The town was relatively quiet as the airship landed at the docks. Some people stopped to look at it for a moment, watching it touch down, but most just went about their regular business. As the doors opened, a small group of people stepped on, their footsteps accompanied by the hum of the town around them.

That is, until a silver and green blur rushed past, effectively parting the crowds in front of them.

"Come on, Rosemary!" Livana's voice called over the shocked voices, practically dragging her friend behind her. "It's here! We're going to be late!"

"Livana, it just landed!" Rosemary protested, unable to stop Livana from pulling her forward. "I don't think it'll be taking off anytime soon."

"You never know! We are the last stop, so you'd think they'd be eager to get moving." Livana answered, slowing down as they neared the ship.

Rosemary exhaled, enjoying the brief moment of stillness before Livana grabbed her arm once again, pulling her onto the airship. She closed her eyes, trying not to look at the crowd that was sure to be there.

Suddenly, Livana's grip loosened, and before Rosemary could say anything, it disappeared altogether as Livana ran off. Opening her eyes, Rosemary saw Livana pressed against the large window, staring at the water below them.

"Look at that!" Livana turned around, a grin splitting her face. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Rosemary sighed, walking over. "Livana, we haven't even lef-" Her words were cut short by a small gasp as the airship shifted for a few seconds before lifting off. Instinctively, she moved closer to Livana, tensing up.

"Oh, relax!" Livana laughed. "It's not like anyone here is gonna hurt you. Come on, I'll show you!" With that, she grabbed Rosemary's hand before she could protest, dragging her off to the center of the ship.

Rosemary was very aware of the confused looks that they were getting, and tried to make herself as small as possible. Livana, however, didn't seem to notice or care as she walked, mesmerized by the mass of sights surrounding her.

"Wow, you were right, the view gets even better once we leave town!" Livana started moving over to another window- a much more crowded one, to Rosemary's dismay.

As they walked, Rosemary glanced around at some of the other future students. A girl with hair the color of the sea- and just as wavy. A boy with dark orange hair, sitting next to a girl who appeared to have-

"Wings…" Livana whispered, following Rosemary's gaze. Sure enough, the girl had two very pink wings sprouting from her back, tipped with gold.

"Livana!" Rosemary lightly slapped her friend. "Do you really think we should be staring like that?"

"Nope!" Livana shook her head. "That's why I'm going to go talk to her."

"Wait wait wait wait-" Rosemary tried to hold her back, but it was too late. Sighing, she turned around, deciding to look for another place to sit.

However, as she turned around, Rosemary found herself stepping into something- or rather, someone. Looking up, she found herself staring at a very tall dark-haired boy, with armor that matched his cobalt eyes. A naginata was strapped across his back, and he looked as though he could snap the majority of people on this ship in a heartbeat.

Rosemary froze for a few moments before running back to where Livana was standing, trying to hold in a laugh.

"This is why I don't go out and meet people!" Rosemary hissed, moving behind Livana.

Livana finally let her laugh loose, earning herself a slap from the person who was now using her as a human shield.


Amarinthine chuckled, watching a green-haired girl run into a boy that stood a good foot above her, grinning as she ran off to hide behind another girl. "Looks like she's having fun!" He turned to Lavender, who rolled her eyes in response.

"Please, Amarinthine." She said. "Can you go a single day without laughing at other people who don't have your extravagant ability to annoy anyone you come in contact with?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'charm', Lavender." Amarinthine's smile grew even bigger. "And as for your question? No, I can't."

Lavender sighed. "Honestly! You're going to make people hate me by association."

"Oh, but that's the fun part!" Amarinthine stepped to the side before Lavender could swat him.

Scanning the airship, he took in all the people surrounding him. He found it amusing to watch their interactions- and even better, to be a part of them, wanted or not.

His eyes landed on a girl with blue hair laying by the window, who was very involved in writing something down. "I'll be right back, Lavender!" he called, walking off before his sister could protest.

Crouching down beside the girl, he looked over her shoulder to see that she was writing a letter to someone.

from the airship. We'll be getting a view of the Eternal Fall; I'll be sure to send you pictures when I get there. There are lots…

"It's Forever Fall, actually." A voice behind her made Sagara jump, and she turned around to see a boy with jet-black hair smirking at her. Blushing, she quickly erased the mistake, filling it back in with the correct name.

"It's not like she would've cared, you know." She huffed, trying to reclaim some form of dignity. She wasn't going to let some random person make a fool out of her before they even got to Beacon!

"Oh, really?" The boy decided to sit down next to her, that stupid smirk still on his face. "Who's this "she" you're talking about?"

"My sister." Sagara stated, putting the paper in her bag.

"And I take it she's interested in coming to Beacon?" he asked.

"Well, isn't everyone?" Sagara said, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being right.

The boy's smirk turned into a grin. "So, don't you think she'd appreciate being given the correct information?"

"I'd appreciate it if you left." Sagara snapped, picking up her bag and walking off.

Amarinthine simply watched her leave, grinning to himself. Lavender watched him from a few feet away, sighing and hoping that people wouldn't think that they were related.

She regretted wearing such a similar shade of purple.


