Nor's abrupt barge brought Tierra's attention back into where she was and where she needed to get to. "Oh, we've landed," blushing and mentally berating herself for being so absent-minded she said, "Well, it was nice talking with you, Argent. But I might as well get going so you can get your stuff. See you around." Then Tierra dashed out, bobbing and weaving through the crowds, worrying that she would be late to the auditorium.

Cereza let her eyes wander as she slowly followed the stampeding students further into the opulant grounds, trailing over the high sweeping architecture and sculpted gardens. It was certainly very pretty, but the openness of the space unnerved her after a lifetime of a variety of small houses and the tall girl tucked her hands into her pockets to hide any nervous finger-twitches. A few of the hopeful Hunters were grouped around benches and gardens, eagerly stretching their legs after a slow ride on the airship, and Cereza avoided the larger groups of teens. She'd done well talking to one person on the ship, but the socially awkward girl wasn't sure she was quite ready to jump into a whole crowd of conversation just yet.

Tierra leaped off of the ramp and with celerity, ran to catch up with the main group of students. Only briefly was she able to take in the wondrous beauty of the place and be invigorated by the feeling of openness again. She was too focused on getting to the auditorium to even pay attention to what the other students were doing.

Her eyes focused on the grounds, and occasionally drifting up to the sky which seemed like it would swallow her without warning, Cereza didn't noticed the shorter figure that came zipping past until the computer lover had bowled both of them over, tripping over the black haired girl. Cereza instinctively rolled with the fall, taking the girl with her on the trip, and they landed in a tangle of limbs. The blonde let out a groan as she lay flat on her back, staring at the dizzying blue sky. 'That's twice in one day.'

"That's officially the second time today." Tierra thought as she groaned. Then she strained to move her head from her vantage point of the ground to see just who she was tangled up in. What she saw in her direct line of sight was a black vest with electric blue piping, steel armored fingerless gloves, and blonde hair, all of which seemed vaguely familar. She groaned again. "And it seems most likely that both times involved the same girl."

Cereza rolled her head towards to person lying on top of her, glancing at them and catching golden-green eyes as they peered over their shoulder at the blonde. The short black hair and black shirt paired with a tawny vest were slightly familiar, and the hacker blurted the first thing that popped into her head; "Didn't you run into me earlier?"

" Yep" Tierra responded. That definitely confirmed it.

"Right." Cereza used an elbow to get herself into a sitting position, rolling the other girl off her legs. She offered a short, "Sorry." as the tall girl pushed herself to her feet and brushed the dirt from her clothing.

Tierra pushed herself up to a crouching postion from laying down then got herself up the rest of the way. "No, it was my fault again," she said as she brushed off the dirt from her clothes. "I was running too fast and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me."

"Okay." The blonde student shrugged. If the other girl wanted to accept the blame, then Cereza wasn't going to argue with her. She bent to grab her briefcase and swag from where they had landed in the tumble, opening the small square case to check that throwing it around hadn't damaged any of the electronic equipment inside. None of it seemed broken, though she'd have to pull it all out when they were finally assigned dorm rooms and check it all piece by piece.

Tierra went to grab her own bag, which thankfully hadn't opened during the tumble. She saw that the girl was checking inside her smaller bag, " probably worried that something broke inside there, not dust at least or there would be a crater there now". Then Tierra decided that a second run in might as well lead to an introduction. So she walked over and offered her hand,"As long as we seem to keep bumping into each other, an official introduction probably is in order. I'm Tierra."

Cereza shut the briefcase with a soft snap, clipping it shut as she turned to the shorter girl. The lithe girl took the offered hand and shook it once in a textbook handshake whilst giving a polite smile, as the books had suggested, "Cereza. I kind of hope we're not going to hit the ground every time we meet."

"Hopefully not," Tierra said with a sad smile. "I usually am better about not running into strangers, especially not in a collision like that. Maybe the day's just getting to me."

"It is a big day." Cereza agreed mildly. She glanced around the courtyard, which had almost completely emptied in the time they had taken to roll around in the dirt, and hoisted her swag up a little higher. "We should be getting to the auditorium. Do you want to walk together?" 'Please, let's get out of this open space.' She thought to herself, feeling to brightness of the blue sky looming above the pair. It was even worse with less people around to ground her, as much as she hated crowds. Her eyes flicked up to the sky nervously, the towering school beyond not helping any with the way the empty heavens literally seemed to just swallow it.

Tierra was a bit taken aback by Cereza's request. It seemed a bit too soon after they had just introduced, but then she noticed the nervousness flickering of her new acquaintance's eyes towards the sky. Oh, one of those types. Well, might as well go with her then. We both do need to get to the auditorium. But, it is a shame when people can't appreciate the glorious wonder of a meadow and would rather be in the cramped indoors." So she said to the blonde girl, "Might as well, we are going to the same place after all." So Tierra walked with the other girl through the courtyard and into the crowded auditorium, breathing in the refreshing scent of the flowers and relishing the incredible blueness of the sky and the pristineness of the academy grounds.

Cereza breathed a sigh of relief as Tierra agreed to start walking, and she made sure to keep the smaller girl in her peripheral vision to ground her. The black-haired girl seemed to really be enjoying the surroundings, and Cereza logically knew that they were indeed beautiful. Individually, she could appreciate the sweeping architecture of the castle-like Academy and the pretty array of flowers planted around, but the deep, devouring blue of the clear sky above rattled her. She'd never been outside for long growing up, and though she logically knew there was no physical way for the sky to swallow her, she couldn't shake the fear that clenched her gut whenever the hacker stared at it for too long.

As they ambled towards the auditorium, Tierra pointed out various pieces of nature to Cereza, trying to get her to appreciate it a bit more. Cereza chatted along with the black-haired girl, easily letting herself be distracted from the nervousness the sky induced in her.

Nor stretched as he left the airship, kinks popping from the long flight, a sigh of delight as the tension and lethargic muscles revitalized undo the sunlight. The shark Faunus could feel his headache receding as he gained some relative peace in the crowd, no one trying to vie for his attention at the moment. While he had to admit some of the people in their had been...nice, he had begun to feel a little overwhelmed with all the new faces, he'd had little time to recover from one meeting before the next had been thrust upon him. Nor watched warily as the group from the baggage claim who had tried to provoked him came down from the walkway, one them pointing him out and pantomiming a smile with his fingers.

