Chapter 1 -The First Step
"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister's going to Beacon with me! This is the best. Day. EVER!"
Ruby Rose could only wish that she could disappear right now because there were so many eyes watching them!
"Please stop…" She groaned as her sister finally freed her from the nigh-bone-crushing hug.
Straightening her high-collar black blouse, she then made sure that the hug didn't loosen some of the lacing of her waist cincher or disturb the belt that held her magazines and extra bullets, as well as her personal emblem, a rose that also acted as its buckle. Patting down her matching black skirt and stockings, checking if there was anything on them– she'd rather not have a wardrobe malfunction– she then took a couple of steps away from her sister, her combat boots lightly clunking against the metal floor.
Taking a quick glance around, she winced as some of the people on the Airship began to whisper with not-so-subtle fingers pointing at them. Her hand unconsciously reached up and caressed the cloak, her fingers pinching and grabbing at the red, well-cared-for fabric.
"But I'm sooo proud of you~!" Yang Xiao Long gushed, her grin not diminishing in the slightest. The blonde looked around excitedly as if urging others to look at her sister if the expression of 'look at my cool and cute sister' was any indication.
As opposed to Ruby's gothic lolita style, she was far more vibrant in her outfit. Clad in a tan jacket that left her midriff– and abs– exposed for all to see, with puffy sleeves that ended mid-bicep, allowing her to show off her muscles. Underneath the jacket was a low-cut yellow crop top with her personal emblem; a burning heart. Around her neck was an orange infinity scarf, looking both well-cared for and well-worn.
On her hips was a brown belt with attached pleats, forming a pseudo-skirt that left her front open and free, a white asymmetrical fabric underneath, and a pair of tight black spandex compression shorts that barely went past mid-thigh, allowing– once more– her leg muscles to be seen on full display. A pair of brown boots covered her feet, an asymmetrical pair of orange socks clear, with the left riding high up past her knee while the other went mid-shin, just barely above the boot. A gray bandana was wrapped around her left knee, one that she absent-mindedly adjusted with her hands, which had black fingerless gloves on.
Said younger sister, only pulled her hood up to hide her face when a couple of boys looked at her after ogling Yang. "Really, sis, it was nothing." She muttered, shuffling closer to where the windows were. At least there were fewer people than standing out near the middle of the cabin!
"What do you mean? It was incredible!" Her sister followed her, much to her mortification as it caused the group of boys sitting nearby to focus on them. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"
Ruby's cheeks then paled at her sister's words even further than they already were. "I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay? I don't wanna be any kind of knees!" She took a deep breath to try and calm her rapidly beating heart. "I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees."
An odd sensation ran up her spine, one that she was, regretfully, familiar with. Feeling like she was being watched, she took a subtle glance over her shoulder and saw a reddish-brown haired boy with orange eyes staring at her blankly. His eyes were a bit weird, if she were to be honest, it looked like it had a pattern in them.
He blinked.
She blinked.
'Aaaand I'm staring.'
She pushed down the instinct to run away, not wanting to further make a fool of herself.
"What's with you?" Yang asked, still retaining her excited smile. "Aren't you excited?"
The younger girl winced. "Of course I'm excited…I just…" She took another look around, at all the curious eyes staring at them– at her, and bit her lower lip. The redhead then hunched her shoulders and leaned closer to her sister. "...I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."
The blonde sister's smile softened as she pulled her into a half-hug. "But you are special…"
"No, I'm not…" Ruby whined as she pushed herself away from her sister. However, a familiar face on the holographic projector caught both of the girls' attention.
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."
A mugshot image of an orange-haired man was shown, and several passengers began to murmur and mutter.
"Again? Just how many stores is he gonna hit?"
"Prices are rising because of him, it's costing me more Lien to buy Dust."
"Damn it, I think he hit the store near my apartment. Great, now I gotta go further downtown…"
The scythe-user frowned as she listened to the other passengers. Part of her regretted that she didn't catch Torchwick that night, but that lady in the red dress managed to stall her and a Huntress enough that he could escape!
'Maybe I should look into Anti-Vehicle rounds next time…'
Even as the screen changed to a news report about a Faunus Civil Rights Protest gone dark and of the appearance of the White Fang in Vale, people were still talking about Torchwick.
"Do you think the Guild's gonna up the bounty on him?"
"Probably. Why? You thinking of taking up the contract when you aren't even a graduate yet?"
"Hey, they pay you even for information, man. At least they don't have extra 'taxes' imposed on you just because you're a Faunus."
"Oh hey, speaking of the Guild."
"And on to the first of the good news today. The Adventurer's Guild has released the newest list of Storied Grimm that have been slain by its members or by independent Huntsmen that took up the bounties. The first of which, as it's quite close to home here in Vale, is the infamous Roper 'Johnny-B-Goop' from Patch."
At the mention of their home island, both sisters perked up. Ruby gaped before remembering something their father had told them before the whole debacle of her being accepted into Beacon.
"Hey, didn't Dad say something about helping the Guild take down Johnny a week ago?"
Yang looked at her before looking up at the ceiling as she tried to remember. "Hmm…nope! Don't remember. When did you hear that?"
"Oh uh," The redhead sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "He was in the middle of a call with Uncle Qrow in the living room as I passed by to…you know, go visit mom."
"Did you hear anything juicy from 'em?" Yang's smile was wide as she brought her sister closer in a discreet hug in an effort to drive away any negative feelings attached to the thought of their dearly departed mother. "Like if Uncle Qrow's coming over and willing to go out on a bar hop?"
Ruby rolled her eyes as she pushed herself away from her older sister, partly out of embarrassment. "No, but I did hear that he was in Mistral. Something about a Tournament?"
"-tensions flared as Huntsman Teams and Guild Members were involved in an incident concerning clashing contracts-"
The news broadcast was then suddenly shut off, causing a fair few of the passengers to grumble. It wasn't long before the image of a blonde woman with a white blouse, a black corset over a black skirt, and a cape with a purple inner lining replaced the news broadcast.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!"
"Who's that?" Ruby could hear Yang ask beside her.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"Oh."
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to this prestigious Academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace-"
"Yeah, right." Someone muttered audibly, only to let out a grunt the next moment. "Oi!"
"Don't be rude."
"-and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your inevitable duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."
With that, the hologram of Glynda Goodwitch faded away. In her place, however…
"Hey Yang, look!" Ruby called out as she walked closer to the windows, pressing her hands on it. "You can see Signal from up here!"
