Ruby sighed softly as she watched Ozpin and Glynda, her arm still slung around her older sister's shoulders. The fire had been extinguished and Yang had been picked up off the floor. Yang was fine, mostly. Sure, she twitched every now and again, but she was somewhat alert and that had to count for something, right? Just in case, Ruby made sure to keep one eye on the taser wielding woman.

"Alright, you're all here today because we believe you have what it takes to be successful musicians." Ozpin declared, straight to the point. "All of you have proved your skills in one way or another, so you will all be working together to-"

Immediately, confused and incredulous objections were heard from around the room. A particularly upset and outraged squawk coming from the white haired woman. "You have no choice in the matter." He said, raising his voice slightly to be heard above the complaints, "You either work together, or you walk out of that door and look for employment elsewhere." Ruby would rather bite off her own thumb than give up this chance. She saw the faunus move a bit, as if she were going to get up, but then relax in her seat. She couldn't tell what the woman was thinking. Her face was expressionless, if not a little bored.

"You all have a different set of skills, and while they are very… dissimilar, can harmonize and create amazing works of art. Glynda?" The woman who had been glaring at everything that moved sat a stack of papers and some pencils down on the table. Ruby found herself extremely thankful that Glynda couldn't shoot lazer beams out of her eyes. Everyone would surely be dead.

"I would like you to right all things you are skilled in on these papers and pass them around to get a feel of each other's capabilities." Ruby felt like she were in kindergarten again. The teachers would always give out little papers to write your favorite color and what not. It avoided much of the hair pulling and crying. She felt it was appropriate in this situation. The tension would take nothing more than a high powered chainsaw to cut.

As she reached down to grab herself a piece of paper, her fingers bumped into those of the woman across from her. She blushed, ready to sputter an apology, before she glanced up at amber eyes that looked about ready to rip her head from her shoulders and thought better of it. Was she the only one that didn't want to murder someone?

Finally, everyone managed to fill out the paper without further incident, all of them being passed around.

The first she saw was her own sister's, in big, bold letters. It was short and simple. Drums, tambourine, harmonica, beatboxing.

The next that came her way belonged to the woman with white hair. The paper indicated that her name was Weiss. Ruby looked at the list, her face morphing into shock and horror. It was not a list. It looked to be an entire essay on the musical abilities of Weiss Schnee. Forcing herself to at least skim through it, she gathered that Weiss was more of a classical person. Vocals, Piano, Violin, Harp, Flute, Cello.

The last was Blake Belladonna. Other than the neater, smaller letters, her list was much like Yang's. Bass, Guitar (acoustic and electric), Electronic music, Backup Vocals, Lyrics.

Ruby felt a little embarrassed at her own list. They had put everything down while her's had only stated: Vocals, Lyrics, Many instruments (Guitar preferably).

"Many instruments? What does that even mean?" Weiss spoke up, breaking the silence. Ruby blushed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "It just means I p-play a lot of instruments." A white eyebrow rose, "Like what?"

She frowned as she noticed all eyes on her, anxiety rising even more. "Ruby here is like a musical genius or something. She can play almost anything she gets her hands on!" Yang exclaimed, gesturing widely with her arms. Ruby wanted to scold her for boasting, but was too happy that the attention was on her sister and not her. Weiss simply rolled her eyes.

Cutting off any more potentially catastrophic conversation, Ozpin began placing more papers in front of the girls. However, these ones weren't blank. "These are your employment contracts. They state the rules, terms of employment, your room number, and which practice and recording rooms you get. You can terminate your contract at any time."

Ruby looked over the rules, becoming more and more confused. They seemed awfully… specific. She knew that beacon produced a lot of eccentric artists, but she didn't know it was this extreme. "No skinny dipping… in the cafeteria? Um, how does someone do that? Is there a pool in the cafeteria or something?" She asked, eyebrows pulled together. Glynda's expression seemed to grow even more severe somehow. "Don't worry about how it's done, just know that it is forbidden." Ruby nodded slowly. Yang seemed to perk up, "So that means we can do it anywhere else?" The woman took a slow, deep breath, her eyes closing. "It is highly frowned upon, Ms. Xiao-Long."

"What is the room number for?" Blake asked, looking up from her papers. Ruby jumped slightly. She nearly forgot the woman was there. "You will see in the back of the 'Terms Of Employment' that all new artists are put on a trial period. You must live in the residential area and your progress will be closely monitored for the first 90 days of you-" He was cut off by another round of objections (plus another furious squawk), but waited patiently for them to quiet down. "Of your career to inspire teamwork and camaraderie." He finished, looking at all of them as if daring them to argue again. They were all quiet. It was obvious who had the power here.

Ozpin smiled slightly, "Good. Let me show you to your room."

Ruby took the time to catch her breath and store all of the information that had been crammed into her head. Everything was happening so fast and it seemed they still had even more information to dump on her. As they left the room, she gulped and braced herself. She would be spending at least three months living here and the sooner she got a handle on everything, the better she would be able to work.

