Chapter One: The First Day:

September 4th 1462 of the Vytali Calendar:

It was a pleasant day in Vale. The early autumn still clung to summer, bringing warm breezes and slightly overcast skies to the citizens of the fortified kingdom. Despite some rain that had been heavier than usual the Agricultural Districts were producing more than usual and the surplus had staved off most people's fears of rationing. Businesses were booming, tradesmen flocked to the newly secured nation and people everywhere celebrated a return to peace and normalcy that only those over the age of forty really remembered.

Walking through the streets of the Residential District, a large duffel bag on her back, was a young woman. She was Greta Hexenpfahl, Huntress in training and – soon to be – student of Beacon Academy.

She was a girl of medium height with pale white skin, long midnight black hair that reached down past her shoulders and a slightly hooked nose. A large dark dress covered most of her body but the hem of the dress, which reached down to her shins, revealed the cuffs of the dark-green trousers she wore underneath and the collar of her lighter green t-shirt poked up from the slightly lower neck-line of the dress.

Greta walked with a slight skip in her step, a large, excited smile plastered on her face as she weaved her through the crowds. She had been working herself up for the final trip to Beacon, the journey that would ensure her place in the prestigious establishment. Despite her reservation to such a drastic change in her life this was something she had chosen and after so much hard work she had made it in. She had clarity for the next four years of her life. From there, so many options would open to her.

"This is Dundarren's Street so the airport should be just around the next intersection," Greta reminded herself, running over the directions she had been given to the Vale airport.

She continued up the street, dodging the other pedestrians as her pace quickened. It didn't take her long to find herself at a massive roundabout with streets branching off of the massive circular space. At the centre was a massive dais and sat atop it was the Reclaimer Memorial. A large statue reached into the sky, depicting two heroes - a man armed with a sword and shield and a woman carrying a scythe larger than she was - rearing over a pack of carven Beowolves. It had been erected to honour the heroes who had fought in the Witch War almost twenty three years ago.

"If I'm here," Greta thought to herself, scanning the area, "then my turn-off iiiissssssss?..." She spent several seconds peering down the nearby streets, searching for any sign of the airport.

The sight of a civilian airship taking off from behind several buildings to her left and the sight of the highest tiers of the airport told her where she needed to go. Beaming with excitement again she set off in the direction of the departing aircraft. Her joy then suddenly turned to panic. Worried, she pulled back the cuff on her left-hand sleeve and checked her watch. The old-fashioned device read ten-eleven, she was still early, but not by much.

Not wanting to be late, she picked up her pace, lifted her duffel-bag higher up her shoulders and continued down the road that led to the airport. It didn't take her long to find the building. The Vale National Airport was a massive building. As a lifeline to other kingdoms, a major source of transportation through the kingdom and the safest means of moving between the city and the outlying colonies, air-travel was unbelievably vital to the Valesian people. This had led to the development of a massive, state-of-the-art airport to accommodate the immense amount of air-traffic.

Greta tried not to gape as she looked at the massive cylindrical building. It was built out of over a dozen enormous discs that reached high into the sky. Each disc had dozens of openings of different sizes, all built to serve as docking ports for the various kinds of aircraft that came in and out. Crowning the immense structure was a forest of relay towers, smaller landing pads and antennae. The almost-perfect cylinder of the structure was broken only by a long prow that cut down the centre of the building, the Valesian flag and national motto painted on it.

Greta rushed off in the direction of the main entrance which stood at the base of the prow. Ignoring the crowd, she made her way into the building and tried to find where she was. The information email she had been given several weeks before her enrolment had given her directions to where she would embark.

Glancing up at the huge relay screen that hung on the far wall she found the gate she needed. The Beacon flight was at Gate Fifteen on the fifth floor. Her destination now set, she joined one of the queues and waited to pass through security. She ran her luggage through the scanners, flashing her provisional student ID when the scanners caught her weapon, and then passed through the doors to the airport interior.

She found herself in a much smaller space packed full of people. Few of them were carrying luggage like her but they were all in a rush as they walked to and from the elevators. Small shops and information depots lined the walls and at the centre of a space was a massive glass pillar, the elevators visible through the transparent walls.

Her luggage strapped to her back, she reached behind her to caress the pommel of her weapon. Named Firebrand, her weapon was an extendible fire-pike that she had built in her second year at Signal and had served her well in her education. Feeling the smooth metal finish of the pommel, she felt reassured and went off to one of the elevators to the upper floors. Assuming they all went to every floor, Greta went to join one of the queues leading up to an elevator. Due to the sheer size of every platform, it didn't take as long as she feared for the queue to shrink and she boarded one of the elevators. The ride to the fifth floor was quick despite the large number of people who rode with her.