Her older sister smiled and patted her shoulder. "I guess home isn't too far after all. Beacon's our home now."
"Urp..!"
The sounds of retching caused them to turn their heads to see a blonde boy covering his mouth. He looked quite green and he was sweating an awful lot…
"Oh, Brothers." Someone in the crowd grumbled, while the people near the blonde stepped away from him. "Why doesn't this airship have puke bags?!"
"Come on now, don't be rude." Another person chided the first in a tired tone. "He probably just ate something bad before this. Hey, the bathroom's at the back!"
"T-Thank you!" The blonde boy managed to groan out before he rushed past everyone to the back of the cabin.
"...Well, I guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang shrugged with a roll of her eyes, before noticing the disgusted expression of the people near her. "What?"
"Your boots." The orange-eyed teen the redhead spotted earlier noted with a half-concerned, half-blank tone, his finger pointing down at the blonde's feet. Again, the caped girl couldn't help but stare at the pattern in his eyes. They looked like…gears? "More specifically, the tips of both of your boots."
Lilac and Silver eyes slowly lowered their gaze-
"Ew ew ew!" Ruby cried out as she leapt away and distanced herself from her sister, her own face looking quite green in response.
-right at the small splatter of vomit on the tip of her boots.
"D-Don't come close to me with that!"
The blonde's face went through a myriad of emotions and colors. Red from apoplectic rage, back to normal in realization, white in shock, and then finally green in disgust.
"Oh come on, I just bought these two days ago!"
Following the barf incident, the two sisters followed the crowd as they disembarked from the airship. It didn't take them long to begin gawking as they slowed their pace, their attention entirely on what was ahead, as did some of the other passengers who walked with or past them.
"Wow..!"
Beacon Academy was a marvel of engineering and architecture, with large, tall spires and numerous archways heavily inspired by Valean culture. Left and right, they could see the academic buildings interspersed between swathes of trees and walkways, with distant, uniformed figures walking to and fro. The main avenue they were on was lined with trees and light poles, with banners hanging off them and the Vale symbol printed clearly on the fabric. Further down the walkway, the two sisters could see a statue with two figures on top of some sort of platform, their features indiscernible until they could come closer.
But the most eye-catching of it all, was the massive tower in the middle. Larger than the rest of the spires, it was taller than the rest too– in fact, it was the tallest structure on the grounds. Green lights blinked and shimmered, visible even from where they were, further reinforcing the name of the Academy.
A shining beacon.
"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang grinned as she turned her head this way and that, comparing the relatively smaller Signal Academy to where they were now.
"Ooh, ooh!"
The blonde winced, immediately recognizing the sound her sister just made.
'Uh-oh, here we go again…'
She turned her head just in time for her younger sister to grab her by the arm excitedly and point towards one of their fellow initiates who had just passed by them.
"Sis, look! He's got a collapsible staff!" Ruby's eyes were positively sparkling as they took in the sheer number of weapons carried around them. "And she's got a fire sword!"
It didn't matter if they were plain, like that one kid that had a big shield on his arm and a massive machine gun on his back or the more unique, like that girl with a rifle had an underslung chainsaw, the red hooded girl loved them all!
"Easy there, lil' sis." Yang pulled her back by the hood of her cloak when she noticed her start to wander off. An exasperated look was on her face, though one that was mixed with a healthy amount of fondness. "No need to freak like that. They're just weapons."
The silver-eyed girl gasped dramatically as she placed a hand over her heart. "Just weapons? Just weapons?! Yang, they're an extension of ourselves! A part of us, even! It's what makes us Huntresses unique! You don't get to call them 'just' weapons!" She was then distracted from her speech by another student walking by, her gaze on the girl's sword by her hip and at the wing-themed basket hilt on it.
"They're so cool~!"
"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon?" The blonde grinned playfully as she ruffled her sister's hair. "Aren't you happy with it?"
With a quick flourish and the sounds of mecha-shifting gears, Ruby pulled out her weapon and unlocked it from its compact form, almost slicing off a passing initiate's long blue ponytail, who quickly ducked out of the way in time with an irate glare.
Taller than herself, the red sniper-scythe hybrid was a mechanical piece of wonder. Parts seamlessly slid into place, and well-oiled gears clicked as the inner mechanisms of the weapon locked to maintain a solid form. The edge of the scythe blade itself gleamed in the morning sun, and the reaper lovingly caressed the heavy barrel of the weapon, which also acted as the snath of the scythe.
"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose!" The caped Huntress-in-Training cooed at her weapon, coddling it like it was her child. Resting the snath on her shoulder, she looked around and admired the weapons of the initiates. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people! But…better."
Yang rolled her eyes in good humor and pulled her sister's hood up and over her head. "Ruby, come on…Why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"
Ruby flinched but shook her head off, patting her hair down as she looked at Yang. "But why would I need friends when I have-"
"Hey, Yang!"
The blonde perked up and turned to see a familiar group of faces waving at her from further down the avenue. "Oh! Sorry Ruby, I gotta go! Gonna catch up with some of my friends who got into Beacon last year. I'll see if I can't wrangle some extra deets from them about how we'll get initiated, 'kay?"
With that, the purple-eyed teen bolted off, returning her friends' waves and leaving her younger sister alone.
"...You." The red reaper lamely finished, staring at her sister's retreating back before jolting in place. Returning Crescent Rose back to its compact state and placing it back on the small of her back, she began to chase after the blonde. "H-Hey, wait! Where are we supposed to go? Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Do we even have dorms?!"
Too preoccupied with trying to find her sister's sunny yellow hair amidst the multicolored sea of initiates, Ruby didn't see the luggage cart wheeling its way into her path until it was too late.
Crash!
Striking near the center of the cart, Ruby impacted the neatly stacked white cases and sent them flying. Rolling head over heels, she whined when she finally stopped, thankful for her aura preventing any lasting damage. Picking herself up from the stone pathway, she quickly turned around to apologize-
"What are you doing?!"
-and was nearly blown back by the sheer shrillness of the shriek. Ruby's silver eyes went wide in shock as she stepped back, cowed by the shrieker's glaring, cold blue eyes.
"U-Uh, sorry..?" The cloaked teen apologized, wincing as she raised her hands placatingly. "I didn't mean to-"
"Didn't mean to?! Do you have any idea of the damage you've caused?!"
