"Yessss!" Ruby pumped her fist in the air, "85, and you were so worried Weiss"

"True, but I wanted an A, that is the grade an heiress is expected to get, either way, we should look at the evaluation." Both girls leaned into the board to read what the board said under their score;

Team RWBY clearly has incredible potential and highly developed combat skill, and their teamwork is surprisingly good for a team that has been together for such a short time. Though they are impressive they need to improve their stealth skills along with versatility. Team RWBY is very skilled with their weapons, but most of their planning seems to take place in the heat of a firefight, which improvisation is an impressive skill, but can't be the only thing a huntress relies on.

"They said we were awesome!" Ruby yelled

"Not exactly," Weiss said, looking over Ozpin standing in the back of the hall, "but they said mostly positive things, and hopefully our team stays top first-year team, even though Pyrrha is still first individually."

Yang walked up having already seen the scores, "Oh stop worrying you, we did well and we had fun, let's go check out how everyone else did."

Team JNPR and Blake were gathered around another board discussing the score as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang walked up. Yang inquired, "how did you guys do?"

Pyrrha looked up, "Blake told me how you guys did, but we did really well and got a 91, there were a few Ursa minors with the alpha and we had to take those out, but otherwise, it went well. Our evaluation just said that Jaune was a good leader, but needed to work on his fighting skills and that everyone else was skilled but we need to find a way to better rely on each other."

Ruby's face broke into a smile, "good job guys, but our new friends just got here, let's go say hi and see what they got."

Weiss stared open-mouthed at the board, "A 100...how?"

Ruby's face broke into a smile, "I knew you guys were good! But wow, how'd you do it?"

John shrugged, "We used an avalanche to crush the scorpion, and we locked the beowolves it was within caves they were sleeping in by blocking off the exits, it really wasn't hard, and I think there was an Ursa, but the girls took care of that." As he gestured to Kelly and Linda who were talking with Blake. "I think they threw dust powder on it and it started sneezing or something, Fred and I didn't really see that part." John looked closer to the board and read:

Blue team is extremely skilled in the use of ranged weapons and thinking outside the box to complete the mission, though they have not had a chance to show their proficiency in melee weaponry, all this has shown they are an incredibly proficient and adaptable team, however, they will have to work hard to compete with the other highly skilled first-year teams.

Ruby looked up at John, "you see that right? You don't seem excited enough to have read it all."

John just looked back at the other members of his team, "yeah, I know, just I didn't really expect anything less from my team, even though this is all a lot to take in."

Weiss looked back at the two of them at the mention of expectations, "finally, someone who understands expectations, I just hope my team will get that soon." Ruby frowned.

John looked at the heiress questioningly, "are you, trying to… impress me?"

"Well, uh— no, no—" Weiss sputtered.

"You shouldn't put your team down in hopes they will understand exactly how to improve, you need to work with them even if you aren't the leader, and help raise your team and yourself above everything else. Only then will you be able to triumph, or at least that is what one of our mentors told us. You should try to learn from it too." John said before turning and walking away. Ruby looked over at Weiss, who was taken aback and said to her, "still want to go to that school they went to, or have you decided to settle for us?" Before giggling and walking towards Yang and Blake as Weiss fumed.

—

Blue team looked up from their tasks around their room to a knock at the door. Ruby's voice came from behind the door, "Um, Fred, you said you wanted some new weapon parts, and I said I would show you the best shops in Vale, yeah well, Blake and I are ready.." Fred and Kelly stood up, then nodded to Linda and John before opening the door just as Ruby started mumbling, "well and Yang doesn't want me going out in Vale without a friend and since Blake was the only one done with homework, she, well, had to come along,"

Blake leaned against the door frame, "plus I want to pick up a few books."

"That's fine, but let's get going," Kelly said, grabbing her rifle and a few magazines of ammunition off a desk and throwing them in a large backpack.

