My foot tapped quickly against the floor. My patience for the day had just about reached its limit and was only getting stretched further and further thin. There was only so much pointless blathering I could handle in a single day, and I'd been dealing with it for the entirety of the past week. If this first week was any indicator of what was awaiting for the rest of my tenure at this academy, I dreaded facing it with unimpeded sobriety.

"-Each of you will be assigned one rocket propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor." Good witch explained, standing amongst a very familiar series of lockers "-Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six digit code."

'… aight, I suppose that'd be useful, if I wasn't already able to carry all my stuff at once.'

The past week had been nothing but opening days and introductions. There were classes that I suppose you'd find at a school, having never attended one myself. I'd so far been introduced to a mathematics class, a history class, and a few scientific courses. Also, there was a regimented P.E. course that we were to keep up with. Of course, the number of classes you probably wouldn't find was pretty ridiculous too. There was a 'shop' class, which might not seem strange, but it was specified that the entire course was for maintaining and modifying our equipment and guns. I was fairly certain there was something like this in old world schools, but you didn't get to make guns. Then there was the Grimm biology course I'd had with Port on the first day. After that was combat theory, which was also the class I was currently in. So far, it was just studying combat practices and tactics. Though if rumors were to be believed, and they often were, there would also be actual combat at various points throughout the course. While none of this may sound crazy, that's because I'm intentionally omitting courses. This doesn't account for any courses available to students that have left their first semester. The list for year based classes was even worse.

I don't even want to know what 'Invasive Insertions, Rapid Deployment, and Strategic Withdrawals 101' is about. I have a few guesses that may or may not be right.

There was a shuffling next to me as I was snapped out of my thoughts. Some guy in armor, I think his name was Cardamom or something, was cramming Jaune into one of the aforementioned lockers.

"What!?" Jaune shouted in surprise as the locker door slammed shut. "-No, no! Wait! Let me out of here!"

There was a small beeping as Cardamom pushed the keypad in front of the door. The locker began to make a whirring noise, similar to a turbine that was beginning to wind up.

"Please don't!" Jaune shouted again. "Don't! No no no Don't do it-"

Locker shuddered violently and launched itself into the air with a puff of blue smoke and roaring flames. It passed through a vent in the ceiling and disappeared for a moment. It reappeared in the sky outside, slowly hurtling away from the building. Judging by its arc though, it probably was going to touch down somewhere just outside the school. Gonna have to make a note of these things too, in case I ever need to make a quick getaway.

"Ahem." Goodwitch cleared her throat pointedly, clearly not amused by Cardamom's behavior. "Mr. Winchester, I must ask you to refrain from abusing the lockers in such a way. I must also ask you to avoid treating your fellow hunters in training in such a manner."

"What did I do?" Cardamom asked with an innocent shrug and a cocky smirk. "It's just a friendly prank."

I heard a low growl a small distance away and noticed the rest of JNPR was staring at Cardamom. Ren was unreadable, Nora had bared her teeth like an angry Gecko, and Pyrrha looked upset.

Goodwitch glared at Cardamom for a moment longer before changing gears. She returned to addressing the class as a whole. "The locker you will be assigned is the same as the one you were given prior to the initiation. However, as Mister Winchester just demonstrated, the Rocket propulsion system has now been engaged. Are there any questions?"

The class remained silent.

"… Very Well, I assume we can wrap-"

I didn't allow Goodwitch to finish her sentence. The moment the word 'wrap' left her mouth I turned and bolted for the door. I slammed into it and smashed it open. I didn't break it, but the hinges were going to need re-attaching. I ran full tilt down the hall way.

Four times. Four times had I missed the airship to town. The first due to Ruby's pep talk. The second to me getting lost in the halls. The Third when I discovered food poisoning was still a thing in this world as well. The fourth because I had to spend the afternoon evading Ruby as she tried to rope me into some "group activity" she was planning. But this time, this time I was making it to that ship even if I had to shoot it out of the sky, Counterproductive though it may be. I rounded a corner, ran through another door and into the world. The light of a setting sun dyed the sky a burning auburn. I'd taken the liberty to mark out certain locations in my mind where I could cut across campus faster and get to the ship quicker. I would not let my time be wasted.

