Chapter 2

As soon as the ship docked alongside the pier, Ruby jumped out, hauling her bright red suitcase over the guard rails.

Some poor pedestrian wandering along the docks turned to face the huntress-in-training. "EGAAH!"

The man leaped out of the way before Ruby's feet could crash into him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the girl said, quickly fleeing the scene.

She should have been used to traveling to Vale by sea, but the need to attend the opening ceremony created a sense of urgency. No worries, I should be able to get there on time. I got up early enough for this. Everything should be fine.

Maybe it's the suitcase.

Ruby continued along the pier, heading for the main harbor connecting into the city. She then spotted a familiar face.

The girl dragged her suitcase close, and then waved to the young boy, "Hi there, you must be Julian. I'm Ruby."

The boy jumped to attention, and gave the girl a salute. When he realized his mistake, he lowered his hand and then let out a breath of relief, "Oh, uh, it's nice to meet you Ruby. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off as stiff or anything. It's just when you've been with the military for so long, it becomes a habit. Yang mentioned you came over for a surprise visit."

"Yup," said Ruby. "Say, how did you get here so early?"

Julian looked off to the side while reaching for the back of his neck. "I guess it's just habit. The general usually has trouble waking up, so I always have to look after him."

"Yup," Ruby nodded, "that pretty much sums up my cousin Yang."

Yang really wasn't the most diligent of people. It was a miracle he even became a general in the first place. But then again, people did call him "Miracle Yang," given what he had managed to accomplish.

"So," said Ruby as she leaned her weight from side to side, "shouldn't we get going?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Alrighty!"

The two of them continued along the boardwalk until they found a ramp going into the main city. There had been a few stairways edging alongside the wall, which elevated the town from the harbor, but obviously they would have trouble bringing their bags up the steps. The two had passed a row of stalls along the way, and Ruby couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the black case strapped to Julian's back, along with the gun holstered to his left side.

Just as they were up on the ramp, Ruby turned to Julian and said, "Do you know anyone who's going?"

"Not really. I don't remember meeting anyone my age while in the army. I guess you could say you're as much a stranger to this as I am." Julian let out a slight chuckle. "Though, I could introduce you to some of the staff and show you around the place."

"You know our professors? What are they like? I can't wait to meet them!"

At this point, Ruby accidentally let go of her suitcase, causing it to tip over.

OhGod!OhGod!OhGod!OhGod!

Ruby scrambled to bring the red baggage back upright. Julian tried to pick it up as well, but he seemed to have frozen in place when Ruby looked up at him.

"You alright?" Julian asked.

Ruby wiped her forehead. "Yeah, I've got it. This suitcase is a real pain in the butt. Didn't they used to have us ship our stuff?"

"Maybe. I guess it wouldn't be too surprising if they dropped that. Lots of things have changed over the years."

Ruby stepped on ahead to reach flatter terrain. Here, a single road ran roughly parallel to the docks, caging in a series of apartments, shops, and other nondescript buildings behind it. Right at the corner across the street stood a bus station and an accompanying sign.

Judging by the humble size of its buildings and its broad but plain harbors, it was easy to assume that Vale was nothing more than a small-town port on a first glance. But Ruby knew otherwise. Vale was a vast place, and the dozen cranes hanging in the sky highlighted this fact. While many people sported motor vehicles of their own, bus was by far one of the easiest ways to get around in this place.

There was the train as well, but that wouldn't get them to where they needed to go. Plus, the nearest station was a couple miles away.

Still, Vale didn't seem any different than it normally did. I wonder what Julian meant by that? There had been a time when access to the city had been restricted, when the conflict had shifted to northern Vytal. No one must leave the island. That was what the soldiers said to everyone at home, including Ruby.

"Ruby?"

The girl shook her head when Julian interrupted. "Oh! Right! The bus! Let's get going!"

Seeing no cars in the immediate vicinity, the two of them strode along the crosswalk, and then stood next to one of the station's supports. Ruby glanced at a schedule secured behind a glass case bolted onto the side of the station. The next bus would arrive in about four minutes.

Julian pulled out a scroll from his pocket and opened it up. "We should arrive there a few hours early. Let's just hope we won't have too much trouble at the airport."

As soon as he put the device away, Ruby spoke up, "So, have you ever flown in an airship before?"

"A few times," said Julian.

Ruby leapt in front of the boy, holding both fists close together. "Really? What's it like? What's it like?"

"Pleasant, I guess you could say." Julian drifted his gaze slightly down and to the right, his eyes half closed.

"Is something troubling you?"

"No, why would you think that?"

He looks like such a cute, little, puppy-dog! I wonder if I can take him home with me? He'd look so good together with Zwei! Oh wait! What am I thinking? He's a boy, Ruby, not another pet. I shouldn't be having these thoughts about some guy I just met. What would Crescent Rose think? Bad Ruby! Bad!