Stepping off of the elevator, she looked around the fifth floor. Unlike the interior on the ground floor the upper levels were much more spacious. Larger shops and restaurants had been built into the structure and passengers waiting for their flights were moving around. She saw several of the people that were around her age or younger were carrying weapons, giving them away as Huntsmen students.

Ignoring them for the moment, Greta instead wandered around the edge of the floor, counting the gates as she passed in search of Gate Fifteen. She quickly found the gate despite the crowds, the large number of armed, student age teenagers giving it away to her. Glancing at her watch she saw it read ten-forty one. She wouldn't have to wait that long.

'Alright,' she mumbled to herself as she eyed the other students, trying to not to make it too obvious that she was staring at them. 'This is it. Today's the day where you join in. Today's the day where you make friends.'

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the gate and took a seat in one of the empty chairs, trying to not pick a seat that was too far from the student groups that were chatting nearby. She sat in place, her duffel-bag by her feet and tried to think of a way of inserting herself into one of the groups.

"How does this work again?" Greta thought as she floundered internally. "What am I supposed to do?"

It had taken her only a few seconds of patient introspection to realise she had no idea what she was doing. The other students looked like they were all happy doing their own things and Greta couldn't think of any way to join in without looking awkward.

As Greta worried her way through her personal dilemma, an incredibly tall girl dressed in an elaborate white dress rimmed by a silvery hem of stylised snowflakes rushed past. The girl had silvery white hair, a derisive scowl on her face, a silver circlet with an ice blue jewel in the centre on her head and a pair of sheathed blades strapped to her right hip. As she stormed past, she dragged a white, expensive wheeled suitcase with her and knocked Greta's shin with the side of the case.

'Ah!' Greta started, jolted from her thoughts just in time to see the offending suitcase and the girl carrying it move past her.

'Excuse me,' Greta snapped, irritation overriding her concerns with talking to new people. 'You just hit me.'

The statuesque girl turned around in an instant and fixed Greta with her glare. Greta shrank back a little from the girl but still tried to remain resolute.

'Excuse you,' the other girl returned derisively with a sneer. 'This is a public space and you were the one sticking your legs out like that. Why don't you try to be more considerate of me and others here?' Not waiting for an answer, the other girl then span on her heel and continued on, several other seated students who had heard her tucking their legs in as she passed.

Greta was stunned by her and unable to answer back, she merely watched as the girl walked off to another part of the waiting area. Disheartened by the encounter, she settled back into her seat and began to rummage through her duffel-bag for her personal scroll. Trying to meet people wasn't working out so she was going to kill time some other way.

'I've had trouble with 'er type before,' a rather loud and accented voice suddenly said, catching her attention. A loud grunt, a shuffling sound and the feeling of something slightly brushing her side heralded the arrival of a very stout boy. 'Try not to let 'em get to ya.'

Greta turned to get a closer look at her new neighbour. He was rather large with a round face and a natural smile that was only slightly lopsided. He had red-hair he hid under a cloth scarf he had tied around it and wore a thick, dusty leather overcoat that covered a striped t-shirt. His trousers were dark brown and slightly stained from wear, everything below the knee covered by tough leather boots. Everything the boy wore was worn and slightly tattered but the large cutlass capped by a clockwork style mecha-shift handle and guard was pristine.

'Lach,' the boy said, extending his right hand. 'Lach Boucanier.'

'Oh...uh. Hi,' Greta said, taking his hand and shaking it. 'I'm Greta. Greta Hexenpfahl.'

'Pleasure to meetcha,' Lach replied, vigorously returning her handshake before releasing his grip. 'Don't think I've seen ya round here before,' Lach continued without missing as beat. 'Are ya new round here?'

'Well I've never been in the airport before' Greta replied with a nervous chuckle. 'This is going to be my first time flying.'

'Mine too,' Lach replied with a beaming smile. 'Never really liked the look 'a flyin. I'm more of a sailor."

'Really,' Greta asked, feeling more confident with every word.

'Oh aye,' Lach continued. 'My family's been working by the pier for years now. I've often helped my uncle out on his fishing boat.' He then leaned forward with a joking grin. 'Dangerous work too ya know. Never know what might come up in yer net.'

Greta smiled in return, humouring his sudden change in attitude. 'Is that so?' she asked.

'Well not for me,' Lach replied, calming down slightly. 'I haven't really done it that often. Mostly been at home or school. Ma and Pa wanted me to be a Huntsmen so I could get out of our part of town.'

