-Felix-

Finally he had his chance, and got off the airship into the wide open oh god this was a huge mistake spaces of the outdoors. Where before it was cramped, now there was nowhere to hide, no place to press his back against... and there were still people milling about. Safety, he had to make it to safety. He had to somehow navigate the grueling labyrinth that was the very straightforward, beautifully constructed, and serene pathway to the academy.

"Ugh, just... just keep walking... nothing will happen... probably..." he told himself mentally, took a deep breath, and began walking.

Something happened.

His anxiety generally led him to be hyper aware of everything that was happening around him, every person, and where they were in relation to him. It was utterly exhausting and a huge waste of time, but hey, he was paranoid. And yet suddenly there was a girl within arm's reach of him that he had failed to notice. Blonde hair, about a head shorter than him, and had a timid aura about her. She was completely nonthreatening, and somehow had been able to fade into the background, if only momentarily.

In short, she was the most horrifying creature he'd ever laid eyes on -- someone who could sneak up on him!!

"Ee!" he let out a startled squeak and jumped back on instinct. He then froze, staring at her, with the look of someone who had resigned to die plastered upon his face.

"You know what? I hope I die. Because if not, then I have to live with this embarrassment for the rest of my life," he thought, waiting to be struck down. A moment passed and he was still alive. "Dammit."

-Randy-

"Ahh... she's just like the rumors said..." Randy said, watching Enyo walk away from Booster's fallen figure, though fortunately for the cocky kid's sake, someone helped him up.

"You know her?" Melody asked, having left the ship with Randy.

"I think I spoke to her once for all of five seconds. Enyo Allaway, you must have heard of her too," Randy said. They'd all gone to the same school after all.

"Oh! Ohhh.... OHHH! She beat my scores in the engineering exams every time!" Melody growled, clenching her fist. "Stupid brat held herself back just to humiliate us all!"

"Yeah... she was the first person I asked for tutoring in that subject..." Randy mused. Those five seconds had been the time it had taken for Enyo to consider it, say no, and insult her in the same breath. Randy recalled Enyo saying something like 'If you can't do it yourself, just quit.'

"So... I was your second choice, eh?" Melody's eye twitched.

"Ah..." Well... this was awkward. There was no winning today, was there?

For the first time in a really long time, someone was scared of her instead of the other way around.

It was weird.

Upon hearing a shriek of horror, Aurelia panicked and whipped around, Did she touch anyone? Did she absentmindedly make contact without noticing? She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts of Beacon she wasn't really paying attention. And yet, she didn't recall bumping into anyone. Actually, they were pretty close; they could have easily walked into one another. But what really surprised her was that for once, she didn't jump back--he did. Is this how she was perceived to everyone? Wow, she really needed to get that under control. That is, she needed to get a handle on herself. Really, she was already feeling embarrassed again just thinking about it.

Aurelia blinked for a moment, and there was a silence. He was staring at her, and she was staring right back. It was a stalemate of a life time, two socially paranoid people meeting one another. Their awkwardness should have cancelled one another out in theory, but the reality was that it somehow managed to multiply and make the situation much, much worse. In fact, looking in from the outside would show that the two were...perfectly ignorable. Really, they were making it a bigger deal then it really was.

That didn't stop Aurelia from almost having a second panic attack.

Easy, easy, just--say something, just like last time. She took in a deep breath, as if readying herself to give a speech. She kept her eye contact, a little more determined, but in the end, it was all for one word: "Sorry." She meekly apologized, though she visibly winced at her own stupidity as her previous composure crumbled like a stack of cards blown into. Hold on, why am I the one apologizing?! She yelled at herself.

-Felix-

She opened her mouth. What terrifying thing would come forth? What ego shattering, humiliating words would spew-

'Sorry.' she said to him.

. . . WHAT?

How the hell was he supposed to deal with that? Looking at her, he realized something... something truly terrible. She was almost as bad as him with people.

'Oh dear dust, why?' His pupils shrank to pinpoints. And then suddenly a well timed tumble weed bounced by.

"Wha- where did... that..." The random, drifting vegetation was enough to momentarily distract him from the incredibly awkward moment the two were sharing. "Err, uh, s-sorry? Haha, n-no need... really... if anything... I..." Courage... fading... "Sh-should..." Rapidly. "Sorry." He said just as meekly. He needed something else, fast. Introduction? Yes, introduction!