I cut across a quad and almost barreled through a crowd of other students. Being nimble as I am though, I didn't. Instead I ran, kicked off a wall and leapt over the shorter members of the crowd. Though my leg did brush past this girl's hair accessory. They kinda looked like, what I think are anyway, rabbit ears. Odd choice but I'm no judge.

I passed under an archway and could see a long stone path stretching before me. At the end of it was the Airship port. It was still there, massive and hovering over the precipice of the cliff and sea. I could hear the engines beginning to wind up.

I poured every last bit of energy I could into my legs. My feet pounded against the cobble stone as I closed the gap between me and the ship. I could see it beginning to list away from the cliff side.

'Oh no you don't, you stupid tin can!'

I reached the cliff edge and leapt. The ship continued to pull away from me but I was already airborne. I slammed into the deck of the ship's entryway as it began to accelerate away from the school. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling, lungs burning a little and legs feeling like jelly.

"… Heh. Ha ha-" I laughed in a dry wheeze "Finally beat you, you stupid hunk of metal."

A big smile stretched across my face. I didn't care about how I was going to find my way back to the academy. Then, in that moment, I had crossed my biggest hurdle.

"… Now I can go grocery shopping."

…

The ride to Vale took about half an hour. By the time I got there, the city was bathed in the dull red glow of a setting sun and the hollow warmth of its street lamps. There were still a good number of people on the streets, either traveling home or enjoying a night on the town. Though it was different from Vegas. As far as I could see there was no one stumbling drunk in the street, no scantily clad women dancing in the public water fountains, and no shady grifter hocking piss poor weapons you can smuggle into casinos. Weapons that break the moment you're forced to use them.

Overall, I couldn't tell if this place was a step up or down. But at least this place had working cars. So, hey, they got that going for them.

The city itself wasn't too hard on the eyes either. Lot of old school masonry and stone work. Nothing bigger than what I'd grown accustomed to in Vegas or Freeside. If I had to guess, this place was probably built to last. Barring a nuclear holocaust anyway. The streets were just a bit wider too. I've run the numbers comparing most of the burned out vehicles in the wasteland to the crumbling streets and roads. Might've been because of the resource shortages, but the roads always seemed just a smidge too small for the cars that used them. Here though? The streets gave ample room for just about anything to roll through them. I guess resource shortage weren't something to be concerned with… yet.

Most of the people I passed on the streets were dressed in clothes I would expect to see. Unlike the otherwise ridiculous and bizarre outfits the hunters of Beacon kept as their standard wardrobe. Most everyone I passed was dressed in some variation of pants or shirt, few in such gaudy colors I'd want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty nail.

Kids were playing in the street, couples were walking down the sidewalks without a care in the world, harried family men and women were rushing home. It all seemed so alien compared to the Mojave. If there was something sinister going on, it didn't make itself known. There were no thugs actively trying to gut people for pocket change. There wasn't even a drunk man leaning against a building trying to relieve himself.

As if all the street signs and billboards didn't make it clear this wasn't Vegas.

I couldn't read a lick of what was written and was basically stumbling around the city with little more than the compass of my pipboy. I had one destination, a marketplace or vendor that would sell me some basic necessities. So that I would last long enough to actually get back to Vegas. Unfortunately, The hunk of scrap on my arm didn't consider basic survival needs important enough to warrant giving me any actual direction. So naturally, I was lost. Not such a bad thing, since it gave me a chance to explore. But I was losing my patience very quickly and If I didn't figure out where I was going soon it wasn't going to be pretty.

I turned a corner and found myself in an open plaza. Benches and shrubbery doting the expanse. It looked like the type of place you'd expect to be a shopping center. But not being able to read left me a bit unsure. I didn't want to go walking into a coffee shop asking to speak with the butcher or something like that.