The one yelling at her had long white hair pulled into an off-center ponytail that was pinned by a silver tiara. She was pale, perhaps paler than Ruby herself, and had pale blue eyes that reminded the reaper of a pure ice Dust crystal. She was shorter than her by at least an inch, if only due to the heels that she wore. A vertical scar ran down her left eye, the only mar on her otherwise pristine face.
The girl wore a white thigh-length strapless dress with a slight gradient of pale blue at the hem. A black lace-like fabric rested on her neckline, and the hem of her dress was scalloped– if she remembered the correct word– and stitched to have a design that resembled snowflakes, and she had a white tulle under her skirt. A white sash wrapped around her waist, with a pouch at the back that Ruby could only guess contained ammunition for the rapier-like weapon attached to her side. A white– at this point, the reaper surmised that this girl really liked the white– bolero jacket that had the same gradient as her dress with red lining and a ruffled collar and was completed by her white wedge-heeled boots.
"It was an accident-!"
The white-clad girl reached down and picked up one of the smaller cases, quickly opening it and retrieving a vial that held red, almost liquid-like consistency granules within.
"Accident?! This, you clumsy fool, is Dust!" She hissed, stomping closer to the girl and practically pressing the item against the reaper's face. "Fire, Water, Lightning, energy! Mined and purified straight from the Seath Schnee Quarry back in Atlas!"
Ruby could only grimace as the girl pulled back, the affronted look on her face almost damning. She began to slowly wave the vial, almost tauntingly, as she continued to berate the younger teen, unaware of the slight shimmer of a multitude of colors puffing from the opened case.
"Is any of this getting through your thick skull? This dust is worth more than what you can even dream of buying! And you knocked over plenty of my dust cases, you dolt! Why I ought to-!"
"Then stop waving that thing around if you don't want to explode."
Both girls stopped what they were doing and looked towards whoever spoke up.
"Yo!" A tall blonde boy greeted them with a two-fingered salute, an amused grin on his face as his blue eyes glanced at the rainbow-esque dust cloud now rolling down the case. "It's been a while, Princess."
He wore a quilted black shirt underneath a blue short-sleeved jacket with golden piping and black pants with what looked like a large blue diamond on each leg facing out to the sides. The diamonds were partially covered by some sort of dark gray chaps-like attire that were themselves half covered by knee armor, and the bandages wrapped tightly around his shins. A pair of sabatons with pointed tips covered his feet, and around his hips was an armored belt of sorts with a sheathed sword dangling lazily alongside a few pouches that held who knew what.
His left arm was armored, almost entirely with no sight of flesh, and Ruby could see some subtle mechanisms on the forearm, of which she could only guess what for. His right arm was left bare for some reason, save for the black glove that covered his hand, held securely by an iron bracelet with etchings on its surface. On his shoulders were a pair of asymmetrical pauldrons, as the left was more armored than the right and had a trimming of white fur.
"Excuse you? I don't quite appreciate you calling me that." The white-clad girl asked with mild offense in her tone, looking at him with a slight sneer. Her eyes glanced up at his head before looking back into his eyes, her own having narrowed ever so slightly. "Have we met before?"
The boy's expression didn't falter at her annoyance. Rather, his amusement only went up a notch. "Come on, it's only been, what, two years? You seriously don't remember me? I was the one that uh- indirectly gave you that scar."
'Is that how people introduce themselves?' Ruby gaped at the blonde before looking back at the– who she believed now– hoity-toity rich girl, readying herself to step in should she fly off the handle again.
"… Oh, it's you."
With a click of her tongue and a disapproving stare, the icy princess thankfully looked anything but hostile. However, she didn't look all too friendly either. There was annoyance as well as a bevy of other emotions mixed behind her eyes that Ruby couldn't make out. She then looked at the vial in her hand and then at the open case, narrowing at the sight of some of the cracked vials inside.
"Well…Thank you for the warning, I suppose." With a careful pace, she placed the vial back in the case and slowly closed it before handing it to some of the butlers who had been standing off to the side, unnoticed by the reaper until now. The white-haired girl gave him a frosty side-eye before glaring back at her, poking her in the chest with a perfectly manicured nail.
"And you! I don't know how you're here, but children should not be at Beacon! This is a place where only the best of the best can attend, so you better pack up your little sightseeing trip and go back home! Hmph!"
Turning her nose up, she said nothing more as she turned around and strutted past them towards the Academy. This allowed both to see the snowflake crest on the back of her jacket.
The two of them watched her leave for a few more seconds before a low whistle escaped the boy's lips.
"Damn, that was ice cold." His smirk was an odd mix of mirth and some form of fond bemusement, a hand reaching up to caress the pendant hanging from his neck; a wolf's head biting down on the sun. The same hand let go of the pendant and ran through his somewhat spiky hair, the flat golden-furred canid ears twitching on the top of his head. "But that was to be expected, especially from Weiss Schnee of all people."
Ruby bit her lip as she tried to look at him but found her eyes wandering to his weapon.
It was a simple bastard sword in a plain dark sheath. The hilt of the sword seemed to be golden, or some sort of golden metal as she knew that gold made for a poor weapon component past decorations. The pommel was dangerously pointed for reasons she could only assume was for further lethality. There was a notch in the center of the cross-guard that had an almost unnoticeable yellow crystal inserted in it.
"Um, so…" She tried to initiate a conversation about his weapon but was stopped short when he ignored her and followed the white-clad girl in the distance, his golden-furred tail somewhat wagging as he walked away.
This was like her first year in Signal all over again!
With a pitiful whine, she sank to her knees and covered her face in shame, not noticing a girl clad in a monochrome outfit take a step to the side to avoid bumping into her, a book held before her face.
"Welcome to Beacon, I guess…" The reaper mumbled to herself, disheartened by all that had just happened.
'Maybe I should have just stayed at home…'
"Hey." "Do you require assistance?"
Two voices called out to her, and she lifted her head to see who they were.
One was another blue-eyed blonde boy, around the same height as the one before. His hair was a lighter shade and styled in a somewhat purposeful mess, and the color of his eyes was a dark blue.
He wore a dark short-sleeved hoodie with detached orange sleeves underneath a white cuirass, spaulders, rerebraces, elbow guards, and a set of bracers hidden underneath the cuff of large fingerless gloves. Two belts criss-crossed his waist, with pouches attached to them, as well as a sword with a blue-wrapped handle that was held in a sheath of white and gold metal. He wore a pair of well-worn jeans that were tucked into monochrome sneakers, one of which seemed to have a loose shoelace.