"Ah, um, b-by the way, I'm..." Oh dust, seriously? There was no way he was panicking badly enough to forget this.

'Wh-what's my name?' His eyes went wide -- he was panicking badly enough.

'Felix...'

'Right! Thanks, me!'

'No problem, buddy.'

'Buddy?'

'You're still standing there...'

"F-Felix! My name is Felix!" he blurted out when he realized he'd been standing there like a idiot for long seconds on end after having somehow forgetting his name for a moment. His face then turned bright red in embarrassment and he paleface, if only to try and hide from the overwhelming shame he felt from his own ridiculousness.

'Mother... why did you think this was a good idea?'

-Amalger-

"Having fun up there are we? Are you sure you should be doing that while so... encumbered?" Amalger had ignored most of the commotion that had transpired since the airship docked. However, watching a girl randomly decide to scale the academy's architecture was certainly amusing. More so because her giant backpack had nearly sent her tumbling. "I take it you're the agile type. Quite frankly, I think I'd have broken my neck if I tried to do that." He rolled his eyes and smirked. Something told him this girl was trouble. "Any chance of you coming down and walking like a normal person or do I have to keep craning my neck?" If he was actually amused though, his voice wasn't projecting it. If anything, he sounded a little bored.

He could have just ignored her, but the Booster kid had made a good point. It was worth seeing who was worth remembering, you know, just in case. Maybe she was just an idiot who liked climbing things or maybe she was somebody worth taking note of. Her acting out had gotten his attention, so he might as well take the moment to see, right?

After waiting a moment in final appraisal, Abel joined Nevin's hand with his own and shook very firmly. With a clear goal in mind, the two set off to find a vending machine.

The first twenty minutes passed with no result. Distracted by the intricate, impressive architecture and interspersed foliage, neither Abel nor Nevin made good time. The Guardian felt obliged to try and scope out the school as much as possible, even in the little time he had before the assembly and with the risk of going even hungrier on the line. Again and again he peered into the castle-like building's tinted windows, trying to get a glimpse of what awaited him inside. However, the glass proved impenetrable. He contented himself to walking on the alert, not speaking much to Nevin.

Finally, in a sort of plaza alcove, Abel discovered a picnic table, a garbage bin and its blue recycling brother, a drinking fountain, and two vending machines. One of them offered various pops and a few varieties of commercial teas -he even spotted People Like Grapes on there, his favorite soda- but the snack vendor was the one he had in mind. Unfortunately, it seemed that he wasn't the only one with this idea.

Standing on either side of the vending machines were two more teenagers. One was a boy his own age and easily half again his weight, a 5'10” mass of muscle and fat topped with a mess of ruddy brown hair. The other was a willowy girl, sly and foxlike, with red hair done in two braids. Though they couldn't have been more different superficially, their features (particularly their stone-gray eyes) and their clothes (pressed white shirts with ruffled sleeves, drab green cargo shorts for the guy and a similarly-colored skirt for the girl, both help up by suspenders) created an instant, unspoken connection between them. Before Abel could get a word out, the pair launched into conversation.

“Thinking of a nice snack?” The girl's voice was high and nasally, grating on the ears.
“We were, but look who decided to ruin the mood.” The boy's voice was low and smooth, but contorted in such a way that every word that crossed his lips seemed like mocking sarcasm. It became apparent that they were talking in perfect alternation.
“And we just got settled too. It'd be much nicer if you two buggered off and minded your own beeswax somewhere else.”
“Not enough room here for the twos of us. Beat it!”
“Scram!”
Taken aback, Abel took a few steps back, not wanting to make a scene. This caused the teens to grin in triumph. The two moved closer together until they were standing side by side. Seeing both of them together confirmed that they were almost certainly related. Brother and sister? Whoever they were, they wasted no time in beginning to talk again. This time, the boy went first.
“Well that was easy. Not as tough as you look, huh?”
“A coward, a doormat, a cake walk!”
“There you go with the food metaphors again, Gretchen.”
“There you go thinking about your belly again, Hansen.”
“We'll grab a bite to eat after we finish with this loser, huh?”

At that point, Abel broke down. “Hey! I don't know who you think you are, but if you're feeling like getting your sorry asses handed to you I'd be more than up for a fight!” He brandished the Ampere, its shining blade pointed in the direction of the siblings. He really didn't want to fight, but these two made him see red. At this point, he wasn't thinking at all about Nevin; he had practically forgotten him.

