"Um..." Vail shifted around nervously, noticing a couple sets of eyes glance at him. Despite the fact that he didn't like being around people anyway, why did he feel so nervous...? He blinked once, trying to clear out some of his emotions, and put on a more serious face. "It would be better to make sure no one sees me as weak..." He thought to himself. "So... um..." Feeling a little more calm now, he sighed, and tried making some conversation. "This is all kind of new to me, honestly. I've never really been to any of these big schools before, so... it's sort of a new experience for me." He rubbed the back of his head, scolding himself a little for making such a random comment. Vail kept on glancing at the other four that were (for the most part) standing nearby, realizing the unexpected feeling of comfort around them. It shocked him, especially since he wasn't used to that feeling anyway. He tugged at the scarf around his neck, trying to push back some of the nervousness that had come again. The Faunus felt the need to say something else, although he had the feeling that if he said anything else, it might give off the wrong impression.
Taura was for a moment startled at the new timid voice. She quickly whipped her head around to look for the source. It was neither tattooed Viridis or Slate. She relaxed when she saw the faunus there. Hoping to at least be of help, she tried to engage conversation with him. "Ahh, going to those schools do give some basic knowledge of being a Huntsman and Huntress too, like making weapons and some skills---though I don't know what is it like in Signal or other academies around...I went to Sanctum back in Mistral but instead of Haven, my parents want me to go to Beacon because my relatives are there and----Ahhhh---I spoke too much! I'm sorry--!"
"Don't worry about it too much. Your future teammates will help you out with things and homework if you have trouble." Rosa reassured the silver-haired Faunus, before she spied Citrine waved at her urgently. The rosette waved back, before turning to her current companions. "My friends want me to spend some time with them before we disembark at Beacon. It was a pleasure to meet with all of you and I hope that your time at Beacon, for how long that may be," Here she looked at Slate, before continuing, "will be fruitful. I will see you all again at Beacon." With that Rosa removed herself from the group and walked over to her friends. Citrine immediately started asking about the people Rosa had been talking about, while the boys just listen with a grin on their face. Rosa just tried to answer her friend's seemingly endless stream of questions, while they walked away to have some last time together.
Grunting in response to the look he received, he took the chance while everyone was glanced away from him to activate his semblance. His body shimmered slightly before the light around him was reflected away making him mostly transparent to the naked eye. Stepping away from the group Slate began to make his way across the ship when he got a glance at the towering structure that is Beacon Tower. "All students, we are now approaching Beacon Academy." Came a voice from the center of the ship. The source? A hologram showing a blond haired woman who, in Slate's opinion, seemed to look fond of a library or two. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch and I would like to welcome you all to the prestigious Beacon Academy. When you land, please make your way to the auditorium." Curtly the hologram ended as the ships touched down on the courtyard of Beacon. Slate was one of the first to leave the ship, quickly, and unseen to the mass amount of students, making his way across the campus towards the auditorium, or at least where he thinks the auditorium is.
The teal haired girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice of the woman. She found herself staring at the woman, who looked very much respectable, and suddenly remembered what her cousin had told her. "Trust me when I say Beacon has a lot of talented people. When I say talented and famous, I MEAN talented and famous. The headmaster and many of the staff members are renowned for their skills." Kirie had once told Taura after one of their hunting sessions, as she was fondly looking through her scroll which had some pictures. "Ohh! You definitely want to meet her." Kirie pointed at a blond bespectacled woman with piercing peridots for eyes "Who is that?" Taura had asked, but was captivated by the woman in the picture as well. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch and I would like to welcome you all to the prestigious Beacon Academy. When you land, please make your way to the auditorium." The voice from the announcement reminded Taura of that lady Kirie had showed her. She really looked intimidating, she would give her that. Once the ship landed, Taura sunk to her knees with relief. She was not very fond of the airship, and had settled back for a while as the others passed her, before making her way down herself and following the other students.
Hunter watched as the pink haired girl broke off from the group to join her friends before he turned his attention to the hologram in the center of the ship. The image of a blonde woman had appeared in the center of the ship welcoming them to Beacon. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch and I would like to welcome you all to the prestigious Beacon Academy. When you land, please make your way to the auditorium." He followed the flow of students taking in the sights; Beacon was bigger than he thought it would be and s bit overwhelming compared to what he was used to. That didn’t matter to him, he could get use to this he was sure of that. What mattered was that he finally got a chance to start a new chapter in his life which he was excited about.