The other was another boy, a few inches shorter than the blonde, with hair that reminded the reaper of rust. However, the tips of his hair were a darker red, almost like hers. His orange eyes were a bit familiar-
'Wait!'
"Y-You're the guy on the ship!" Ruby pointed at the reddish-brown-haired male, much to the blonde's confusion.
The brunette merely blinked.
"I was on the ship, yes." He answered in the same half-blank tone he used earlier, nodding as he stepped closer. "Do you require assistance…again?"
Realizing her position, Ruby quickly patted her skirt and stood up, taking a step back away from him when she was almost chest-to-chest with the guy.
"No! No, I'm fine! Thank you, uh…" She peered at him, taking note of his clothes now that she was close enough to look. "You…"
He wore a long black zipless hooded jacket with a bronze inner and was decorated with similarly bronze metal accessories. The sleeves were folded up to his elbows, giving him some form of freedom of movement, and his hands were covered in fingerless gloves that stopped a few inches past his wrist, and the rest of his forearms were covered with what looked like gauze bandages. A somewhat loose white shirt was worn underneath, which did little to hide his fit build, with a black emblem of a stylized flaming figure over his heart. A belt and cross belt were wrapped around his hips, and his outfit was finished off by what looked like a pair of dark gray pants tucked into black laceless high-top sneakers with white soles.
Resting on his upper back were what looked like two blades, sheathed in black leather holsters that were of a thick, cleaver-like shape. The pommels of the blades, peeking over his shoulders, had a chain attached to them, and the chains themselves were wound tightly around the entire weapon as if sealing the swords into the sheathes. All that she could see of the blades themselves, aside from the handle and pommel, were the brass-colored crossguards, which looked like the gaping maw of some fearsome beast.
"Talos." The boy introduced himself with a smile, and the reaper was once more taken by the odd gear-like pattern in his eyes. She hasn't seen anyone with eyes like that before. "I am Talos Nemea."
"And I'm Jaune." The blonde boy also introduced himself, deciding to no longer stand there awkwardly. "Er, you okay?"
Rubbing the back of her neck, she shook her head.
"No, not really…" She answered, a hand reaching down and patting her stockings clean of dirt and dust. "I'm uh…Ruby, by the way."
Ruby then peered up at Jaune with narrowed eyes.
"Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"
Jaune's face went from friendly to dismayed almost instantly, the speed of which brought a giggle to her lips.
"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"
Ruby's lips curled into a grin as she let out another giggle. "Look, I'm sorry, Vomit-Boy was the first thing that came into mind."
The blonde boy threw his hands up as he shook his head. "Oh yeah? What if I call you 'Cart Crasher' then?"
The reaper flinched before she stomped her feet. "Hey, I didn't see that cart until the last moment, okay? It was an accident!" She then turned to the last member of their little group, who was looking around almost intently. "Hey, Talos, back me up here! You saw the accident, right? Right?"
They turned to their third compatriot, who had remained silent throughout their conversation. "Do you hear that?" The brunette suddenly asked, derailing the conversation as the other two blinked. "It is somewhere near…"
Silence arrived around the three of them as they tried to focus on the aforementioned sound.
A harmonious tune was coming from around the bend up ahead of them.
"Music? Who'd play music all the way out here-" Jaune stopped what he was saying as a jaunty and almost fantastical-like tune filled the air. Ruby blinked again as she turned her head this way and that, trying to find the source of the melody.
"Is that…a kalimba?" The blonde muttered, brows furrowing as he seemed to remember something.
"How'd you know what it is?" The red-caped girl asked as they walked towards the curve on the pathway.
"I have a sister who loves to play it around the house." Was his answer with a dismissive shrug. Together, they peeked around the bush, curious about who was playing the instrument and why.
There, they found two people underneath the shade of one of the bigger trees on the grounds, just a bit away from the path.
The first that they saw had luscious and long red hair, held up in a high ponytail with the ends reaching her waist and a bronze circlet that acted as a sort of hair band for her bangs. She was wearing a brown overbust corset with what looked like an A-line miniskirt and dark brown opera-length gloves, a bronze bracer on her left forearm, and an equally bronze gorget to protect her neck. A red sash was wrapped around her hips, the end barely going past the knee of her bronze cuisses and greaves, which had a belt with pouches and a bronze plate on the other side.
She was sitting on one of the protruding roots, a knee brought close as her head slightly swayed in tune with the music. On her back was what looked like a circular shield and a shortsword, held in place by what Ruby could assume were magnetic strips.
The gentle breeze blew through the canopy above, letting some leaves rain down on her and the musician, but both paid it no heed.
The one playing the kalimba was leaning against the trunk of the tree, thumbs plucking the tines with well-practiced movements.
He was a tall teen with long black hair, the back of which was tied into a rough ponytail to keep it neat. A white coat was draped on his shoulders, worn like a cloak, with pink petal patterns on the hem, and underneath it was a three-fourths sleeve blue formal collared shirt. The hem of the shirt stopped shy of mid-thigh, going over the pants he had that were of a similar white to his coat. A belt was tied around his hips, over the shirt, with a tricolor pattern of blue, white, and red.
Attached to the left was a bastard sword with an oddly segmented handle poking out from a white metal sheath with pink detailing. On the right was a normal leather holster, holding what seemed to look like a shortened lever-action rifle if Ruby's eyes weren't deceiving her– and when it came to weapons, they never were. And on the back of the teen was what looked like a wrapped item that was almost as tall as he was.
"That was beautiful…." The girl congratulated the boy, making the reaper realize that she had missed the ending of the music. Her emerald eyes twinkled with delight as she looked up at him. "One more? Please~?"
The boy sighed as he pushed himself off of the trunk, his closed eyes opening to reveal verdant green. He tucked the kalimba into…somewhere in his coat. "We're going to miss the orientation."
"Aww…"
Ruby hummed as she stepped away from watching the two, pulling out her scroll as she checked the time.
"Right, the orientation…we have about 10 minutes left to get there. Do any of you know where it is?"
Jaune looked at her after he also pulled back, his brows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you knew? That's why I was following you."
"No? I thought you knew where it was."
"I was following you!"
"Well, so was I!"