'Your part of town?' Great asked, understanding the sentiment but wondering where he was from.

'My family lives over in Magnus,' Lach said with a hint of discomfort at the mention of the economically run-down region.

'Me too,' Greta immediately said. 'I'm from the Magnus Children's Home.'

'Really?' Lach exclaimed in surprise. 'I didn't know they kept kids for that long.'

'Not normally,' Greta replied awkwardly. 'I'm one of the special cases. I've kind of been bouncing from shelter to shelter really. All of them were in Magnus but nothing ever really stuck'

Lach looked visibly uncomfortable at the subject of the conversation. 'Well it doesn't matter ta me,' he said quickly, clapping her on the shoulder. 'It's good ta have a fellow Magnusite 'ere.'

Before either could continue a chime sounded from the speaker attached to Gate Fifteen, getting the attention of everyone nearby.

'Would all passengers for the Inter-Vale flight to Beacon please form an orderly line and present their passes,' a friendly voice said from the speaker.

'Well that's us,' Greta said with a smile, picking up her duffel-bag and preparing to get into the line that was shakily forming in the middle aisle of the waiting area.

'Ah, damn,' Lach suddenly said as shot up from his seat. 'I've left my luggage back at my last seat. I'll catch up with ya.' He then ran off back to the other end of the waiting area. Shrugging her shoulders, Greta joined the queue and began to wait.

The students quickly and efficiently filed into the airship, flashing their passes to the scanners built into the gate as they passed. Once Greta was through she walked through the wide umbilicus to the airship that would be taking her and her new comrades to Beacon. When she turned around she failed to find Lach. Figuring that he had simply been forced to take a place at the back of the queue she continued on to the ship.

The students were all shuttled onto a civilian Skywhale, a relatively large transport designed to carry passengers and cargo. Usually tasked with short trips within Vale's borders or to the nearby colonies and outposts, it was more luxurious and less practical than most other models.

Greta went over to one of the windows and took a seat on a bench that was bolted to the floor in front of the large glass pane. At the moment all she could see was the hanger of the airport but she expected to get a much better view once they took off. A part was actually feeling giddy. She had never flown before and the idea of riding through the sky on such a massive machine was exciting for her. That fact that she would finally make to Beacon on such a vehicle also helped.

She waited patiently for the departure procedures to finish, not realising she was tuning out the safety protocols. It was rather sudden when she felt the entire ship jolt from the engines starting up. The repulsors fired down and the ship began to lift, flexible mooring clamps detaching and retracting back into the hanger wall.

Greta's stomach dropped as she felt the ship take off from the ground and glide carefully out of the hanger. Her heart hammered in her chest as she saw the fins of the ship come worryingly close to other machines in the airport. It took several minutes of manoeuvring for the large ship to finally make it out of the hanger and into the open air.

Her worry vanished and was replaced by a renewed wonder and excitement as she looked out of the window and out into the sky.

The streets she had walked through were now beneath her, shrinking further and further as the airship gained altitude. Greta had been in high-rises before but she never seen the ground move away from her at such heights before. She had butterflies in her stomach that were upset a little as the ship tilted and shifted and moved her with it. The airship angled itself away from the city centre and the high-rises that characterised it and pointed east, towards Beacon Academy.

Whoever had scheduled the flight to Beacon had obviously chosen a very leisurely route. After directing itself towards the academy, the airship had then gone on a rather circuitous route that looped close to the academy several times before redirecting itself to show students views of other parts of the kingdom. At a certain point in the journey several television screens had been turned on for the passengers, usually displaying news or relevant information for the arriving students.

Lach hadn't managed to find her again but Greta wasn't concerned. She had remained enthralled by the trip and the views that she had never seen before in her life.

She had of course travelled to other parts of the city and then there were the trips overseas to Patch that she had required to take in order to attend Signal Academy. When she went to Patch, however, it had always been by boat, which was more affordable. Never before had she been able to get such a brilliant view of so much of her small world.

Now, however, the ship was finally closing in Beacon Academy. Even from a distance, the first sight of the prestigious school was awe inspiring. Separate from Vale Proper, the Beacon Campus was situated on a serene plateau to the east of the city. Perched on the edge of the plateau's cliff-side, Beacon stood like the prow of a ship over the lake at the base of the cliffs. Several waterfalls fell from the cliff-top down to the lake, one of them running right down the middle of the school's grounds to land at the sprawling dockyards at the base of the cliff. Two other wider rivers flanked the school., one of them feeding the stream in the campus' centre. Elevator pillars led from the aerial docking platforms that were perched over the cliffs, right down to the docks in the lake. Behind the school was the rest of the plateau, an almost unspoiled landscape of verdant forests and rolling mountains.