Nor felt as though a dull coal had been dropped in his stomach, turning from the sight as he tried to ignore their presence, this place was a new start and he planned to make the most of it, the thought of his sister at home taking care of his father alone spurring him forward. Taking a moment to clear his mind, Nor followed the loose herd if students, his bag of tools over his shoulder and suitcase in the other. He marveled at the towering buildings as he continued, so different from the ones where he lived. These seemed to combine form as well as function, making art in the shape of a facility. He wondered absentmindedly if he could manage to get the blueprints to parts if the school, see the though process behind the minds that made this marvel on the edge of a cliff.

When the airship landed, Russ wasted no time in squeezing through the crowd to get out before a stampede started. Her luggage was merely a satchel slung over her shoulder, which more or less just contained toiletries and a basic book on reading. Nothing in it was incredibly important, but she held it close to herself nonetheless as she stepped away from the airship and the students around it.

"Well, shit," she mumbled, looking up at the massive school. Russ wasn't sure what she'd expected, but her bar was set way too low, she'd never seen anything so big and elegant. The cliff placement put her off a bit, but hey at least if the whole thing went tumbling down they'd get a nice view before they died.

Russ followed along as students slowly began to move on, not wanting to get lost on the first day. She kept her eyes open for familiar faces, but really she was looking for tiger ears to avoid. Entertaining as that little trip had been, Russ was in no hurry cross wits with anyone else. Making enemies was just as easy as making friends, if not easier, and if she wanted any kind of smooth ride at Beacon she'd have to be on her best behavior. Most of the time anyway, Russ would be damned if she was gonna go prim-and-proper every second of every day.

Ozpin stood in the wings of the stage, watching the incoming students and hopefuls file in to the auditorium. Another year, another batch of eager young warriors wanting to protect the world. He felt his years weigh heavily on his shoulders and he leant just a little bit more on his cane, remembering when he first became the Headmaster of Beacon. It had been so long ago, and now there was so little time left...

Glynda stepped up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder in a show of support, "It's almost time. There's just a few last stragglers."

The Headmaster nodded his acknowledgement and walked slowly to the microphone. The tapping of his cane sounded like a clock to his ears, ticking time away as he prepared another year of Hunters for the battles they would face. He cast his brown eyes over the audience and gave a small smile at the excitement evident in their faces.

"I'll...keep this brief. 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. You came, expecting greatness to be thrust upon you by association of being Hunters, of being the one's standing between the darkness and civilisation. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." A few of the students broke out in whispers amongst themselves, but Ozpin ignored them easily, "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. Greatness does not come to those who wait, but must be earned. It is up to you to take the first step."

He stepped back from the microphone, looking away from the masses as Glynda stepped up to dismiss the students. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready."

As the pair of Professors walked away from the crowded auditorium, furrows marred Glynda's brow and she murmured, "That wasn't the speech you gave last year."

"I felt like a change was needed." He told her cryptically, turning to head back to his office and leaving a very confused Professor Goodwitch behind.

(Three rounds until initiation. one for dinner, one for evening, one for morning.)

Cereza honestly didn't pay much attention beyond what Professor Goodwitch had told them at the end of Ozpin's speech, though she got the gist of it. The blonde didn't really have any worries of her own about becoming a Hunter; she knew why she was here and what she was going to do. She would become a great Hunter, fulfill her brother's dreams and repay him for giving it all up to raise her when she was still a toddler. Nothing else was acceptable, and the hacker was determined to let nothing get in her way.

The sudden about face of the crowd as everyone started walking towards the exit reminded her that she was currently standing in their way, and the blonde turned on her heels to get ahead of it and avoid being trampled.

As Tierra and her new companion headed the throng exiting the auditorium, the black-haired girl pondered the the speech in her mind. "I hadn't joined to protect. I joined to find Dad. Is that so wrong?" It was a question the Faunus pondered often, an ache in her conscience. Professor Ozpin had mentioned how he had seen "wasted energy in need of purpose, direction." Was she wasting her energy then in what her primary goal was? " If he's still out there, then I need to find him. It will not interfere with my duty as a Hunter though. I will still protect and help." Then the light brown girl squashed down the lingering doubts, as she had every other time the questions plagued her, when she was snapped out of her reverie.

As Argent walked calmly through the crowd, the silver haired knight wove his way between other heavily armed teens, he noticed that he was one of only a few initiates who was wearing armor, though he was probably one of the one’s who needed the armor the least, considering the size of his aura, but it was always better to be prepared, after all, it was better to have armor and not need it, than need it and not have it. He wondered whether anyone actually knew where the dining hall was, as far as he could tell the crowd didn’t seem to be moving in a specific direction.

As she exited the auditorium, Cereza glanced around. No one had told the crowd of applicants where anything was, so there had to be some sort of signage...Ahah! A large sign reading ‘Cafeteria this way’ with an arrow pointing to one side was just ahead, with a quartet of unusual looking students loitering around it as though waiting for something, and the blonde strode towards the path it indicated. The rabble of the crowd at her back was louder than anything she’d heard before, and the computer-lover wanted to put as much distance between herself and the mob as possible; if only to get a little bit of quiet.

It wasn’t very far from the Auditorium to the Cafeteria and the food was set up buffet style, allowing people to just grab what they wanted. Cereza grabbed a plate quickly, settling herself at the end of a table. If she was lucky, Tierra would sit next to her and ward off anyone else. She saw a flash of crimson hair from her right, but when the blonde turned to see if it was Tamn, the person had disappeared into the crowd again.

Argent walked into the cafeteria and immediately started over to the buffet, where he got a plate loaded with rice and a chicken and vegetable curry. The silver haired knight cast around for a place to sit and saw a space where half of a table was unoccupied by anyone except a tall blonde girl, the heir to the Roan family walked over and sat across from the girl, gave a friendly nod and smile, and began eating.

