"Hey Ruby, over here!" Yang calls out to her sister as she spots her entering the auditorium with stacks of paper in hand.
Ruby's eyes caught her and she immediately rushed towards her older sister with an annoyed look on her face, "There you are! Did you know how hard it was to find my own way here?"
"How hard could it be? All you gotta do is follow the map." Yang points out confused as Ruby blushes.
"...You know I'm not good with directions." she mutters before smiling at Yang excitedly, "But forget about that, something big just happened! Really big!"
"What's up?" Yang asks, not sure why her sister is so happy.
"Look!" Ruby shoves the stacks of forms in front of Yang's face, "I got my application accepted! I got it signed by Ayre herself! Ayre!"
"Right, Ayre…" Yang mutters as she rubs her chin. The name sounded familiar but she couldn't put a finger on it.
Ruby's excitement deflated as she looked at Yang incredulously, "Seriously?"
"Oh, that's the CEO of NEST isn't she?" Yang snaps her fingers before realising, "Wait, she signed your forms herself?"
"Yeah!" Ruby screeched excitedly as she showed Yang the page where Ayre signed, "I got accepted to the Piloting Course! And her autograph at the same time! She even came to my rescue when this mean Atlesian girl with white hair was yelling at me! You wouldn't believe the odds, but she was a Schnee!"
"Wow, what's next? You're going to have lunch with Ozpin himself after this?" Yang asked, surprised at the odds, "You met the CEO of one of Remnant's most powerful companies, and then a member of the Schnee Family? What are the chances of that? What were they like anyways, I hear that Ayre chick's quite a looker."
Yang says teasingly as she elbows her sister who blushes,
W-well, I mean she looked beautiful, like a very refined kinda way." she mutters before shaking her head, "And that Schnee girl? I thought she was cool at first, she literally had Sentinel augmentations! But then she turned out to be really mean, I almost crashed into her and tried to apologise, but she wouldn't stop calling me a kid and-?"
"You realise I'm standing right here, correct?" a familiar cold voice interrupts her tirade and startles Ruby, causing her to scatter the papers once more,
"Oh no, not again." Ruby groans before turning towards Weiss who was looking at her with analysing blue eyes that glowed dimly. It served to make her look a bit more intimidating, adding to the cold look she had on her face causing Ruby to gulp, "Er, hi… I-?"
"Please. Do continue." Weiss gestures at Ruby, her face not changing one bit, "I very much would like to hear the rest."
Ruby shrunk under her gaze before Yang came to the rescue, coming between them,
"Alright, alright, I think we're getting off the wrong foot." Yang awkwardly chuckles as she offers a hand towards Weiss, "Why don't we start over? Hey there, I'm Yang Xiao Long. That's my sister, Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you."
Weiss Schnee stares at Yang's face before at the offered hand for a full minute. Yang was about to say something to interrupt the awkward pause before Weiss dismissed her.
"Acquainting with either of you is a waste of my time." she says before turning to Ruby hiding behind Yang, "I merely ask you refrain from defaming my name or spreading rumours. I will not have my reputation sullied as such, never mind on the first day, are we clear?"
"C-crystal." Ruby nodded quickly as Weiss glared at her.
With that, the lights in Weiss' eyes dimmed a bit before she nodded and turned away, "In that case, this is likely the last we will interact with each other. Seek no conflict with me, and I shall endeavour to do the same."
She stepped away from the pair of siblings as Ruby sighed,
"Sheesh, she's as scary as some of the teachers back in Signal," Ruby whispers under her breath before bending down to pick up the scattered papers.
"Yeah, only she has even more of a stick up her backside." Yang mutters before she kneels down to help Ruby pick her forms back up, "What do you think's got her in a bad mood?"
Ruby doesn't answer, instead searching through her papers confused, "Where is it… I'm missing one of the pages, but where…?"
"Pardon me. You dropped this."
A voice catches her attention as Ruby turns around to see someone holding the last page of her application forms to her,
"There it is!" Ruby exclaimed before looking up at the person, a girl with long black hair and a similarly black bow, "Thanks, so much! I was looking for that."
"You should be more careful with who you pick fights." the girl says, yellow almost feline-like eyes glancing towards the direction of Weiss, "You should know that Schnees can hold grudges. And they aren't afraid to pay back for any humiliation."
"I-I don't think she's too mad about what happened." Ruby said, glancing in Weiss' direction, "She just said she'll let bygones be bygones and all that."
"Maybe. I recommend you keep an eye out nonetheless." the black-haired girl said cryptically before moving on after Ruby took back her piece of paper.
