The next morning it dawned bright and clear over Patch.
After a hearty breakfast courtesy of Taiyang (who maintained a polite but watchful distance from Arthur).
It was time for Ruby, Yang, and Arthur to head to Beacon Academy.
The journey to Beacon on the Bullhead was filled with Ruby's unrestrained enthusiasm.
She bounced in her seat, her silver eyes wide with wonder as the majestic academy came into view, perched high atop a cliff overlooking Vale.
Yang, ever the supportive older sister, chuckled at Ruby's excitement while occasionally casting an appraising glance at Arthur, who remained a calm and observant presence beside them.
It wasn't long before another student, a lanky blond boy with an endearingly nervous demeanor, stumbled into their vicinity.
He looked particularly green around the gills, clutching his stomach with a desperate expression.
"Uh, hey," he managed, his voice wavering slightly. "Is this… uh… going to stop soon?"
Yang, ever the friendly one, offered a sympathetic smile.
"Motion sickness getting to you, buddy?"
Before the boy could answer, a sudden lurch of the Bullhead sent him reeling.
He clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with panic. It looked like a rather unpleasant moment was imminent.
Reacting quickly and with a subtle grace and the speed of his movement, Arthur placed a hand gently on the boy's back.
A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of crimson light emanated from his touch.
"Focus on the horizon,"
Arthur advised calmly, his voice a low and steady anchor in the boy's distress.
"Deep breaths."
The effect was immediate.
The boy's panicked expression softened, and the color slowly returned to his face.
He took a shaky breath, then another, and a relieved sigh escaped his lips.
"Whoa," he said, looking at Arthur with wide, grateful eyes. "Thanks. I… I thought I was gonna…"
He trailed off, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.
"I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, keeps you on your toes."
He offered Arthur a slightly less green hand.
"Arthur," he replied, a polite smile gracing his lips as he shook Jaune's hand.
"Seriously, thank you,"
Jaune said earnestly. If it wasn't for his help.
Something disgusting could happen and it would ruin his life forever.
He shuddered dramatically.
Yang felt dreadful inside if Arthur didn't intervene in time. She would be covered in his vomit…
Eww… Just thinking about it made Yang feel scared for her life.
"You're a lifesaver. Literally."
As the Bullhead finally docked at Beacon, Ruby practically vibrated with excitement, her words tumbling out in a rapid-fire stream.
"Wow! Look at it! It's even bigger up close! Oh, I can't wait to see the classrooms and the training grounds and meet all the other students! This is going to be the best!"
She suddenly turned to Arthur, her silver eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Oh! Arthur! I almost forgot! You used that really cool wand yesterday! The crimson one! What's it made of? And what kind of magic do you use with it? Is it like Dust? Can you make explosions? Or maybe summon things?"
Her enthusiasm was infectious.
"It looked really old! Is it an antique?"
Arthur chuckled softly at Ruby's barrage of questions, his gaze warm.
"Patience, Ruby," he said kindly.
Reaching inside his coat, he carefully withdrew the wand.
It wasn't overly ornate, crafted from a dark, polished wood that seemed to absorb the light, with subtle carvings that hinted at age and power.
The crimson hue Ruby had noticed likely stemmed from the ambient magical energy that often surrounded it.
"This," Arthur began, turning the wand slowly in his fingers, "is not unlike a conduit, a focus for the energies I work with. It is not Dust, though Dust can be incorporated into enchantments. My… abilities are a little different."
To illustrate, he held the wand aloft.
With a flick of his wrist and a murmured incantation – a string of melodic, unfamiliar words – a cluster of luminous butterflies, each a different shade of amethyst and gold, materialized in the air around them.
They fluttered gently, their wings leaving trails of sparkling light, before dissipating as quickly as they appeared.
Ruby gasped, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Whoa! Butterflies! You can just… make them?"
Her excitement was palpable. She reached out a hand, as if to catch the fading shimmer.
"That's amazing! It's so much prettier than explosions!"
In her enthusiasm, however, Ruby took a step back without looking and bumped squarely into another student.
This student was the very picture of elegance and composure, with snow-white hair pulled back in a severe ponytail and piercing blue eyes that now narrowed in irritation.
She was clutching a large, ornately decorated suitcase.
"Oh! Sorry!" Ruby exclaimed, stumbling slightly.
Before the white-haired girl could unleash what looked like a rather frosty retort.
The dust she was carrying showed a strange sign. They were likely to explode any second.
Time seemed to slow down.
In a flash, Arthur moved. He extended an arm, his movements fluid and precise.
Arthur's hand closed gently around the suitcase, his fingers brushing against the cool metal. The faint crimson shimmer reappeared, this time more focused, enveloping the volatile dust crystals within.
A soft hum filled the air for a fleeting moment, a barely perceptible vibration against Weiss's hand still gripping the handle.
Then, silence. The ominous glow within the suitcase faded, the threat of explosion vanished as if it had never been.
Weiss blinked, her narrowed eyes widening in surprise.
She stared at the suitcase, then at Arthur's hand still resting upon it.
A faint blush dusted her cheeks, a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor.
"What… what did you do?" she asked, her voice a breathy whisper, the intended frosty retort completely forgotten.
Her piercing blue eyes flickered up to meet Arthur's.
For the first time, the usual sharp edges in her gaze seemed to soften, replaced by a curious and… something else she couldn't quite decipher.
"A minor neutralization,"
Arthur replied calmly, withdrawing his hand.
His gaze was polite, his expression neutral, as if preventing a potentially dangerous explosion was an everyday occurrence.
"The dust seemed… unstable."
Ruby, oblivious to the subtle shift in the atmosphere, was still marveling at the lingering traces of the magical butterflies.
"Wow, Arthur! You're so cool! You can make pretty things and stop explosions! You are super cool!"
Weiss, however, remained fixed on Arthur, a strange turmoil brewing within her.
His quiet competence, the subtle display of power, and even the gentle touch on her suitcase had stirred something unexpected.
She found herself oddly flustered, a sensation entirely new and unwelcome.
"Hmph,"
She finally managed, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to regain some semblance of her usual hauteur.
"Well, it was… adequate. Anyone with a modicum of control over elemental Dust could have done the same."
Her voice, however, lacked its usual sharp conviction, and her gaze kept flicking back to Arthur almost against her will.
"Weiss Schnee,"
She added, her tone a little too sharp, as if to compensate for her earlier surprise.
She offered a curt nod, her blue eyes lingering on him for a fraction longer than necessary.
"Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
"A pleasure, Miss Schnee,"
Arthur replied with a polite inclination of his head, his warm gaze unwavering.
Jaune, who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes, nudged Yang.
"Did… did it just get a little weird in here?" he whispered.
Yang smirked, a knowing glint in her lilac eyes.
"Yep. Looks like someone's a little… frosty about being rescued."
Jaune for some reason didn't feel good about it. And Yang noticed it.
She felt like him but kept it better than him.
She elbowed him playfully.
"Don't worry, Vomit Boy. It happens."
Ruby, still buzzing with excitement, bounced on the balls of her feet.
As for Weiss, normally she would part way with them but now she walked close to Arthur while he helped her carry the suitcase.
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