Rosa and her friends had watched the announcement from their new professor with rapt eyes before they too disembarked from the ship and made their way to the auditorium. The four chatted softly, not really trying to interact with the others around them, but often one of them would be pointing at another student and telling their friends about what they learned about the person during the flight to Beacon Academy. Just as Rosa was about to point out Hunter in the crowd, he being the only one she could spot within the mass of students, they walked into the auditorium. "So, this is it, huh? The start of a new adventure, and lots of trouble probably." Smoke slung his arm carefully around Rosa's shoulders, making sure not to touch the spikes of her black armor. The others nodded silently as the group focused they attention at the stage, like many other of the students.
Hiding at the back of the large room, Slate stared tiredly at the mass amount of students entering, a contemplative look etched on his face. Suddenly he was broke out of his thoughts by a large figure taking up space beside him, turning to glare at the figure his eyes instead widened as he looked directly at Merlot's grin. "Thought you got rid of me, eh?" The teen exclaimed jovially leading to Slate scoffing in response. "Like hell I did, you oaf." The insulting words were thrown out half-heartedly as Slate found the other teens presence to be comforting, it was an interesting contrast to those he usually dealt with. "Heh, so I got some interesting pictures for my sister on the way over? Want to-" Suddenly Merlot, like the rest of the auditorium was cut off by the sound of cane tapping. Suddenly Slate found himself gazing at a stoic silver-haired man who gazed down at the gathered students through his rather small, but tinted glasses. "This will be brief, today you have traveled to this school in the hope of acquiring the knowledge required to hone your craft and gain new skills. Afterwards, you wish you dedicate your life to the protection of the people, an admirable goal. But, as I look upon you all I do not see huntsmen and huntresses, no I see energy that, without a purpose and proper direction, is being wasted. You assume what we teach you here will relieve you of this burden, but soon you will find that knowledge is not enough. It is up to each and every one of you to make that first, crucial step." As the man spoke, Slate found himself standing straighter as if this was targeted directly at him, and as he glanced around he could see others felt similarly. Gulping, Slate stared back at the speaker with awe. "My name is Professor Ozpin, and beside me is Professor Goodwitch. If all of you will follow Professor Goodwitch, she will show you to where your entrance exam will be taking place." With his piece said, Ozpin walked off the stage and disappeared from sight. Ignoring Goodwitch barking orders at the students, Slate's gaze remained on where he last saw Ozpin until he was nudged by Merlot who signaled to the door. As they left the auditorium and followed the rest of the crowd, with Goodwitch in front, Slate took a glance back at the auditorium in wonder. 'What a strange man'.
"That is the Emerald Forest? Doesn't look like much." Tiger scoffed as he and his friends stood atop the cliff overlooking a huge forest. Citrine silently smacked him on the back of the head and pointed to something in the distance. Rosa shuddered as she spotted a bigger than normal Nevermore flying around. "It seems that this forest is invested with Grimm. Be sure to keep on your toes and take no unnecessary risks if you can avoid them." Smoke ordered of his friends. They responded to the dark haired teen with a quiet "roger", before lining up on the metal pads as indicated by the Goodwitch lady. All of them knew that this could be the most important test of their lives and they whipped out their weapons for a quick last check. Rosa signed as she spun Luna Viola around by the handle, the only safe place on her weapons to grab them. This was going to be a harsh trial. She couldn't see it going any other way.
“...cliffs...why cliffs?” Taura could care less that every other student could see her trembling head to toe as she stood on the launch pad. “Ehh, you climbed plenty of those back in Mistral, hardly think this will be a problem.” Chryseis, the voice of daring and hopefully, encouragement, spoke beside her as she readied her bow-staff at hand. “Your principle of not harming may not apply to Grimm, my little mermaid, so there’s that you gotta know.” Taura gulped as she remembered Ozpin’s speech. She was starting to regret every moment ever since she decided to become a Huntress. But her family, especially the cousin she looked up to, Kirie, were placing hopes on her, so she couldn’t let them down at the very least.