Tierra was brought back to reality by the smell of food. ”Hmm, must have just followed Cereza on auto-pilot. Really need to stay aware of your surroundings girl.” Then the black-haired girl noticed one particular smell among the buffet items and saw that indeed her favorite was there, drumsticks. Her mouth salivating, she piled them on and then got a good heap of peas for her vegetables. Then the tanned girl looked for a good place to seat. ”Hmm, there’s Cereza sitting away from the crowd and now joined by Argent. Well, I do need to get more comfortable with humans here and I have already met both of them. So the golden-green eyed girl went over there and asked ”Do you guys mind if I sit here?”

The silence that had fallen over the end of the table was broken by the sound of Tierra’s voice, and Cereza glanced up at her. ”Sure.”

As the lithe girl sat beside her, replying with a quick “Thanks”, a commotion over by the entrance way erupted, catching almost everyone’s attention. The blonde watched in confusion as an older male with blood red hair came bolting through the doors, leapt over a table as he dodged a grab from another older student, raced to one of the buffet tables and grabbed a full leg of roast ham before trying to escape out the other side. He almost made it, until a teacher with brown hair stepped from nowhere and clotheslined the tall boy, dragging him out of the hall by the collar of his shirt whilst obviously reprimanding him. The other student, this one musclebound and with boar tusks, dogged the pair’s heels as he followed them out again.

Cereza blinked in surprise before turning to Tierra. ”Did that just happen?”

”Yes it did. Really surprising for a grown man to be acting like that. Though his acrobatics were impressive.” Then Tierra started her goal of removing every molecule of meat from the bones, taking breaks when conversation was asked of her.

Conversation was light between the trio at the end of the table, mostly between Tierra and Cereza with Argent popping in to add his two lien every now and then. Cereza didn’t eat much, too horrified and fascinated by the way Tierra savaged the chicken bones. She wasn’t sure what the silver-haired boy thought, but the blonde thought she saw disgust over the black-haired girl’s manners.

The hacker left her plate only half finished, sitting on the table where she had eaten just like the other students, then followed the signposts along with the crowd to the ballroom.

(Round 1)

Nor nodded along as the headmaster basically said he thought they all sucked, but that was going to change through this school. Nor could appreciate that kind of attitude. Back before the explosion, the rule in his clan had always been either be useful or be out of the way, and he'd never been one to shy away from a bit of effort. He had to admit he was somewhat glad to hear the speech come to a close though, he'd accidentally knocked Jet Stream into a few of those standing near him, and he wasn't feeling exactly a warm welcome from those glaring at him.

He'd rushed out from the building, noting that a few of the students seemed to be grouping together already, the feline Faunus from before having found a group she seemed to connect with. He had to admit that for the moment He was glad no to have any body trying to force a "friendship" on him for the moment, needing sometime to acclimate to his new surroundings. He did however keep finding his curiosity peaked by the diverse weapons strewn throughout the students, few off the shelf standards to be seen, most highly customized or even built from the ground up seemingly, a trait he could appreciate, jostling the heavy weight of Jet Stream behind him to a more comfortable position.

He'd had a simple dinner, asking the kitchen for a few raw fish fillets before sitting himself at a secluded table, mouth close to his plate as he'd eaten silently, contemplating the supposed initiation that was to take place the day after. He paid little mind to any that may have pointed out his rather unique features, as he ate, replacing his mask before heading to the ballroom for the night.

Despite her best efforts, Russ had fallen in behind the massive crowd that had exited and made their way to the cafeteria. It was a veritable sea of large weapons, animal ears, and bright hair, and she was stuck wading through it at a slug's pace. Each time she managed to slip past one person, two more would come together in front of her and she'd have to find a whole new way around. She never thought she'd miss crawling under the shacks back home. 'No, not home," she thought, inwardly annoyed. 'That grungy old shithole was not home.'

Her stomach growled and she looked down at it as if an angry gaze would shut it up. "You're not helping," she mumbled, doing her best to ignore the intermittent rumbles. But her body was right, she hadn't eaten any real food since she'd left for Beacon, and here she was about to miss a more than decent, free meal. It growled again and she grimaced. "Alright alright, let me think."

Russ's eyes darted around the students in front of her, trying to figure out a way to get past them quickly. With each passing protest from her stomach though, her ideas slowly became more sinister. She contemplated tripping someone, but at best that would effect maybe three people, and at worst they'd turn around and beat her to a pulp. No, she needed something bigger, something that could create a gap for her to close. Her eyes caught the sight of a student not too far ahead of her with his weapon sitting in a horizontal sheath on his back. It was a rod that he'd probably made himself, seeing as the mechanics were blatant and obvious. There was a large button at its middle and segments at either end to indicate that its purpose was to extend out. No blades that she could see, so the guy probably had a rad semblance to make up for it, not that it mattered. Plan set, Russ made her move and stumbled forward as if she'd caught her feet. It knocked her past a couple aggravated people, but most importantly it brought her right behind stick-boy. She eyed where the button was then stood up and turned towards the people she'd stumbled through.

"Clumsy me, sorry about that," she said, and at the same moment behind her back, she pressed the staff's button.

It all happened in a matter of moments. The staff extended out about two feet from either side of the center piece and was thin enough that it didn't strike anyone so much as shuffle them out of its way. Someone gasped in surprise, and it caught stick-boy off guard, he whirled around to see what all the fuss was about and in the blink of an eye toppled nearly a dozen students, who toppled at least half a dozen more. Russ ducked beneath it and moved so that she was on the other side of the fallen students, before melding into the crowd of those who had not been knocked over. There were a few angry shouts, but most were directed at the boy and were quickly drowned out by the laughs of those with lighter hearts.

She kept her grin on the inside and continued onward through the loose remaining students, and before long entered the cafeteria. Things were pretty full but Russ managed to snag a seat at the end of a busy table and chow down. As expected the food was leagues beyond anything she'd had before, and though she didn't have a big stomach she ate what she'd taken on her plate. When the rest of the crowd began to filter in no one took notice of her, but she'd been confident enough in her subtlety anyway.

"Happy now?" she muttered, patting her stomach once she'd finished. With that done, she tried to remember back to the speech. What had the woman said? Ballroom? Great, now she could get lost looking for the ballroom. Russ got up and left the cafeteria. Oh well, she figured at least she wouldn't be lost and hungry.

The blonde didn’t really think about it until she arrived in the ballroom, on the tail end of a large group filled with joking teens and raucous laughter, but seeing the other hopeful applicants rolling out their sleeping bags with the air of a group of children having a slumber party really hammered the situation home for Cereza. She was going to have to sleep in the same room as all of these people.