Instantly, the weapon was joined by two more. The boy pulled an item from his back, and it instantly expanded into a huge halberd fashioned to look like it was made of bones. The girl held a tennis racket-sized implement that looked like a cattle prod, though rather than electricity, it sparked with fire.

“Hah! You're even dumber than you look if you think you can take us on, buddy. If your friend's twice as smart as you, you might have a chance.”
“And you're polearm's not as big as mine.”
“Enough compensating, Hansen! We've got some dickheads to fry.”
“If you insist, Gretchen. Come on then, sunshine!”

Maggie frowned as she searched the stone. All of it was clean cut and smooth. No good handholds. Her best option she thought would be to get a good grappling hook and hope it would stick. Not that she had such gear with her at the moment. Then someone spoke at her and she looked around curiously to see a boy about her age was addressing her. She smiled and looked down the couple feet to the ground. It wasn't like she was that high up. She was only on the lower stone walls that went almost fully around the fountain. She seated herself so she was a little under head level for the boy and smiled. "I like being up high. The air feels nicer up here. I like the breeze too. Besides I'm not much higher up than you right now."

She looked over her shoulder at the arched wall behind her and pointed before turning to face him. "I don't have what I need to get up there. TheradiotowerIclimbed two years ago was easier than this." She was fairly excited. She then pointed at the large building of Beacon. "That'll be fun to be in. I bet the balconies are really nice."

She saw movement over his shoulder that distracted her and she stood back up. Some people had drawn weapons near the vending machines. It seemed like there was something like a disagreement of some sort come to a violent end. She pointed over towards them. "I wonder who started that." Part of her wanted to mention about how being up higher put her in a better point of view, but didn't want to be overly prideful about it.

She walked around the wall until she made it to the vending machines curiosity taking over. She hopped up on one of the vending machines and knelt down so she could get into a seated position. Her legs hung down over the front of the machine and the back of her left foot pressed some of the buttons with a clicking sound. The red display read, "Please insert $1.50."

She found a quarter on the top of the machine and picked it up with a smile and began to fiddle with it as she looked at the parties involved in the conflict. Both of them looked pretty tough, and she couldn't assess who started what. "What's goin' on here? Seems a little silly to start a fight on the first day, much less hour."

Nevin quietly followed his companion. He took the time to study him, wanting to figure out some of the people he might be working with. The boy was rigid and serious. Any attempt at conversation was short lived as the two made their way around the complex. It was presumptious for him to assume, but he took Abel as the strong silent type. He supposed they would get along well enough. Of course, that was just a first assessment. He could easily be mistaken. People weren't so easily profiled. It just gave him something to start with.

As the two of them found what they had been searching for, he instantly took in the two figures standing beside the machine. He tensed instantly, eyes narrowing as he listened to the two. This school seemed to be full of idiots who just wanted to pick fights. It was sure to get on his nerves. There were only so many arrogant assholes he could put up with.

With a small sigh, Nevin lifted his left hand, tugging the white glove down on his hand more securely before doing the same with the right. At Abel's outburst, he offered a small grin to the two siblings. “Seems you got on my friend's nerves too,” he commented before holding his right fist out. “Abel, which one do you want? I can handle the leftovers.” It wasn't in his character to pick fights. He was getting tired of this attitude, though. First it was the Booster guy and now it was these two. Some of the new students really needed to get shown their place before they let it go to their heads.

He paused, however, at the new intrusion, a girl hopping down from the wall, of all things, to sit atop one of the vending machines. He grinned at her nonchalantly before looking back to Hansen and Gretchen. "It is, isn't it? I'd advise you to stay back if you don't wanna get involved. I'm sure Abel and I can take care of things pretty quickly."

The tumbleweed passed, and in that time, he decided to keep the conversation going. Oh look, see he's nervous too! You're not the only one!" Aurelia's mind tried to calm itself down, though it scrambled itself again as his string of words made very little sense. Still, it seemed like he wanted to introduce himself. She waited in anticipation, slightly confused. Did he not know how to introduce herself? She waited, and after some time, was met with an outburst. His name was Felix. He made that (very) loud and clear. She nodded, a motion now practiced from her previous encounter. After a few seconds, however, it clicked in her mind that she needed to introduce herself as well.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, and felt the redness in her cheeks match his face. "I...right! Of course, of course...It's a pleasure." She laughed nervously, once more twiddling with a stray lock of hair. "I-I am Aurelia. It's...It's a pleasure to meet you." You repeated yourself. She noticed, and she shook her head. Oh, no, the gods were mocking her, she was pretty sure about that. "I do mean it, Felix." She continued, clearing her throat somewhat, and in a rather uncharacteristic move, held her hand out. Though it was clear that said hand was trembling as if she was lifting something heavy. But that was what people did, right? They shook hands. That's what people do, they meet new people and shake hands and then...what would happen afterwards?