Valmai sat by the window, absentmindedly watching the people by her. A silver-haired girl walking towards her, but turning around as her friend walked into a boy that towered over her. A girl dressed in the colors of the ocean laying down, writing something, only to be interrupted by a purple-clad boy, who after speaking a few words, caused the writing girl to walk off in the other direction.

"Well, at least people are having rougher starts than we are!" Rust slid over, following her gaze.

"You call this rough?" Valmai gestured to the view and the area they sat in.

Rust shrugged. "Fair point. Hey, any predictions for teams?"

"Oh, yes, let me make accurate predictions for how things will go after simply looking at these people for a few seconds." Valmai said dryly.

"You're the one with clairvoyance!" Rust protested.

"Yes, but I can't see that far ahead! And besides, it's not like I'm going to drain my aura on something like this." Valmai snapped.

Rust threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Touchy subject, got it!" he said, grinning.

Valmai simply shook her head as Rust continued. "Personally, I'm hoping to get silver-hair over there." He said, motioning to the girl that had approached Valmai earlier. "After all, she already seems interested!"

"And you don't think she could have been interested in anything else?" Valmai asked, stretching her wings out.

"That's not the point." Rust dropped his gaze to the floor, suddenly interested in his own shoes.

Valmai laughed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna take a look around this thing before we have to get off."

"Suit yourself!" Rust called as she stood. "I'm taking all the opportunities I can get to relax before we're thrown into Grimm-infested forests."

"Isn't that kinda what we came here for?" Valmai turned back around, getting the feeling that Rust wasn't going to let her leave that easily. However, as she turned, she felt her wings slam into something. Something large. Something that she was certain hadn't been there a few moments ago.

Turning around, Valmai was met with the cold cobalt stare of the boy that the green-haired girl had run into earlier. Swallowing, she jumped out of the way, folding her wings against her back. "I am so sorry! I wasn't looking, and I didn't hear you coming, and-"

However, the boy started walking again, making no sign that he accepted anything she was saying. As he passed, Valmai's face turned a shade very similar to her hair, only to darken when she heard Rust beside her. Turning, she saw him lying on the floor, doubled over with laughter.

"It's not funny." She hissed, sitting back down.

"So much for looking around, eh, Wings?" Rust said after the laughter had died down a bit.

"Oh, shut up!" Valmai snapped. "I'll hit you, too. And this time, I won't feel any regret whatsoever."

The airship suddenly shifted, silencing all conversation. Within seconds, it began to descend, causing several excited students- including Valmai and Rust- to rush over to the windows.

Looking out, Valmai watched as the docks came closer and closer. Turning her head, she tried to get a glimpse of the school, but there was no hope of seeing it through the people and the side of the ship.

A few moments later, the ship rocked again, coming to a stop as it landed. As soon as the doors opened, the flood of students pushed their way over to the door.

"You're the only person I know here so far; I'm not losing you!" Valmai said, grabbing Rust's hand and pulling him behind her before he could protest. Spreading her wings, she was able to effectively clear a path for the two of them to get through.

As she stumbled off, Valmai looked up, releasing her grip as she stared ahead of her. The large school stood in front of them, its signature lights still shining brightly despite the mid-day sun.

"It's so big…" She muttered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, that's kinda what schools like these are supposed to be like." Rust grinned, watching Valmai gape at the sight in front of her. "Now, do you wanna get in on time or not?"

Valmai shook herself out of the trance. "Right, right, sorry." She and Rust walked forward, Rust elbowing her every time she showed even the slightest hint of being sidetracked.

"I assume we just follow the crowd?" Rust asked, motioning to the swarm of people walking off of the airship.

Valmai nodded. "But if we get lost, it's your fault."

Rust rolled his eyes, and the two continued to move with the crowd. Valmai kept her wings pulled back, not wanting to hit anyone else. She knew that people were giving her strange looks, but she didn't care, too engrossed in everything that surrounded her.

After a few minutes, they reached a large room with a stage at the front of it. A silver-haired man was standing at the center, and a stern-looking woman stood off to his side.

"That's Glynda, and the one at the microphone is Ozpin." Rust whispered to Valmai. "Glynda's the one who found me with the Ursas that I was telling you about earlier, so she's kinda the main reason I'm here."

"I don't think you ever told me the full story." Valmai crossed her arms. "And you didn't mention her, according to what you were saying earlier, you 'single-handedly' saved the villagers from being torn to shreds."

Rust dropped his gaze. "I mean, it was mostly me, I could've finished them off if she hadn't done it first…"

"Yeah, sure." Valmai smirked. "Whatever you say."

Rust opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by Ozpin tapping the microphone and silencing the crowd.

"I'm sure you all have several things that you're planning to do, so I'll keep this brief." Ozpin spoke, his eyes scanning over the room. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Rust heard a voice beside him, and turned to see Valmai quoting the speech word for word. She looked at Rust, grinning.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction." Ozpin (and Valmai) continued. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With that, Ozpin stepped away, leaving Valmai still smiling at Rust.

"So you use your aura for this, but not to see our future teams?" Rust shook his head. "Honestly, Valmai, we need to work on your priorities."