"Please, calm down." Talos interjected as he pulled out his own scroll from inside his jacket. "Beacon had included the map in the Initiate Bundle that was sent to your email around a week ago."
Ruby suddenly looked nervous. "O-Oh? Did they? I uh…I must have missed it! Ahahaha…"
"Wait, they don't do physical mail anymore?" Jaune looked confused. "But the pamphlet said that they'd mail you a package."
The brunette looked at the blonde with a raised brow. "Beacon hasn't used physical mail to deliver the Initiate Bundles in almost a decade."
"Oh."
"Either way," Talos glanced down at his scroll for a moment before turning around, back towards the pathway they had just been walking on. "The Auditorium is back where we came from. If we pick up the pace, we can arrive just in time for the welcoming speech, according to the schedule."
With that, the three of them began to make their way to the auditorium.
Along the way…
"So, um…" The caped reaper's hand crept closer to the compact form of her scythe holstered at the small of her back. With a small flourish and a twirl of the unfurling weapon, Crescent Rose was displayed for all to see as the tip dug easily into the stone pathway. "I got this thing!"
Jaune leapt back with a startled yelp, hands flailing in front of him in an attempt to shield himself. "Whoa! That's…that's a big scythe!"
"Please don't vandalize the school grounds," Talos stated with a flat look over his shoulder.
"It's also a customizable, high-impact velocity sniper rifle!" In her excitement, Ruby ignored the brunette's chastisement as she rambled off the specs of her weapon. "It can fire .50 caliber Dust rounds at nearly 853 meters per second at ranges nearly 1,800 meters out!"
"Uh…what?"
"It is also a gun." The orange-eyed teen translated for the blonde, crossing his arms as he turned and looked at the weapon.
"Yup!" The red reaper chirped as she lightly hopped on her feet. "So what do you guys have?"
"Oh, uh…I got this sword!" Jaune unsheathed the arming sword by his hip. It looked relatively unremarkable compared to the red scythe held by the hooded girl, but there was a sense of wear and tear that had been lovingly tended to on the blade. Ruby could sense that there was history within that blade. "And I've got this shield too!"
He grabbed the loop on the sheath that attached it to his belt and clenched his hand. It extended into a heater shield that displayed an emblem of what looked like two crescents.
"Whoa! So what do they do? Any cool gimmicks?"
"Well, if I ever get tired of holding the shield, I can return it back to its sheath form and-" As he was showing how the heather shield returned back to its more compact form, it slipped out of his hands. Fumbling and juggling it around, Jaune finally caught it in his arms with a slight wheeze. "-and just…put it back on my hip…ow..."
"Whoa…Did you make that?"
The blonde flinched before he shook his head. "No, it's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it during the Great War."
"That sounds like a precious heirloom to me! A total classic!"
"U-Uh…yeah…"
Ruby then looked at the jacketed teen. "What about you, Talos? I see those swords of yours!"
The orange-eyed teen's expression remained blank. "Apologies, I've been told not to unsheathe my blades out in public for fear of causing random wildfires."
"Wildfires?! Now I want to see your weapon even more! Come ooon, we're in Beacon!" The reaper pleaded, her eyes positively twinkling with excitement as she stared at his weapons. "And there's no one around us!"
"Still, I've been told to not do so."
"Booo! Come on, just a little peek?"
"No."
"Come oooooon!"
Jaune chuckled as he followed after the two. If the people were this lively, then he was going to enjoy Beacon.
Muttering under her breath, Yang stomped her way toward the auditorium, trying to rein in her annoyance.
"Some friends they were. 'Oh, we can't say anything because it'll ruin the experience'." The blonde finger quoted as some of the more aware initiates made way for the sunny-haired girl. "It's not like I was asking them for a copy of the Finals or something!"
She continued her grumbling as she passed through one of the three main entrances of the building. Already, the newest batch of Initiates were gathered, forming into little groups of those who knew each other or had found new acquaintances.
"Ruby!" Yang called out, craning her head to try and look over those who were shorter than her, all in an effort to try and see her sister's signature red cape. "Are you here?"
Even amidst the multicolored sea of people in varying shades of garments, she should have been able to identify her sibling. But try as she might, she couldn't see the reaper, even as she walked around the whole area.
So, with an annoyed sigh, she leaned against a nearby pillar that had some red fabric on it.
"Damn it, where is she..?"
"Where's who?" The pillar asked.
"My little sister. She's kind of awkward around new-"
Yang paused, her brows shooting up before she slowly looked up.
Purple met gunmetal gray.
With a surprised yelp, she pushed herself off of the 'pillar' and turned around to properly look at it.
What she thought was a pillar was actually another Initiate!
He towered over her– she assumed that he was probably around 7 feet tall, give or take a few inches– and was practically a brick wall in terms of muscles. His slightly spiky red orange hair was almost as long as hers, a veritable mane that she was somewhat impressed with. She had met guys with long hair before, and they were a swing and a miss in terms of hotness.
This guy, however?
A low and throaty growl rumbled in her throat as she shamelessly ogled his figure.
'Mama likey~'
Other than his figure, his attire was something that she could get behind and appreciate. The grunge look that he had going was something she could vibe with.
He wore a light sand-colored biker jacket with a dark-furred collar partnered with a tight black tank top underneath that barely hid his musculature. As if hiding it was the objective, he knows what he's wearing and why he's wearing it. She should know. The tank top, despite being made to be stretchable for the more bulkier figures, already looked like, with the slightest flex of his body, was about to rip off of him.
Not that she would have minded seeing it happen, of course. A free show was a free show.
A pair of ripped jeans hugged his legs, which further added to his grunge vibe. A studded leather belt went around his hips, the buckle a head of a roaring lion that was half-gold, half-iron, and attached to it were a few pouches of what she could assume stored ammo or some other supplies. A pair of heavy-looking boots encased his feet, steel-toed with what looked like small claws protruding out of them reminiscent of a cat's.
Oddly enough, another belt was hanging just below his leather one. A literal chain, made of heavy-duty steel, that seemingly carried some sort of thick book by his side. She couldn't make heads or tails of the cover, trying to see if she knew what it was, but it sure looked well-worn and had an iron padlock on it.
Taking her eyes off the book and back up at the hunk before her, she took her time to appreciate the faint scars on his face before she shook her head.
She could ogle the fine piece of meat before her all-day-long.
Buuuuuut- She had to find her sister first!