The sun had started to set over Vale as the two Spartans, Blake, and Ruby walked into a weapons shop that Ruby had assured them was, "full of anything you could need, want, or require, (that's the motto)" Weapons gleamed on shelves and racks across the whole store with various parts and ammunition arranged neatly in between. Blake pointed over to the left side of the store, "you should probably find a good melee weapon, they are useful against Grimm and Ozpin said that you haven't shown any proficiency with them, you should prove him wrong."

"Good idea," Fred said, nodding, "Kelly, you look over there, Linda and John gave me a list that I'll fill out. Ruby, can you help me with some of this stuff?"

Fred took a rifle barrel off one of the shelves when his scroll buzzed, it was from Linda, the one to the left. He glanced out the window, and saw a small lens flare on a rooftop at the end of the block, he smiled and grabbed the barrel indicated in the message. Ruby came around the corner holding a pile of parts and weaponry and said, "I think this is it, but how are you going to pay for this?"

"Thanks," Fred said as he piled all of the parts in the cart they were using, "Ozpin gave us an allowance to make our weapons since we don't have any source of income."

"Lucky,"

"Either way, I better get Linda a rifle or she'll flip, the standard issue stuff that Ozpin gave us isn't exactly up to par."

"Oh! Oh! I'll help you pick one out." Ruby said, hopping up and down a little. The pair walked back over to the main display where Kelly and Blake were inspecting some sort of wide headed spear. Blake poked a button along the side and the spear collapsed, thickened, and turned into some sort of shotgun.

Kelly smiled, "oooh, I like that. Fred, did you get everything on the list?"

Ruby piped up, "Yep, know we just have to pick out some weapons for you guys." She turned back around to face Fred, "you said you're good with knives right? Though you might want something else to rely on, like this." Ruby pulled two things off the nearest shelf; a large case of various knives, and bullpup rifle.

Fred took the rifle from her, "hey that looks a lot like something from back home, the BR55 service rifle (Battle Rifle),"

Ruby looked doubtful, "It just came out a few days ago, actually a day after you showed up. So maybe you saw a prototype, but it fires three round bursts and is called the atlesianAR5."

"Yep, that's a BR55 in disguise," he then added under his breath, "how did it get here though?"

Ruby walked over to a display case and eagerly pointed inside, "you said Linda like snipers right? Well, I've had my eye on this one for a while, its a model from a company in Vale, and has a fifty caliber round, six shot side loading magazine, a variable distance scope, and a customizable stock. I mean she would love it, but you could also get it for me, that would be so nice and I wouldn't be mad at all or anything."

Fred said to the shopkeeper, "I'll take it, and Ruby, don't get too excited, by this time tomorrow it will look like a completely different gun. Know we just have to find something for John, wait for a second-" Fred's scroll buzzed and he looked down it was from Linda again; leave the rifle there, and John wants to pick out his own, once you leave we'll go in and grab the stuff. So go ahead and move on.

Fred looked back up, "on a second thought, we are going to pay but can you hold the sniper for our friends, they are a boy and girl, each about as tall as me, John has short light brown hair, and Linda with blood red hair and bright green eyes." He looked back over at Ruby, "They said that they would grab it after finishing up at the library."

"Oh, sure, where do you want to go next?"

Fred dropped the card Ozpin gave him on the counter as Blake and Kelly walked over holding the spear and a pair of SMGs and set those on the counter. The shopkeeper punched in a few numbers and said, "you just used 90% of your monthly allowance, are you sure you want this?"

Kelly looked up, "yeah, I thought it was going to be closer to 95%, but know John can pick out whatever he wants," she held up her scroll, and Said to Fred, "don't worry Linda told me everything." She then walked up to collect their bags, and whispered to Fred, "10 tangos outside led by a man in a bowler hat, in the alley to the left, they appear to be waiting for something."

Fred started retrieving weapons off the counter quickly, "Ruby, I'd like to head back to Beacon, but something tells me we'll have to make a few stops along the way.