Ruby, for the first time in a week, had no nightmares.

Her sleep was dreamless, quiet, and best of all: Peaceful. When her eyes slowly opened, she was in full control of her body, her mind, and her actions.

Until she felt the airplane shake.

"EEP!"

Jaune was shocked awake as Ruby latched onto him, nearly slamming his head into the seat in front of him. "Ah! What's wrong? Ruby?"

The two staggered into the aisle, both slamming their heads on the floor.

Ruby sat up on Jaune's stomach, rubbing the back of her head. "Ow…sorry, I kinda freaked out there."

Jaune sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a reassuring smile on his face. "It's okay. Better than waking up to find yourself in a Nora headlock."

"Excuse me."

The two looked up, seeing one of the flight attendants—a young woman with black hair—gesturing to their seats. "We'll be landing soon, so the two of you need to get back in your seats."

Both their faces went pink as they scrambled into their seats, buckling up.

Moments later, the seatbelt light went on.

Jaune leaned over, finding his motion sickness had settled a bit. With a bit of trepidation, he opened the window shutter. Outside was, predictably, mostly ocean. Though, off in the distance, he could see faint specks of land—little islands off the main island of Amora they were actually going to.

Ruby leaned over, smiling at the sight. "When you're not scared out of your mind, it's a heck of a view."

"Yeah, or when you're not at risk of puking your guts out. Oh, speaking of—"

Jaune reached into his pocket, producing an orange pill before swallowing it.

Ruby blinked twice, staring at him. "Did…did you just dry-swallow that?"

"Yeah? So?"

Ruby stared at him slack-jawed. "So? So? Do you have any idea how weird that is? I've never met anyone that could swallow a pill without at least a few drops of water. It's like eating a Beacon biscuit without having any milk. Can you do that, too?"

Jaune shrugged. "Don't know—I'm not brave enough to try."

The two shared a laugh at that, instinctively wrapping their arms around each other as the plane came in for a landing. Both squeezed their eyes shut, praying for everything to be alright—although with different meanings. Ruby hoped they wouldn't crash. Jaune hoped he wouldn't throw up all over Ruby.

Both admirable hopes, in their own right.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened. The two felt the plane come to a halt and several people standing before they untangled themselves, at last unbuckling and rising to their feet. As they exited, they were greeted with the sight of two, massive cherry blossom trees near the entrance of the airport—not far from their exit gate.

They, along with the rest of the Beacon group, made their way into the airport proper, heading for baggage return. Predictably, Yang met up with them a few moments later. "Sup, Rubes? Have a nice flight?"

Ruby's eyes flicked to Jaune. "It was…better than expected, at least."

"Is that why you're still holding vomit boy's hand?"

Ruby looked down, finding that, sure enough, she and Jaune were still holding hands. Though, rather than jump back in shock, she simply gripped his hand a bit tighter. "I didn't say it was great, I just said it was better than expected. Jaune helped a lot."

Jaune gave Ruby a faint smile. "To be fair, you distracting me definitely kept me from living up to the whole 'vomit boy' thing."

Yang's eyes flicked between the two for a moment before she chuckled, walking to the baggage claim. "Come on, lovebirds, let's go find our luggage."

The two's faces tinted pink at that, releasing their grips on one another's hands now that they were on the ground. Both avoided making eye contact as they followed Yang to the baggage claim area. There, the three gathered their luggage before making their way to Oobleck and the others, all of which were gathering near the entrance.

Oobleck cleared his throat. "Ah, excellent! Everyone got your luggage?" He did a quick look to see everyone with a suitcase of some sort. "Good! Now, if you'll please follow me, our hotel is just around the corner!"

After a five-minute walk, the group began to wonder just how far 'around the corner' was for Oobleck.

Their wondering ceased a moment later when Oobleck stopped in front of a large hotel called 'The Gillman'. It was well over six stories tall, sporting balconies along the front—some of which were even occupied. It looked nice enough, all things considered.

The ten students followed Oobleck into a well-decorated lobby—with beige walls decorated with paintings and a lobby decorated with various statues. Oobleck made his way to the front desk, speaking with the receptionist for a moment before coming back with ten keycards in his hands.

He handed four to team JNPR. "Alright, team JNPR will be in room 347," he handed four to team RWBY, "team RWBY will be in room 346," he handed two keys to Velvet and Coco. "And Miss Adel and Scarlatina will be in room 345."