"So," The giant of a man smiled as he crossed his arms, her ears picking up the stretching of leather from his jacket. Brothers above, just how jacked was this man? It was a sucker's bet that he could probably bench-press her. "You were saying something about your little sister?"
"Oh, right!" She snapped her fingers before subtly changing her stance so that she was slightly leaning her torso forward, letting him peer down at her cleavage, and crossed her arms underneath her breasts, pushing them up. "Hey, big guy, can you do me a teensy tiny favor~?"
The redhead rolled his eyes in good humor as he smirked, his gaze remaining firmly beneath her neckline. "Alright, what does she look like?"
"She's about yea high, wears a dark gothic lolita dress, has a pretty obvious red cloak…" Yang's voice lost the lilting tone as she described her little sister. She turned her head this way and that as she did so, taking one more look around to see if she could spot the reaper. "She's probably on the outskirts of the crowd."
"Hmm…" The gray eyes of the giant looked left and right, head slowly swiveling. "Lots of people are wearing red here…some of them have capes, but not cloaks." Shaking his head, he looked down at her apologetically. "Sorry, sunshine, can't see her. Maybe she isn't here yet?"
The blonde clicked her tongue. "Drat." Pulling out her scroll from a pouch, she made to contact her sister. "Hey, mind if I use you as a landmark? You're not exactly subtle."
He let out a short but rumbling laugh as he grinned. "Go ahead! It's not like this is gonna be the first nor the last time I've been used as a landmark."
"Sweet!"
As she was busy typing out her text to Ruby, she glanced up at him. "Sooo…you got a name, big guy? Cause I can't really be calling you that all the time, you know."
"Alcides." He replied with a warm grin. "Alcides Nemea."
Her lips stretched into a more natural and friendly grin to match his own. She gave her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you, Alcides. I'm Yang!"
"Pleasure's all mine." Alcides hummed as they shook hands, his own easily covering hers before he set his sights on her bracelets. "Huh, a pair of Ranged Shot Gauntlets. Haven't seen one of those in a long while."
"You familiar with them?"
"Sort of." He shrugged as he retracted his hand and put it in his pocket. "Used to know a few gangs in Mantle with a member rocking a set or two. Though, they weren't as well-made as yours. Nowadays, it's just bludgeons or the occasional plain gun."
"So you're from Mantle then?"
Alcides huffed, a small but amused grin on his lips. "I lived there for a few years, but I'm not from Mantle itself. I'm Atlesian."
While she wasn't all that versed in geography, it is common knowledge to know about the former capital of the Kingdom of Atlas, Mantle, and its current 'slightly' inferior state compared to the floating technological wonder that is Atlas City.
This revelation of the origins of her new acquaintance caused her to raise a brow. The few Atlesians she had the pleasure of meeting were visiting students who had relatives back in Signal Academy, and almost all of them were the stuck-up, hoity-toity types or the stupid strict military types that constantly had a meter stick stuck up their asses. So, to hear that this pretty chill-looking dude was from Atlas was a bit…out there.
It was whack, to put it bluntly.
But before she could even think of anything to say concerning that line of thought, a flash of a very familiar shade of red showed up in her periphery, and she almost whipped her head around to see what it was.
"Ruby!" She automatically called out, waving her hand at her little sister. The reaper was accompanied by a blonde boy in what looked like a hoodie with a cuirass over it and another boy with brownish-red hair dressed in a cool ensemble. "Over here, I saved you a spot!"
They collectively looked at her in slight surprise before the redhead seemed to turn and wave to the two boys. Yang was so going to tease her for this later! Her little sister, already getting to know two people, and boys at that!
Best not to let their dad know about it, or else he'd go ballistic.
Her sister spoke with the guys for a bit before leaving their side and heading over to her. Grinning, she looked up at Alcides as she gestured to Ruby.
"Well, there's my sister!" She showed her off, much to the amusement of the giant. "Isn't she the cutest?"
"She's tiny." The gray-eyed giant smirked before he looked a bit past the reaper. "And it looks like she found my little brother."
"You're an older sibling too, huh?" The blonde peered up at him with a raised brow, her lips curled in an amused smirk. "Guess you really are a big brother."
Alcides' lips twitched as he sent her a look that said 'really?', complete with a raised brow. Yang smirked as she puffed her chest out, proud of her pun-ny nature.
Her smirk turned into a smug grin when she made him chuckle, before looking back at the brunette, who seemed to follow an unaware Ruby. From a distance, there was little resemblance between him and the giant behind her. He wasn't as tall as him, his hair was brownish-red rather than red-orange, and, while he was tastefully built in the lean fashion, he wasn't the built like a brick wall that was the Atlesian beside her.
Still, that didn't mean that they weren't brothers. Maybe their situation was the same as hers and Ruby's? Brothers from different mothers?
"Yaaaaaang!" Ruby's joy-filled shout quickly turned into anger as she nearly rammed herself into the sunny teen, who almost backed into Alcides from the tackle-hug. Removing herself from her older sister, the red reaper began poking her in the chest in frustration. "I can't believe you just ditched me out there!"
"Ah, that…"
"Not to mention you didn't even tell me where to go next or where to meet up at! I don't know the layout of the school, you know!"
Talos quietly sidled up beside his older brother, his sights locked on to the complaining girl. Said brother, meanwhile, had an amused smirk on his lips as he watched the smaller teen go.
"You would have found the place eventually-"
Ruby stomped the ground in frustration at her sister's reluctance to admit that she left her behind. "And then when I was trying to call out for you and catch up, I crashed into this hoity-toity rich girl's luggage cart, by complete accident, might I add, and then she started yelling and screaming, and we almost blew up and-!"
"You!"
With a startled yelp, the red reaper leapt into her sister's arms. She took one look at the icy princess standing a few steps away and quickly buried her face into the infinity scarf around Yang's neck. "Oh, Brothers, it's happening again!"
Weiss put her hands on her hips as she leaned forward, her face set in a perfect expression of an insulted noble. "You're lucky that I managed to prevent ourselves from being blown off the cliffside! It was your fault that those vials were cracked, after all!"
"Oh, geez, Rubes, did that really happen?" The blonde muttered as her younger sister untangled herself from her arms. Despite the clear hesitation in facing off against the pushy white-haired teen, she still stood against her.
"It was an accident! And wasn't it that blonde guy that-"
Yang winced when the white-clad girl began to ramble, having pulled out a pamphlet of all things.