Just then, Julian raised his hand to his mouth and let out a soft chuckle.

Oh God, why does he have to look like that when he laughs? This is bad! This is really bad! Just step away nice and slow...

"What? Is something funny?" asked Ruby.

"Sorry, Ruby, it's just you had this look on your face." Well, let's hope that never happens again. Ruby stepped back towards her suitcase and looked around.

"Hey Julian, why are people looking at us?"

"Who knows? Could be any number of reasons."

"Do you think…"

"Hey look! It's here!" Julian pointed his finger towards a bus coming from down the street.

Ruby leapt up into the air. "Alright! Off to Beacon we go!"

Just as the bus came to a stop, Ruby scrambled to locate some spare change from her pockets. The vehicle's doors folded open, and Ruby hauled her bag up the steps. Julian was not too far behind. Once on top, Ruby pulled the change from her pocket and handed it to the driver, who raised an eyebrow at her.

Just as Ruby's companion started to pull out his change, the driver swept her hand at him and said, "Aw, no need to worry about that, sugah! Just keep it."

Julian seemed stunned by the woman's words. "Th-that's generous of you. But still, it wouldn't be right if I didn't pay. So here."

The driver then accepted the exchange. "Well, seein' as you're one of them good soldier boys, I figured I'd do y'all a favor. But if you insist. You two oughta take a seat before people start complainin', ya know." She turned to Ruby. "You're one of them academy students, right?"

"Yes, mam!" said the huntress-in-training.

"Well, ain't that swell."

Right after that, Ruby seated herself in the closest spot she could find, leaving her bag in a designated area nearby. Julian instinctively saluted to the woman, but then seated himself opposite Ruby. I wonder what that was about? As she looked up to face the ceiling, Ruby heard Julian let out a sigh.

"You know her?" the scythe user asked.

No response.

A few seconds later, Ruby heard the doors shut. The bus quickly turned around the corner and then sped straight forward. Upon a quick glance, there seemed to be a few others who looked like they could have been students as well. No one she knew though. Hmm… I wonder if they've got any good equipment? Can't see anything. Why did they have to make these seats so big? Hold on! Maybe if I just do this? Yes! Just a little closer. I just need one itsy-bitsy little look…

"Uh, Ruby, you really shouldn't be leaning that close to people."

The road eventually led into a large airfield, sandwiched between the edges of the main city and its southern district. Two flat-top buildings stood beside the main roadway as it circled around a leveled parking structure, with only a single corridor and an overhead rail system connecting the two. Each of these had an arm extending outward, with only six airships standing nearby as people flocked to them. A third hub was meant to stand to the left of these two, but only upturned dirt and stone remained in its place. What remained of the overhead train system passed through both a metro hub and a secondary parking structure before ending just where the tracks had fallen. The whole complex featured a multitude of runways, an artifact from when Vale's aircraft needed distance before rising off the ground. Craters dotted the left side of the field, especially near the airport's absent hub.

Ruby tried taking it all in, kneeling on her seat with her hands planted on the window. "What happened here?" Ruby thought to herself.

Julian's voice had a dullness reminiscent of death. "The enemy sought to remove what little air power we had. Our defenses were thin, so it was only inevitable that some of them would get through. The city's perimeter was too large for us to manage, so we had to hole up in the academy." Ruby turned for a moment to face her companion. The boy was reclined all the way back in his seat, with both arms behind his head. His case, most likely holding his tomahawk, sat on the seat right next to him as he looked up to the ceiling.

Ruby adjusted herself, transferring her compacted scythe to her lap. She held her combat skirt close to her legs as she sat down. "Just what was it like?"

"Many days, many nights, watching, waiting for the enemy to come. Supplies dwindling day by day. How long until we would run out? How long until the enemy dusted us to oblivion? How long until we could no longer feed those we had sworn to protect? Only long after we had lost count of the days did we find our chance. But it was only because of him that we were able to free ourselves from destruction."

Yang.

The bus pulled up to the curb sprawling alongside the first hub. As soon as the doors opened, Ruby strapped her weapon back in place, stood up, and then picked up her suitcase. Shortly after she was off, Julian followed close behind and then started moving to the entrance.

About three-quarters of the way there, Julian faced her and said, "You've never been here before, right?"

Ruby put on a cheery smile, trying to wash away the gloominess from just a minute before. "Nope! Well, first time's the charm! Lets go!" A light smile appeared on Julian's face and the duo continued on forward.

Once inside, the two immediately faced a sign telling Beacon students to go right. After going in that direction, the two of them found a decently-sized line leading to one of the security checkpoints.

Ruby made her move.

"Ruby, wait up!"

