Whirrrrrrrrrr

    Aquila groaned, sitting by herself in the air transport to Beacon. She hated these noisy things, and she hated being crammed inside them for two hours even more. The young woman was sitting alone trying to read a book on her Scroll, but kept finding it impossible to focus while the damned machine was making such a racket. Aside from her Scroll she just had the clothes on her back- a long black long coat and a set of clothes suited to a wilderness expedition- and her weapon, Jackdaw, sitting in dual-pistol form at her sides. She looked around at the other students-to-be; most were sitting and talking with whoever they had come with. Some had congregated into larger groups and were chatting away happily. One thing that she noticed though was quite clear.

    Few of them were Faunus. It was to be expected- Humans far outnumbered her kind, and there just weren’t many Faunus that made it to Beacon. Vale wasn’t like Vacuo, where a Faunus could be expected to rise to the top as easily as a Human; this was the Kingdom where no matter how enlightened its Headmaster apparently was, a Faunus had to face twice the obstacles a Human did to get into Beacon. She grimaced, remembering the rather unorthodox way she’d been able to get in.

    If I ever see that dusty, half-drunk crow again I don’t know if I’m going to thank him or try to kill him…

    Aquila laughed quietly to herself, and shook the thought off. She needed some company- she couldn’t spend all her time alone here, and she hardly wanted to. She stood up and looked around; most of the people here looked to have already found people to talk to, and it was hard to gauge which among the solo people were isolated by luck like her, or just introverted. She quickly passed over an aloof-looking Human fellow in a grey suit, he did NOT look like he was going to be any fun to talk to. Briefly she noticed a guy with an odd-looking mask, but decided against approaching him. Interesting as his life story was bound to be, he was probably not going to be ideal company. There was, she noticed, also another Faunus- but he was surprisingly already striking up a conversation with some Humans and evidently doing very well. She was impressed, not least because his Faunus trait was an elephant’s proboscis where a Human’s nose would sit.

    She decided instead to sit next to a shy-looking girl in a smart-looking black outfit with a lavender scarf around her neck. Aquila couldn’t tell if she was Human or Faunus; she looked Human, but she got a very odd vibe from her that made her unsure. The girl was closely clutching her bag, and seemed to have her weapon at her side; a deceptively simple-looking dagger in a scabbard. Aquila doubted it was actually just a plain dagger, though; nobody going to Beacon would carry something so basic.

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” Aquila asked brightly, smiling as she did so.

The girl looked at her, a bit surprised but nodded. “Sure.”

    Aquila took her seat. “So, you excited to be going to Beacon?” She wasn’t normally one for small talk, but by the God of Darkness something had to be better than just sitting there.

The girl shrugged. “I mean...yes. I am. I’m just not feeling sure about it all yet.”

“Why not? You made it in! That means you’ve got what it takes to be a Huntress.”

The girl looked at her and offered a weak smile. Aquila finally noticed that she had some beautiful violet eyes.

Aquila extended her hand. “My name’s Aquila Pernigra, I’m from central Sanus.”

The girl took her hand gingerly and shook it. She was a bit cold to the touch. “I’m Regina Adder. I’m from Vale.”

“Where in Vale are you from? It’s a big Kingdom.” Aquila was a bit intrigued now. There was just something about this girl that was very interesting.

Or maybe you just think she’s cute… She reminded herself, noting that the girl- handsome face, short boyish hair, beautiful eyes, androgynous fashion sense- was definitely easy on the eyes. But it was something more than that that was catching her attention at the moment.

“South Central…” The girl looked a bit ashamed at that, and was hanging her head a bit lower. It was also now that Aquila was noting something about how she spoke; her S’s were a bit...odd.

“Rough part of Vale, but nothing to be embarrassed about. Did you go to Signal first or did you just test in?”

Regina looked at Aquila a bit more curiously this time. “You first.”

She smiled at that. Good, she’s starting to open up a bit. “I was...busy up until a few months ago. I tested in.”

The girl quirked her head at that. “You look like you can handle yourself a bit better than I do. Going by your clothes, and your equipment...and your Aura.”

Now that was interesting. “How do you know what my Aura looks like?”

The girl finally smiled; a clever, wry little grin that bared her teeth. In the process, Aquila could finally see clearly what had been causing the girl’s mild speech impediment; a pair of snake fangs. Regina was a Faunus, like her.

“I can see Aura. It’s my Semblance; I’ve been able to do it ever since I first really trained my own Aura. I can see other people’s Auras through solid objects, through long distances. And when you can see someone’s Aura, you can see their Semblance- though it’s not always obvious. Yours is...I can’t quite tell. Looks passive, though.”

Aquila nodded. “Your perceptive. It is passive, and not one I’m overly fond of.”

“What is it?” Regina asked, looking curiously at the other girl.

Aquila waved a hand dismissively. “Not worth getting into. Suffice to say, it’s useful but frustrating to the highest degree.”