A tense moment passed. Four people with weapons raised waited for their opponents to make the first move. It became obvious that neither of the siblings had seen Maggie arrive. After a few seconds, Hansen and Gretchen shared a knowing look.

Then they burst into laughter.

With a clatter, the Witch's Brand fell to the ground, and its flame vanished with a pop. Gretchen herself fell to her knees, giggling helplessly, almost to the point where tears were coming from her eyes. Hansen, meanwhile, was reduced to leaning on the Liar Bone for support, too full of mirth to properly stand. Suddenly, the situation didn't seem nearly as menacing as it had moments before. As his anger melted away into confusion, there was only one thing Abel could say.

“What?”

Hansen managed to regain control of himself as his sister wiped tears from the her face with a ruffled sleeve. “You...” he gasped, “were really going to do it! You were gonna brawl! Haha! Man, I'm sorry, but you got baited hard. We didn't think you'd take it so seriously!” The stylized halberd compressed itself to a manageable size once more, and Hansen replaced it on his belt. Gretchen's weapon found its way back into hers as well. Both seemed so gleeful whereas before they had only been nasty; it was hard not to believe that it all had been an elaborate prank. The siblings high-fived, and with that, the situation was defused.

Before Abel, Nevin, or Maggie could properly question them about exactly why they got them so riled up, the two were off. Skirting around Abel, whose polearm was still absently held in a battle-ready, position, Gretchen left first. Hansen's attention completely went to the vending machine that Maggie was perched on; after pulling out a candy bar and taking a bite, he left as well. By that time, his sister was gone, but after looking around for a moment Hansen seemed to notice something on the ground that nobody else could see. Following the invisible trail, he went exactly the way Gretchen had moments before. If either Nevin or Maggie got a glimpse of his eyes during that time, they would have seen that his irises had turned white.

“Well...” Abel said at last, still not sure how to react. “That was interesting. Weird though. They seemed so sure that they wanted to fight. We probably don't have a lot of time left before the assembly begins; we ought to grab a snack now and get going.” He looked up at Maggie, seating several feet above and in front of him. “Want to come with us?”

Maggie found the whole situation to be a bit odd and amusing, but more odd than anything else. She usually prided herself on being able to read a situation, but this one was tense one moment and then suddenly hysterical the next. It caught the kid with the fancy halberd off guard almost as much as it surprised Maggie. She smiled at his comment. "Weird indeed, and sure not like I have anything better to do and we're all going to the same place anyways."

She hopped off the vending machine and landed gracefully in spite of her awkward load. "I'm not all that hungry though." She said slapping the side of the vending machine she had sat on with a light bang. "I'm Maggie by the way. Maggie Faust. Letshaveagoodtime here, okay?" She gave a great big smile to show off her excitement for being here. For here this was the first step to having a dream come true.

-Felix-

A pleasure? Well, he supposed in reality she was probably a nice person. Maybe.

"S-same-" he began to speak, but then she said her name and once more said it was a pleasure. Was it really that nice to meet him? But no she was just really bad at talking to people it seemed. Not like he had any right to talk. "S-same..." He said again, unsure what else he should say. Unfortunately it seemed she was going to be the slightly braver of the two, as she offered her hand. Well, of course she might have been bad with people, but that didn't mean she was like him. While she was probably just shy, he was quite simply afraid that everything that breathed, lived, or otherwise was capable of moving wanted to kill him.

'J-just do it...' He took a deep breath, put on an extremely shaky smile, and shook her head. 'Good, good... now don't throw up. And let go before she realizes how sweaty your hand is... probably should have wiped that off first.' He carefully counted to about two seconds, and then almost too quickly let go.

"H-h-hey, uh," he quickly took a step back, unconsciously wiping his hand on his pants. "I think... meeting... thing... entrance ceremony! P-probably should get going..."