"Here, I got the rest." Yang suddenly came back, holding the other pieces of paper she had dropped and looking at the black-haired girl who was leaving, "Who was that you're talking to?"
"I don't know. But she seemed nice, I think." Ruby shrugged, just happy that not everyone she met in Beacon was going to be cold like Weiss was.
Before Yang could say anything, they heard feedback from a microphone being tapped and all eyes turned towards the podium. Standing there was Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, with Glynda Goodwitch standing next to him, Scroll tablet in hand.
All of them immediately silence themselves as chattering slowed to a halt and all eyes turned to the headmaster.
"I will keep this brief." Ozpin said in a calm and collected tone, " You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, to commit yourselves to four years of training more harrowing than you can imagine to preserve these peaceful times brought about by your ancestors. And with our latest addition to the curriculum, I'm sure that you will have to push yourself more than you believed…"
There was some excited whispering between students at this stage and Ruby didn't blame them, she was shaking with excitement as she understood exactly what Ozpin was talking about, just like most of the people here.
"We are entering a new age of Grimm extermination." Ozpin continued, "The world has changed more than a decade ago with the introduction of these new machines. Although this course is completely optional, I would recommend any student willing to enrol if they do not wish to fall behind as the world marches on. I would now ask our guest lecturer of Beacon's Piloting Course to speak a few words. I'm sure you are all already familiar with this man."
Ozpin steps to the side and gives room as they all hear the soft tap of a cane as a man dressed in a black trench coat emblazoned with the NEST Inc. emblem on the left side of his chest, wearing a black cap that covered his head while bandages wrapped around his face leaving only one grey eye visible.
His body shakes a slight bit, most would barely notice but Ruby was a sniper and had been trained to be observant of slight details. The way his shoulders shook with every step he took made it look like even such a simple feat was difficult.
Glynda notices this and offers a hand to him as he ascends the stairs but he declines it with a shake of his head, continuing up on his own strength before arriving at the microphone. Despite this, not one person spoke. A lot of them knew of him by reputation, and even those who didn't could feel the intense aura emanating from him, not the physical type, but an aura that demanded respect.
"Good morning…" he speaks with a dry and raspy voice, "Raven… NEST Inc. Head of Security… Temporary Instructor of Beacon's Piloting Course…"
Ruby had to bite her lips to stop herself from squealing. She had only ever seen this man through videos on her Scroll, she had been hoping to at least catch a glimpse of him at the NEST Expo a few days ago, and here he was!
The world's greatest pilot. The Liberator of Glenn. The Raven.
Yang seemed to freeze at the sight of him, with a look on her face that Ruby couldn't decipher.
"It's him!" Ruby whispers to Yang, "The Raven! Can you believe it?!"
"...So that's him, huh?" Yang mutters before shaking her head, putting on a smile for Ruby, "World's greatest pilot, huh? He looks like a stiff breeze would blow him over."
"Yang!" Ruby punches her arm lightly, "That guy's a hero! A legend! He's killed as many Grimm as entire Atlas Armoured Divisions! I heard he's also the reason why bandits pretty much went extinct in Vacuo and Mistral!"
"...Heard about that too," Yang mutters sounding unusually quiet to Ruby's confusion. But then she turned her attention back to the stage where Raven was taking his time and staring at all the students before him.
Their eyes met for a brief second, a pair of silver eyes meeting single grey before he moved on to the rest.
Once he was done, everyone was tensed, wondering what he had to say before he continued. Wondering what kind of inspirational words he will depart upon them to ponder on,
"Classes will begin the day after Initiation…" the Raven continued, "Make sure your applications are handed in tomorrow latest… Deadline is midnight…"
He turns his back and steps away, not another word spoken, leaving the body of students slightly taken aback before Ozpin clears his throat and continues where the Raven left off.
"I'm sure all aspiring Pilots would appreciate the reminder, Raven." Ozpin puts on a small smile before returning his attention to the students, "Now, with that said, you're still students, so let's make these school years fun, okay? You will all gather at the ballroom tonight and try to have a good rest. I wish you all good luck."
"Oh Adam, it's been too long." Ayre squeezes him in a hug, "You look like you've lost weight, have you been eating well?"
"Come on, it's only been a month since we saw each other." Adam complained, sounding embarrassed even as he returned the hug, "I'm a grown man, stop worrying."
Ayre parts from their hug before smiling, "To me you'll still be that young brat that sneaks off every morning to the hangers. But you're right, enough about you, I would like to speak with my favourite student as well."