He kept one key to himself, placing it in his wallet. "If any of you have need of me, I'll be in room 351, just down the hall. Now, let's get our things placed quickly—we have a meeting with the viceroy in half an hour."

The group made their way to the elevators, team RWBY loading up with Coco first. Ruby's eyes flicked to Blake as the elevator started rising, her brow furrowing. "So, what exactly is a 'viceroy' anyway?"

Blake turned to face her. "Amora's a colony of Mistral, so the viceroy is someone from the mainland they send to rule over its people. If I remember correctly, the viceroy of Amora is someone named Vester Gold."

Weiss nodded, pulling out a small book with the title 'Amoran Politics in The Modern Era' by Yenna Silica. "According to this, the island's been ruled over him for over seventy years—since the colony was founded not long after the great war. He's pretty well-liked as far as viceroy's go."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Woah, seventy years? That's longer than all of our ages put together! He must be really good at his job if they've kept him around for this long."

The elevator doors opened to reveal a hallway with sconces between every few rooms, the beige wallpaper from the lobby extending into the halls. Their room, coincidentally, was just a few doors down from the elevator, the four splitting off from Coco as she made her way to her own hotel room.

The room had two queen-sized beds, along with a couch off to the side. It looked a little like an apartment with a fridge, kitchen area, and microwave that looked vaguely like the Beacon common rooms. Ruby quickly checked the fridge, finding it was—predictably—empty. She tossed her suitcase on the nearest bed, finding Yang had done the same.

Yang leaned against the nearby wall as she opened her suitcase, getting out her clothes. "Guess we're bunking together, huh? So, we plan on having it be Ruby and I and you two in another? Or is one of you taking the couch?"

Weiss and Blake shared a glance before Blake turned back to Ruby. "Actually, I'd prefer to share with Ruby. She's warmer."

"Hey!"

Yang chuckled at that, hanging up her clothes in the nearby closet. "Alright, Ice Queen, are you fine with bunking with me?"

"Ugh, fine."

Ruby moved her suitcase over to Blake's bed, the two of them quickly putting their clothes away while Weiss and Yang argued over whose clothes were going where. "How come you wanted to share a bed with me?"

Blake's eyes flicked back to her, a faint smile on her face. "Like I said, you're warm. Besides, you always end up falling asleep on top of me at the library anyway. It'd be familiar, at least."

Ruby nodded. "Fair enough."

The four set their clothes in the closets and drawers before making their way out of the room, headed for the lobby. As they entered the elevator, they saw team JNPR making their way forward, Coco and Velvet not far behind them. Ruby pressed the 'door open' button on the elevator, letting the six catch up and enter.

Weiss moved to the far back of the elevator, eyes flicking to the safety warnings. "Is this safe? Are we sure we're not over the weight limit?"

Coco shook her head, gesturing at the limit listed as 2000 pounds. "Relax, Weiss. If each of us weighs an average of 200lbs, we should all be just beneath the weight limit when put together. Mostly since I know Velvet and I tip out around 150, and you and your partner are tiny."

Weiss shrugged, unable to argue with Coco's assessment as they went down to the lobby. The moment the doors opened, they saw Oobleck standing near the center of the lobby, likely having taken the stairs to get there first. How he got there first when they were in the elevator…honestly? It was Oobleck, what else did they expect?

Said huntsman bolted forward, head twitching to each of them as if he couldn't move his eyes behind his glasses. "All ready? Perfect! Everyone follow me!"

The group scrambled to keep up as Oobleck led them out of the hotel and through the streets of Amora, past several large buildings and towards a tall, white pillar-like structure that vaguely reminded the students of Beacon. Based on the guards stationed outside, as well as the sign that said 'Amoran Colonial Administration', they guessed it was where the island's government was stationed.

Oobleck walked up to the guards, clearing his throat. "Bartholomew Oobleck, here to see Vester Gold."

The guards looked at each other before nodding, motioning the group through. They walked to the central pillar, all piling into a large elevator at its base. "Little," Ruby squirmed between her sister and Coco to try and get some space. "Cramped in here, isn't it?"

Everyone quietly agreed.