They walked out into the chilly air, leaving the small administration building and walking next door to what looked like a fancy hotel. As they walked in, she noticed a couple of shops with glowing neon signs. Unfortunately, she didn't get a good look before she was led to an elevator. The space was cramped, to say the least. Ruby made a valiant effort not to accidentally grind on anyone. She eventually gave up and leaned against Yang after bumping Weiss and receiving an icy glare.

When the doors opened, she rushed out. Being crammed into tight spaces with people she didn't know wasn't particularly thrilling to her. On the inside, it looked less like a fancy hotel and more like a fancy apartment building. They were led to a door marked '2113'.

Ozpin pushed the door open and motioned for them to step inside, handing them each a set of keys as they passed. Ruby's eyes widened as she took everything in. The door opened up to a cozy living room with light blue walls and soft grey carpet. A long counter on the right separated it from a small kitchen and on the left was a glass door, leading to a balcony. A small couch sat facing away from them and towards a large television. Ruby walked slowly down a hall near the balcony to discover four rooms with plain white walls and large beds, a small supply closet, and a bathroom. She was slightly disappointed to see that there was only a standing shower and no bath.

She turned to leave, but was startled to see Blake inspecting the room behind her. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest, but she put a shaky smile on her face. "Haha, no bubble baths I guess."

Amber eyes focused on her and she stopped breathing. A twitch of one fluffy, pierced ear was all the acknowledgement she received before the taller woman turned and stalked back to the living room. Ruby sighed softly before following after. So much for friendship.

"Do we have to live together?" She heard Weiss' ask from the living room. Peaking out of the hallway, she frowned at the pale woman's rigid posture. Ruby really hoped they didn't. She didn't know if she could handle many more of those glares. "There have to be some single rooms." Weiss said. Ozpin shook his head, "Afraid not . You will be living with these three until the trial period is over." She let out a puff of air that was just a little too dignified to be a snort.

When everyone had finished exploring, he called them back to the living room. "As long as you reside here, your living expenses are free. There are free meals in the cafeteria and a 24-hour gym on the ground floor, along with a pool and a spa." He paused, raking his eyes over all of them. Ruby held back an uncomfortable shiver. "The rooms are soundproof, so feel free to practice whenever the mood strikes. You will not wake your companions. You may customize the rooms in any way that does not cause lasting property damage. We do not allow smoking inside." He aimed a pointed look at Yang and she scratched the back of her head, looking anywhere but at him. "There are ashtrays on the balcony, however. Is everything understood?"

Ruby looked around at the other women and around the apartment before biting her lip and nodding.

"Good. I expect you all to be moved in by tonight and report to my office anytime after six P.M. Tomorrow. As a team."

Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, anxiety spiking as she watched Blake and Weiss leave. Tonight!? How were they so calm?! She felt as though she were riding a particularly horrifying roller coaster. Over shark infested pools. And the sharks had machine guns. The least they could do was give her some time to prepare!

Her breathing was starting to become short and shallow before a strong hand clasped her shoulder. She looked up to see Yang giving her a reassuring smile. Her heart slowed it's sprint to a light jog almost immediately.

"Hey, don't worry little-sis. I know it's a lot to get used to, but I'll be here every step of the way. Remember why we're here." She said quietly, giving the smaller girl's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Ruby took a few deep breaths before returning the smile with a small one of her own. "Thanks, Yang. I just let my nerves get the best of me."

Yang grinned widely and pulled her into a quick hug before pulling her out of the room and towards the exit. "Did you hear!? They have a gym! A 24-hour gym!"

The stars outside the window stayed still as the rest of the landscape sped past. Ruby leaned her head against the glass as she stared up at them. It gave her a strange comfort to know that they were there, stable as the world around her moved in a frenzy. Everything seemed to change except for them.

It hadn't taken her very long to pack. All of her possessions sat in the bed of the old pickup truck along with her older sister's. Yang had taken her Motorcycle. Instruments took up most of the space. It was what Ruby had spent most of her extra money on over the years. She had always enjoyed learning how to make music with anything she could find. She didn't know if that alone would be enough to see out her dreams.

"What's got you so nervous, Flower?" The deep gravelly voice caught her attention. She smiled slightly at the nick name and looked over at her dad. He wasn't a tall man, but he wasn't short and the years had made him thin. A light stubble covered his sharp jaw with the same salt and pepper as his hair. Laugh lines framed his mouth, but his blue eyes were filled with concern. Even though she was twenty, he never quite stopped babying her.

"I'm just kind of stressed, dad." She admitted quietly.

He glanced over at her, "Do you not want to work at Beacon?"

"That's not it." She said, her eyes falling to her lap. "I've wanted to work there since they started. I just don't know if I'm ready. Everything happened so suddenly, and I don't know if I can keep up."

"What makes you think that?"

She sighed softly, "I've only ever played small gigs, they're professionals. The others that I'm supposed to work with won't even talk to me. One of them thinks I'm a racist asshole and the other one tased Yang."

He barked out a hearty laugh at that. "I was wondering why she kept twitching." Ruby tried to stifle her own laugh, the tension leaving her shoulders.

