Ruby closed her eyes and rolled her head around, popping the joints in her neck. She leant her head back against the seat back behind her and yawned. The train sped along, approaching Vale quickly. The trip had been several hours long, and Ruby had fallen asleep as soon as the train had pulled out of the station. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she glanced over at Yang.

Yang sat in the seat next to Ruby, wearing her yellow, flame emblazoned head phones. Ruby could hear the low drone of the music Yang was listening to, she also recognised the song. Yang looked out the window, nodding her head to the music. She had Ember and Celica in her hands and was using them to rhythmically beat the seat in front of her in time with the music.

Yang glanced over, noticing Ruby was finally awake.

"Oh, hey sis!" she said as she pulled off her head phones. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"How long was I asleep for?" Ruby moaned. Her mind was still a haze. She hadn't had time to fully wake up yet.

"About four hours." Yang replied with a grin. "You missed the snack cart at least three times." Ruby let out a quiet groan.

"I was looking forward to having a cookie."

"Just because Uncle Qrow isn't here to tell you off, doesn't mean you should start binging on sweets."

Ruby poked her tongue out at Yang as she reached for her bag on the floor. Yang shrugged and replaced her headphones over her ears. The drone of her music started again as she put them on. Ruby pulled out her own headphones and placed them on her head. She scrolled through her music library, searching for anything to listen to.

She scrolled down until a song title caught her eye: From the Outside. She selected it and leant back, closing her eyes once more. She turned the volume up as the introductory drums began rolling through her ears. She immediately turned it back down slightly when the guitars joined the fray. Ruby never usually listened to heavy metal music, but Yang had all but forced her to listen to this band in particular. And, despite Ruby's usual distaste for the genre, she found herself enjoying them. The music carried Ruby away from the train, away from the anxiety that was filling her. She let herself drift along the tides of the song.

The train jostled slightly and began to slow down. Ruby looked out the window, over Yang's head, hoping for a glimpse of Beacon. She thought she could pick out the spires of the school over the tops of the other buildings, but the train was still moving too fast to be sure. She glanced up at the luggage rack above her head, checking Crescent Rose was still there.

Ruby looked back out the window, her head bobbing in time with the music that blared through her headphones. She found her fingers moving through the air, pressing on and picking imaginary strings. She closed her eyes, imagining Crescent Rose in her hands, and a smile crept over her face.

She opened her eyes as the song ended, just as the train jerked to a halt. Yang pulled her headphones off, beginning to stand up. She nudged Ruby to her feet, hurrying her along. Ruby was happy to oblige. She sprang to her feet, grabbing her bags and slinging Crescent Rose's case over her shoulder. Yang tucked Ember and Celica into the back of her shorts before picking up her own bags and following Ruby off the train with a wide grin.

"So this is it," Yang said as they disembarked. "We made it to Vale." People were walking all around the two of them, going about their own business. Ruby was beginning to feel very out of place, she'd never been to Vale before.

"Now we just have to get to Beacon." She said, looking up at her sister.

"Uncle Qrow said he booked us a cab, we just have to find the driver." Yang replied as she lead the way to the train station's exit.

They came out of the train station and into an even larger throng of people. The sun was high in the sky and there were no clouds in sight. Ruby and Yang pushed their way through the crowd until they found a suited man holding a cardboard sign that read "Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long". They waded over to him, placed their bags and belongings in the trunk of his car and climbed in the back seat.

"Damn," Yang sighed. "That crowd was huge!"

"You can say that again," Ruby muttered. "Are crowds always that big here?" They slumped back in their seats, panting lightly. They rushed to clip their seatbelts on as the car jolted, rushing forward.

They sped through the streets of Vale, passing offices, shops and houses. The driver turned the car down so many corners that within five minutes, Ruby had completely lost her sense of direction. If she got out of the car, she knew she'd never find the train station again. She gazed out the window, watching the people-filled streets flashing past. Her breath caught as she saw Beacon in the distance, flashing between the buildings.