The school itself was a series of elegant towers reaching high into the sky, centred around the Beacon Tower, a single massive tower that rose above even the other high-rise structures. I was built like a bizarre combination of archaic fortification and sleek modernised skyscraper, capped by the academy's beacon, a massive green light that shone from behind plate glass windows and gave the school its name. She had read, from the information pamphlet she had received before leaving, that the Beacon served as a light for all mankind and would never be dimmed so long as the school stood.

A more cynical part of her did wonder just how much of the structure was part of the original school and how much was relatively new. Like all children, she knew that the school had been a primary battleground in the Witch War, the first part of Vale to fall and one of the last to be retaken. Much of the school had been damaged or destroyed by the battling forces of Grimm and mankind and great efforts had been made to rebuild it afterwards.

Steeling herself for the imminent arrival, she turned to pick up her bag from behind her seat and noticed the news program that was playing across from her.

'...are now celebrating their victory over the Alexandrian Insurgents,' a newsreader's voice said as the screen displayed soldiers climbing over a mound of rubble into a building whilst other soldiers shot at them and explosions went off around them. 'With the victory at Megalopolis his majesty King Philip of Mistral announced the end to the Mistrali Civil War. The conflict, begun in August last year by the king's illegitimate son, has been a dangerous source of strife for the kingdom and many express hope that the end of the war will allow the kingdom to finally deal with the Grimm swarms that have begun to congregate around their defences.'

Greta wasn't especially interested in the news but she saw many other students were, even the girl who had hit and shouted at her. Greta turned her head away before the annoying girl noticed her again.

A chime suddenly sounded and the television screens switched off. At the centre of the passenger common area, a projector switched on, forming the figure of an old man in a tweed suit. His face was drawn and wrinkled and his eyes had steely quality to them. Whatever other features he had were difficult to make out as the light-blue tint of the holographic projection made it impossible to discern them.

Greta gave her full attention to the holographic image which seemed to exude authority and presence even through the shimmering image. His eyes didn't look at any student in particular, instead scowling for a moment at where Greta assumed the camera for the video feed was placed.

The figure cleared his throat and straightened himself before opening his mouth.

'Hello and welcome to Beacon Academy,' he said, putting his left hand on his chest. 'I am Professor John Smith. You students are among the privileged few who have been accepted as potential future Huntsmen and Huntresses. Our world has recovered from a great conflict and is working towards building a new era of peace. As future Huntsmen and Huntresses it will be your duty to help humanity reach that peace and work towards making Remnant a safer and more prosperous world for all.'

Greta felt a little trepidation at what the holographic professor had just said. She knew what her future vocation would demand from her but hearing about it from an actual member of the academy's staff was still intimidating.

'All of you have shown the skill, courage and fortitude needed to enter this prestigious institution,' the professor continued. 'It is here, now, that your studies begin. Once you enter these grounds we will prepare you for the trials and trepidations that your future will bring you. We hope to help you fulfil your true potential just as we expect you to live up to it.'

The speech finished, the projector switched off and the older man disappeared. Barely a moment later the students began grabbing their possessions and moving towards the exits.

Greta shouldered her duffel-bag and followed after them. A slight jolt signalled the airship's successful docking. The moment the doors opened the other students began quickly filing out. There was still some time before the mandatory introductory seminar but it seemed most of the new attendees wanted to be punctual for their first day.

Greta, on the other hand, was completely overwhelmed by the school. At a distance Beacon had been awe inspiring but actually being on the grounds and seeing the academy close-up was breathtaking. The towers of the school now loomed over her, the light of the beacon brighter than ever. In front of her, past the docking platforms, was a beautiful avenue of carved statues. Each statue depicted what was likely a Huntsman or Huntress, holding weapons whilst also supporting the arches that connected each opposite statue.

The closest statues were of recent heroes from the Witch War. Greta recognised a few from history books and – in the case of those who were still alive – newspapers and magazines. She passed the likenesses of esteemed people like Ruby Rose, Glynda Goodwitch and Velvet Scarletina, every one of them a Valesian hero. The ones further away were ones more recognisable from stories and history books. She was able to make out a few like Ethric the Gardener, David the Uniter, Annchi the Just and one she guessed was supposed to be Peter the Great, the first King of Vale.

Her eyes on the statues, she didn't notice she hadn't been watching where she was going until she hit something.

She collided with something, chest first. The impact wasn't hard but her gasp of surprise was exaggerated by being shocked out of her prior state of fascination with the architecture. She jumped back with a start as she looked forward and realised what she had hit was a person.