Julian shouted as the girl bolted for the nearest transformable weapon she could find. Must resist the urge to touch. But it's so shiny! I bet it fires two-thousand rounds per minute! And it's so sleek and aerodynamic! KYAAAAA~!

The boy in front of her jumped back when he noticed Ruby reaching over to grab his scimitar-machine-pistol. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! Watcha doin', lady? Ain't nobody touchin' my boy Sinbad!"

Julian stopped himself just before running into the boy, and then raised his hands in front. "We're really sorry about that, sir. We didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"Okay, buddy." The boy walked away as the line began to move. "Jeez, what a freak."

Well, that's one friendship ruined.

Ruby turned to her companion, "Sorry about that. It's just I get a bit overexcited when I see a weapon I like."

"It's fine really."

After taking a few steps forward, Ruby turned back and said, "So what did you name yours?"

"Huh?"

"You know." Ruby gestured to the black case as well as the gun strapped to her companion's hip.

"Oh, I never actually got around to naming them. Strange, isn't it? You would think that after all these years I would have thought of something."

Maybe my hobbies are a bit weird. I just hope I find somebody I can share my interests with.

As the two waited in line, Ruby spotted a peculiar white-haired girl near the front of the line. She was escorted by a black-suited man hauling a silver case. Ruby couldn't explain what, but something about the girl intrigued her. Maybe it was the fine, long rapier, featuring a multi-chambered cylinder near the hilt for dust cartridges. Or it might have been the girl's appreciation for combat skirts, or the way that she bound her hair just so that her ponytail hanged over to the side with a stylish flair. Whatever the case, the girl seemed to exude a certain sense of elegance.

Still, it would be awkward to mention her now.

After passing by a guard asking for identification, the two of them stepped up to the main security checkpoint, featuring a large metallic table leading into an X-ray machine. To the left of this structure stood a personnel scanning device, which led into the rest of the airport. Metal walls, reaching about a foot away from the ceiling, prevented any other points of entry, aside from the other security checkpoints.

An officer placed a large tray onto the platform in front of them. "Place any weapons and Dust-related equipment you may have into this tray. Place any luggage that you have onto the table for further inspection." The two of them then complied, though Ruby wasn't exactly comfortable with leaving her beloved gun-scythe with random strangers. "Proceed through the checkpoint."

Ruby then stepped into the semi-transparent, cylindrical chamber, stopping when another security officer instructed her to do so. Great dust, this is taking so long. I never had to go through any of this before. Why does this place have to be so cram packed with security? No worries, we've got a few hours left before the ceremony starts.

Once the process was done, Ruby stepped on through and then retrieved her things once security was done inspecting her suitcase. After that, she walked over to a column nearby and leaned up against it.

Ruby walked back up to her companion once he was through. "Is it always like this?"

"Yeah, why?" Julian replied.

"How long did that take us?"

"Maybe five to eight minutes. Let's go."

On another column just to her right, Ruby spotted a sign directing the students towards the proper gate. As the duo walked on, Ruby turned to her companion and said, "Say, you have any idea who that white-haired girl was? She looked like someone important. I mean, how many people have servants or bodyguards?"

"I think that's supposed to be Weiss Schnee, current heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," said Julian.

The what?

"Wait, who are they again?" Ruby asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company. They were one of our suppliers during the war, but I don't blame you if you've never heard of them before. They used to have a monopoly on the world's dust supply, but the war hit them pretty hard. The enemy destroyed their headquarters in Atlas and targeted their facilities worldwide. Now, Vale's the only place where they still have any business."

"Huh," Ruby remarked. "You sure seem to know a lot." Julian simply nodded with a light smile. Maybe I should try their dust some day.

Once at the gate, the duo faced an open doorway, in front of which stood yet another person waiting to check their scrolls. After that, they made an immediate turn right, where the walkway opened back outside. A black-sprayed, skeletal ramp snaked down to the ground. Why haven't they installed elevators yet?

After a long trek down, the two had reached ground level. They then stopped to take a breather. "Why did they make us go inside and then go back out when we could have just stayed outside the whole time?" whined Ruby. Up ahead loomed the airship with people filing towards it.

Another line? Well, at least it's going by quickly.

"Hey look, Julian! I can see Patch from here!"

Ruby looked upon the city with awe. They were really, really high up. Although she could not make out any distinctive landmarks such as Signal Academy, she could still see the bluish silhouette of her home island out past the western shore. Large ships crept along the water like ants, even in the great river where bridges were still undergoing repairs. Every now and then, Ruby spotted crane and crew resurrecting those buildings that had fallen over the past few years. The city of Vale was vibrant with activity: dust, aluminum, and steel forming its blood.

