Friday afternoon, City of Vale

Somehow, there wasn't any classes for the freshmen this afternoon. No one complained though, and quite a lot of them crammed themselves in the airbus to the city. Among them was team ROSE, with a somewhat vague shopping list and a few addresses. They had a limited budget, but they had a budget nonetheless. Ozpin, in his great generosity, gave them a monthly allowance each. They were all students, so it wasn't much, but it was a start. After a month and a half, it was enough to get some decent clothes and school supplies, they hoped. With their first paycheck, they solved their underwear and school supplies problem. Now, they had a little more freedom. They wandered around after leaving the airbus station, intrigued by all the decorations. Apparently, the Vytal festival wasn't just any festival, it was THE festival. It wouldn't start until the next semester, but the city was already setting up the signs and banners. Oliver whistled.

"They sure know how to throw a party down here. Kinda reminds me of Ratification Day back home."

"Mmph, it sure does… Okay, back to our objective. First stop is the supermarket. Shouldn't be hard, we need some simple stuff. Second stop is the clothing store. Can't go above 2500 Lien, make 'em count. If we get a chance, we locate some place to get alloys. A gunsmith or something."

The trip to the supermarket was a simple one. It wasn't large, but it had what the team was looking for. They also used the occasion to buy more things they missed like shampoo or booze. They'd have to figure out how to smuggle that into their dorm afterward, but Oliver made some… compelling arguments. After their first errand, they had three bags worth of groceries to carry with them, and slightly less money that planned. It didn't change the rest of the plan, though. The group walked to their second destination at a reasonable pace. Ruby and Yang didn't give the most accurate description for the shop and the way to get there. After a while, the four soldiers reached the clothing store, still wearing their Beacon uniform. It was like any regular store, in front of a large plaza. The shopkeepers were a couple of old ladies. One of them was a Faunus with dog ears.

"Oh, hello young ones, how may we help you today?"

"Hello, ma'am. We're just browsing, we don't really know what we're looking for."

"Maybe I could help with that."

Everyone looked back to the rear of the shop. A tall brunette with a black beret and sunglasses was eyeing each member of team ROSE head to toe. She was almost as tall as Roy and Eizan, wearing a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She also wore long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets, complemented by a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles. Her accessories counted more bullets than an ammo box and her handbag actually looked like one. Her hair had a lock of orange, akin to Ruby's tints of red near the tips. She focused her gaze on Roy and walked towards him. Stopping a few feet away, she nodded to his beret and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Coco. I like your style, stern, serious, but not extravagant. Wouldn't have picked that color, though."

"Yeah, well, good thing you're not me then."

"Relax, didn't mean anything."

Roy cleared his throat and extended his hand.

"Let's try that again. I'm Roy, pleased to meet you, Coco. These are my teammates Oliver, Stella and Eizan."

"Nice to meet you. Teammates, uh? So you're team ROSE then, is that right?"

"Already heard of us?" asked Oliver. He was both kinda proud and kinda cautious. Things aren't necessarily great when a superior officers know you by name.

"Well, who hasn't? Between you and team RWBY, you first years are quite full of stories."

"I...see..."

"So, don't you have anything better that the school's uniform?"

"Well, that's pretty much why we're here. Said you could help?"

"Mmmhh… I could, yes. In fact, I think it could be pretty fun. Four live models to toy with."

Coco lowered her sunglasses and winked while Oliver leaned in and whispered.

"I don't think this is gonna end well…"

"Let's hear it. What do you suggest?"

"I'll start with you first."

"Hey, wait, wha-"

Coco grabbed Roy and dragged him to the back of the store. The owners didn't seem to mind, Coco must REALLY be a good regular customer. The rest of his team looked at each other, then at the owners, and then shrugged before wandering in the shop.

"Eh, he'll be alright. Why don't I have girls dragging me like that?" said Oliver.

Back in the backroom of the shop, Coco and Roy stood in front of a mirror with a large supply of clothes behind them. Coco had already tossed him some brown cargo pants, black boots and a light blue shirt.

"Here, try these out."

"How do you know my size?"

"Trust me, sweetie, I'm an expert."