She hadn’t slept with someone else in the room since she was seven.

She hadn’t been alone, facing this many people at once, in her entire life.

’I can’t – I can’t do this.’ The hacker panicked to herself. ’Midas, help!’ She reached with her semblance to her scroll, activating the message function as the blonde typed up a quick message to her brother, still standing in the entryway to the ballroom as people pushed their way past her. The lithe girl had just finished thinking of the words she wanted to say when a group of kids off to one side let out a boastful, “My parents always knew I’d become a brilliant Hunter. They always believed in me.”

Cereza paused, and methodically erased the message she’d been about to send to Midas. He had supported her, her entire life. He had given up everything for her, and when the young woman told her older brother she intended to become a Hunter, he had wholeheartedly supported her. She had a duty to repay him for everything – it was up to her to see his dreams fulfilled. She couldn’t back out now.

’Chin up. Eyes forward. Fingers ready.’ Cereza reminded herself and she strode into the ballroom, trying to disguise any nervousness she may feel as the same excitement everyone else seemed to be showing. She found an out of the way corner and rolled out her sleeping bag, stripping off her gloves and boots before climbing in, not even bothering to change into pyjamas. Cereza unclipped the miniature solar farm from her vest and plugged her weapons in to charge. The hacker lay on her side and deactivated her semblance; the feeling of the small but steady drain stop after a long day was pleasant, and she closed her eyes to try and sleep.

The blonde lay there for what felt like hours even after the hubbub had died down, every little noise jolting her awake. A kid sniffled somewhere in the room, there was some sort of scuffle at the opposite end, soft murmurs carried on the echoing hall. Cereza heaved a sigh and turned the other way, hoping to find some way of blocking out the noise. She shoved her head underneath her pillow and stared at the back of her eyelids, praying for sleep to come.

(Round 2)

When Tierra arrived at the ballroom, the black-haired girl was flabbergasted by just how many students there were and the fact that all of them would be sleeping in the one room. Internally, she knew that the room was probably the largest she would ever be in. But externally, the girl saw that the size wouldn't help with how cramped it would have to be to allow all these people to lay down together. Most of them were human, and there was no separation between boys and girls. The Faunus then just took a deep breath and thought, "Well, first things first. I better get ready for bed then figure out where to sleep. So the tanned girl went to the bathroom to do the usual pre-bed things then went into one of the stalls to put on her leopard-print pyjamas.

But the problem of the crowd still presented itself to Tierra when she stepped back out. Then she noticed some stairs and, seeing no one up there, decided to go up and find a good spot. Then the black-haired girl discovered a balcony on top of the stairs. "Why...This is perfect!! Why would any reasonable person sleep inside on a beautiful night like this?" So the Faunus set up her sleeping bag right then and there, laid inside, and watched the stairs as she drifted into slumber land. "A night like tonight, with no clouds in the sky and no city lights to mar things, is the most marvellous thing. The constellations are clear as well as thousands of other stars, all shining brightly and beautifully like diamonds in a deep midnight blue velvet. Under here, all the troubles of life melt away for a while and instead I feel emboldened and inspired. What would being by a star be like? Which ones are circled by Goldilocks planets? Maybe as a Hunter, after the last ghosts are dead, maybe I could travel to..." And the tanned girl finally fell asleep and this night dreamt of other life on other planets around foreign stars and her adventures with them.

(Round 2)

The ballroom had not been nearly as hard to find as Russ had feared it would be. As it turned out, a crowd of students all jammed into one room contained a fair amount of noise that even the long, elaborate halls of Beacon couldn't stifle for long. Much like the cafeteria, the place was fairly packed when she arrived, and many of the students were either laying down or sitting in groups conversing with one another. She liked it, Russ always had a fondness for busy places. With everyone doing their own thing, it was easy to just relax and get lost in the noise.

She found an open area and shed the casual leathers she wore. Beneath that were a pair of modest knee-length briefs and an undershirt that ran to her neck and forearms. Years spent living in the sweltering heat of a forge had her accustomed to sleeping light, and even though Beacon wasn't quite as hot, a day spent wrapped up in her armor had been enough to warrant dressing down to her. She didn't embarrass easily, but she wasn't exactly itching to show her scars to a room full of strangers either.

As the night began to wear Russ found herself laying back and reading from the little dictionary. Hat, cat, bat, rat, love, hate, bait, rate, yada yada yada. She didn't need to run through the three and four lettered words anymore but it never hurt to keep herself sharp. It was the larger words, the ones like "Subscriptions" and "repugnance" and "ostentatious" that tripped her up. On good days she could get them without much of a stutter, but on bad days she'd find herself hung up on things like "detect" and "sheathe". Tonight was apparently one of those times.

"Eff...ever...effer? Effer...vesck...effervescant? Oh, effervescent. Fuck, should have known that one." She kept her voice low and the book tilted away from others. Russ had removed the sleeve long ago, leaving the cover blank, but still if anyone caught her gawking at a dictionary they might get the wrong idea. Or worse, they'd get the right idea, and she'd likely never hear the end of it. "Alright, that's enough of this shit for the night," she said, and shoved the book back into her bag.

By then the room had quieted a bit, and she decided it might be best to try and get a good night's rest before...whatever it was they'd be encountering tomorrow. Russ gathered up her folded gear and laid her head on it, curling up and shutting her eyes. If something happened, she'd be awake in a moment, but luck willing she'd rise up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready. She'd need it, that was for sure.

(Round 2)

Argent walked into the ballroom dressed in a black tank top and grey sweatpants, a book under one arm, his sleeping bag held in the other. The floor of the huge room was covered in sleeping bags, some people were actually already asleep he noted as he wove his way through the still forms and small groups who'd opted to stay up and talk. Once he found an unclaimed spot he laid out the sleeping bag, flopped down onto his sleeping bag, opened his book, a historical novel about the fall of Mountain Glenn, and began to read. He was asleep forty minutes later.