'Talk about bitchy, geez…' The blonde thought as she watched her sister lose focus on whatever the other girl was saying. She wanted to step in, but a part of her wanted to see how her sister would handle this. Still, that didn't mean that the white-clad rich girl wasn't grating on her nerves.
"You really want to make it up to me?" Weiss finished her tirade with an obviously fake smile, her pale blue eyes just as icy as her attitude.
"Absolutely!" And Ruby didn't notice any of it.
The pamphlet was pushed into her hands as the pale-haired girl turned her nose up at her. "Read this and don't ever speak to me again."
Yang knew this was where she should step in, going by the lost look of her sister as she stared at the pamphlet.
"Look, uh… It sounds like you two got off on the wrong foot!" Giving the shorter girl her best smile, the blonde tried to patch things up between her and her little sister. "Why don't you just start over and try to be friends, okay?"
Ruby's eyes sparkled as she pocketed the pamphlet. "Great idea, sis!" With a quick clearing of her throat, she extended her hand towards the icy girl. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby. Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"
The icy expression on the girl's face melted quickly– too quickly– as she gushed at Ruby's words. "Yeah, and we can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there." She absent-mindedly thumbed over her shoulder at the hoodie-wearing blonde Yang had seen with Ruby earlier. He seemed to perk up, having seen Weiss gesture to him as he was heading over to the red reaper.
"Oh wow, really?!" Said reaper was almost jumping in place at the perceived acceptance of her offer for friendship.
Weiss' expression instantly returned to its annoyed countenance. "No."
"Ahem."
The crackle of the speakers caught everyone's attention, and the crowd of Initiates in the Auditorium turned towards the stage, where two Professors were standing.
"I'll keep this brief."
The speaker was a silver-haired man with thin brown eyes behind a pair of shaded glass spectacles. He wore a black suit jacket over a dark green vest and a green shirt, with a green cowl that had a cross-shaped pin around his neck. He also wore a set of matching dark green pants and dark dress shoes. In his hand was a cane with a large silver handle with a large knuckle guard.
"Headmaster Ozpin…" Talos intoned in a quiet hum. "So this is the man…"
"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills."
Yang could see most of the crowd nodding or doing their own actions of affirmation. Looking over her shoulder, she could see the Nemea brothers paying attention to what the Ozpin was saying.
"And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."
"Yeah, we're gonna be heroes..!" Ruby whispered beside her, looking giddy for what's to come.
"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, of direction."
The Initiates took a second to recover from the sudden jab, and almost immediately, a sea of murmuring and muttering overcame the once calm and excited crowd.
"The hell?"
"Wasted energy? I bled for this chance!"
"I know what I want to do, I'm not 'in need of direction'..!"
"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."
Ozpin's brown eyes seemed to stare into the crowd as a whole, even as some of them glared or scowled at him.
"It is up to you to take the first step."
With that, he stepped aside and then walked off of the stage, allowing the second person, Glynda Goodwitch, to step up to the mic. The blonde glanced at the retreating back of the Headmaster before looking back at the crowd at large.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your Initiation begins. Be ready for anything. You are dismissed!"
And with that, she walked off after the cane-wielding man, leaving the crowd to disperse at their own pace. Yang placed her hands on her hips, her lips tilting slightly into a confused frown.
"He seemed kind of…off." She looked at her sister, who shared her frown.
"It's almost like he wasn't there." Ruby nodded, cupping her chin as she squinted at the now-empty stage.
The older sister hummed as she turned her head, her mouth open to ask a question.
"Hey Alcides, what do you think was-"
Only to stop short when there was no sign of the giant and his little brother.
'What the hell?!'
She turned her head left and right, trying to wrap her mind around how he was able to slip away. As she did so, she barely paid attention to what was happening behind her.
"I'm a natural blonde, you know!"
As night fell rather quickly, the Initiates were then ushered into the ballroom following a surprisingly uneventful dinner. The general atmosphere had been of restrained excitement mixed with anxiety and apprehension, and it had reflected in the way most of them were focusing on resting properly rather than goofing around.
Most of them, at least.
"It's like a big slumber party!"
Of course, there were a few exceptions that had energy in spades for tomorrow.
Ruby grumbled as her writing was disturbed by her sister's body impacting the sleeping bag beside hers. The blonde was clad in an orange tank top that had her burning heart emblem on the front and a pair of boy shorts that exposed plenty of her legs. While she herself was clad in a black tank top that had a heart in the same of a cartoony Beowulf face and white pajama pants with a rose pattern on them.
"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." The redhead chimed in as she resumed writing, her pencil's lead tip producing small scribbling sounds on the paper.
"I know I do~" Yang purred as she gazed at the shirtless boys who were up doing their own shenanigans, mostly to show off to the fairer sex that was present. Her eyes flitted to each of them, greatly appreciating the sheer variety of musculature. From 'ottermode' physiques to strongman builds, there was a veritable smorgasbord of eye-candy for her to choose from.
A disbelieving cough escaped her lips when she saw the blonde that her sister was with earlier pass by in a blue onesie, complete with similar-colored bunny slippers. He saw her looking and winked.
"Oh, come on…" Yang grimaced before diverting her eyes somewhere else and immediately sitting up. An excited smile stretched her lips as she bit her lip, a low growl escaping her throat. "Hubba-hubba, momma wants some of that..!"
Ruby grimaced at her sister's crass words and glanced over to where she was looking.
Walking in, looking like he was just fresh from the shower, was the giant of a man her sister had been talking about. His red-orange hair was obviously damp, with a light sheen, and had droplets of water dripping down onto his bare torso. He wore a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else, leaving him exposed to the elements. With an upward stretch of his arms, he was then subject to the hungry stares of various women and the jealous glares of the men present.
'...Yikes.' The shorter redhead flinched at his sheer size, somewhat intimidated by him. He was probably as tall as two of her put on top of each other!
Some movement from behind him caught her eye, and she hummed appreciatively as she spotted Talos walking in right after.
As opposed to his apparent brother, or so Yang said, the orange-eyed teen was wearing a more conservative set of sleeping attire. He wore a yellow-gold open zip-up hoodie that had stitched-on lion ears and a light fur trim around the hood over a plain black shirt, slate gray pajama pants, and a pair of fluffy slippers and tabi socks. His hands were tucked into the hoodie's pockets as he walked after the bigger Nemea, his expression one of slight curiosity as he looked around.
