The airship shook slightly, hitting a small amount of turbulence as it flew. Noel yelped as this happened, grabbing onto a metal railing to maintain her balance. She blushed a bit, hoping nobody saw her almost faceplant.

She was nervous, deathly, so in fact. Never in her life had she ever been surrounded by this many people. Especially all packed into the same small airship. Usually, she could turn to Jean whenever she was stressed. But he was in a totally different kingdom.

For the first time in her life, Noel Bright was totally alone. And she wasn't sure if that excited her or scared her. On one hand, she was free. She didn't have to worry about her father's rules, or her family issues, or being married off. She could just be plain old Noel Bright.

Unfortunately, plain old Noel Bright could be best described as a socially awkward, horribly shy shut-in who had never made an actual friend in her entire life. And now she was completely isolated from everyone and everything that she actually knew, in a completely new kingdom, without anyone to rely on.

She muttered in worry as she leaned back against the wall of the airship, hugging herself.

"You seem tense." A cheerful voice pointed out, and Noel jumped. Looking to her side, she saw a brown-haired girl. A faunus from the looks of it.

"H-Huh!?" Noel stammered out.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The new girl replied in a joking tone. "You just seemed like you needed a friend."

Noel blushed at that, looking down at the floor.

"W-Was it really that obvious?" She asked.

"Yeah, kinda. Sorry about that." The girl replied, leaning against the wall alongside Noel. "I'm Nia, by the way."

"N-Noel..." The shorter girl replied, looking away from the brunette. Though it's not that she wasn't enjoying her company, on the contrary, Noel was happy that someone was actually choosing to be around her. Even more so considering this Faunus seemed to have no idea who her family was.

She actually just wanted to be around her. This was a new experience for the green-eyed girl, one that she didn't dislike.

"Noel huh...Noel and Nia..." Nia trailed off, humming softly, her dog ears sticking up in the air suddenly. "NN!"

Noel froze. "W-What?"

"Both of our names start with N. Therefore, we shall be known as NN from this point on!" Nia declared, throwing an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder. Noel blushed deeply at that, her face turning an impressive shade of red.

"I-I don't really k-know about that..." She trailed off, stiffening up where she stood, earning a laugh from Nia.

"Anyway, what brings you to Beacon?" The dog-girl asked, bouncing up and down where she stood with an amused expression on her face. "I'm here to go on an adventure."

Noel perked up at that, visibly confused. "A-An adventure?"

"Yeah, Huntsmen and Huntresses get to travel all over the world and see some awesome places," Nia explained, her bright smile nothing short of infectious. "I wanna do stuff like that. Travel, see the world, and of course, beating up bad guys will also be fun."

Noel nodded, taking in the golden-eyed girl's words. It was a simple goal, but one that Noel could respect. Not everyone needed to want to save the world. In her mind, having a goal like that was perfectly fine.

It was still more noble than Noel's own ambition. And it was also more ambitious as a whole.

"So? How about you?" Nia asked, smiling at the shorter girl. Noel blushed in response, turning away from her fellow student.

What could she say? Her only reason for running away and coming here was for independence. She wanted to be her own person. But wasn't that also rather selfish? Would Nia think she was selfish? The blonde mulled over this in her head for a short moment. She had just managed to make a friend, the first real friend she had ever made.

Or at least that's how she was hoping that this would go.

Could she really say that?

"I..." Noel trailed off. "I guess I don't really know. I kinda just...enrolled on a whim."

Noel closed her eyes tightly as she finished, bracing for the inevitable. It was only a matter of time now before Nia decided she wasn't good enough. After all, who would accept an explanation like that?

"Oh? That's neat." Nia jumped in, cutting off the blonde's self-deprecating thoughts. "I'm sure you'll find your reason, though. Everyone will eventually, after all."

Noel was taken aback by this. Nia didn't care? The blonde was surprised. It had been ages since she wasn't criticized for things like that.

"You seem surprised." Nia pointed out, smiling crookedly at the short blonde. Noel blushed in response, looking away.

"I-I thought...you were gonna make fun of me," Noel admitted, a small unintentional smile growing on her face. She was overjoyed by this. Maybe life at Beacon wouldn't be so bad.

Nia laughed, clapping Noel on the back.

"Nah, you're young! None of us know what we actually want yet." Nia laughed as suddenly, the ship landed. Noel jumped slightly, not expecting the sudden thud that came with the door opening. "Looks like we're here. Come on, let's look around!"

"W-Wait! Nia!" Noel yelped as the Faunus grabbed Noel by the hand, dragging her off of the ship and into the courtyard. Noel stumbled slightly as she was pulled along but also didn't resist at all.

This was gonna be a stressful day. She could already tell.

"As was already explained to you, we will be monitoring everything you do." Glynda Goodwitch stated, crossing her arms and looking down at the young man before her.

Yin nodded in response. Since arriving here at Beacon last week, he had since had time to accommodate himself to the place. Along with that, switching to new attire as well.