Nor yawned as he reached the ballroom, the night sky casting everything into darkness and the lights of scrolls framing the faces of the young hunters and huntesses to be, a dull murmur in the background as students called families or surfed the internet. He was pretty sure he could hear an Achieve Men video going somewhere near by. He'd normally been a bit of a night owl himself, but could feel the strain of so many new things weighing on him, pulling him to earth. He took a few moments as he searched for somewhere to lay his luggage and bed roll. He watched as the Cheetah Faunus from before headed for a balcony, briefly considering taking the same option, before dismissing the thought, images of gnats, mosquitoes, and other bitey things with wings dancing in his mind. The shark soon found a open space, those nearby engrossed in their scrolls.

Finally situated, Nor dug himself into his bed roll, the events of today flashing through his mind, thoughts of the future murky and unsure. It seemed strange, normally he'd be busy cleaning up after dinner as his sister readied his father for bed. The memories of his sister made him see her image once more, standing on the air ship docks and waving as left into the air. He brought out his scroll, bringing up her contact information as he stared at the call button for a few minutes, debating on wether or not to call, before exiting from the app, figuring it best not to bother her, she was probably asleep anyways. He instead opened a new app, videos dated back almost a year ago popping up with various people in the thumbnails. Nor's finger trailed over the many videos, before settling on the newest on, tapping it as the video sprang to life.

The camera seemed to be moving about, glimpses of sea and boats caught as background noises of repairs in progress, motors turning over, and a multitude of sea shanties being sung merrily, as well as mostly off key. After a few dizzying moments, the Camera finally settled on a pair of female Faunus, an older woman, seemingly in her late thirties with a grayish blue dorsal fin and tail visible from behind her, a kind face that hardly seemed to fit the lithe muscled arms helping the younger girl lift tools into a boat, grey skin and dorsal fin distinguishing her from humans. "Here we have a rookie salvager, preparing for her first venture from the nursery pool," Nor's voice could be heard, a playful teasing quality to it as the camera zoomed in on the younger girl.

A surprised squeak could heard as the young Faunus raised her hands to her face as she saw the camera. "Nooor, turn it off, I told you not to sneak up on me with that thing," the gray girl bemoaned as the camera zoomed out, a slight smile on the face of the older woman now holding the tool box herself, little strain seen in her arms.

"Nor, turn it off, you know it's just going to instigate her if you keep it on," his mother said expectantly as she put the tool box down in the boat.

"Well if I don't take videos, who is? Someone has to document dear Jackies first ever trip. I swear, after a week at sea no one will recognize my poor sweet sister, that's why I need a smil- wait wait wa-," Nor's voice came again, a panicked tone taking over as a small mouth full of sharp teeth bared down on him from the pint sized little girl, an attempt for the camera knocking it to the ground. A pair of grey legs walked off stiffly from a ground view before the camera was once more lifted up, video showing an upside down view of the sea as it continued to record.

After a few moments of silence, Nor's mother's voice sounded once more, "Nor please try not to antagonize your sister too much while your out there, I need you to watch out for her," the placating tone of a mother wearied by children coming through clearly.

" Yes ma'am," Nor's responded, an exasperated flavor in the ingrained response, " but really she's not gonna need me much, I mean dad'll be out there too, and he can handle anything thrown at him so I won't have to do much," he said, a bored tone making it clear he had other things he'd rather be doing.

"Regardless, you know Jackie worries too much. She needs to know she can count on you, it's gonna be terri-" his mother's voice cutting out as the scrolls video time hit its limit.

Nor stared at the black screen for a few moments, eyes watering for a moment before blinking away the tears and pressing the replay button, watching the video again and again as his eye steadily grew heavier, darkness taking him suddenly as the video played.

_____________________

Nor woke with a start as he felt himself lifted into the air, actions slowed as grogginess muddled his thoughts and the sound of a door opening barely registering in his thoughts . The pallid hunter only became aware of his situation as the cool air outside hit his face, the scroll knocking against his feet at the bottom of the bed roll. He could see the malcious grin on the face of Mohawk upside down above him, starting to struggle as he realized they had carried him bag and all out of the ballroom.

One of the multicolour-haired cousins grabbed a hold of his mask, a sharp snicker coming from him as he felt the straps starting to snap, and the mask ripped off his face as he felt the night air hit his face. He could hear a few gasps as his teeth came to full view, and exasperation and anger came point as his aura flared to life, grunts coming from the group as his semblance activated. Nearly tripling his weight, the bed roll ripped from their grasp and the air in Nor's gut escaping as he hit the ground.

As the group recovered from the shock, a light flashed from beneath the ringleaders feet, heralding a pair of blue, spectral chains. The bindings rose serpent-like from the ground, wrapping themselves around his legs and weaving up cross his torso before settling around his shoulders and hardening into crystal clear ice.

In the shadows nearby, a dark haired hunstman watched silently, aura supressed to a dull whisper as he observes the troublemaking quartet and their prey.
"Think carefully, boys..." the man thinks to himself, careful not to break the silence as he slips closer, staying out of sight

The boys lost interest in Nor as they rushed to try and pry the chains off of Mohawk, pulling at them in futile attempts to free them. Nor worked his way out the bed roll, earning an halfhearted kick from Greeny, although the strike barely registered to Nor with his semblance hardening his skin. He ignored the group for the moment, trying to find his mask while he had a free moment.

One of the group must have seen him searching, cause he held up his hand. "What's the matter, lose something?" he teased with a grin as a cracking noise signaled Mohawks release. Nor's stomach dropped as he saw the Scroll in Greenies hand.

"This is a pretty nice scroll for a Faunus to have, although," the green haired one commented as he began to swipe through the screens, "Pull that ice crap again again and you'll be in the market for a new one." he threatened. Nor seethed as he watched the bastard go through his files, but keeping silent in the hopes to hasten the end of this.

"Heeelloooo, what's this, you didn't tell us you were holding back this little hotty," he jeered as he passed around the phone to the others before showing Nor the picture, a recent one of his 15 year old sister.

"You shut your fucking mouths," Nor muttered, his voice almost imperceptible over their cat calls. He could feel the walls coming down as they oggled his sister.

"You know, she ain't bad, even if she's a wild animal," Mohawk sneered as he leered at the phone, before giving Nor a wicked look, "But I bet I could tame her."