The elevator stopped at the top of the tower, leading into a large, rustic-looking office. Old-fashioned wooden floors, several dozen grimm sculptures, and various other trophies from a lifetime of adventure dotted the place. In the center, sitting behind a desk was an old man clad in the familiar olive green of a Mistralean general's uniform. His face was wisened with age, a white beard falling down to just below his chin covering most of his features, yet his eyes still held the quick, decisive movement of a huntsman.

The man gave a faint smile as he looked up, rising with the help of a silver-handled cane. He spoke jovially as if everyone before him was an old friend. "Ah, Bart! Good to see you, good to see you. These must be the new huntsmen, yes?"

Dr. Oobleck nodded, walking over and shaking the man's hand. "Yes, Vester. These are teams RWBY, JNPR, and two members of team CFVY. They represent some of the finest huntsmen at Beacon."

Jaune and Ruby both blushed at that one.

Vester walked forward, shaking each of the student's hands. "Ah, wonderful to meet you all. Simply wonderful! It's good to see Beacon is still producing such fine young huntsmen. Why I remember when I attended it was—"

He paused as he shook Jaune's hand.

"Vert?"

Jaune blinked twice, tilting his head slightly. "Uh, no sir. My name's Jaune. Jaune Arc."

The man slowly nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Ah, you're his grandson, aren't you? Look just like him back when he was young. He was a friend of mine when we attended Beacon, you know. Quite the prankster back in his day, hehe. You a troublemaker, son?"

"I try not to be, sir."

Vester chuckled once again, moving on to Ruby. "You…hmm, you wouldn't happen to be kin to one Summer Rose, would you?"

"You knew my mom?"

Vester nodded, eyes taking a far off look as he spoke. "Oh yes, one of the finest huntsmen I'd ever seen. Part of one of the best teams Beacon ever made—no offense to yourselves. Tell me, whose your father, dear?"

"Taiyang. Taiyang Xiao Long."

He nodded sagely, a faint smile on his face. "Ah, I always wondered who captured Rose's heart. She was a good woman, a kind woman." he frowned, gripping his cane a bit tighter. "The world's a darker place without her in it."

Ruby gripped the hem of her skirt. "Yeah…it is."

Vester turned away, shaking his head. "Well, you've suffered my weakness for reminiscing long enough. I'm Vester Gold, colonial governor of the isle of Amora. Bart here tells me you're here on a study abroad program, looking to learn about the local cultures and kill a few grimm in the process?"

Everyone nodded at that.

Vester nodded. "Well, that's good to hear. Too many young folks these days have no respect for cultures outside of their own little subgroup. Now then," he cleared his throat, standing a bit straighter to reveal a hint of the younger commander he once was as he produced his scroll. From it came a 3D holographic map of what looked to be a canyon. "Your first stop will be the Screaming Canyon, a good thirty miles west of the capital. It's teeming with grimm of all sorts, so watch yourselves."

It switched to an image of a forest. "Second, you'll be heading for the Blacksoil Forests, north of here. The grimm there tend to be of the more sneaky variety—hiding in plants and whatnot. Tread carefully."

It switched again, settling on a cave. "Your final assignment will be a cave exploration to the east. This one doesn't actually have a proper name, as it was just uncovered by an earthquake a few days ago. All we know is it's filled with subterranean beasties."

He turned off his scroll, stuffing it back in his coat. "You'll be completing these three missions over the course of your time here in Amora—the discretion of which I've left up to Bart. Any questions?"

The group was silent for a moment before Vester nodded, smiling once more as his posture relaxed. "Well, good to know. If you have any questions, feel free to come see me at any time. My doors are open from dawn to dusk. I'll try and make time if needed."

Oobleck nodded, shaking the man's hand before the group made their way to the elevator. Ruby spoke up first. "He seems like a nice guy."

Oobleck nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Indeed, old Vester is one of the nicest men in Mistral if you believe the stories. He's one of the only people on the island natives and Mistral immigrants adore. Helps keep the violence down."

Jaune tilted his head. "Violence?"

Oobleck frowned, slowly shaking his head as they piled out of the elevator. "Yes, there's been civil strife in Amora since the day it was colonized by Mistral. Natives against the colonizers, colonizers against the natives, you know how it goes. Vester stepped in and the major riots and violence finally stopped, but they've never really gone away."

Ruby gulped. "You don't think we'll get involved with any of that violence, do you?"

Oobleck chuckled. "Of course not, Ms. Rose! There hasn't been a riot since Vester Gold took office!"