Author's Note:

I think I've managed to nail down a release schedule for these drabbles (at least before I get swamped from finals) being Saturdays (like cartoons!)

Suggested by: Author's Original Creation

Drabble location in R.W.B.Y. timeline: Before Volume 1, Episode 1: Ruby Rose

Basic Scenario: Nora and Ren await their letters from Beacon Academy.

*BOOP*

In their village, messages were typically recorded from the Cross Continental Transit relay and then printed off for delivery; as the scroll network signal further from the relay was spotty at best.

As a result, Nora was stationed outside the mailbox for nearly the entire afternoon.

Ren shook his head at his friend's antics, but remained standing at the front doorway. In truth, he was also anxious for the messages. Many of their classmates had been getting replies from the combat schools and academies, so it was only a matter of time before he and Nora received news based off of their transcripts.

Nora fidgeted where she sat, got up to pace occasionally, and looked inside the mailbox despite having her eyes glued to it the entire time.

If it weren't obvious enough, patience wasn't Nora's strong suit.

Ren sighed, "Nora. We might not get them today."

"But we could!" Nora zipped in front of him at the blink of an eye, "and what if the mailman misses us? Or it starts to rain? Or someone steals our letters?" her turquoise eyes narrowed at the last statement, "we've got to stay watch for them..."

Ren raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine. You don't have to stay," she poked him in the chest, "but I am until we get our letters!" She crossed her arms over her chest, "and there's nothing in the whole of Remnant that can stop me!"

As if on cue, Nora's stomach growled loudly.

"Hush, you!" Nora yelled down at herself, her hands on her hips.

Ren smirked, only Nora would have an argument with her own stomach. "I'll make us something to eat..."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Nora hopped up and down at the suggestion, "Pancakes?"

Ren sighed, "we don't have enough flour, Nora... and you drank all of the syrup last time!"

"Awwww..." Nora groaned, "but it was so good."

Shaking his head, Ren turned back inside, his mind going over recipes and how he could potentially sneak something remotely healthy into Nora's food without her noticing...

*BOOP*

"They're heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!" Nora's voice seemed to echo through the room as she came bolting into the kitchen, nearly tackling Ren. Her smile was bright and she held the messages above her head, waving them in Ren's face. "Look! Look!"

"I can see, Nora." Ren gently pushed her hand aside and finished plating their meals, "let's eat first and then we'll open them."

"You got it!" Nora mock-saluted, plopping into the nearest seat.

Ren couldn't recall the last time he had seen Nora eat her food so fast... He had been worried that she might choke, but at least she hadn't notice any of the vegetables that he had slipped into her meal.

Ren had barely cleared his plate before Nora was dragging him into her bedroom with the letters clasped tightly in her hand.

"Okay..." Nora took a deep breath, "no matter what, I mean, if only one of us gets in..." she looked up at him, her turquoise eyes serious, "you're still the best friend I could ever ask for, Ren," she forced a half-smile to try and disguise her nervousness, "and nothing will change that."

He simply reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ready?"

Inhaling slowly and then exhaling, Nora nodded; her hands shook a little as she passed him his letter.

"One." Ren began.

"Two..." Nora gulped.

"Three!" Both opened their letter and unfolded it.

Glancing up from the letter's contents, Ren tried to gauge Nora's reaction. While her poker face would've normally been easy to read, she seemed nervous at her letter. Ren's nerves flare, was she scared because she hadn't been accepted? Or because she thought he hadn't?

Taking a breath, Ren slowly turned the letter to face her, showing off the green acceptance seal below the headmaster's signature. Nora's face lit up and she flipped her own, revealing a matching acceptance letter.

"Eeeeee!" Nora leaped against him, nearly bowling him over with the force of her hug, "I'm so proud of you!"

He managed out a half-chuckle, his breathing restrained by the crushing embrace.

"This is going to be great!" Nora bounced off of him and whirled around on the spot with her acceptance letter in hand, "we're going to go to Beacon together. I can't believe it... well, I sort of figured that you would get in -being the perfect student and really, really good at fighting, especially with your aura manipulation- but I was kinda nervous for us both."

Ren watched as Nora skipped around the room, humming something to herself.

"We'd better pack! Well... we don't have much to pack, and we've still got a few weeks before we even need to pack; but I just can't wait for it!"

She grabbed several items off of her dresser and looked at each in turn.

"Do you think there's a uniform? I bet there is, since it is an academy... and I don't know if I have anything fancy enough to wear if there's a formal dance or something. Should we pick up something? Or wait until we get there?"

Her eyes lit up as she faced the kingdom map, pointing to the site of Beacon Academy, around which she had drawn a heart in pink marker.

"Beacon's all the way in the city of Vale! The capital... I wonder what it's like in the city? Probably a lot busier than here in the village. Can you imagine it Ren? All of the shops and the people. I heard that they even have airships to travel between the academy and the city!"

Sighing, Nora seemed to calm down; looking down at her letter and hugging it to her chest.

"Four years, Ren." She turned and smiled up at him, "Then we'll be real hunters."

Ren smiled back.

Anything could happen in those four years, but one thing he was sure to be certain... Nora would be at his side, dragging him in and out of trouble at lightning speeds.