"Ouch, I'm standing right here you know?" Adam laughed but stepped away and let Winter approach Ayre.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Ayre." Winter stands to attention.
"This isn't the Atlas Military, Winter." Ayre chides before pulling her into a hug, "Look at you, a Captain already? Quite a sharp rise from Lieutenant, isn't it? I hear you're leading your own Special Operations group now."
"With the Vanguard expanding as well as its duties, General Ironwood needed reliable Pilots he could trust to run operations. I'm proud to be considered amongst them." Winter smiled as she awkwardly returned the hug, "Might I ask why are you here? Vale isn't far from New Glenn, but it's still a considerable trip."
"It's nothing to worry about. New Glenn can run itself without me." Ayre assures as she leaned against the table of the private office that Ozpin granted them for planning their lessons, both because the faculty room didn't have the space for their computer equipment, and because of privacy for their secondary objectives,
"And I'm sure you know why I'm here." she says as her eyes flickered red and with a wave of her hand, the holographic projectors came to life and displayed two ACs, "As Raven briefed you, PROJECT: APOLLO/ARTEMIS was stolen right under our noses last night along with enough military-grade weapons to arm a small army."
"Yeah, by some guy called Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan." Adam nodded, "Normal protocol's to have security agents cooperate with the Vale Police Department, isn't that right? How's it going on that end?"
Ayre frowns, "Last I checked the bureaucrats are still dragging their feet. While retaking Glenn was a big step for humanity, some on the Vale Council felt spat. That a corporation did what they deemed impossible, and took land that belonged to them. I am sure delaying this is some form of payback to salvage their pride."
"Even with all the lien you gave them? And trade? Talk about seller's remorse." Adam scoffed, "So we can't expect any help from the Vale Council."
"Correct. But fortunately, Professor Ozpin is willing to cooperate with us on this." Ayre explained, "When I approached him about this issue, he was more than willing to assist us. Your assignments as our bodyguards and teaching assistants will provide a solid alibi while you perform your investigations about our stolen prototypes."
"What does he get out of this?" Adam asks, crossing his arms, "If we get caught, he'll take a hit as well for sanctioning this. Might even lose his job. That's the risk, but where's the reward?"
"...He is as cryptic as ever in that regard." Ayre admits, "He claimed he doesn't wish to see powerful weapons in the hands of those with ill intent. While he is truthful on that, I also suspect ulterior motives."
"General Ironwood has always spoken well of Professor Ozpin. He's one of the few men he trusts, and believe me when I say that is no easy feat." Winter speaks up.
"Sure, but I don't trust anyone who helps without solid motivation, like gaining something." Adam shrugged, "If it's nothing much, he'd just tell us. The fact he doesn't mean he's hiding something."
"Nevertheless, Professor Ozpin is an ally of Ironwood, as well as NEST and New Glenn. I trust he has nothing nefarious planned if nothing else, even if I would rather know the whole truth." Ayre says before flicking her hand at the holographic projector once again, "I compiled profiles of multiple individuals affiliated with the grey and black market of Vale, as well as Roman Torchwick. I also devised a schedule for you regarding your duties as teaching assistants, so please make use of your allocated free time to investigate these individuals. I only ask that you remain discreet in your investigations. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail."
She transfers the files towards their Scrolls and they take them out to view the schedules given to them,
"So I'm helping Raven out on PT and combat drills?" Adam grins upon skimming through the schedule, "What exactly am I allowed to do to these kids?"
"Whatever you believe is necessary to train them into becoming great Pilots," Ayre answered as Adam clasped his hands together.
"I love this job already." he grins in excitement before looking at Winter, "So what've you got?"
"Mercenary Laws and Regulations, specifically regarding piloting mechs." Winter notes as she scrolled through her schedule carefully, "I will be helping Ayre with teaching the trainees on that topic."
"So the boring stuff." Adam said before groaning, "Jeez, classes from eight to six? Here I thought I could take the time and catch up on my sleep."
"This isn't a vacation, Adam." Winter chides before pocketing her Scroll, "I'll have to dust off the old textbooks, but thankfully my time in the Vanguard means I'm well versed."
"Meanwhile I get to make their life a living hell." Adam smirks at the thought, "Damn I can't wait. Is it weird I've been fantasising about this sort of scenario since the academy days?"
"I almost pity the trainees." Winter rolled her eyes before a sad look came over her face, "...You know, it's about the same time Atlas Academy will receive their new batch of students. I wonder how Weiss is doing?"