As they walked back into the store, Coco looked for the rest of team ROSE while Roy went to one of the dressing rooms. Roy saw Coco escort Stella to the backroom in a way that reminded him of rebels sending prisoners away to execute them. The lieutenant quickly dismissed that thought and tried on his new outfit. Coco was right, everything was his size except the boots. He was wearing the only shoes he had, which were the armored, sealed boots of his combat suit, so it explained why Coco misjudged the size. Somehow the outfit matched his beret, was both comfortable and utilitarian and was within the budget by a fair margin. Only issue was that it was a bit cold, maybe a jacket or a coat would fix this. By the time he got out of the cabin, Stella and Oliver weren't in sight. Eizan was wearing blue jeans, grey shoes and a yellow top underneath a brown bomber jacket. The mechanic nodded to Roy.

"Not bad, Coco sure knows her stuff."

"Yeah, surprisingly. Still need a jacket though, where did you get that one?"

"Back there, left alley."

Roy browsed through the alley but found nothing to his taste or within his budget. Disappointed, he returned to the dressing room just in time to see Stella come out. He couldn't help but whistle. She had her long blond hair loose, wearing a slim white shirt underneath a short grey jacket. She then had a black cincher not too different from Coco's, a blue French beret and some beige trousers and brown shoes. Stella's outfit highlighted very nicely her figure, and reminded Roy that her school and army uniforms were not very feminine. She looked at her teammates and put her hands on her hips with a mocking grin.

"Given your faces, I'm guessing this is far more attractive than my service uniform."

"Well… yeah… it...it looks very nice, actually. It's not too revealing like Yang's, either."

Coco then walked in on the trio.

"Of course, it does. A woman needs to be elegant, revealing outfits won't do her justice."

Roy looked back at Coco and then at the backroom.

"Where's Oliver?"

"I may have gone a bit too crazy for him."

"Oh boy. McKelley, you alright in there?" shouted Roy.

"Yeah, I'm a badass!"

Oliver walked out wearing a grey t-shirt with flames embroidered on the front, a black jacket with chains on the left shoulder, a grey jean with chains and knee pads and his combat boots. That was definitely a style Roy didn't consider.

"Ooookaaayy. Hey, Coco, do you know if they got any other jacket or coats back there?"

"Oh, sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Something practical, usable in both hot or cold climate, wide enough to wear armor, slim enough to stay mobile."

"Mmmmhhh, not too demanding, are you?"

She turned to the owners.

"Sunny, do you still have some of those dusters you sold last season?"

"Oh sure, honey, they're on the third shelf."

"Thanks, you're the best."

After a few moments, Coco walked back with a brown duster in her hands. It was made in textile, not leather, and had a darker brown lining that could be removed when it was too hot. It was long, almost reaching twenty centimeters past his knees. Feeling the somewhat heavy coat on his shoulders reminded Roy of his dress uniform. With luck, maybe he'd get to wear it again. It was practical, it could be attached to the legs to avoid flapping around, had many pockets and the sleeves were wide enough for a suit, without the lining. Given its length, hiding weapons underneath wouldn't be too hard, either. It all seemed fine until they got to the cashier. Coco's advice was good, but expensive. All of their clothes costed more than twice their initial budget. Coco noticed their sad faces after the Faunus cashier told them the price and took over.

"You freshmen are all the same. Let me guess, didn't save up enough?"

"Yeah, something like that…"

"Okay, monthly allowance?"

"Yup. Pay you back next month?"

"You better, you don't want to see me pissed."

"Okay, here's my number, in case we don't run into each other again. And thanks again for helping us out, I think we would've picked much worse."

And much less expensive, he thought. Barely more than a month and they were already over budget. They did look less conspicuous, though, so that was an improvement. And damn, Stella's hot now. Roy never noticed how attractive she was before, their military and school uniforms making her figure rather discreet. Eizan and Oliver seemed satisfied, too. They didn't want to ditch anything to reduce their expenses, and because it was all so expensive, that's probably going to be their only civilian outfits. When team ROSE left the building, it was the early evening, late enough to return to the dorms before the airbus line goes into night schedule. Coco stayed with them for a little while, revealing that she was a second-year student at Beacon Academy, that she was leader of team CFVY, that they were in her favorite clothing store where she spent most of her free time and that she grew quite close to the shopkeepers. The girl was really talkative, but not annoying. Not yet, anyway. Before embarking on the airbus, however, team ROSE went to eat some noodles and Coco left the group to join her team.