Still, there were areas within the central districts that were cut off from the rest. Here, factories, apartments, corporate headquarters, and independent shops still stood, bearing the marks of war. Machines torn apart were left to die in a few choice alleyways, doomed to rust and decay until the end of time. Even the streets bore tracks and great mine-craters from when the enemy had marched through. Yet even so, much of the city remained intact and untouched, despite the siege ending only months before.

Ruby backed away from the window and turned to face her companion. Only, he wasn't there. Nor was his suitcase. Maybe he's in the bathroom. Hmm… Maybe I should try speaking with that Weiss girl. I wonder where she is?

The young weapons expert looked around for her prospective comrade-in-arms. The gallery was packed with aspiring students, along with the suitcases they brought with them. One of these ships used to travel directly to Ruby's home island to escort students to Beacon, but that was when she was still a child.

That was a long time ago.

Ruby shook her head and continued searching. Some boy on the opposite side was having trouble standing up, and some of the ship guards came to assist him. A pair of overhead screens was displaying the news for the day: some stuff about fighting going on in Atlas or something. Whatever it was, it didn't seem all that important.

Found you!

As soon as the heiress came into her sights, Ruby began shuffling her way through the crowd. She circled around to the girl's left side, just out of sight of the suited escort. Once in place, Ruby awkwardly stepped in front of her prospective comrade.

The white-haired girl planted her right hand on her hip. "Can I help you?" she asked with a harsh tone.

Ruby tried waving at the heiress. "Uh, h-hi, I'm Ruby Rose!"

This isn't working! Gotta think of something! Gotta think of something!

Weiss's counterattack was as swift as it was painful. "Did you have anything else to say or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" Why does this girl have to be so rude?

"I just felt like talking. That's all." Though, you don't really seem to be in the mood.

"How old are you anyway? You look way too young to be a Beacon student."

Why did she have to ask that question?

"I thought your rapier looked really cool. How…"

"Don't try and change the subject! Answer my question! What is a little child like you doing on a ship headed for the academy?"

"But you're…"

"Well?" demanded Weiss, her arms crossed.

This isn't worth it.

Ruby started walking away from the heiress. Unfortunately, she could still hear Weiss screaming from behind her. "Hey, where do you think you're going? You said you wanted to talk! Get back here! I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company! Answer my question, dumbnut!" The crowd slowly drifted away from the two girls. Some of the other students watched the events unfold, including that one guy who called Ruby a freak.

Ruby let out a groan, turning around to face her adversary. "I'm fifteen, okay? Look, Prof…"

"Fifteen? How in Dust did they even let you in here? I had to train all my life just to get a chance to come here! Why on Remnant would they give a dunce like you a free pass? This is great, just great!"

At that moment, the footage on the screens changed to reveal a gray-haired man with a broad mustache and a burgundy coat. Weiss growled, but she turned her attention to the announcement nevertheless.

The man cleared his throat before speaking. "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the most prestigious academy of Beacon! My name is Professor Peter Port, and I am the assistant director here at the academy. As much as you would all like to listen to the extraordinary tales of my hunting exploits, my time here must be brief. You have all gathered here from various corners of the world, whether it be from Mistral, Atlas, or even Vale itself. We live in difficult times, but it is up to us hunters and huntresses to help preserve the peace we have gained, and to protect our civilization from the evil Grimm. This may be my first year as assistant director, but I am confident that we can instill in you the strength, the courage, and the skills to help you face whatever danger the future may hold. The trials you will face tomorrow will push you to your very limits, and you shall face many foul beasts willing to tear you all to pieces. But worry not, for I believe in both your abilities and your tactical intuition. May the trials proceed in your favor, and be sure to come to the opening ceremony later this afternoon."

Sometime during the assistant director's speech, Julian tapped Ruby on her left shoulder, and then gestured toward the opposite side of the room. Ruby nodded in confirmation, and the two of them took this opportunity to sneak away from the unpleasant heiress.

Once the speech was done, Julian turned to Ruby and said, "I take it your encounter with Ms. Schnee didn't go so well."

"Not really," Ruby said as she looked to the floor. "I'm not good at making friends, am I?"

Julian reclined on the flat wall underneath the sloped glass, "Well, you didn't exactly have the best of starts. Maybe you'll have better luck the next time around."

"I dunno. I mean, I guess I could go without friends."

"There's no need to say that, Ruby. We've still got each other. I mean, we just met today, but still. I didn't really expect that I'd be making friends with anyone on my first day. I-I'm grateful for that."

"Well, if you say so."

"Anyway, they really should do more checkups for people who ride these things. This is the first time I've seen someone throw up on a passenger airship."

A/N: Hello Everyone. This chapter came out relatively quickly since I already had most of it typed up. The editing phase went a lot faster than I expected this time around. The next chapter might be a while though.