Adam's humour immediately dropped as he turned to face her, "...How long has it been since you last saw her?"
"Since our graduation." Winter sighs, "Two years ago. If only that bastard of my father didn't block me from calling her…"
Ayre remains silent for a second, almost in surprise before quickly recovering and bracing herself.
"Winter…" Ayre says carefully, "Weiss Schnee is not at Atlas Academy."
"What?" Winter looks surprised before looking worried, "How… How do you know that? Where is she? Did my father change his mind?"
"...She is right here, in Beacon Academy." Ayre answered, both Adam and Winter looking surprised at the news, the latter more so, "I only just learnt this today when I ran into her at the gates of Beacon."
"I…what?" Winter looked stunned, "She's…she's really here?"
"Yes. I must warn you, she has made good on her promise." Ayre looks at her sympathetically, knowing of Weiss' vow thanks to her talks with Winter, "She's…changed."
Winter immediately knew what she meant. Her body shakes and Ayre immediately knows that inside she is fighting between her instinct to seek out her sister and military training to not act on her emotions rashly.
"Go." Ayre nods in understanding. Without further word she immediately dashes out of the room, almost breaking down the door as she makes a desperate dash to find her sister.
Adam sighs as he stands up, readjusting Blush and Wilt on his waist, "I'm going after her."
"You should." Ayre nodded in agreement, "She'll need you."
It was almost night by now, but Weiss Schnee was nowhere near the ballroom where the other students gathered for rest. Instead, she took it upon herself to familiarise herself with the layout of Beacon Academy.
Even with AEGIS uploading the schematics mentally, she felt it would be logical to get used to walking through the halls as well, and make sure there was no issue with her schematics.
So far her experience has been less than ideal. Beacon Academy is one of the four Huntsman Academies in the entire world, there should be students of higher calibre than the two he encountered.
AEGIS scanned through the network and gathered data about them available publicly, but nothing was of note or impressive to her. There had been no advantage to acquaint herself with them, so she chose to decline their offer of friendship.
She wonders if it would have been better if she studied at Atlas Academy instead, surely the students there would be more professional than the ones she's encountered. It was only because of the Raven that her father recommended she attend Beacon instead.
The legendary Pilot is supposedly the greatest in all of Remnant. She had only seen pictures of him before, and honestly, it didn't impress her. He looked more like a sick and frail man who could barely stand, not an elite Pilot, but his record spoke otherwise.
Many famous and bloody battles have been credited to him, such as the elimination of an entire rogue fleet of Mistralian warships, the destruction of every major bandit tribe in Mistral and Vacuo, various colonial expansion attempts that resulted in the destruction of hundreds of Grimm nests single-handedly, as well as the Reclamation of Mountain Glenn.
If all previous battles made him a legend, then Mountain Glenn made him into a near-mythical figure, someone spoken about in hushed and awed whispers. Even amongst the Sentinels he is feared and respected. Weiss recalls Shadow-1 often speaking of the Raven very highly.
Yet it was still hard to attribute all that mythical status towards the frail man she saw. Still, a small part of her can't help but feel anticipation for what skills she may learn under his tutelage. Once she has the necessary skills, she can ascend to the leadership role of the Sentinels within due time and then her father's position as CEO. Then she can finally realise her dream…
"Weiss…" a familiar voice calls out to her and Weiss halts.
Her mind processes it at heightened speed thanks to AEGIS, allowing Weiss to reconcile the fact she had just heard her sister for the first time in years, turning and greeting her.
"Captain Winter Schnee." she responds, "It is a pleasure and a surprise to see you again, sister. I was not aware that the Atlas Vanguard has business here at Beacon."
"...What has he done to you?" Winter whispered under her breath, a look of sadness coming over her face. Weiss remains silent as Winter approaches with a careful step forward, "Your eyes… Sentinel augmentations… You really did it."
"Correct. The Gen VII Sentinel Augmentations, to be specific. The latest in line and the safest, with only less than 3% failure rate." Weiss nodded as the AEGIS program scanned Winter's face through her eyes and registered her emotions, "I am not in any danger, and visit certified doctors for checkups twice a week to ensure my safety."
"That's not… I'm not worried about just that." Winter said before sighing, "Weiss, please, can you shut off your AEGIS connection? I want to talk to my sister, not a machine."
"You are speaking with me." Weiss points out as Winter looks at her with uncertainty.
"I've heard the rumours, Weiss." Winter said, "Not all of us fall for SDC lies. Despite their promises, AEGIS has influence over their pilots' minds. I… I can't trust that the words that come out of your mouth necessarily come from you."