The ship’s intercom pinged. A hologram flickered, and the image of a woman presented herself; fit, blonde, and done up in an outfit that made Aquila feel like it was impolite to stare at her. She recognized her from an earlier description; this was the same woman that drunken bastard had been going on about.

‘Glynda Dominatritch. Or something like that, I forget. She wasn’t teaching yet when I was a student there. Watch out for her- she’s stricter than she looks.’

‘Didn’t you say she was always carrying a riding crop?’ Aquila had asked.

‘I did. And she is.’

“Good morning, students. I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch, and I will be greeting you when the transport lands. I know all of you are likely feeling very nervous, given the enormous honor that’s been placed on you. Don’t let anxiety overwhelm you, though; Beacon is a welcoming and pleasant place, though certainly not for the faint-hearted. Here you will be trained in the art of the Hunter, and earn your place in history as defenders of the people of Remnant.”

There was a brief pause and some murmuring among the students as they watched the hologram adjust her glasses, then continue.

“I want to let you know from the outset that Beacon is a place where all students are welcome. We will accept no intolerance here on the basis of creed, place of origin, gender, or species.”

One of the students snorted- a Human woman with violet hair so dark it was almost black. She was tall and haughty-looking, and carried an enormous sword at her side. Her clothes were ridiculously opulent-looking, yet genuinely beautifully designed rather than the sloppy crap most rich people wore. Someone had paid a damned good tailor for this girl.

“With all that said, I hope you will all have a wonderful first day here at Beacon! I’ll be greeting you when you land- expect today to be a relaxing one as we get ready to sort you into teams tomorrow. As a reminder, the process is random, so don’t get too hung up on picking friends or family.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Aquila and Regina looked at each other uncertainly, then shrugged in unison. Truth be told, Aquila wasn’t too hung up on that; she made friends easily. She just didn’t want to be paired with some bigoted Humans. Maybe she could find a way around the randomization- but that depended on how it was done. If it was lots, she was up a certain creek without a certain instrument. If it was something more romantic, however….

She put the thought aside for the time being, and decided to focus on the now. The ship was about to land at Beacon, and there things would actually get started. For now, it made sense to stick with Regina. Even if they weren’t on the same team, they’d at least be in the same grade, so it’d be good to get to know her.

“Come on,” Aquila said, motioning to the front of the ship. “We’ll be hopping off soon.”

Regina looked a bit pleasantly surprised at that, and followed the other girl as they made their way to the front of the growing crowd around the exit door. A minute later, most of the other students had made their way around them. Aquila didn’t know what to make of the crowd; a few other Faunus- one who looked to be about seven feet tall and completely covered in dark brown fur- and some more pretentious-looking Humans. To her chagrin, that girl with the violet hair was standing next to her. Even worse, she began to make conversation.

    “Get a load of that...thing,” she said, leaning in and whispering conspiratorially to Aquila a she motioned discretely towards the hair-covered Faunus, “Can you believe they’d let it into school?”

    “They let you in, didn’t they?” Aquila shot back. She knew this was burning a bridge rather quickly, but it was probably best to get that sort of thing over with before long.

    The girl audibly gasped at gaped at Aquila, looking astonished. “Excuse me? Do you know who you’re talking to?”

    Aquila turned to look at the other girl, annoyed that now the entire crowd was clearly looking at them. “No. I suppose that means you’re going to introduce yourself?”

    The girl narrowed her pinkish-purplish eyes at that. “For your information, I am Mauve Imperatrice, a direct descendent of the last King of Vale and the latest in a long line in my family to attend Beacon Academy! I have been trained by some of the finest Hunters in Remnant and-”

    The rest of her speech was cut off by the sound of the doors opening, and an inrush of air. Grateful to have an excuse to walk away, Aquila headed down the extended ramp with a nervous Regina following behind her. At the base of the ramp the woman they had seen in the hologram, Glynda, was writing on a clipboard and taking note of the students.

    “Welcome, students. I’m glad to see nobody killed each other on the ride over.”

    “Near enough to it…” Somebody murmured; Aquila noted it was some boy she hadn’t seen before. He was well-built, average height, and had a brown longcoat not unlike her own. At his side was a plain-looking and weathered shotgun- but it had the distinctive markings of mecha additions to it. His face was probably handsome, and astonishingly he already had a fair amount of stubble on his face, and a couple scars across his forehead. Barely noticeable beneath his mop of dirty blonde hair were a pair of little pointy ears of some beast she did not recognize. Another Faunus, though she could see why she’d missed this one before.

    Glynda seemed to ignore the comment. “Good. Now just so you are all aware, you’re expected to be at the Main Hall in an hour. There you’ll be given an introductory speech by Headmaster Ozpin, and given the basics on the upcoming initiation ceremony. You’ll have a day to get to know each other a bit and become familiar with the grounds before you’re divided into teams tomorrow. Understood?”