'I'm never going to make any friends am I?' He wasn't even touching her anymore and he still felt like his heart was going to just give up on life at any moment.

"L-l-ladies first!" he gestured for her to walk in front of him, but definitely not behind him. 'Stay where I can see you, creepy invisible girl! You can't be trusted' Nope, no friends. Ever. EVER.

-Amalger-

The climbing girl had spotted something and dashed off, and Amalger had been just curious enough to follow after her. What he saw was... surprising.

Was this really going to happen? A fight? It looked like two students that had arrived on the second airship had clashed with Nevin and someone else he vaguely remembered being on the first airship with. It seemed the other two had managed to rile up Nevin and the other, quite large, student... and then... laughter. Amalger sighed. It seemed Nevin had been had. Amalger shook his head. Not a good start, not a good start at all.

'Well, I suppose one little moment can be overlooked. But I have no more reason to hold back even a little, Nevin. Don't disappoint me moving forward,' Amalger thought, and then headed off for the main building.

-Enyo-

She had been one of the first people to get into the building, but now she was standing at the front of a large crowd. She almost laughed. Felix hated crowds. Had he arrived yet? Was he quivering? She wanted to see his face when he got there.

"Quit it! We don't care about Felix anymore! We'll never have to deal with him again!" She hoped they'd hurry up and get this over with. She really needed a nap at this point.

-Randy-

"This is taking forever, we've been here for like ten minutes! What are they waiting for?" Melody groaned.

"Umm, I dunno, giving students a chance to stretch their legs?" Randy guessed. Though, it was true, standing still listening to a dozen different conversations going on around her was starting to make her ears hurt. And her feet. She should have sat down on the way over instead of plastering her face to the window like an idiot.

"Think we'll be on a team?" Meoldy asked. "It'd be nice to know at least one person."

"Sure!. . . Maybe!. . . I dunno..." Randy sighed. How would teams be decided, she wondered.

Nevin stared blankly at the two who had apparently tried to pull a prank on the two of them. As the two dashed off, he let out a small sigh, lowering his fists. This was definitely going to be an interesting year. He could already tell with the way things were going. He was interested in seeing the other students. He offered a shrug to Abel before smiling at Maggie, another student he could get to know. She at least seemed friendly enough and not ready to show off her skills for the sake of showing off. “Nice to meet you,” he replied. “The name's Nevin Theros.” With his introduction done, he wandered off to the side, going to the machine with drinks. Depositing a few coins in, he selected one of the sodas and retrieved it from the bottom slot.

“We should probably get a move on to the auditorium,” he suggested. “The opening ceremonies are probably gonna start somewhat soon. I think I remember the way back.” He cracked open his can, taking a sip as he moved back towards the small group, stopping in the direction he knew the auditorium to be. He had some knowledge of the compound from before his acceptance here. He figured the auditorium shouldn't be too hard to find.

Oh my god he actually shook her hand.

Well, of course he was going to shake her hand, that's why Aurelia offered it, right? No, it was courtesy, or at least she THOUGHT it was. She hated meeting new people and avoided the general populace like a plague. Too late now, of course, and he quickly released her hand almost as soon as they touched. Felix then reminded her of the ceremony. That's right, she had completely forgotten about it. "R-Right! Of course. Of course." Will you stop repeating yourself? She grimaced slightly. She was really, really pathetic. Was the entire year going to be like this? Then again, it was somewhat relieving to know someone else was just like she was.

Felix made the offer for her to go first. At this she nodded, and then quite unexpectedly, practically ran ahead. Not that she was expecting to hang out or whatever. No way. She had humiliated herself enough for one day--perhaps for the entire semester. Her walk was rigid and rather brisk, rather mechanical, and she forced herself not to look back. Yeah, just keep going, for all you know you'll probably never see one another again ever. If we're lucky.

-Felix-

'Well... that was... something...' What else could such an uncomfortable meeting be called? Well, at least it was over now, yes? He stood there for a moment as Aurelia darted off into the distance. Was it possible that he'd actually met someone worse at this than he was? Maybe. His anxiety got to him when people were around, but she seemed just plain bad at dealing with people. Whatever the case was, he still didn't have any room to judge. Those thoughts aside, he decided he'd better hurry and follow her. It had been his suggestion for them to get going after all. It would have been weird if he'd just ended up standing there...

That said he didn't exactly bother catching up to her. He'd get there when he got there... with a nice little bubble of space around him to keep him happy.