The airbus was incredibly slow, it took nearly an hour to get from Vale's commercial district to Beacon. Back on any world of the Federation, the MagLev network would take you at least six hundred kilometers further. By the time team ROSE arrived, it was already night. They walked at their own pace, each member carrying two bags full of things. On their way to the dorms, they noticed Blake walking with a blond guy with an opened shirt, showing his muscular abdomen to the world. On a closer inspection, Blake didn't have her bow anymore, but cat ears. It was no surprise to team ROSE, since their thermal sights revealed them long ago, but it was the first time Blake ditched the bow. And the blond guy had a tail, too. As soon as Blake realized that team ROSE was looking at her, she sprinted towards the airbus station, the tailed blond keeping the pace.

"Off they go…" said Oliver. "And I thought they were all single."

"And I thought you were more interested in Yang." said Roy, winking.

"W… well… she's hot. She's really hot. And she's pretty, too. But… damn, she's crazy. And I'm the one saying that."

All four of them laughed. After a few minutes, they reached the dorms. Team RWBY's door wasn't entirely closed, and they could hear them talking. As the others walked past to reach their room, Roy pulled out his Scroll and looked at the time. It was only 21:23, so it wasn't completely out of the ordinary for the four girls of team RWBY to talk, but the tone they used made it feel like there had been a fight. Something to ask about for tomorrow, if they're still there. Roy returned to his dorm without inquiring any further on the subject. The four soldiers showered, brushed their teeth, stored their new outfits and supplies and went to bed, just like any evening. It was, at first, a bit strange to return to a life of college student, but after several weeks, they got used to it.

Sunday afternoon, Vale's commercial district

Earlier today, Roy didn't get to see team RWBY, so he sent a text message to Ruby while the four soldiers trained their Aura and jogged around the campus. They also had a few homework to do, and a few exams to prepare. Still, Ruby replied fairly quickly, even if she was nowhere to be seen.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Heard a fight last night."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"Ok, tell us if you need anything. btw, how's it going with those components?"

"Finished the first one, will give it to you for lunch."

"Cool, see ya in the mess hall."

Roy didn't think much about the issue and sent his team to fix the Raven. Well, it was pretty much cleaning and painting at this point but cleaning every part for maintenance would already take more than a day. Stella and Oliver cleaned up the interior and the hull while Eizan, Hot Dog and himself took care of the more delicate components. Ruby gave the first component to Eizan, a small torus made of conductive alloy. Roy remembered something about the magnetic locks in the landing gear from his days in his military academy. The rest of the day was spent on casual tasks until, on the evening, RWBY decided to ask team ROSE a favor. And that's how Roy and Oliver found themselves in the commercial district again, searching for Blake and her mysterious blond friend while Eizan and Stella held the fort. Unfortunately, team RWBY had no better idea than to just scream "Blaaaaake" over and over again. Well, mostly Ruby and her sister. Roy and Oliver were following, still not familiar with every part of the city. Weiss, on the other hand, seemed more reluctant to do anything. Probably something about the fight from yesterday.

"Weiss, you're not helping!"

"Oh, you know who might be able to help? The police!"

"Uggghhh… Weiss…"

"It was just an idea…"

"Yeah a bad one…" muttered Ruby.

Roy tried to defend the heiress but didn't know the full story. Besides, Ruby seemed angry enough.

"We could've asked for a search & rescue and not an incarceration…"

"I doubt that she needs any rescuing." answered Weiss, coldly.

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions." added Yang.

"I think that when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right!"

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" said a joyful, feminine voice. The entire group turned around, Roy and Oliver reaching for their guns instinctively. Yang told them that since they were Huntsmen-in-training, they had the right to carry weapons. Coming from Yang, it sounded extremely dangerous in the lieutenant's head, but also quite practical. And since both Weiss and Ruby confirmed that fact, it seemed legit enough. As a result, they both had a rifle hanging on their back. Roy also had his sidearm holstered on his belt. It ended up being a habit, as he never really goes anywhere without it, one way or the other. As Roy pulled out his pistol, he realized that he was just startled by a girl with orange hair and an innocent-looking smile.

"Aaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?"

"Hey guys! What are you up to?"

"Blake went AWOL last Friday evening, we're looking for her."

"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!"

"Yeah, that one."

Team RWBY blinked and looked at the three like they were aliens. Well, two of them were, actually, but still.