"Huh…" Yang smirked upon seeing Talos. "He rocks that kiddie hoodie more than I thought."
"It's kinda cute." Ruby giggled as she waved at him, catching his eye and causing him to wave back with the same blank look he wore most of the time. His actions gained the attention of his brother, who had been unashamedly flexing while stretching, who then quickly sent a flirty wink at her older sister.
The blonde merely purred and licked her lips. Her younger sister rolled her eyes and resumed her writing. The scratching of paper caught Yang's attention and she reluctantly took her eyes off the beefcake and at her sister.
"What's that?"
"A letter back to the gang at Signal." Ruby answered as she stopped her writing. "I promised to tell them about Beacon and how things are going."
Yang's expression turned cheeky. "Aww, that's so cuuuute~!"
The little sister responded by throwing a pillow at her.
Pyrrha Nikos let out a quiet sigh as she brushed her hair, having just finished showering and drying it. After ensuring there were no water stains on her bronze-colored pajamas, her green eyes looked around as she sat in her little corner of the ballroom, away from the most rambunctious Initiates in the middle. It wasn't as if she was actively avoiding the rest of her peers–
Okay, that was a lie.
She was indeed avoiding the majority of her peers, those who would have tried to ingratiate themselves to her just because she was–
"Thought I'd find you here. You found this place faster than I did."
The redhead couldn't help but smile as she turned her head to the speaker.
"Well, you know me, Haru." She tittered as a black-haired teen set his sleeping bag near hers and sat down on it. "I prefer not to get distracted when tomorrow's the big day."
He gave her a knowing look. "Mmm, sounds about right for an excuse." He was wearing a plain white tank top partnered with plaid red pajama pants and a pair of slippers. His green eyes, a shade lighter than her own, scanned around the ballroom idly. "...What do you think of the other Initiates?"
Pyrrha looked at him with slight curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"I meant," The young man cleared his throat as he crossed his legs. "Do you see anyone of interest? I heard that Beacon has some…rather odd ways of forming teams."
"Do they?" The redhead muttered as she looked around again, this time with more scrutiny. She could pick out a few familiar faces, fellow graduates of Sanctum Academy who also chose to enroll in Beacon instead of Haven.
While they could have been possible teammates, she preferred to…not.
Beacon was a new start for her, she didn't really want to stick around familiar people. Not that their company was bad or anything, she just…she just wanted to experience new things with new people.
'Although, it's not like I'm completely averse to the idea…'
She glanced at the black-haired boy near her, taking in how he seemed to also be assessing potential teammates with a calm expression.
"So this is where the two of you are."
The two Mistralians turned their heads towards the voice that seemed to be addressing them. Pyrrha's eyes widened in recognition, giving the approaching teen a welcome smile.
"Faolan! Took you long enough to find us!"
A blonde-haired Faunus waved at her lazily as he unrolled his sleeping bag and set it next to hers, basically sandwiching her between Haru and him. His wolfhound ears twitched this way and that as he sat down, stretching his arms up and getting a few pops as he sighed in relief.
"Yeah, well," The electric blue-eyed young man sighed as he leaned back on his hands. "Stuff happened, so we're here now."
He wore a sleeveless black turtleneck shirt tucked into a pair of equally black joggers. Gray socks covered his feet, though he made sure to pat them down before putting them on his sleeping bag.
"'Stuff happened'?" Pyrrha asked Haru, who breathed an amused huff and rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's sort of a long story…"
Bash!
"What in the bloody hell are those girls doing…" Faolan suddenly spoke up, his tone one of slight incredulity as he pointed over to the other end of the ballroom. Both green-eyed teens looked over to see what looked like a brawl between two girls happening, while a third looked up at them blankly.
"What in the world is going on over here?!"
In the quiet lull of the ballroom, which was due to the rest of the Initiates having had their attention firmly on the brawl, the shrill tone of a fourth girl stomping up to them might as well have been as loud as an air horn. Haru blinked as he squinted, adjusting the black-framed glasses perched on his nose.
"Hm... She looks familiar…"
"Yup." Faolan's lips curled into a grin as his tail wagged against the sleeping bag. "Yyyup she does."
Pyrrha chuckled weakly as she set the alarm on her scroll so she could wake up early.
"W-Well, I suppose we should tuck in early. The early bird gets the worm and all that!"
"As much as I'd want to come over there and pester her, yeah, you're right, Pyr." The blonde Faunus sighed as he opened his sleeping bag and slipped inside. "Tomorrow's gonna be wild. I can feel it in my bones."
"You sure it's not just because of your abysmal luck?" Haru joked as he half-slipped into his sleeping bag, pulling out a leather-bound journal from a nearby satchel and resting it on his lap.
"Don't jinx me man, and as if you're one to talk."
The redhead giggled as she got into her sleeping bag. With Haru and Faolan around, it felt as if things were going to be looking up for her since her two friends were here. Now, whether or not they'd be in a team was a whole matter altogether.
Ah, but that was going to be the Pyrrha of tomorrow's problem to solve.
Present Pyrrha just wanted to rest after an, admittedly, tense day.
"...Goodnight, you two."
"G'night, Pyr."
"Goodnight, Pyrrha."
AN:
*unholy screeching*
What have I done?! What have I created?! Why am I further neglecting my other stories?!
Anyway, welcome to my new story! Yes, it's a RWBY story about an OC Team, one among the many thousands of others in the RWBY corner of FF. Oh, and it's an AU too, so you can cross that off of the checklist.
Now, you might wonder why I'm writing a RWBY story specifically (aside from me being a bit burnt out from my other stories). Well, I'm an old fan of the show, and that statement alone carries a loooot of expectations of me. From V1 to V9, I've been with the show, though the latter half of the Volumes was more of me tagging along reluctantly.
I'll say this now, this RWBY AU is going to be just as it entails. Alternate Universe. So, expect some canon to have been derailed. I have…a lot of ambitions for this story and I hope to implement them properly.
I'll also be implementing some ideas taken from or inspired by the stories of the well-respected Coeur Al'Aran, because god damn, that man can write. Beast of Beacon is still my favorite work of his, because it did Adam justice.
Man.
Now for a word from Project Ryo, who helped proofread and edit this pilot chapter:
"Why in the goddamn *bleep* did I watch RWBY."
We did warn you to not watch it, my guy.
This is Cipher, signing off!