Weiss registers an emotional reflex upon hearing those words. Hurt in her heart despite no physical injuries or wounds. Her expression barely changes except for a twitch of her lips, something that Winter notices and clings to.
"Your eyes… the way you talk… How long have you had AEGIS on?" Winter asked with growing concern, "The connection shouldn't be active for more than forty-eight hours."
"That is the official recommended amount for older generations." Weiss nodded, "However there is no detrimental effect for prolonged use, especially with the latest generation of augmentations. I am perfectly safe, sister."
"But why?" Winter asked, "There's no reason for you to connect with AEGIS right now is there? Turn it off and talk to me, please."
Winter pleads as she reaches towards Weiss' hand, but then she steps back for some reason. Her glowing blue eyes suddenly flickered,
"I am busy right now, Captain Winter Schnee." Weiss responds almost automatically, "It is almost time for curfew, and I must report to the ballroom for rest at once. Tomorrow is a busy day, is it not?"
"..." Winter had no words, and could only stare in stunned silence as she watched her sister turn her back on her and walk away without further words.
She could still remember the last time they met, how full of life and joy her eyes were as she rushed to greet her as they shared a hug. Now it was replaced with a coldness that was more akin to that of a machine than a human.
What had her father made of her little sister…
"Damn it, where the hell is she?" Adam muttered to himself as he walked through the unfamiliar halls of Beacon. He really should've brought with him a map, or at least remembered to bring along his Scroll which was left at the office.
"I'm supposed to be the rash, emotional one, Winter…" He grumbled to himself with a sigh as he continued his search. As he turned a corner he found a student walking through the halls. He wondered what was up with that, since it was almost curfew, but shrugged and approached her.
"Hey there, don't suppose you saw a girl with white hair pass through here?" Adam asked, startling the black-haired girl with a bow on top, "In a ponytail, blue eyes, Atlas Vanguard uniform. Sound familiar?"
"..." the girl with black hair doesn't respond for a moment before turning and Adam notices her feline-like yellow eyes, "I…haven't seen anyone like that. Sorry."
"Alright then." Adam wondered why she sounded so guarded. Then again he didn't look like he was a teacher here, he was often told he looked like a thug, "Hey relax, I'm a teaching assistant. I'll be helping out during the Piloting Course."
"Oh?" she looked surprised, "I see… I guess I'll be seeing you there, then."
"You an applicant?" Adam smirked, "Good luck. I'll be working you to the bone, on top of what Raven will do to you. It's gonna be curfew soon, get some rest while you still can. Any decent Pilot learns to get sleep whenever they can."
"You don't have to worry about that…sir." the girl adds the honorific with some hesitation.
"Sir, huh?" Adam rubs his chin, "I like the sound of that. But the name's Adam. Adam Taurus."
He noticed her lips twitch a bit upon hearing his name, and it got him curious. There was also something familiar about her, but he couldn't tell. Like a sense of deja vu."
"It's good to meet you, sir. My name… It's Blake Belladonna." She introduces herself.
"Belladonna?" Adam muttered to himself as he remembered the last name. Ghira Belladonna has been a friend of Ayre, and NEST Inc. has several close ties with Menagerie.
Heck, it's the reason why they have the whole island for themselves, and are not just forced to live in the Western half to avoid the Grimm. He knows that they have regular lunches every month, and word from the grapevine was that his only daughter ran off for some reason. Teenage rebellion, perhaps?
Well far be it from him to judge, he was a kid who acted out by trying to steal war machines. It wasn't his problem, nor his place.
"Well make sure you get a good rest then. If you'll excuse me, I got a friend to find." he pats her shoulder before walking off, "See you in class. Hope you'll be ready for hell."
"I will be, sir." Blake nodded as he left, exhaling a breath she had been holding throughout the whole conversation. That had been too close, but it looked like he didn't recognise her. She was in the clear for now, but she'd have to be extra careful to not catch the Ravager's attention.
Unbeknownst to her, Adam still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met this girl before. He racks his mind for any explanation. He hasn't seen her around with his time in Menagerie before, so just where? Where has he seen that black-haired cat Faunus before…
…
Cat Faunus…
His mind flashes back to a while ago in Forever Falls where he encountered two Talons. One of them had the callsign Mirage, and the other was Shadowcat… He recalls seeing the Talon Pilot standing on the palm of Mirage's AC as she talked him down from bringing them in or eliminating them.
"There's no fucking way," he mutters under his breath in disbelief as he turned his head to look at the retreating figure.