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"Uhh, the cat ears?" said Penny while pointing above her head.

"You didn't know? We've got thermal sights, we saw the cat ears." said Roy while pointing to his eyes.

"What cat ears? She wears a... bow..."

"She does like tuna a lot..."

"So, where is she?"

"Well that's the whole point of Absent Without Official Leave, girl. We don't know." said Roy.

"Yeah, she just ran, and we have no idea where to." added Ruby

Penny gasped and grabbed Ruby, who smiled uncomfortably.

"That's terrible! Well, don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!"

"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?"

Roy looked around, but Yang and Weiss were nowhere to be seen. Roy smiled back to both girls, unsure of which side to take.

"Well, we do have a lot of ground to cover. The more, the merrier."

The lieutenant and his sidekick decided to split again to cover more ground. It was getting dark now, and they somehow ended up in the industrial district. After a moment, Roy felt his Scroll vibrating, pulled it out and opened it. It was a call from Hot Dog.

"Hot Dog? Is there something wrong?"

"Hey kid, I got a lot of unmarked contacts on EM/IR heading towards the city. See anything?"

"How many?"

"Five, coming from the west, moving slow. Bullheads I'd say. I would take off and paint them with LADAR to be sure, but, you know..."

"Yeah okay, thanks for the heads up, Hot Dog."

Roy closed his Scroll and looked at his teammate, who looked curious.

"We've got company. Let's rally the troops."

Roy called Ruby, who answered immediately.

"What is it? Did you find her?"

"Ruby, what's to the west of the industrial district?"

"Uuuhh, nothing but docks and warehouses, why?"

"Well, they've got visitors. Unmarked, if it's about Blake, maybe it was a kidnap job."

Before he could add anything, the conversation was interrupted by an explosion.

"Oh, no…"

"Let's go! Ruby, call the police!"

"On it!"

Roy closed his Scroll and drew his rifle. Oliver did the same.

"Let's move it, double time!"

Sunday evening, industrial docks

The closer they got, the more gunshots they could hear. If Blake was on her own, it wouldn't have been that noisy. That wasn't her style. Unfortunately, Roy didn't really have time to think of alternate scenarios, as they arrived at the scene in just a few minutes of sprinting. By the time they arrived, a giant green laser beam sliced in half two Bullheads, their wrecks flying above the two soldiers' heads and crashing in the water. They took cover behind a cargo crate and looked around. Several bandits in a white and black uniforms were down, either dead or unconscious. They also saw Ruby standing in the middle of a rooftop, looking at the scene. Next there was Penny dragging another Bullhead into some cargo crates while some white guy with a bowler hat boarded a fourth craft. Roy lined up a shot and shot him in the back, but the ramp closed too fast to see the result. As the two remaining Bullheads flew away, Roy called Hot Dog again.

"So, found what it was about?"

"Yeah, Bullheads, three down, last two are leaving, see where they're going?"

"Damn son, what kind of gun did you bring?"

"Wasn't me. Where are they going?"

"For now… middle of nowhere. They either have a carrier or are using a decoy route. Bullheads don't have that much range."

"Damn it… Okay, call me back if there's anything new, we're returning to base, out."

Roy hang up and looked around. Ruby was down on the ground now, approaching Penny, Blake and their blond friend. The lieutenant smiled and looked at Oliver, who had his gun leaning on his shoulder. In the background, police sirens marked the arrival of the police.

"So, mission accomplished?"

"Yeah, score one for the good guys, I guess. Let's get back to Beacon before something crazy happens again."

"Oh, yeah, after that sprint I'm sooo going to the mess hall."

"Oliver, it's half past seven, by the time we get there it'll be closed."

"Yeah, but we've got guns."

"They've ALL got guns, it's not gonna help. Let's just get some instant noodles back in the dorm or something."

"Fine, you're the boss, El-Tee."

The lieutenant chuckled. In the distance, Ruby looked at them and Roy gave her a thumbs up. The four of them were approaching a stack of wooden crates to sit on. Roy looked back to Oliver and resumed the conversation.

"Am I?"

"Oh, don't worry, we may not show it right now, but during a fight? If you say jump, we ask how high. Well, maybe not Eizan, he's not a grunt, but you get the idea."

"Yeah, thanks, Oliver."

"No problem, dude. You're a cool guy, I'm sure we could've gotten a much worse CO."