'Sorry,' she said, looking down at the person she had bowled over. He was a boy, likely about her age but very small and almost delicate looking. He had a round, young-looking face, shaggy brown hair that curled slightly and piercing blue eyes that looked as surprised as she was. He was dressed in sturdy leather clothing with blue trousers and a belt covered in various thick cloth pouches and with a sheathed blade strapped to it.

'I didn't see you there,' she said apologetically, reaching down with her right hand to help him up.

'No, no. It's not a problem,' the boy replied in a good-humoured tone. 'It happens all the time. I kind of blend into the background.'

'Well it's good you're alright,' Greta continued. 'I mean Aura would have taken care of it anyway but it's still not nice to just get knocked down like that and I really should've...,' she trailed off as she realised she had begun to ramble.

The boy smiled at her. 'It's alright,' he assured her and Greta blushed. 'I'm Tom by the way,' he said, extending a hand. 'Thomas Underhill.'

'Greta Hexenpfahl.' Greta took his hand and shook it, glad he wasn't as enthusiastic as Lach had been. 'So you're a first year?'

'Yep,' Tom beamed. 'Same as you. I was a bit surprised when I got accepted but I'm here now and looking forward to what I can do here.'

'It can be a bit..,' Greta rooted around in her brain for the right word, 'overwhelming.'

'Yeah,' Tom replied. 'I mean look at this place,' he waved around at the massive campus, stopping his hand at the Beacon Tower. 'It's times like this that make you feel rather small.'

'Yeah,' Greta agreed. 'It is rather imposing. But we'll grow into it. That's why we're here isn't it.'

Tom chuckled. 'Well I don't know about that,' he said, spreading his arms and inclining his head down at his body. 'I've kind of stayed at this height for a long time now.'

Greta looked him up and down. She wasn't exactly tall but the boy was nearly half a foot shorter than her and, when combined with his very youthful face, he actually looked a lot younger than most Beacon students should.

'Uh, I don't mean to be rude but how old are you?' Greta asked hesitantly. Once she had finished she bit her lip. Thankfully Tom didn't appear upset by her question and just laughed again.

'I'm seventeen honest,' he said between chortles.

'Right,' Greta said before she could follow up on her question. 'Sorry, it's just you do look rather young.'

'Runs in the family,' Tom said, waving off her concerns. 'I think it's mostly from my father's side because my uncle's not that big either and he's quite old.'

'Cool,' Greta said, not sure how to continue the conversation. Her eyes roamed around the area as she struggled to find a new topic and then suddenly noticed most of the other students had already walked past them.

'Wait,' Greta quickly said as she realised what was happening. 'What time is i...,'

'There ya are,' a loud and familiar voice shouted out exuberantly. Greta felt Lach before she saw him as he clapped her heavily on the shoulder, forcing her forward with the blow and almost pushing her over. 'What are ya standin' round here for. The speech's gonna start soon.'

'It is?' Tom shouted in surprise.

'Whoa, where did you come from?' Lach shouted in response, jumping back slightly from surprise.

'He's always been here,' Greta said.

'Oh,' Lach responded dumbly in embarrassment. 'Sorry there. Didn't notice ya it seems.'

'Happens all the time,' Tom waved the other boy's concerns off, pulling up a suitcase that had laid beside him throughout the conversation. 'Anyway. I think we need to get moving if we want to get seats for this speech.'

Together, the three students ran to the auditorium, pausing a moment to figure out the directions that had been handed to them with their acceptance email. They made into the auditorium with several other stragglers but thankfully the seminar hadn't begun yet. The entire room was vast, the vaulted ceiling reaching high above the students and evoked a very modernist look that contrasted with the somewhat classical exterior of the school. The auditorium echoed with various conversations from the students who were now milling around the large room. Most had taken seats but others were still standing around or wandering in search of particular places or people.

'So do either of you see anywhere where we can sit together?' Greta asked as she scanned the room for a free space.

'I've got nothing,' Tom reported, standing on his toes to try to see over the other people in the room.

'I think I found one,' Lach suddenly shouted. 'But we're gonna have ta move quick if we wanna grab it.'

The larger boy immediately set off in the direction of the space he had spotted and Greta and Tom trailed after him. They did find a space in the rows of seats where several chairs had been left empty. Rushing forward, they quickly sat in three of them, Greta stuck in between the two other boys.

'So?' she began hesitantly, looking back and forth between Tom on her left and Lach on her right. 'How long do you suppose this seminar's going to last?'