Hunter was looking down the side of the cliff curiously before looking over the forest, it didn’t look so bad although he had a feeling there was more to it. Why would they otherwise hold the trial here? He thought as he spotted something flying around in the distance and thought he heard one of the other students mention grimm, that was no surprise there would be grimm. His train of thoughts was broken as the students were order onto the metal pads. He adjusted his goggles something he had the habit of doing when he was nervous even if he didn’t look like it. Looking at his fellow students he could see the teal haired girl that’d been part of the group he’s talked to on the ship, she was visibly trembling. Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one that’s nervous. He thought as he readied himself on the metal pad.
Seeing all the students arrive at the cliffside, Glynda coughed to gain their attention. "In front of all of you, you may see a pad. These pads will launch each of you into the Emerald Forest below. In there you will achieve two goals. The first, you will find your partner. This partner will be with you through your entire time in Beacon Academy, and perhaps after. I suggest you try and find someone you're compatible with." Suddenly Ozpin, who walked up behind the students announced his presence by continuing Glynda's sentence. "That said, whoever you first make eye contact with will be your partner." Smiling in response to the nervous glances students began to give each other, he finished off. "When in the forest, I suggest you use lethal force to achieve your objectives. The Grimm that reside there are... particularly vicious." Casually, as if he hadn't just unintentionally put doubts in the minds of most of the unprepared students, Ozpin began to sip out of his coffee mug. "Yes, thank you Professor Ozpin," Glynda spoke up, "As for your second objective. In the forest there are groups of relics. You and your partner must find these relics. Now if you will, please take your places." __________________________________________________________________________________ Taking his place on his launch pad, Slate watched the forest with narrowed eyes. 'Tch, it doesn't look that threatening' He scoffed in his mind, dismissing any sort of threat instantly. Suddenly the sound of a loud "whoop" echoed through the air as Merlot was launched. Even if he couldn't see the apparent fool, Slate could still imagine that he had that damnable grin still on his face. "Heh, suppose it's a good thing he's confident. Would suck if my potential partner was easily frightened." Slate murmured to himself, before preparing himself as the student next to him was launched. The launch pad began to snap forward, and as he entered the air, Slate found himself grinning similarly to Merlot. 'Well Grimm, here I come.'
Taking a deep breath and remembering her cousin's encouraging words, she reloaded her fans with Dust---water in Kai and wind in Nami. Once she was just about to finish, she was launched into the air, promptly caught unaware. Stifling a scream as she was thrown an arc into the sky, she took a brief look around where she might land. Quickly, she was ready with Nami, as she swung an arc downwards, hoping to let the wind clear a safe landing for her. Thud! Crash! Or so she thought. She managed to secure a landing, not without scratching herself in some places on the way. Thanking her lucky stars for Aura, she brushed herself as she stood up, taking a good look at her surroundings. "My partner will be the first person I make eye contact with...?" She wasn't sure if it was wiser for her to go Grimm hunting solo or find a partner first. She decided the latter was the safer option. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she began to focus. Opening her eyes, she could feel fellow living souls' presences scattered around her in various distances. Not being able to tell apart who was where, any presence of humans was a welcome piece of news. She carefully made her way forward to the general direction where she felt the most presences, both hands resting on her closed fans at the sides of her sash.
As her fellow students were launched from the cliff after Professor Ozpin's little speech, Rosa shared one last smile with her friends before concentrating solely on the task before her. First things first, she would have to find a partner as soon as possible to make sure she survived the obviously dangerous forest. Tiger let out a loud whoop when he shot off, closely followed by his sister's loud terrified screech. Rosa didn't react as she was the next in line to be launched. But to her and Smoke's surprise, it was Smoke that shot into the air. Rosa stamped impatiently on her own pad, not wanting to be left out. The moment her foot came down on the pad, it decided to work. Rose, who hadn't expected it, screamed loudly as it seemed that the small delay had done something to the pad, and she launched higher into the air than many of her fellow students. When she finally started to descent, she started to make some of her Ice Rings and changed her course while in the air to make it to the ground safely. Landing strategies were burned in her head after that one time Tiger broke his arm, acting like an idiot, while he hadn't unlocked his aura yet. Now as she made her way down to the treetops, her Ice Rings, shattering behind her, she grinned. As she neared one of the bigger trees, she drew her weapons and braced herself for the impact. Once her hook found the branch she had been aiming for, she let herself swing up before unhooking her swords and continued down, sliding along the branches until she reached the earth.