The car drove out of the buildings and onto a bridge, crossing the river that ran through Vale.

"Wow!" Ruby yelled, pressing her face up to the window.

"Nice view huh." Yang said, peering around Ruby. The view before Ruby was incredible. A long, winding river making its way through Vale and, at the end of it, Ruby's first unobstructed view of Beacon Academy. Its tall spires stretching towards the clouds, Beacon looked down on all of Vale.

Ruby turned to Yang, grinning widely. She grabbed sister into a hug and squealed in excitement.

"I can't believe it!" she squeaked. "We actually made it into Beacon!"

"It took a lot of work," Yang replied, patting Ruby on the head. "But yeah, we made it. Mom would be proud." The smile faded from Ruby's face at the mention of Summer. Ruby couldn't help but wonder if she would actually have been proud, if she'd have even cared. Ruby held onto Yang, doing her best not to cry.

Before Ruby could completely regain her composure, the car pulled up at the doors to Beacon Academy. The driver turned off the car and quickly jumped out. He rushed around to get their bags out of the car, setting them gently at the foot of the stairs to Beacon's main doors. Ruby and Yang pulled themselves out of the car and stood, awestruck, gazing up at the magnificent façade of Beacon Academy. It hadn't really hit Ruby that they were going to Beacon until she was standing at the doors.

She swallowed nervously, taking a hesitant step back. Yang looked at her, concerned.

"Ruby?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, totally fine." Ruby replied, trying to smile.

"Come on Ruby, there's no need to be nervous. We worked hard to get here, we've earned this."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ruby nodded. She was still anxious though. Am I really good enough? She thought. Do we really belong here? Trying to push down her anxiety, Ruby picked up her bags, slung Crescent Rose's strap over her shoulders and followed Yang up to the doors.

The doors to Beacon Academy opened, revealing a bustling hall of students, all holding their own bags and belongings. People were walking back and forth, talking and yelling, laughing and crying. There was a large screen hanging from a giant pillar in the centre of the room, showing a montage of Beacon's successful graduates.

"See Ruby," Yang said, gesturing towards a girl who was sitting in the corner of the room crying. "You're not the only one who's nervous." Ruby threw a punch at Yang's shoulder in reply.

"Oh shut up Yang, I'm not that nervous." Ruby said, pouting slightly. Yang merely laughed and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders, giving her a quick, one-armed hug.

The crowd quietened quickly as a blonde woman's face appeared on the screen. Hello students, a voice issued from speakers around the room, and welcome to Beacon Academy. As we're sure you all know: Beacon Academy is one of the leading schools in Remnant for musicians of any nationality, instrument and genre. You've all worked hard to be accepted into the prestigious academy, and we're proud to have you here. During your time here, you will hone your craft and acquire new skills, what skills you haven't acquired already. You will meet new people, make new friends, and you might even find people to join you in your future endeavours. Now, if you will all calmly head through the doors at the back of the room, you will all be taken for a quick tour and orientation.

Ruby looked at Yang excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was still nervous, but excitement was beginning to take over. Whether or not she belonged here, whether or not she would make it or fit in, she would at least get to see around Beacon. Beacon! Every one who'd ever picked up an instrument dreamed of going to Beacon and anyone who played seriously always aspired to graduate from it. She headed through the door, further into Beacon, with a wide grin on her face.

Orientation had consisted of being broken into smaller groups of about ten students and taken on a tour of the campus. Ruby had relished every second of it. She'd gotten a close look at the school's facilities: their stages, studios and classrooms. It was incredible.

After the orientation, Ruby and Yang had headed off to find their dormitory. They wandered through the dormitory wing of the school, searching for their room. Ruby led the way down the hall, taking note of the numbers on the doors they passed.

She came to a sudden halt. Yang didn't notice in time and walked into her, almost knocking Ruby over and tripping herself.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, catching herself before she fell over. "What's up?"