'The schedule said it starts at one,' Tom piped up, checking the clock on his scroll. 'It's about five minutes to but it doesn't say when we finish. I hope it's not too long. These seats aren't exactly comfortable.'

'I hear ya,' Lach added, shifting slightly in an attempt to get comfortable.

The three of them chatted absently for a few more minutes until a voice came from the speaker systems above.

'Could all students please take their seats,' the familiar, sharp voice of Professor Smith said.

The room quieted down and the students that were still standing scrambled to find seats. Groups broke up as their members tried to find somewhere to sit. Greta stopped her conversations and turned to look at the stage in front of her. Her seat wasn't that far from the podium at the other end of the room and she had a decent view of everything that was going on in front of her.

Professor Smith was already standing in the centre of the stage, stepping away from the microphone he had been talking into a moment ago. In the flesh, his presence was surprisingly more solid and real despite his obvious age. His hair was grey and his face was drawn with a few sagging wrinkles on his brow and around his eyes. Despite that his eyes had a sharpness and acuity to them that made him seem a lot more intimidating than most would have thought. His tweed suit was a dusty brown but did not look worn and was accented by the white dress shirt and dark black bow tie he wore under the jacket. At his side was a small wand that he gripped in his right hand.

A moment later another man walked up on stage from the left-hand side of the room. He was considerably younger than the aged professor but was still obviously middle aged. He had dirty blonde hair that was starting to grey at the roots and a hardened face with only a few hints of wrinkles around the eyes. He wore a rather casual shirt and trousers with two separate belts, each one lopsided, on his hips. One of the belts held a sheathed sword, the man's left hand resting on the pommel. As he walked up to the microphone Greta saw he had a rather leisurely smile that contrasted with the more stern expression from Professor Smith.

'Hello students,' the man said as he leaned towards the microphone. 'I am Professor Jaune Arc and for the next four years I will be your headmaster.'

There were a few murmurs amongst the seated crowd. Most had already recognised him but his own confirmation had stirred some surprise and excitement.

'For the next four years it will be my job to oversee you,' the headmaster continued. 'It will be my job to see that you all reach your full potential and become the very best Huntsman or Huntress that you can be. However, it is also my job to warn you. To become a Huntsman, or Huntress is to willing to sacrifice many things. This school will ask things of you that you have never been expected to give and from here on life will only ask more from you. Those of you who believe that your time here will be easy are better off leaving. Those of you who are unsure whether or not you are willing to make these sacrifices are also better off leaving. It is times like these in your lives where you stand on the brink, where your decision in this moment will decide something momentous in your lives.'

He paused and seemed to scan the room. Most of the students now looked very hesitant, some of them were even unsure of what he was saying.

'However,' he continued, 'all of you are here today to learn. To prepare to become the heroes and heroines that Vale needs. Students, it my great pleasure to welcome you to Beacon.'

With that he stepped back and beamed at them. The atmosphere in the room now felt very heavy and awkward. No-one was really sure how to respond to what the Professor Arc had just said to them. Greta turned to look expectantly at Lach. The larger boy simply shrugged at her before leaning back in his seat. Tom, on the other hand, looked a lot more worried. His left hand was nervously fingering a gold ring attached to a thin chain that he had produced from inside his shirt.

'It'll be alright,' Greta whispered. 'I mean we all made it here so I'm sure we'll do okay.' Tom nodded at her, fixing an unsure smile to his face.

The sound of someone clearing their throat into the microphone caused Greta to turn her attention back to the stage. Professor Smith was once again standing front and centre, his stern expression looming down at the students.

'You will all be assigned rooms tomorrow after the Initiation Event,' the professor said authoritatively. 'Until that time you will all be housed in main hall. I expect all of you to follow the rules and conduct yourselves properly during your stay here. The remainder of the afternoon is now free but I suggest you rest yourselves up for Initiation tomorrow. Thank you and have a good day.'

Both professors then walked off of the stage and out of the auditorium. Most of the students, surprised at how quickly the seminar had finished quickly agreed to get their things over to the main hall. They began filing out of the auditorium, several of them grouping back up with the people they had been chatting with before the speech.

Greta stood up from her seat, straightening out her dress and then picking up her duffel-bag and putting it back on her shoulder. 'I'm going to grab a spot in the hall,' she said to Lach and Tom.

'I think I'll do the same,' Lach replied with a grin.

'Don't you have to go and collect the rest of your bags?' Tom asked with mild confusion.

'No,' Greta responded. 'I've got all my stuff.' She hefted her bag slightly to indicate it and then let it drop back down on her back.