After the laughter died down, he spoke again. "Ruby, you love making music, don't you?"

"Of course!" She said without hesitation.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." He said, chuckling softly at her enthusiasm, "You love it, so I know you'll work hard to accomplish your dreams."

Ruby stared at her hands for a moment before nodding slowly.

"As for your band, just give it time. I've never seen anyone that didn't come to love you eventually, Flower." He said. He sounded so sure of himself, she couldn't help but stare up at him. The car slowed to a stop outside the large building that would be her new home. She could see Yang start towards them to help with the bags.

"Besides, Yang's always gonna be there to help you out. I know she's stubborn and wild, but she loves you dearly. Just try to make sure she doesn't get tased again." Ruby couldn't help but giggle.

As they both got out of the car, Yang promptly wrapped their dad in a strong hug. Ruby could practically see the air being squeezed out of his lungs, but he hugged her back nonetheless. "I love you, dad. Are you sure you're gonna be alright on your own?" She asked, almost too quietly for her little sister to hear.

"It'll be a little lonely without you two causing mayhem, but I can manage."

Satisfied with the answer, she released him. Before he could catch his breath, his other daughter slammed into him with a fierce hug of her own. "I'm gonna miss you so much!" She nearly shouted, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Don't worry, we'll visit all the time and we'll call and remind you to take your meds an-"

"I love you too." He chuckled, patting her back gently. "Now hurry inside. You're gonna catch a cold out here!"

Yang pulled him into another quick hug and picked up as many of their bags as she could before making her way inside. Ruby didn't miss the gleam of pride in his eyes as she picked up the rest, and it filled her heart with warmth. Giving him one last smile, she followed her sister into their new home.

The two rooms closest to the living room had already been occupied. It was odd how fast the others got back. Stealing a glance at Yang, Ruby quickly rushed to claim the one with a window facing west. She hated being woken up with the sun in her eyes.

As she began to unpack, she couldn't help but feel a small twinge of sadness. It was kind of disappointing that everything she owned could be held in a couple backpacks and a duffel bag. Setting everything in it's proper place took a little less than an hour.

A quick glance at the clock reminded the girl in red how late it was getting and forced her to get ready for bed. As she sat on the soft bed, now covered with her red satin sheets, she looked around the room. It felt strange to have to sleep in such an unfamiliar place. The room was a lot bigger than her room at home, and it made her feel more than a little isolated. She couldn't hear anything that happened outside the door, giving the illusion that she was alone. She couldn't suppress a shudder.

Ruby flinched as two light knocks sounded at her door before it opened slightly.

"Ruby? Are you still awake?" The hushed voice asked, a blonde head peeking through the door.

The younger girl smiled a bit, "Yeah."

Yang stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her, and held up a small drum. "Look what I found while I was unpacking!" She giggled. The drum was a nostalgic sight. Ruby could remember a few nights they stayed up late, singing softly together.

Yang sat next to her on the bed, her hands gripping the object a little tighter than usual. "I was thinking about how new and weird this place is, and I thought we could do something we did at home to make it a little more… home-y." She said, a nervous chuckle escaping her.

Ruby smiled widely at her. Yang needed this just as much as she did. She got up and retrieved her Ukulele, coming back to sit with her back pressed against her sister's.
"I get the first part this time!" Yang called, her nervousness from earlier long gone.

With a soft laugh, Ruby began to play.

Her muscles relaxed slightly as she strummed the upbeat tune of their song. It brought her back to a happier time, when she was a lot younger. She remembered how the beat thumped in her heart as she sat in the back of an old car, watching the foster home fade away behind them.

"She asked me "Son when I grow old, Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

You could tell that Yang wasn't a singer. Her voice wavered sometimes and she could never quite find the right note. That didn't matter to Ruby. When they were singing together like this, it wasn't about how pretty it sounded.

"I will make you queen of everything you see!
I'll put you on the map, I'll cure you of disease."

She felt the blonde's muscles move against her back as she beat her drum, making the sound that thumped in her heart and brought a smile to her face.

"Let's say we up and left this town,
And turned our future upside down!
We'll make pretend that you and me,
Lived ever after happily!"

Ruby joined her sister on the chorus this time, her voice softer and more even, following through to her verse.

"And since we know that dreams are dead,
And life turns plans up on their head.
I will plan to be a bum,
So I just might become someone!"

She felt the clawing anxiety leave her as she relaxed against Yang's back. Her smile never left her, even when they finished the song. It didn't leave her when Yang said, "Love ya Rubes!" and retreated to her own room. It didn't leave her when she turned off the lights and snuggled up in her blankets. And it certainly didn't leave her when she drifted into sleep and dreamed of the day to come.

She knew she would be alright, no matter what tomorrow brought.

AN: Hope you guys liked it! I see Ruby as a more introverted person, and tried to reflect that in this chapter by pulling her thoughts more inward instead of on her surroundings.

Now that I've touched everyone's POV, it's free game. I intend to give everyone equal amounts, but they're not going to be in any real order. A couple may even have all of them in a chapter.

Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It really means a lot to me!

Until next time friends.
-Vox