    There were some murmurs and some ‘Yes ma’ams’, and Glynda seemed satisfied.

    “I’ll see you all later.” She headed off without another word, leaving the students to chat and disperse. Aquila was a bit put out at all the waiting, seemed pretty pointless to make them spend so much time milling about before they could get sorted into teams. She looked around, and saw that Regina wasn’t heading anywhere. Well at least they’d be able to stick together for now. She approached the other girl who seemed a bit relieved Aquila was sticking around, but before she could say anything someone tapped her on the shoulder.

    “Excuse me,” a melodic voice said, “I think you dropped this?”

    Aquila spun around, and saw that standing behind her was a fair-skinned boy with silver-colored hair and eyes to match, grinning wolfishly and holding a Scroll. He was dressed almost absurdly well; with a nice all-grey tux. At his side was a sheathed katana, and behind him she could faintly see a gently wagging wolf’s tail. Another Faunus, yet she hadn’t noticed it before. In fact she wasn’t sure she’d seen him on the ride over.

    “Thanks,” Aquila said suspiciously, taking the Scroll. She couldn’t think of a moment where she’d’ve dropped it, and had a pretty clear idea how it had gone missing. “And thank you for returning it. It’s not nice to borrow things that aren’t yours.”

    He looked taken aback- faux taken aback, more like. “Why, madame, what are you insinuating?”

    “That you stole my Scroll and are giving it back to me as an excuse to look gallant?”

    He grinned, far more wolfishly than before, and she noted his tail was wagging more excitedly than before. “That’s an interesting idea! Suppose I did, what then?”

    “I’d say,” she said, her voice droll as possible, “That you would be barking up the wrong tree. If you’ll forgive the expression.”

    The tail wagging slowed, and he nodded- clearly trying to hide his embarrassment. “Oh. Well it’s a good thing I didn’t start barking, so to speak.”

    Aquila rolled her eyes. “Don’t do it again, Mr...?”

    “Remus. Argent Remus.” He bowed a bit theatrically. “I’m here at Beacon to be trained as a Huntsman. I don’t suppose you’re just here for fun, yourself, Ms...?”

    “Aquila Pernigra, and nope,” she said, her irritation giving way to a bit of amusement. “Not entirely here by choice, but it’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened.”

    He seemed intrigued by that, but finally seemed to notice that Regina was standing right next to Aquila, and looking rather more annoyed than the other girl was. “Oh, and where are my manners- what’s your name?”

    Regina just narrowed her eyes at him. “Regina Adder. Also the wrong tree for you, I think.”

    Wait WHAT? Aquila thought to herself.

    “Ah, my bad luck, but possibly your fortune! Mind if I accompany you two to the Main Hall? I don’t have anyone to go with myself, and I’d rather stick with a pack. I’d be a bit lonely otherwise.”

    “Just don’t keep flirting with us, please?” Regina let out with a sigh of sheer exasperation.

    “Oh don’t worry about that; I know when I’m unwanted.” With that, he stepped a bit behind and to the side of the girls, and they proceeded in semi-companionable silence. Aquila was trying to process what had just happened.

    So, he’s a thief and another Faunus, and I’m ok with him just sticking around. I mean I AM okay with him just sticking around. He seems alright, a bit shifty and smarmy but I could work with him...maybe.

    Truthfully, she was more preoccupied with Regina’s comment...and REALLY hoped they had both meant the same thing by it.

As the trio had nearly made their way towards the main hall, Regina stopped suddenly and made a sweeping gesture. “Wait. Why are we going right to the main hall? We have an hour before it starts. We could be doing anything right now.”

The other two paused, and briefly Aquila and Argent exchanged glances. The token boy shrugged. “I could go for it,” he said, “Might be useful to case the place. Eh, explore the place, I mean.”

“Riiiiiight,” Aquila said, chuckling softly, “Well, it certainly is a better use of our time than just waiting around. I suppose we could go about and do something, but where to?”

“Well,” Regina said, looking around until her eyes settled on something, “We could check out this map!” She motioned over to a map sitting by the side of the pathway to the building. Passing a couple students heading to the main hall, Regina led the other two to the map.

“Hmmm,” said Argent, looking it over, “Not much to do around here if you aren't a student. A lot of dorms of course, some classrooms, some shops....”

“And a practice field,” Aquila said, grinning a bit and pointing to a particular spot on the map, “I’d love the chance to stretch before some long speech by an old man. Do you think we could get there, do some practice, and make it back before the speech starts up?”

Regina nodded and beamed. “Yeah, it’s not that far! I’d love the chance to test out Venom before we get started.”

“Then it’s decided,” Argent said beginning on the path towards the practice grounds, “Let’s hurry ladies, don’t want to risk being late for Professor Ozpin’s speech!”

The three of them hurried for the practice fields halfway across campus.