As the Blues, RWBY, Sun, and Neptune searched the streets of Vale, the Reds had begun to take a rest from their expedition. "Not one," Grif breathed. "Not one White Fang since we've been out here!"
"It's only been a few minutes," Simmons said. "Did you really expect finding these guys would be that easy?"
"I just figured I'd give my two cents."
"Your two cents ain't worth a hay penny," Sarge grunted. "And besides, we're not just lookin' for White Fang; we're huntin' for supper."
"See, Sarge, I've been thinking about that," Simmons spoke again. "Where are we going to find that exactly? We don't know if the local food is poisonous to us - we don't even know if there are any local places to find food which, even if we did, would wind back to problem one."
"That's easy, Simmons. We'll just have Grif taste-test the food first. If it's deadly poison, we'll just avoid it."
Grif grumbled as Simmons responded, "Okay, but what about after that? Do we just taste-test until we're all dead?"
"Nonsense. We'll give the food three shots. That way, at least one of us will survive to know not to eat the food."
"You're going to kill us all," Grif said, "in hopes that you don't starve to death?"
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Now," Sarge clapped his hands together, "What will we try first?"
Donut pointed across the street. "How about ice cream?"
The others looked, becoming suddenly aware of an ice cream parlor on the other side. "...I guess if I'm gonna die," Grif answered, "I at least want to die from something I enjoy."
/-minutes earlier-/
"Something just occurred to me."
"What?"
"We have no idea who we're looking for."
Neptune blinked. "So we don't. Does it matter that much?"
Sun shrugged. "We won't be too much help, but I guess it doesn't."
"Let's grab a bite."
"You buying?"
"Mine."
/-present-/
Sun and Neptune watched as four awestruck individuals entered the ice cream parlor. "People here sure know how to make a place look great," the smallest one noted. "This place even looks like soft serve!"
"You're telling me," one of the bigger ones said.
Sun gave Neptune a look. "Pfft," he said, subtly jabbing a thumb in that direction. "Tourists."
Before the other big one - the one with the gun - could order, the tall, wiry one pulled him back. "Wait, Sarge," he said, "How are we gonna pay? We don't have money."
"Hm..." Sarge droned, "You're right."
Neptune and Sun gave each other multiple arguing looks before Sun gave up. Neptune stood, approaching the group. "I'll pay for you guys," he offered.
The group made several awkward looks at him and each other before the one called Sarge spoke again. "Mighty kind of you. What do you recommend?"
"Well, this place has about any flavor you can think of. Please, just go easy."
The other big one thought a moment before deciding. "Do they have neapolitan?"
/-/
Neo glanced up when she heard her name. Four odd individuals were apparently ordering her namesake, and the brat with the annoyingly blue hair seemed to be paying. She ate another spoonful of her sundae as she looked at her cohort. ["Is that them?"]
["Yeah,"] he grunted. ["I recognize them."]
Neo mutedly sighed. ["Break time is over then, I guess. Dr. Church's chip will have to wait a minute."]
She retrieved her umbrella as the giant enthusiastically flipped the table.
/-/
Simmons and the good samaritan hit the wall, sandwiched between it and the suddenly airborne table. Sarge, Donut, and Grif had just enough sense of self-preservation to hit the dirt as the ever-massive Maine cracked his knuckles. "Holy shit," Grif said. "Of all the places..."
The small woman next to Maine curtsied, an umbrella set over her shoulder. The rest of the building cleared out, save for a blonde faunus with a long slender tail. "Friends of yours?" the boy asked.
"No," Sarge said, standing, "Not really."
Donut rolled out of the way as Maine brought a fist to ground, attempting to grind the small soldier into a fine powder.
/-/
Maine recoiled at how hard he hit the parlor floor. He gripped his hand, cracking the knuckles back into place. Neo tapped his elbow. ["You still aren't completely used to our gravity, are you?"]
He shook his head. ["I feel heavier."]
["Let me handle them."]
Something hit Maine on the back of the head. He turned, seeing a scruffy blond kid with oversized nunchucks. "You want some of this?" He taunted.
["Can I kill that one?"] Maine asked.
Neo nodded. ["Don't hurt yourself."]
/-/
The small woman approached the Reds calmly while Maine dealt with the monkey kid. "Uh..." Grif started, standing up. "Hi?"
She jabbed him in the solar plexus with her umbrella, causing him to double over and immediately fly back as she unfolded it. In the same motion, she flicked her wrist to block a shotgun blast from Sarge, who had scrambled to his feet as well. "What in blazes -?"
Folding the parasol again, she brought the handle around to hook the shotgun, preventing a retaliatory attack by kicking his trigger hand. She then swung her peculiar weapon like a bat, launching Sarge's boomstick into Grif's crotch. Sarge backed away, allowing their benefactor to attack with a fancy-looking poleaxe. "Everything here is just so stylish!" Donut half-yelled in glee, rising to his feet. "The buildings, the clothes, the weapons - just wow!"
The kid attempted several jabs and swings with the extended weapon, all of which were effortlessly dodged or deflected by the simple manipulations of a weirdly durable umbrella by a girl almost half as tall as any of the Reds. "You four get out of here," he yelled getting parried again. "If you can't fight, you can't win!"
"We'll hold these two off!" the blond guy said, dodging another haymaker.
/-/
"I don't remember too much from this one," Tucker said, continuing, "but 'Journey to the West,' I think, was about this kid who fought with a... was it a staff? The only reason I know about it is cause I had to write a report for it in high school English."
"That's supposed to be Sun?"
"Right down to the name."
"Okay, okay," Yang began to think, mildly fascinated at all the parallels she was learning about. "What about General Ironwood?"
"Him? Hm... I don't know, actually."
"Penny?"
Tucker shrugged. "I didn't pay too much attention to those fairy tales; these are just the ones every kid heard."
A commotion started ahead of them as people fled from a building on the right. "What's going on over there?"
"I don't know," Tucker flashed his sword on. "But I'm guessing they're not afraid of nothing."
"Could be the Reds sparking trouble with the locals." Yang pounded her fists together, priming her Ember Celica.
"It better not be." As soon as he said it, the Reds bar Sarge exited in the same state of panic as the rest of the crowd. He sighed. "Of course it is..."
/-/
"Tucker!" Something burst through the window of the ice cream parlor behind the Reds. Sun rolled out of the way as Maine attempted to tackle, and Sarge flew out shortly thereafter with Neptune.
Neo strutted out behind the behemoth, brushing some loose debris off her jacket. ["Good work,"] she commended. ["Messy, but good."]
["Could you do better?"] Maine growled, headbutting the monkey boy.
["Given time, yes."] She stopped, sensing a disturbance. Turning, she saw the familiar furious blaze of golden hair that was Yang Xiao Long bearing down on her. She unfolded Stoic Parabrella, countering the attack with ease. ["We meet again,"] she grinned.