"Listen." Ruby was straining her ears, searching for the sound she'd heard seconds before. There it is! She could hear the gentle sound of piano keys drifting through air. She rushed towards the sound, coming to a stop in front of one of them dorm rooms.

"Mirror, tell me something." A quiet, gentle voice drifted from the room, accompanying the piano. Ruby listened at the door, enraptured. "Tell me who's the loneliest of all." Ruby's ears perked up as she heard an orchestra joining the piano. Yang joined Ruby at the door, tilting her head to one side.

"Do they have an orchestra in that room or something?" She asked. Ruby shrugged in response. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

Yang knocked on the door loudly. The music cut off and the hall felt empty, as if the loss of the music actually retracted from the world around them. The door opened and a beautiful girl with pale, white hair in a white dress stood before them.

"Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?" Ruby was floundered, searching for an answer.

"Uh… I… I mean, we…" She stammered, struggling to find the words.

"This is our dorm." Yang cut in. Ruby looked up at her sister, confused, then checked the number on the door. Sure enough, it was their room.

"Oh," the pale girl said. "Well, come on in." She stepped aside, opening the door wider to let them in. Ruby and Yang crossed the threshold, inspecting their new room. It was fairly plain: white walls, light brown floorboards, four beds. One of the beds had a keyboard and an open laptop on it. Ruby looked at the girl who'd let them in as she made her way back over to the bed, closing the laptop and turning the keyboard off.

"I'm Weiss." She said, holding a hand out to Ruby. Ruby reached out and shook it.

"I'm Ruby."

"I'm Yang." Yang said, taking Weiss' hand and shaking it. "So we have one more person who'll be bunking with us?"

"Yes, I haven't seen them yet though. I'm sure our last roommate will show up eventually." Weiss said, turning back to her bags.

"So you play the keyboard?" Ruby asked, setting her things on one of the beds. Weiss looked up, a joking smile on her face.

"I'd have thought that was obvious." She said, pointing towards the keyboard on the bed.

"Well, yeah." Ruby said, blushing. "I heard other instruments though."

"Oh, that." Weiss said, nodding. "The good thing about keyboards it they can simulate a plethora of other instruments. I can write music for other instruments on the keyboard and then run them through the laptop there."

"And you sing?" Ruby asked eagerly.

"Uh, no," Weiss said, blushing. "Not really. I'm not very good at it. I just write music. I was only singing because, well, I don't have any friends who can sing."

"Oh," Ruby said, trying to think of something nice to say. "Well I thought you sounded great."

"No, I'm really not good enough." Weiss said. "I wrote that song a while ago, and I'm not really a good enough singer for it."

"You wrote it?" Yang asked.

"That's correct."

"Then why couldn't you just write it so you could sing it?"

"Well I can," she said. "But not the way I'd like it to be sung. I wrote the music first, and then higher vocals seemed fit in better. But I can't sing that high."

"It doesn't sound like you're not good enough then." Ruby said. "You just don't have the pitch, and that doesn't mean you're bad at all. I thought you sounded great."

"So what do you two play?" Weiss asked, steering the conversation away from herself. Ruby perked up, opening Crescent Rose's case.

"I play the guitar!" she said excitedly. "This is Crescent Rose."

"You named your guitar?" Weiss asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Uh… Yeah," Ruby answered. She blushed embarrassedly.

"Don't be embarrassed." Weiss laughed. "I named my keyboard too."

"What'd you name it?" Ruby asked.

"I… I don't really like to tell people."

"Oh… That's okay. Don't worry about it." Ruby said with a smile.

"Well I play the drums." Yang said, pulling out Ember and Celica, her favourite drumsticks. She twirled them through her fingers dexterously.

"Oh, that must be yours over there then." Weiss said, pointing to the corner of the room. Ruby and Yang turned around. There was a yellow-painted drum kit sitting in the corner, all set up and ready to be used. Yang squealed in excitement and rushed over to it.

