On the other side of the sky-port, another ship was letting off passengers that had been traveling from Mistral. One of said passengers was a young woman with bright-green eyes, long flowing red hair tied into a ponytail and a very athletic figure.
She smiled kindly at a few flight attendants, a duffel bag in each hand and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a red hoodie as she disembarked.
Pyrrha Nikos was known throughout Remnant as one of the youngest and most talented up and coming huntresses. Being the top of her class at Sanctum, she had also won four tournaments with her impressive skills, making her a celebrity in her home kingdom. It was all of this together that all but ensured her acceptance into Beacon academy.
However, there was more of a personal reason for wanting to attend combat school in another kingdom.
Given her fame, it was very hard for her to make connections with other people. Either she would be approached for the sake of either getting an autograph and being used for her status, or she was avoided given her level of strength and skill which was considered intimidating by many.
Because of all of this, Pyrrha didn't have many friends, if any at all. And she didn't enjoy any of it.
She enjoyed training, and always had the dream of being a huntress for the sake of making the world a better place. But she didn't think that would entail all of the attention that was thrust upon her, being given names like "The Warrior Goddess" or "The Invincible Girl", the latter of the two her least favorite.
There was even a time when she was a model for a breakfast cereal, though the cereal itself was overly sweet and didn't taste too good in her opinion. It was another reason why she wanted to search for education elsewhere.
So when she was given the opportunity to attend a different school in a different kingdom, she saw a chance to make connections with people she couldn't back in Mistral.
Taking a deep breath and adjusting the hold she had on her luggage, Pyrrha headed into the city toward the direction of the hotel where she would be staying until the start of the new school year.
She'd been to Vale a couple of times, one of the tournaments that she had one had been held here and she knew the lay of the land rather well. And since she would be here for the next four years it would work to her benefit if and when she needed something outside of school.
Making her way down the sidewalk among the early afternoon foot traffic, the red-headed huntress in training took in all the sights and sounds around her. A small smile lighting up her pretty face as she enjoyed the warm, sunny day.
Mistral was located in a much warmer climate, some days could get as high as 90 degrees depending on the season. So the weather here in Vale was actually rather refreshing.
Green eyes checking out the many shops and restaurants, Pyrrha rounded a corner ahead of her and failed to see the tall individual that had stopped until she walked right into him.
A soft gasp of surprise escaped her while a small grunt came from the one she bumped into. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized a moment later, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
The individual turned around and Pyrrha was met with the visage of a rather handsome young man around her age if not a year older. His outfit consisted of combat boots, a pair of torn black cargo pants and long sleeve thermal shirt beneath a ragged brown cloak.
Messy and spiked white hair covered his head with a pair of white wolf-ears peaking out. A pair of crimson eyes met her gaze, a jagged scar running over his right one from his forehead to the center of his cheek giving off a slightly intimidating aura.
But the calm half-smile he gave back to her defused that bit.
"It's fine. Had to stop and check out some directions." he replied, holding up his scroll while having a large rucksack slung over his left shoulder.
Pyrrha blinked, her face darkening a bit when she realized she'd been staring more than a bit. "Oh, uh, anything I can help with? It's the least I can do for running into you."
The wolf-Faunus shrugged and handed her his scroll, "Trying to find this place." he said, showing her the map on the screen with the location he needed to go marked. The Mistral champion was surprised to see that he was heading in the same direction she was.
"You're on your way to the Vytal Peak Hotel too?" she asked looking back at him.
"Yeah, I take it you're attending Beacon as well?" he asked in return and getting a nod, "Mind showing me the way? Never been to Vale before."
Pyrrha smiled, "It would be no trouble." she said as they started walking together toward their destination. "If you don't mind my asking, can I get your name?"
The Faunus held out his only free hand, "Haru Fenris."
"Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you." she said back as they shook hands. The champion felt the roughness of his palms which was a clear sign of how much he worked with them.
They walked a few feet before the red-head spoke again, "So, you said you've never been to Vale. Which kingdom are you from?"
"I'm not from any kingdom," replied Haru, "I live in the Frostbite forest in the Northern Frontier."
"The Northern Frontier?" wondered Pyrrha, surprised given how isolated the location was from what she knew. "I thought such a place was uninhabitable given the extreme weather conditions and Grimm presence?"
Her companion shrugged, "I've lived there most of my life. And I wouldn't call it uninhabitable, dangerous, yes, but that's only if you don't know how to survive the environment and wildlife." he replied casually.
Nodding in understanding, Pyrrha was quiet for a few moments trying to decide whether to ask more about him or continue their travels in silence. Haru saw this and decided to ask a question or two of his own.
"Which kingdom are you from?" he asked, getting her to perk up a little.
"Mistral, I graduated from Sanctum a few months ago." replied the young champion. Her already peaked curiosity rising a little more when she didn't see the overly excited or hesitant reaction she usually got when she mentioned her name and where she was from.
Perhaps it was the fact that he lived in such a remote location, either way, it was nice to have a conversation with someone that didn't result in discussing her celebrity status. "Did you attend combat school before being accepted into Beacon?" she asked curiously.
Haru shook his head, "The headmaster invited me to attend himself. As for schooling, my parents trained me from when I was young. I never actually attended a combat school before."
The red-head was surprised again, to have professor Ozpin invite a student personally really means something about the level of skill the Faunus had. "That's very impressive. To have the headmaster of Beacon invite you personally, you must have really impressed him."
"... Guess so." he replied with a bit of hesitation. They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later, after getting checked in, the duo headed to where their rooms were which happened to be on the same floor a few doors away from each other.
"Thanks again for showing me the way, I appreciate it." said Haru as he stopped by his door.
"Thank you for the company, it was nice talking to you." replied Pyrrha, biting her lip nervously before adding, "I wouldn't mind meeting up and talking a bit more. If you're okay with it that is! I mean, we are going to Beacon together and there's a chance we'll see each other a bit while we're there." The last portion of her statement being rushed giving how it sounded which had her cheeks coloring a shade lighter than her hair.
Haru gave her a half-smile and nodded, "I'd like that. Don't be a stranger, Pyrrha." he said before he opened the door to his room and stepped inside. The Mistral champion gives him one last smile of her own before heading down the hall toward her room.
Her spirits a little lighter than before as she got herself situated.