Lavender had been entranced by the room alone when she walked in, but now, all of her attention was focused on the speech. To think that this man would be guiding them for years, training them, teaching them how to protect Remnant and its people…

"Hey, Lavender!" Amarinthine nudged her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Look over there!" He tilted his head towards a girl with magenta and gold wings, who was mouthing the words to the speech as they were spoken. "How do you think she's doing that?"

Lavender shrugged. "She must have an older sibling that goes here. I've heard that he says the same thing every year."

"And that's Ozpin, right?" Amarinthine asked.

"Professor Ozpin." Lavender said, still a bit put off that Amarinthine was distracting her from the speech.

"You know, it would be really cool to be on a team with someone that has wings." Amarinthine said, his gaze drifting back to the still-quoting girl.

"Could you shut up and let me listen to the speech?" Lavender hissed.

"Why? It's already over." Amarinthine grinned.

Lavender glanced towards the stage, and sure enough, Ozpin was walking off, and some of the older students were starting to lead the group into the main hall where'd they be sleeping. Shooting a glare at Amarinthine, Lavender started to follow them, not wanting to get lost.

As they walked, Lavender saw the blue-haired girl from earlier walking beside her. She looked rather overwhelmed, and Lavender couldn't blame her.

"Hello!" She called, pushing through a few people and leaving Amarinthine behind.

The girl looked up at her, smiling slightly. "Big place, isn't it?"

Lavender nodded. "My brother's going to get us lost first thing tomorrow, I'm sure of it."

"Am not!" Amarinthine protested, smirking a little when he saw who Lavender was talking. "So, Eternal Fall, we meet again!"

The girl's eyes went wide as she finally seemed to make the connection. "This…this is your brother?"

Lavender sighed. "Unfortunately, yes." She said, earning herself a light slap on the arm. "I'm really sorry for what he did earlier. He seems to enjoy throwing himself into unwanted situations."

"Are you apologizing for me?" Amarinthine huffed. "Rude."

"Oh, it's fine!" the girl said, although judging by the look that she shot Amarinthine, it clearly wasn't. "I'm just not used to being around so many people. I'm Sagara, by the way."

"I'm Lavender, and that's Amarinthine." Lavender replied. "Maybe we'll see each other during initiation!"

"Yeah, maybe we'll get to see the Eternal Fall together!" Amarinthine laughed, a smug look still on his face.

"Would you stop?" Lavender growled. Giving Sagara one more apologetic glance, she started to lead Amarinthine away, hoping to give Sagara some peace.


Sagara watched as Lavender walked off, Amarinthine following close behind her. How could such a nice person be related to him? Sighing to herself, she pressed her way through the crowd, trying to make her way through the hallways.

After a while, the group reached the main hall, and the students started to set their things on the ground. Sagara did the same, finding a spot against the wall, underneath a window.

"Come on, Rosemary, let's go over here!" Sagara heard someone call. Looking up, she saw a silver-haired girl dragging a shorter, green-haired girl behind her. "Mind if we sleep here?" She asked Sagara.

"Nope!" Sagara replied, sliding over a bit so the two could fit in.

"Thanks!" The girl said, tossing her bag on the floor. "My name's Livana, and this is my friend, Rosemary." Behind her, Rosemary waved, suddenly becoming very involved in rolling her sleeping bag out.

"I'm Sagara." Sagara said, smiling at the two before pulling out her letter that she still needed to finish. "You mind if I work on this?"

"Not at all!" Livana smiled, rolling over to talk to Rosemary. Sagara grinned to herself, continuing to write.

There are lots of people here, but I've only been able to talk to a few. There's Lavender, she's really nice, but her brother's kind of annoying- and the reason I wasn't able to finish this letter sooner. I just met two girls named Livana and Rosemary, I haven't said much to them, but they seem pretty nice too. Of course, when you get here, you'll probably know the entire school within the first day…

Initiation's tomorrow, so I'll definitely have a lot more to tell you then. Tell mom and dad I said hello!

With love,
Sagara

"What was that?" Livana asked as Sagara finished.

"I promised my sister that I'd try to write her a letter every day. She really wants to get into Beacon when she's old enough, and I told her I'd let her know what it was like." Sagara replied.

"Aw, that's adorable!" Livana exclaimed. "I'm technically an only child, but Rosemary's lived with me long enough for me to consider her a sister. Of course, she's with me now, so I can't really write anything to her. Not that anyone would know that she's here, since she refuses to be social!" She turned to Rosemary as she spoke the last sentence, and Rosemary simply rolled her eyes and went back to setting her things up.

"She should talk to Rain, that girl could make friends with a wall." Sagara laughed.

Suddenly, the lights went out, making several students gasp with surprise. "Guess that's our cue to go to sleep." Sagara said, quickly taking her sleeping bag out.

"See you tomorrow!" Livana chirped, flopping down onto her pillow and pulling a dark purple sleepmask over her eyes.

"Goodnight!" Sagara called, despite being unsure of exactly who she was talking to at this point. With that, she laid down, her mind filled with thoughts of everything that had happened that day as she fell asleep.