Nor felt something snap, his aura flaring to life as his pupils expanded, the whites of his eyes almost disappearing. " I SAID SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTHS," Nor yelled as he shot at Mohawk, his jaw stretching to disturbing lengths, aiming for his throat.

"That's enough." Came a mature voice from the shadows. A brown haired man emerged a moment later, grabbing Nor by the shirt to prevent him from injuring the other student.
"Calm down, kid. This isn't how you deal with his type." He uttered flatly, a serious expression on his face,
"You, mohawk. Scroll." He ordered, dropping his briefcase on a belt hook and extending one hand,
"Before I let him go."

Mohawk gave a haughty look to the teacher, sneering for a moment before looking behind him to smirk at his backup, only to see the ponytail of the green haired cohort slipping back into the ballroom. To his credit, he faced Grey as he handed the scroll back, " We we're just having a bit of fun; he's really too emotional," he said rather defensively.

"Too emotional, you say?" The man inquires,
"Imagine you have a younger sister. Now imagine someone saying things like that about her while they've got you tied up." The man snaps his fingers and several glowing circles appear around the mohawk laden student's feet before fading to black marks,
"Now imagine you're not talking to a teacher who married one of those so called wild animals." He released Nor.
"Stay." Grey ordered, crossing his arms as he faced the remaining bully.

Mohawk fought the urge to jump back as the circles appeared, and eyed the now released Nor warily. The shark Faunus's chest was heaving as he kept his eyes on his assailant, eyes slowly returning to normal, though most of it was still covered in black. " My apologies, I'll make sure to make nice with your pet. Good to know he's got such caring teachers to protect him," he drawled in response, adopting a bored stance. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest, I hear there's an initiation tomorrow."

"There is, so you can stay where you are for the moment. It was quite rude of you to disturb another students rest." He said,
"You, name?" He asked, turning to face Nor, ignoring mohawk for the moment as he handed the scroll back.

Nor took the scroll back, checking it a bit frantically before answering. "Nor-," he started, but was cut off needing to cough, his throat sore from yelling "Norsun Draknell." He continued looking through the files.

"Do me a favor, go find this young mans bedroll and bring me his blanket. Leave the rest." He asks, glaring ever so slightly at the boy within the circle of traps.

Nor nodded as he put away his scroll, heading into the ballroom. "Fuck that, burn the damn thing if your gonna have him bring it," Mohawk said as he went stubbornly to a nearby bench, unwittingly triggering one of the snares Grey had previously placed. A dull earthen light glowed from the ground beneath his feet as once again spectral chains rose, snaking around the boys legs, encircling his torso, and binding his arms before turning to cold, hard stone.

"First thing a hunter learns is to keep an eye on their surroundings, you know." Grey told him.
"I learned the hard way. You? You get it easy." He then grabbed the bed roll from Nor after he returned, throwing the mass unevenly over the protesting racist.

"If you're good I'll let you out in the morning. If you can escape on your own feel free to go back inside," the teacher added. Waving a hand to dispel the other traps in front of the doors, he gestured towards the trapped student, guiding the energy from the snares before reforming them in a cluster around mohawk, "But don't expect your little friends to help you out."

The pair left the struggling form in the courtyard, Nor flipping him the bird as he grabbed his bed roll and the damaged mask from the ground, holding it to his face till he could grab a replacement from his pack.

"So, Norsun, why the mask?" Grey inquired politely, holding the door open so the student can enter the ballroom, "I understand the intent, but why bother?"

Nor shrugged as he entered, carefully watching his step as he made his way through the mass of students. "It's easier...," the pallid hunter responded, pausing for a moment before continuing, " I prefer people to be paying attention to my words," he said taking his mask off and giving Grey a wide smile, "Rather than where they came from. It's understandable though," he said as he replaced the mask. "Most of y'all have that primal fight or flight thing going on."

"Remember one thing, Norsun. People like them will always find a way to see through that mask," the brown haired warrior said quietly,
'And they will always find ways to try and prove they are right about you being an animal." The Hunstman rested a hand on his chin for a moment,
"Never let them get to you like that, understand? Last year there was a student, name of Cardin, a bit like these boys. He attacked a couple of Faunus kids who snuck into the dorms to visit an older sibling. One of the other students saw, nearly killed him. I almost had to help expel my own nephew because of what he did to him." Grey revealed,
"Luckily, Cardin recovered and was able to return to school, but my point stands. If you let them get you riled up like that again and nobody is around to stop you, you could throw your whole life away over a couple of inconsiderate children. Be better than that. Prove them wrong." He finished,
"And get a goods nights sleep."

With that, he gave a two fingered wave, spinning on his heels as he departed. He paused for a moment, crouching down to check on a pair of mouse eared Faunus before leaving the ballroom.

_____________________________

Nor woke the next morning from an uneasy sleep as he rubbed his eyes. He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the new mask in his hands, thinking back to the teachers words the night before. He briefly considered leaving it in the bag, but habit and doubt finally won over as he did up the straps. He did get a nice smile as he saw the recent lawn ornament still in the courtyard. Nor saw the bed roll laying on the ground, and helpfully threw it back over him, a string of profanity following him as he walked away with a smile, gathering Jet Stream and his battle suit from the locker before heading to the cliffs of Beacon for their initiation.

(Round 2 and 3)

She didn’t feel like she had gotten any sleep, but the blonde must have, because when Cereza blinked it was morning. She still had her head stuffed under her pillow, muffling some of the noise, but the excitement in the voices surrounding her was unmistakable. With a groan the hacker pulled herself into a sitting position, letting her pillow fall in her lap as she glared balefully at the other hopefuls. If this was how every morning was going to be, she might just drop out anyway. Midas would understand, right?

The lithe girl grumbled to herself, cursing the crowds, the floor, her pillow and even the small beep Llaw Du and Droed Gwyn gave when she unplugged them, as she stowed away her sleeping bag and pulled on her gloves and boots. She got a few strange looks from the other applicants when they realised that she hadn’t put her weapons in the lockers like everyone else, but Cereza ignored them. How else was she going to charge the batteries?

