intently at his scabbard.

"Oh this?" He began to unsheathe Crocea Mors, exposing its blade to the touch of the sun.

He then pulled out the scabbard and extended it to its shield form.

"It's a family heirloom that I had to work hard to be worthy to wield. Our family is rather too traditional and some of it may or may not have clung to me thus the lack of a personalized weapon such as yours." He explained.

"It was used by my great grandfather during the war and was passed since to every male of the Arc family."

Ruby whistled as she examined the sword. "Well I like it, not many people appreciate the classic these days."

Jaune smiled as it seemed that he had found someone that would not look down on him due to his weapon of choice. He returned the shield to its scabbard form and sheathed Crocea Mors.

"So why did you help me back there, in the courtyard?" Ruby asked, her eyes bore onto Jaune's being.

"Meh, why not? My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hmm…where are we going?" The same question that earlier popped in Jaune's mind was released from her mouth.

"Ummm…I don't know. I was following you." He looked at her then to their surroundings.

He noticed the lack of any nearby student to guide them or any form of directory.

"Great…backtrack time." He announced as he turned a hundred eighty degrees and took Ruby's hand back to where they came from.