'Same 'ere,' Lach added, indicating the two large shoulder bags he was carrying as well as a duffel-bag he was cradling in the crook of his right arm.

'Oh,' Tom said, flushing slightly. 'Well I, um, have a couple of bags that they probably offloaded from the ship. I'll find you two after I've got them.'

'I'll give you a hand,' Lach immediately offered, walking over to Tom and standing beside him. 'Wanna give us a hand Greta?'

'I, um, well,' Greta fumbled. She was beginning to feel exhausted after taking in so much. 'I'm kinda feeling tired now and I, um...,'

No, no, I get it,' Lach said waving her off. Greta noticed that he was frowning a little. 'We'll catch up with ya. Go get some rest.'

'Um, thanks,' Greta replied with an awkward blush. 'Sorry.'

'No problem,' Lach said in response, already turning back to the main doors and indicating towards Thomas. 'Come on Tom. Let's get yer stuff.'

The two of them walked out of the auditorium, leaving Greta alone.

"Was that a good idea?" Greta thought. "I mean he looked a little upset. Should I go with them?" She made to follow them but stopped herself. "No," she thought. "That'll just make it awkward. I'll apologise when they get back. Maybe I'll claim a spot for them as well. Yeah, that'll work."

Her mind made up she walked out of the door and took a right turn, walking away from the docks and in the direction of a large building attached to the Beacon Tower.

Walking through the doors, she came into a large corridor that stretched on towards a set of double-doors at the other end. Smaller doors branched off from the hallway, likely leading to other rooms. The hallway had a much more classical aesthetic than the auditorium that matched the school more in Greta's eyes. Students walked part of her, many of them talking to other people as they wandered into the building. Fixing a smile to her face, Greta walked confidently down the corridor and past the double-doors into the main hall.

The hall continued the classical look that the rest of the building had. It was massive, easily accommodating the large number of students who had gathered in and begun laying their possession out. She saw that several were already lying or sitting on futons that had been laid out in neat rows in preparation for them. Another set of double-doors was on the other side of the room with signs on the wall beyond indicating toilets and shower-rooms.

Greta weaved her way through the clusters of students, taking care not to step on anyone or anything until she found three empty futons with no-one sitting on them and no luggage set near them either. Smiling she went over and sat down on the middle futon and then placed her duffel-bag on another. She wondered for a moment on how she would claim the other one beside her until she had an idea. She slipped Firebrand out of her duffel-bag and set that on the other futon beside her. Satisfied with what she had done she settled down and waited for Lach and Tom to return.

To pass the time, she looked around at the other students around her. Every student seemed to be unique, from their clothing to their luggage. There were also an assortment of faunus which set her on edge. The faunus children at the children's home had usually been the trouble cases, coming from the most difficult situations and acting out the most. Violent faunus had been much more dangerous than humans and those faunus orphans who lashed out usually hurt a lot of people.

Calming down, she looked at Firebrand and felt reassured. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She could look after herself. She could fight back now.

Scanning the room again, she saw some groups had already begun to form. There were students with small mountains of luggage who had already joined together in one corner of the room, their large numbers of bags and boxes almost building a wall around them. Many faunus had gathered in their own cliques, drawing snide remarks and suspicious whispers from other students. Most however seemed to be hanging around people that were probably already their friends. The room echoed to chatter and the occasional bursts of laughter.

Feeling more relaxed, she lay back and decided to rest a little. She rolled her head to one side to keep an eye on the entrance and waited.

She brightened up when Lach and Tom entered the room. Lach still had the three bags she had seen him pick up in the auditorium but Tom was now carrying another large, wheeled suitcase along with the other one she had first seen him with. Lach also had another larger suitcase in his free hand. The two of them were chatting with each other.

'Guys!' Greta shouted over the crowd, standing up and waving at them. 'Over here.'

The two of them heard her and changed direction, walking over to her spot.

'I saved a spot for you,' she said, moving her duffel-bag and weapon off of the other futons. 'Sorry about leaving you both back there.'

'It's no problem,' Tom replied as he placed his suitcase on one of the futons. 'Thanks for saving a spot though. This place is really filling up.'

Lach walked over and deposited the rest of Tom's luggage. 'Ya think you've brought enough stuff?' he asked Tom with a chuckle as he dropped his bags on the other futon.

'Sorry,' Tom said. 'I had my uncle to help me get it all to the airship. He told me I should prepare for anything and I think I overdid it.'

'Well at least we won't have to worrying about forgetting anything,' Greta suddenly joined in with a grin. 'I'm pretty sure you'll have spares we could borrow.'

'I don't know about that,' Tom shot back with a smirk. 'I'm pretty sure none of my stuff would fit you.'