He now wore a dark gray cloak with black trim and a high collar over the top of a white undershirt and black pants. He wore similarly black shoes as well. His amethyst eyes were as blank as usual, however, something he was here unnerved the teacher before him.

"If you are caught doing anything suspicious, contacting former clients, taking new jobs, or reaching out to your family, we will not hesitate to place you in maximum security, where you belong." She continued, pacing around the room as she talked. Yin remained silent, taking in her every word. Of course, he wasn't stupid. He already had pieced all that together. And he had no intentions of attempting escape until he knew he was strong enough to do so.

Qrow Branwen had already left the campus as well. That was just one less watchful eye to look out for. But even with him absent, he knew that Ozpin would be the real issue. Yin was almost certain that the Headmaster could read his damn mind!

"Do you understand?" Glynda asked, finishing her spiel. Yin was quick to respond with a nod.

"Yes, Instructor Goodwitch." He replied, his voice hollow and distant. A voice that no child his age should have already had. It was the voice of a young man whose innocence was long gone, replaced by a cold cynicism above all else. "I understand."

The woman huffed.

"Good. Now, make your way to the main hall. There will be a short speech by Ozpin, and then the trial will be held the next day. Remember that failure in this test will result in immediate expulsion and confinement." She reminded him, turning on her heel and walking off. As he watched her leave, he let out a small sigh, looking out at the crop of new students.

For possibly the next few years, these were the people he would see every single day. It was strange to think about being thrust into this very new scenario. But he knew that he couldn't let himself get comfortable. After all, he had his own mission to do here.

He nodded to himself, kicking off of the wall, and making his way down the path with his hands in his pockets. He was only broken from this spell as an explosion echoed through the campus. He spun around, staring with wide eyes at the source of the disturbance.

"Unbelievable! Look at what you did!" A white-haired girl screamed at a black-haired girl in front of her. Yin recognized one of them, Weiss Schnee. The current Heiress to Atlas' Schnee Dust Company.

As an Assassin, he made sure he was aware of certain VIPs. And technically, she was one of them.

For a short moment, he considered making his presence known. But he quickly decided against that. He had no intentions of involving himself in a catfight.

Running a hand through his hair, he made his way toward the main hall.

With any luck, he wouldn't need to bond with any of these people.

"Hey Noel?" Nia asked. "Do you have any idea where this main hall is?"

"N-No...I don't." Noel blushed, looking away from her new friend.

Nia groaned. This wasn't going nearly as well as she had hoped. She had intended to present herself as a cool mentor to the nervous blonde. But instead, she had just gotten them lost.

Nia crossed her arms, humming softly to herself. What could she do? She supposed just asking for help would be the simplest option. But did any of the other students know where to go themselves?

That was indeed the question.

"Hey, Faunus! Are you lost?" A condescending voice spoke. Nia turned to face it, spotting an auburn-haired man with slicked-back hair standing a little ways away from her and Noel. He seemed to be wearing armor of sorts and had a mace hanging from his hip.

Completely missing his condescending tone, Nia smiled and nodded.

"Oh! Yeah, we're lost. Do you know where to go?" She asked, but suddenly Noel pulled on her sleeve.

"N-Nia, we should go..." The blonde trailed off.

"Huh? Yeah, just as soon as we find out where-"

"I know where you can go." The young man continued. "You can turn back around and get yourself back onto the airship. "Nobody wants your kind here?"

Nia paused at that. What did he just say? Her ears twitched slightly as she turned back to face him.

"Huh?" She asked.

"What? I thought your senses were the one thing your kind was actually good for?" The man mocked, smiling crookedly. "Or are your ears just as defective as the rest of you?"

Nia made a small sound of acknowledgment. She had, of course, heard about the discrimination toward The Faunus. But over in Vacuo, it wasn't that much of a problem. Along with that, the fact that she lived in a tribe made up of only other Faunus also aided in her lack of exposure to the situation.

The Faunus simply hummed softly before she felt Noel tug on her sleeve again.

"C-Come on." She urged.

Nia nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

"Yeah, listen to the sympathizer trash." The boy called out. "She can run off with you too. A school like Beacon doesn't need some nervous bitch that can barely speak without someone holding her hand-"

"What was that?"

A cold chill filled the area as Nia stopped walking. Turning around to face the man, her eyes were wide with fury. Glaring until his very soul, she fully turned to face him.

"H-Huh?" The boy asked.

"Repeat yourself. I didn't quite hear you." Nia challenged, glaring daggers at him, her entire body radiating a quiet rage.

Insulting her? Nia could handle that. She would take any insult and gladly walk away. There was no point fighting for her own pride. But Noel hadn't done anything to warrant being spoken to like that. That last comment was what set the brunette off.

Her fists tightened as she glared further at the man.

"Apologize. Now." She demanded.

"Nia let's just go-"

"No. Not until you get an apology." Nia sternly replied, taking a step toward the bully.