That said, no bubble was big enough to prepare him for what he walked into. A room... with... so... many... PEOPLE!

"I-I'll just... stand in the back..." he spoke to himself in a shaky whisper.

=Everyone=

It seemed that everyone was finally present. And just in time.

"If I could have your attention..." A man spoke. He hadn't bothered getting anyone's attention until he was already at the microphone. He stood upon a stage above the many students gathered, and wore shaded glass spectacles, a dark-green scarf with a small purple cross-shaped emblem on it, an unzipped black suit over a black-buttoned vest, with a green undershirt underneath. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. He cleared his throat. "I am Professor Ozpin, I run this academy that you have all chosen to come to. I am sure you have all come here wanting something, but I will disillusion you all now. You will be given nothing. The time for simple learning is over. You will be allowed to gain knowledge and you will be allowed to hone yourself. That is not to say you are going to be left to fend for yourselves, but there are no more stepping stones after this. If you do not fight for and earn everything you have decided you want now... well there are scarce few chances left after this. This is your last, best opportunity, so make it count. The world you enter after this is not a kind one." With those decidedly ominous words, he turned and walked away.

A woman who had been standing in his shadow stepped forward to take the mic. She was blonde with green eyes, wearing oval glasses. She wore a white long-sleeved suit that exposed part of her chest, and puffy sleeves that tightened near the wrist before spreading back out near her hands. Her lower body had a black business skirt with buttons running in a vertical line up the front of it and lighter black-brown stockings.She also wore black boots with brown heels and a tattered cape that was purple inside and black on the outside.

"When you are ready, head to the ballroom. You will be sleeping there for the night. Where you end up after that will be decided tomorrow, so do your best to get a good night's sleep," she told them and then also vacated the stage.

Nevin was quiet as he listened to the speech beside Abel and Maggie, arms crossed with a curious expression on his face. At the end of the explanation, he felt the edges of his mouth move up in a small grin. No more handouts. No more stepping stones. That was what he wanted to hear. Flare had been renowned as a great school, but...it wasn't anything spectacular. It had its share of failures with rich families to push their son or daughter into the academy. This would be different. He had a reason to try. He had a reason to really compete with his fellow students. This time, he'd beat Amalger, he vowed to himself silently.

Despite himself, he felt himself getting excited at the thought. He would gain what he wanted from this school on his way to becoming a Hunter.

He was sure of it. Uncrossing his arms, he let his hands slip back into his pockets before regarding his two companions. "Interesting guy, it seems," he commented. "What do you guys think you're gonna head off to do? I think I'm gonna explore the school a bit more. You're free to join me, I'm just not really ready for rest just yet." He wanted to see what this place had to offer anyway. He was sure to find something interesting going on.

Though Ozpin's words sparked trepidation in some, Abel only felt his resolution harden. He had proved at Pallisade that he had what it took to succeed without stepping stones and freebies. If the program at Beacon was as rigorous as he was led to believe, it would be very effective in weeding out the less talented, less motivated students. Some would fail and some would quit, but he would remain. His grip on the Ampere tightened, and he felt the electricity running between steel and flesh. Abel Fulgurate believed in destiny, and becoming a Hunter of legend at this institution was his.

"Might as well," he remarked after Nevin offered to take him and Maggie exploring. While he had become more familiar with Nevin during their search for a vending machine, he still had no clue who this pretty raven-haired girl was except for her name. She certainly seemed hyped to be here. Given Abel's inclination to not speak unless spoken to, though, he decided not to say anything. Instead, he took a good look at the crowd around him.

One face jumped out at him. Nearby, one of the soon-to-be students that had been listening to Ozpin as if his life had depended on it stood, leaning on a crutch. This guy was dressed in dark brown and black embroidered with gold thread--either he was very classy or very extravagant. His shoulder-length hair masked a sharp, intense face, with bright green eyes. Muttering to himself, the boy turned around and shouldered past another kid, who was dressed in green with leaf patterns and bore features that made him look very young. After the littler boy piped up with an indignant "Ow," the older boy turned halfway around to apologize before limping away.

"Guess there are all sorts here at Beacon," Abel observed.

So it would be like one huge slumber party? Everyone sleeping in the same room? Is that allowed? What if someone sleeps just in their underwear? Would they have to wear pajamas? I hope they cover up.