"My baby!" she squealed, sitting on the stool in the middle of the drums. She spun around in a quick circle, delighted. She twirled Ember and Celica around again before playing a quick drum solo. She hit every drum and cymbal at least twice, testing them all to make sure they were set up right.

"Wow," Weiss said quietly to Ruby. "She's good." Ruby smiled at Weiss' praise of her sister.

"She's worked hard." She replied.

"Looks like it's all set up right." Yang said, standing up. "Awesome! Remind me to thank Uncle Qrow for shipping these over for me."

As Ruby and Yang started unpacking, there was a knock at the door. Ruby headed over to open it, revealing a tall girl with long, black hair. She was wearing an almost entirely black outfit and a black bow in her hair.

"Hi!" Ruby said cheerfully, ushering the girl in. "You must be our last roommate!"

"Hi," the girl said calmly as she stepped into the room. She had a bag in one hand and a guitar case strapped over the other shoulder. "I'm Blake."

"I'm Ruby."

"Weiss,"

"Yang,"

"Nice to meet all of you. I guess I was the last one here?"

"I think so." Ruby said. "It's only four to a room isn't it?"

"Yes." Weiss said from her bed, she was already unpacked. "It's a maximum of four people per room, some have less though."

Ruby turned away from Blake to finish unpacking and stopped short as she saw Yang. Yang was staring intently at Blake, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Yang," Ruby whispered. "What are you doing?" Yang shook her head, turning back to her bags.

"Nothing," she whispered back. "She just looks familiar."

"Where would you have seen her before?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out."

Ruby turned away, facing Blake again. Blake had dropped her belongings on the last available bed and was beginning to unpack.

"So," Ruby began. "You play the guitar?" Blake looked up, still unpacking.

"No," she said, looking back down. "I play the bass."

"Oh cool!" Ruby said excitedly. "I've never met anyone who played the bass before."

"It's not that common anymore."

"Yeah, but I think it's cool."

"Do you play it too?"

"Uh, no…" Ruby said, blushing. "I play the guitar."

"Going for the glory too, huh?" Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"N- no," Ruby stuttered. "It's not like that at all. I play it because I've been learning it all my life. It's just what I've always played. And I've had years to get good enough at it to come to Beacon. I wouldn't change and start a new one now. Besides, my mom taught me…" Ruby trailed off, closing her eyes. Why did I say that, she thought, mentally kicking herself. She didn't want to think of Summer. Remembering the good times only made it hurt more at night.

"And I suppose you have the same opinion of bassists as everyone else? Hiding in the background, not important at all?" Blake said bitterly.

"No, not at all," Ruby replied with a smile. "I tried the bass at one point, just to see what it was like. I'd played the guitar for ages and I wanted to try something new. The bass seemed like the closest thing, something I could get the hang of quickly. But it's really tough. I really respect people that can play it, I know I couldn't. Sure you don't get as much recognition from the audience, but I think you get more from other musicians."

A smile spread over Blake's face; even she could feel the sincerity in Ruby's voice. "I didn't realise." She said. "Sorry about that, I always get a little worked up over that sort of thing. I shouldn't let it get to me as much as it does. I… I was pretty much forced into playing the bass. The band I used to be in… Well… Everyone wanted to play the guitar. I was one of them. We had a drummer, two singers and three guitarists. They forced me into playing the bass because they wanted the glory of playing the guitar. So I got forced to the back and never got noticed."

"Oh, that's awful." Ruby said. "If you hated it so much the–"

"I didn't say I hated it." Blake cut her off. "Just that I was forced into it. I was against it at first, but I grew to like it pretty quickly. And I got used to being a backup singer."

"Backup singer too?" Weiss joined the conversation. "They really did push you to the back didn't they?"

"That's part of why I left." Blake replied. "They were too hungry for glory, too aggressive and I didn't like where the band was going."

"I knew recognised you!" Yang yelled. The other three turned to her, all looking confused. "I've been trying to place it ever since you walked in the door." She continued. "You're the bassist for White Fang!"