"Huh? And why would I?" He asked. "You know this is exactly what I need right now. Crushing you under my boot would be-"

"Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that happening, pal." A new voice spoke, and suddenly, a tall red-haired man stood beside the bully, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Now let's not fight on the first day, yeah?"

Nia stopped where she was. Who was this new guy? She hummed, but he didn't seem hostile toward her or Noel.

"Now, apologize to the lovely ladies over there and we can all be on our way." The new man spoke, gesturing to the duo ahead of them. "Didn't your Mom ever teach you how to treat a lady?"

The bully broke free.

"That thing isn't-"

"Thing?" The new man asked, his expression remaining the same. "You know that 'thing' was about to beat your sorry ass into next week before I showed up, right?"

His expression shifted to something more focused.

"And if you keep talking, I'll let her do so." He added, earning a glare from the bully, who turned away.

"A bunch of traitors to your species. That's what you two are." The bully spat, marching off, Nia glared at him as he walked off. And once he was gone, she turned toward the new boy.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't get your apologies out of him." He apologized, turning toward the girls with a smirk.

Nia laughed and shook her head.

"Don't worry about that. I'll have plenty of chances to make him beg for mercy later." She stated, punching her own palm.

The red-haired man smiled.

"So you're both alright then? That's good." He stated. "It'd be a shame for you two to get expelled before I could even ask you out to dinner."

"Aww...not in a million years," Nia replied, earning a laugh from the taller man.

"Damn, not even a chance, huh?" He asked, extending a hand out for Nia to take. "I'm Orion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nia, and this is Noel," Nia replied, gesturing to the shy girl standing behind her. "Thanks for stopping me. If you didn't show up I would have totally beaten him within an inch of his life."

"Nia!" Noel whined.

Nia laughed. Noel just had the cutest reactions. It almost felt like teasing her own younger sibling.

"No worries." Orion waved her off with a smile. "Anyway, you two are lost, right? Come on, The Main Hall is this way."

Orion turned, gesturing for the girls to follow him. Nia did so immediately, quickly being followed by Noel. But the brunette had a curious glint in her eyes as she looked at the massive blade placed on Orion's back.

"Pretty big sword. Can you even swing it around?" She asked.

"I wouldn't have it if I couldn't." Orion pointed out, his hands buried in his pockets. "My master just bought it for me on a whim. He somehow thought this monster of a sword would make for good training, even though I was only 13 years old."

He hummed.

"I guess he was right, though. I definitely got a lot stronger after I started using it." He joked, though really, it sounded like training made him stronger. Not exactly the sword itself.

She was about to make that joke out loud, before Orion spoke up again.

"And here we are!" He declared, yawning slightly. "Home sweet...auditorium?"

"Works for me." Nia nodded, shooting him a thumbs up.

Wannabe playboy act or not, Nia couldn't help but admit she and Orion were on the same wavelength. Plus, despite immediately hitting on them, he seemed like a good guy. Overall, Nia had met three people since arriving here at Beacon. And two of them seemed pretty cool.

Maybe she really would like it here? She supposed she could only hope. It couldn't be too unreasonable for her to desire being on a team with at least one of them right?

"This is a lot of people." Noel whimpered, stepping back a bit, evidently overwhelmed by the sheer volume. Nia, however, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Deep breaths, Noel." She advised.

Noel looked up at her, and nodded. Taking her advice, she began to take deep breaths in and out. Nia smiled at this until suddenly, the sound of microphone feedback echoed through the room.

Turning toward the stage, the trio all gazed upon a tall man with gray hair and circular glasses.

The man cleared his throat.

"I'll keep this brief," he started. "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. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose - 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. It is up to you to take the first step."

He quickly stepped off of the stage. And was replaced by a tall blonde-haired woman.

"All of you will gather and sleep in the ballroom tonight. As of tomorrow, your test will begin." The new woman spoke, and just as quickly as the man before her, she also stepped off the stage.

Nia smiled at Noel.

"Slumber party?"

"N-Nia..."

"Slumber party!"

This was gonna be so much fun!

Orion let out a small sigh as he laid down his mat. "Mind if I set up here?"

He looked down at the shorter man, who looked up at him. The boy's amethyst eyes seemingly analyzing the taller boy.

"Go right ahead." He replied, turning his attention back to his book.

"Cool, thanks." Orion cracked a smile, plopping down onto the mat and yawning again. "I'm Orion."

The quiet man glanced at him again. "Feng Yin."

Orion hummed. Was this guy from Mistral? His name sounded like it. But he also figured he shouldn't assume. He would look pretty stupid if he was wrong after all.

"So? Hell of a day huh?" Orion asked, laying on his back with his hands behind his head. "You looking forward to tomorrow?"

"Kinda."

Orion stared blankly at the shorter male. Clearly, this guy was not into conversations. That much the red-haired student could tell. But he could have at least made an effort.

"...So...what are you reading?"

...

"A book."

...

This guy was a real piece of work.