'He's got us there,' Lach agreed with a chuckle.

'Don't say that about him,' Greta said. 'That's mean.'

'I honestly don't mind,' Tom said, holding up his hands to reassure her. 'I got over my height a long time ago.'

'Well if you say so,' Greta replied with some hesitance.

'So does anyone know about what's happening for dinner?' Lach suddenly asked. 'Cause I didn't bring my own food.'

'The schedule says the school cafeteria will be opening at about five,' Tom answered, opening his scroll and bringing up the window he had saved the email on. 'There's nothing on the menu though so we can't plan dinner.' He then laid back with a sigh and put his hands together, raising them above his head. 'Please, please gods above us let Beacon's cafeteria food be halfway decent.'

'Oh come on,' Greta said, 'It's not going to be that bad. Anyway, since dinner's sorted out what does it matter?'

'I guess you've got a point,' Tom conceded.

The three of them quickly began chatting amongst one another as the afternoon passed them by. More students entered the hall, grabbing their own spots, dropping their luggage off and forming their own groups. A chime eventually went off over the speakers announcing the opening of the cafeteria, leading to the students leaving the room and coming back to it. Overall, the afternoon was very relaxed, all in preparation for tomorrow.

Greta noticed that the atmosphere in the main hall had changed over the course of the afternoon. Dinner had been nice, especially since the food, whilst not meeting Tom's standards, was still very good. Her new friends had chatted about their homes, what their time in Signal had been like for them and their families.

After dinner was over they had mostly decided to get ready for the night. They had all gone to shower and get changed, stopping off at the hall to grab bags with toiletries and pyjamas. Greta had decided to keep her shower short, washing her hair and giving herself a quick wipe down to get rid of sweat. She had then changed into her dark green nightie, putting a change of underwear on underneath and slipping into a pair of black slippers. Grabbing her bag again, she had left the showers, re-entered the main hall and found that the boys had still managed to finish before her.

Tom was in a pair of matching striped pyjamas and simple blue slippers whilst Lach had simply put on a t-shirt and some thin shorts.

'There ya are,' Lach said in greeting as Greta walked over to their spot. 'Glad to see ya decided to join us again.'

'You try looking after hair like this,' Greta shot back, flicking a few strands into the larger boys face and tickling his nose. Despite it only being a day she had felt a lot more confident since meeting them and was willing to take a few more risks.

Lach simply tutted at her and then laid back, getting out of reach of her hair. Chuckling Greta looked around the room. Most other students had also laid down, ready to go to sleep but there were a few still messing around, several of the boys had decided to forgo shirts and were fooling around, often for the attention of the girls in the room. Greta blushed as one of them began stretching across from her. She did her best not look at him as he began to flex.

'Enjoyin' the view are we?' Lach suddenly said with a chuckle. Greta squeaked in surprise and indignation and rounded on him with a glare.

'Just what are you trying to say about me?' she snapped at him.

'Whoa, whoa, I didn't mean anything,' Lach responded with a chuckle, putting his hand defensively in front of him. 'Just a joke. Besides,' he then pointed his finger past her, 'it's not like you're the only one.'

Greta followed his finger to see several of the girls were still following the antics of the boys. Some of them had restrained smirks and a few rolled their eyes but it was obvious they weren't going to stop watching any time soon. A few of the more honest ones were openly leering, encouraging the boys who noticed to exaggerate their movements.

'Seems the boys aren't the only ones showing off either,' Lach continued, pointing out a few girls who were exaggeratedly lounging, a few running fingers over their bodies as they pretended to reach for something from their luggage. A few other girls who had gotten up for whatever reason had also decided to strut as they walked back to their futons, gaining numerous looks from the boys they passed.

'Great,' Greta sighed. 'You'd think these people realise some of us are trying to get to sleep.'

'Just try not ta think about what might be going on if we were all asleep,' Lach then added with another chuckle.

Greta choked in disgust and embarrassment, blushed heavily and edged away from the boy. 'You're disgusting,' she snapped at him.

'Oh come one. It's just a joke,' Lach said to her.

Greta huffed and rolled away from him. Shutting her eyes, she tried to ignore the noise from the students that were still awake.

'Guess I went too far,' she heard Lach whisper before rustling indicated he too was lying down to sleep.

Greta sighed to herself. Her first day was over and, all things considered, it had been very good. She had made a few friends, hopefully ones she would keep, she was in Beacon now. Her life was set for the next four years. She could take care of the rest when she got there. For now she just had to get herself settled and figure out how to get herself into a team. With any luck her friends would want to join her.