After Ozpin’s speech Hunter readied himself as he watched his fellow students got launched one by one, now he was getting really excited even if he still needed training to fully master it air maneuvers was his specialty. Still this was to be taken serious and he knew that, Ozpin had mentioned the grimm here were vicious he couldn’t let his guard down. As he got launched he couldn’t quite hide his excitement as he flew through the air; he was use to this just only with the power of his semblance and that couldn’t do it nearly as well as the launch pad. Using his semblance he maneuvered himself into what e judged to be the best position as the tree crowns grew closer. Gathering the air around his legs he went for one of the larger trees twisting into position so his feet would hit it first. Hitting the tree Hunter did a crouching motion before launching himself at the next tree, doing this a few times as he descended before landing on the ground. He took a quick look around to ensure there were no grimms lurking nearby weapon now drawn, when he saw or heard nothing after about a minute he eased up and sheathed Emerald Tempest. Next step was to find a partner and hopefully whoever he ended up with would be a good one. Is going to be the first person I make eye contact with so I better make it count. He started walking keeping eyes and ears open for both grimm and his fellow students.
Now running through the trees, Rosa kept a watchful eye out for anyone that could be friend or foe. As she sped through the trees, she was hoping badly for her friends to pop up and surprise her, but she wasn't having much luck. Deciding that taking the high ground might be a better decision, she jumped and hooked onto one of the lower branches, before she started tree hopping across the branches. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grimm skulking in one direction. Raising her eyebrow, she stilled on her branch and then took off in another direction. She didn't want to get involved in a fight so soon in the exam, that would just be a waste of her time and energy. Hopping along, she ran out of branches and instead of using her semblance, she let herself fall from the tops. Right in front of another student from Beacon. The Viridis boy, she thought, as she stared right into his eyes from her crouched position on the ground.
After landing, which involved a rather creative method of using his blades and a tree, Slate cast his gaze around the general area making note of the scratch marks around him and the footprints. "It appears someone has already gone through this way, and from the looks of things got into a nasty battle." Slate murmured to himself, his gaze narrowing in thought. 'Not enough destruction to be Merlot though, with that strength of his there would at least be a broken tree.' Letting out a small hum, he activated his semblence. Now reflecting the light around him, Slate began to lurk through the forest, the only sign of him being a slight shimmer.
Hunter had gone from walking to running to put some distance between him and a possible grimm, he’d heard some suspicious sounds and had decided that redrawing was the best option since the exam had only just started. He had to find a partner first before anything else and fighting could draw in more grimm which probably wouldn’t end well if he was alone. He stopped dead in his tracks when something or rather someone dropped down in front of him, he’s already started reaching for his weapon when he realized that he was looking another student straight in the eyes, the Quarzo girl. He eased up letting go of Emerald Tempest’s hilt. “Looks like the search for a partner is over, you’re the Quarzo girl right?” He gave a slight smile as he found it amusing she’d just dropped out of nowhere where all of a sudden.
"Yeah, Rosa or Rose, if you prefer. It seems like we are going to be partners from now on." Rosa put Luna back in its place before standing up from her crouched position on the floor and tugging back an errant strand of hair that had fallen out of place. She had to crane her neck a bit to be able to look him in the eyes, and she sighed mentally. Must all her partners be way taller than she was? It certainly seemed that way. "Alright, then. Let's go to the ruins and hunt some Grimm on the way there. I would like to see how you fight. Although I have a good feeling that I can count on you to watch my back in a fight with them." She smiled at him, before she grabbed Luna from her back and expertly twirled it around her finger, her other hand, still holding Viola, was placed on her hip. "My weapons Viola Luna are twin hook swords that can transform into SMG's. They also have a grappling hook function, when in their hook sword form. As such I have a rather agile fithing style, so I will be around either on the floor or in the air with the help of my Semblance Hollow Rings." She quickly briefed the Viridis boy on what she could do, before they started on the long trek to the ruins to find the relics.
She did feel someone around, but for some reason, she couldn't see then anywhere. Hearing a growl of a Beowulf in a distance away, she brandished both her fans, looking left and right for the Grimm. Launching herself into a sprint, she unknowingly ran into someone and ended up tripping down the side...but she wasn't sure if it was someone...or something...