She activated her semblance once more, hiding pale blue eyes behind the neon glow of her aura as it connected with her weapons and scroll again, and stumbled her way out of the ballroom. The blonde just had to sleep at the far end, didn’t she. ‘Why couldn’t I have picked somewhere closer to the door?’ It was just as she stepped out into the courtyard that her mind finally woke up, just in time to see a new addition to the courtyard. A tall boy with a bright orange Mohawk was half covered by a bed roll and cursing his mouth off, something about a ‘freak with the stupid teeth’. Cereza ignored him though – with that hair, he himself was a freak in her eyes. ’Everyone I see is weird these days. Whatever happened to normal things, like hoodies and jeans and blonde hair, like Midas? All the other people are weird.’ As she walked past, a teacher with brown hair strolled up to the young man and the earthy chains holding him in place started to recede.

She scrubbed a hand over the shaved portion of her hair before running it through the rest, grimacing as her fingers got caught in the tangled pale blonde mess. Cereza finger combed it just enough to get it out of her eyes as she followed the signs and other students towards the Beacon Cliffs, following the instructions of a voice coming through the PA systems. There were already quite a few students waiting for Initiation to start, and Cereza took her place on the metal square embedded in the ground.

(Round 3)

Russ awoke with a start, eyes searching wildly around the ballroom, her whole body wound up and tense. A moment passed and her pulse began to settle, she let her head fall back down against the makeshift pillow that was her armor and exhaled what felt like a lifetime's worth of air. Right, she'd fallen asleep in here, it had been her own two feet that had brought her to the ballroom, no one here held a whip. Alright well, chances were that one of these students had some kind of whip-like weapon, but still, at least it wouldn't be aimed for her.

She got to her feet and dressed, strapping the round sheath to her back and giving her joints a good roll. Lastly, she slung the bag over her shoulder and pulled it so that it clung close to her. Everything seemed in order, and most of the students were starting to shuffle out towards where she could only assume would be the initiation area. In truth, she had no idea what to expect, would they be sparring each other? If that was the case, she wouldn't mind going a round or two with Tiger, see if his bark was worse than his bite. And speaking of bites, duking it out with Jaws might have been fun as well, what with his big ass weapon and bigger-asser teeth. How would they decide the teams? Could people be disqualified? Sure there would probably be a handful that quit, and worst-case others might die, but Russ couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the ones that just weren't good enough. Was it Beacon's policy to turn them away, or teach them? Sure it was an academy, but there had to be some threshold, didn't there? Getting turned away had to be the worst, at least being dead spared you the shame of having to walk away and wait for a shuttle to ship you back where you came from.

A chill shot through her spine and she bristled at the thought. "Yeah, fuck that," she muttered. There was no way in hell she was getting sent away. There was nothing for her outside of Beacon, not anymore, in fact worse than that there was one angry hunter looking for her weapons. Alright, his weapons, technically, but it wasn't like they had his name on them or anything. Thankfully. Just some scribbling about a son and a daughter. Probably a family man, which made her feel a bit better actually. Without his weapons, the man might not pursue such a dangerous life, might keep him alive and his children unorphaned. Yeah, in some roundabout way, Russ was sure she had done a good thing by lying to her dying mentor and running away with the expensive swords. Definitely.

Before she could delve any further down that trail of thought, Russ pushed it from her mind and fell in line with the rest of the students. No tricks today, Russ was confident the food from the previous evening would be enough to hold her over for a good while, and besides there was no rush. Everyone would go, everyone would be tried in whatever ceremony the Beacon uppers decided, and there would be no getting out of it. Whether she got there first or last, today she would be tested and her future decided. And it was a good thing, it was what she wanted, a life of meaning fighting against the Grimm for the good of Remnant, however short that life might end up being. Out there she had nothing, in here at least she could be something, so of course this was where she wanted to be. It had to be.

When at last she arrived at the cliffs with the other students, Russ was ready. No more joking around, it was time to take things seriously. Prim and proper, if only for a little bit, the Grimm were unlikely to appreciate her sense of humor anyway. Their loss. No, bad Russ, be serious. Serious face, serious posture, serious mind, seriously. Just long enough to get through this.

(Round 3)

Tierra woke up at the first light of morning. She stretched herself first and gloried in the sunrise. Then the tanned girl went to take care of bathroom stuff, getting changed, putting her stuff in her locker, and grabbing Luna and Sola, made easy since hardly anyone else was awake yet. The black-haired girl went to grab breakfast when she saw a strange sight, a mohawk student was strangely chained in the center of the courtyard. He looked mad and she was hungry so she didn't stay long to study him and his chains, but hoped it was a teacher punishment, not a student prank.

The call to come to the initiation area came after she had finished breakfast, so she hurried to comply."This is it. Today I show myself capable of entering Beacon. Today is the day partners and teams are assigned. I really would like to be part of an all Faunus team, but would be happy to at least have another Faunus on my team, preferably as my partner. Nor would really be great in that count. If my partner was human, Argent might be nice. Cereza would probably not be that dependable on wilderness missions. I would prefer both of them and any other humans to having a racist or a bully as my partner or teammember."

(Round 3)

Argent woke up and stretched, then went about getting ready for the day. Twenty minutes later, after a balanced breakfast and a quick shower, the silver haired young man was dressed in his combat clothes and was giving his weapons one last thorough checkup when the call for all first years to report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. A razor sharp smile carved itself across his features, finally, after so many years of effort the time had come. Silver light emanated from his body as his excitement caused his aura to escape his control, the glow extended nearly six feet away from his body. After failing to repress his aura with plain willpower, the young knight took several deep breaths to center himself and literally felt the silver glow fade away, then he sheathed Michael, slung Raphael across his back, and began walking in the direction the others had gone, thankful that he'd been the last to leave, and that nobody had seen his control slip. It was time to show people what he could do, idly he wondered what his partner or other teammates would be like, he hoped that he liked them.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin began, taking a languid sip from his cup as he slowly walked down the line of students.

"Now, I'm sure many have heard rumours about the assignment of 'teams'. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given team mates...today." Glynda continued smoothly from where she stood at the head of the line. Ozpin stopped next to her, turning to face the students and they both gazed over the crowd of prospective Hunters.

"These team mates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." The silver-haired man explained. He took a sip of coffee before continuing, "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." At the end of the line, two mouse-eared Faunus shared a worried glance, both locking theur eyes on a light haired boy several spaces down the line. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path...or you will die."