Aurelia hummed to herself as they were dismissed, and she watched the crowd disperse. Ozpin's speech was just as she expected, and left some food for thought, too. She wished they would get on with learning, but it seemed that would have to wait. Once in the clear, she began heading to the ballroom. Not like she had anything better to do, really, though she felt a pang of loneliness as she watched others converse with one another. She really hoped she could overcome her anxiety, but as her two previous encounters showed, she was nowhere near ready to even try. Either she would have a panic attack or run away, and neither of those two outcomes seemed to help her situation. Well, at the very least she could say she knew two people. One who she was afraid of and the other was afraid of her. She let out a small sigh, dragging her feet slightly. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Maggie bobbed in her seat as the speech was made. Occasionally she changed her rhythm while bobbing, but she maintained her movement for the entirety of it all. She shifted in her seat a little as she continued moving. Her attention was completely on Ozpin as he spoke about not being given anything. She never expected to be given anything anyways. She had earned her way here and would continue to do so. They were to sleep in the ballroom. This put a smile on Maggie's face. It was like a great big bonding, where she could talk with others and make friends overnight. It would be fun!

She looked at Nevin and Abel while she smiled. "Pretty exciting." Her attention turned to Abel. "You seem kind of tense. You're holding on to your weapon pretty tight. Ormaybeyou'reexcitedtoo?" Her eyes practically sparkled with energy. She pranced around him a couple times inspecting him. "Anyway! I'm excited for the massive slumber party!" She then looked around for Aurelia as she hadn't seen the girl since they parted ways on the airship and hoped she was doing OK. She still wasn't in sight anyway and decided it would be a fine idea to stick around with these two guys for now.

Nevin listened to the girl, raising an eyebrow in curiosity when her attention seemed to be off him. She was very hyper. He looked out to the crowd when she did, scanning the crowds of people. He spotted Amalger easily, his giant weapon not easy to conceal. There were others that he recognized from the ship and it even seemed like Booster had made it to the conference room after his small beating by that girl. All in all, the crowds seemed to be moving towards the ballroom. He still had other things he wanted to take a look at, though.

However, he also figured he could use the chance to get to know more of the students. He looked back at Maggie, smiling a bit at her. "Did you know someone else who's entering into Beacon?" he asked, glancing back towards the crowd. "If you can pick her out, you can always invite her too. The more, the merrier and all that. Might do us all well to know where some of the rooms are around this place anyway, before classes start officially."

-Felix-

Felix figured he should just go straight to the ballroom so he could find a good spot to sleep. This was terrible, how was he supposed to sleep in a room with dozens of other people? By finding a corner, he figured. It only got worse. He and a few other students, soon learned that they would be expected to deposit their gear in the school's locker room before entering the ballroom. Changing clothes and showering were optional, though preferred he assumed.

He hadn't considered that before. Would he have to be naked and showering in a room with other people? Even if there was a curtain or door to protect his dignity, he was pretty sure he'd mentally fracture if he were to be in such a vulnerable state within ten feet of another individual.

'Dear mother, I think I see my death on the horizon...' His face was suddenly very, very pale. Ozpin's speech had been one thing, and he was fine with that. Hardship was nothing new to him. Difficult exams, dangerous tests, and high expectations were something he could live with... assuming he lived through the night.

In the end, it took him a good five minutes to convince himself to put his weapon into a locker, and then another five to convince himself to walk out of the locker room and leave it behind. His plan was to then wait until everyone else was done with the showers, and then MAYBE take his turn.

Massive slumber party? Abel gulped slightly. He was rarely any good with people even in one-on-one circumstances; an entire ballroom's worth -and probably in their pajamas, nonetheless!- would present quite the challenge. Banishing his inane fears, he continued listening to the others. He tried to remain still while Maggie cantered around him, eying him up from head to toe. What a strange person. “I'm pretty hyped,” he ventured.

Abel followed Nevin's gaze into the crowd but, unlike him, he recognized no-one. Only the fleeing back of the long-haired coat-wearer, his staggered walk helping to distinguish him in a group, was familiar. “Sure, I'm up for exploring more before heading off to the ballroom. More exploring, I mean. “ His eyes discreetly roamed over Maggie's dark hair and white shoulders, returning her the favor of a quick examination. While not beautiful, this slightly crazy girl had a certain charm. Perhaps it was because he simply didn't know how to deal with her. “Where we headed?”