"You will be monitored and graded on your actions during the course of Initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we shall grade you appropriately." Professor Goodwitch picked up where the Headmaster left off. Her voice dropped in caution, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the forest is a bit more dangerous this year than it is typically. Take extra care as you move through the forest, and make sure to stay with your partner at all costs."

"Any questions?" Ozpin interjected. The students before him were silent as a nervous tension permeated the atmosphere, dropping into some what rigid ready positions, and his lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Good."

The first launch pad snapped up with no warning, flinging the student at the end of the line into the air as he took another sip of coffee.

Two rounds until arrival at temple. during this time decide on your partner and make your way forward. feel free to throw in an encounter with the Grimm, i strongly encourage collabing for the partnering up, which can be done in the dedicated google docs, links to which are in the character tab

"Wow, we're actually going to be sent flying. This is going to be great.", the Faunus thought to herself as she readied Sola and Luna in her hands. Somehow only her eyes showed her excitement as it came to her turn. And when it did come, Tierra felt glorious, like a bird in the air; the ground was far below, the sky seemed so near, the sun seemed brighter, there seemed to be no weight to her body, and the exhilaration of speed was pure and unimpaired. But all good things come to an end and the black-haired girl eventually felt gravity's pull back to earth. She sighed then coasted herself into position, readied her swords, and hooked their hooks on a sturdy tree branch. The golden-green eyed girl hung there for a while, waiting for the swinging to stop, then climbed up and jumped and hooked herself onto another branch. And Tierra continued that process until she could safely jump down to the ground.

"That. was. incredible. I can't believe they are allowed to just throw us in here like that. I wonder if there's any chance of being able to do it again... Come on, Tierra. You need to focus now. This forest is especially dangerous according to the teacher and you still need to find this temple and a partner. The partnership should be simple, just don't look into the person's eyes until you're sure they're Faunus. As for the temple, the sun rises from east to west and its still morning, so the sun will still be east-ly. North than will be left of where the sun is. Now, as long as I don't get my right and left confused again, the only trouble now is to move to open place where I can see the sun. Any movement though," she then heard the crash of bushes and looked there to see two Beowolves looking almost-hungerly at her, "could attract a Grimn. Well, looks like it's too late for that now." Then Tierra readied her weapons for battle.

Soon after Ozpin had finished his speech, Nor heard a sharp noise followed by screaming, watching as the first student sailed through the air towards the the Emerald Forest, the catapults setting off quickly behind one another. "You've gotta be kidding," he groaned, his eyes telling him much to the contrary. He took a moment to take position as the sounds came closer, unleashing Jet Stream a moment before being whisked through the air at a break neck speed.

He found the experience rather pleasant, the odd weightlessness much like the feeling of being out in the ocean. Unfortunately he could see the ground quickly approaching. Nor tried to look for some way to increase his chances of survival. He wouldn't have much chance to use the trees to help as he could see he was going to just barely pass over them in favor of a small clearing in forest.

Nor cringed at the thought of what came next. This wasn't going to be what anyone would call elegant, but it'd get the job done. Nor's icy aura flared to life as he pulled on the use of his semblance, his the curves of his face and hands seeming to take on crystallized edges, feeling the pull of gravity increase as his body grew heavier and harder, watching as the meadow came closer.

He quickly began to notice his descent increasing rapidly, suddenly the edges of the trees peeking into his sight. Too late Nor realized his little effort had caused gravity to tighten her grip on him, bring him face to face with the last tree before the clearing. Instinct guided him has he placed Jet Stream in front of him to take some of the blow, the tree making a splintering noise as he met it, a sharp pain glancing through his left arm.

______________________________________________

Nor came to a few moments later on his back, looking around to see himself surrounded by what seemed to be a small crater, surrounded by tree limbs and leaves. He took an inventory, noting a few scratches as bruises, but nothing worth worrying over. Nor took a moment to gather his strength before standing up, a gasp escaping as a sharp pain in his left shoulder sent him reeling. He could see the appendage hanging limp at his side, the arm obviously dislocated. He'd need to reset the damn thing before he did anything.

Grunting with effort, Nor climbed out of the hole he'd made, observing his landing zone, noting his weapon was off to the side, the head of he mace practically buried in the soft ground. He left it for the moment, opting instead to go to a near tree. The tree had split into near the base of the trunk, form a nice wedge. He placed his wrist in the space, gritting his teeth in the effort. This brought him pause, taking a moment to take off the mask, tossing it to the ground before grabbing a particularly thick stick. Nor's brought it to his mouth, his jaws extending farther than any humans would, lips peeling back to reveal row after row of serrated teeth, placing the branch in his mouth and biting down hard, the wood splintering. Satisfied with the effort, Nor began pulling at the limb, a muffled scream coming from him as he tried to realign his shoulder.

Argent had plenty of time to brace for launch, so when it came the young knight kept his ascent steady, he even allowed himself to enjoy the sensation of the wind whipping his ponytail behind him for exactly three seconds while he assessed his flight path, he was on a collision course for a tree, Argent swept Raphael to his left in shotgun form and fired, shoving him to the right and changing his flight path to an open patch of ground. The silver haired knight's landing strategy was simple, if risky, but the adrenaline pumping through his system made it easier to not only relinquish the hold he had on his aura, but to shove it out into the world, silver light exploded from his body and engulfed him totally in a cocoon of raw defensive energy. As the ground rushed up to meet him, the normally fearless boy winced, this was definitely going to hurt. The impact looked to anyone who might have been watching like a glowing silver meteor striking the earth, dirt, loam, and topsoil exploded upward from the crash, Argent let go of Raphael as his momentum caused him to bounce once, tumble, and roll straight into a tree. Argent lay on the ground for several seconds, groaning in pain, he could feel his aura was greatly reduced by the crash, and he knew even more would be burned away healing his injuries from his "landing". Argent couldn't afford to stay where he was, it was only a matter of time before some monster came to investigate the noise, his landing strategy hadn't been subtle, or quiet, or particularly smart, he recognized after the fact, his aura was working fast to heal his injuries, Argent's ribs and left leg ached, they hadn't been broken, or even cracked, but he also hadn't done them any favors. Pushing the pain aside the young knight limped over to his shotgun and picked it up, with his shotgun in one hand and his sword sheathed at his hip he limped out of the clearing.