My eyes scanned over the litany of stores and settled on one of them. This one wasn't anything special looking, compared to its neighbors. It was a bit worn, a bit run down, and in need of a fresh coat of paint. But the kicker? I could read the sign hung over its door.

'Byzantium's Tailory: High grade Garments and Alterations'

I looked at the building for a moment. I was happy, I'd have finally found something I could actually read in this weird-ass world. English was here somewhere, even if it was harder to find than a mentally stable nightkin. But why did it have to be on a clothing store?

"… Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to see what's inside." I say, staring down at my uniform. I'd neglected to change during my mad dash to the airship. It was probably the closest I had to a clean set of clothes anyway, everything else was starting to get a little rank. Detergent was also on my list.

I walk down the sidewalk and over to the shop. I grab the door handle and pull it open. The Shop's interior betrayed its otherwise shabby appearance. There was no denying that the place was old, but it'd aged like wine. The floor was old scuffed wood. Stained wood shelves lined the walls, filled with various articles of clothing. Cloth mannequins displayed dressings of impressive quality and style. Soft lights trickled down from stained glass fixtures. This place felt old, it looked old, and it probably was old.

"What do you want?" A voice growled from a nearby register.

I took note of a Burly looking man leaning against a counter. He was probably around Lanius's height from before Hoover Dam. That was about the only similarity though. The man I was looking at right now had more mass to him than most supermutants. One of his fore arms was thicker than a Brahmin's neck and his shoulders were broad enough to carry an adult Yao Guai. Hell, he looked like he wrestled them for fun. He had curly dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a small goatee. His mouth with big, with thin lips and a solid jaw. His eyes were bright and sharp, dark brown in color to the point of being nearly black. Probably the most striking thing though, were the horns that curved down the side of his head. They were gleaming Ivory, and ringed with carvings and knotwork. Even if they were just another head ornament, like that girl's bunny ears, they definitely caught your eye.

In short, the man was striking.

"… You gonna answer me or what?" He reiterated, his voice an irritated growl.

"-Pardon?"

"tsk. Not too bright, are you?"

'… Ok, this guy's an asshole, duly noted.'

"You treat all potential clients like that?" I ask

"Feh, client, right. Next you'll tell me you think the maidens are real. Look, if you're here to cause trouble, I'll give you five seconds to leave before I just toss you out."

"Take it easy, I just saw the sign and figured I'd take a look. No need to get all twisted up about it."

"… Whatever, just don't break anything."

The mountain of a man shifted his focus down to the register. Not sure what his problem was, you'd think he was expecting me to treat him like shit or something. I pushed the man's abrasiveness to the back of my mind and began to wander the store. I was right with my previous observation, every piece of clothing was of impressive quality. Though I was less sure if that was by design or personal inexperience. Most of the fancy clothes I've had any experience with were grimy rags from before the bombs fell. For all I knew these clothes could crumble if held wrong.

'… But they look nice, can't really complain about that.'

I pulled some clothes from the shelves and examined them. They were soft and smelled strongly of dye. Either they were recently made or hadn't been washed, either one was possible.

"Hey, you got a fitting room here?" I ask, holding a shirt up in front of me

"Uh… yeah, it's in the back." The man seemed confused by my request.

I took the clothes and walked into a small booth at the back of the building. I quickly changed into the clothes and was pleased. This was probably the first time I'd worn something so comfortable. Good clothes weren't cheap and Vegas wasn't in the business of making anything new yet.

I stepped out of the booth, decked out in the new clothing. A Black vest, Violet button up, and probably the most comfortable pair of Jeans I'd ever worn.

"These are nice." I say, examining myself in a mirror. "You made them, right?"

"… Yeah, I did… Are you interested in buying them?"

"Kinda, yeah. This is a clothes shop, right?"

The man looked at me for a moment, a look of skepticism and surprise mixed on his face.

"… Is there anything I can help you with then?"

"Depends, you got any nightwear?"

"… Sleep wear, lingerie, or party attire?"

"What's the difference?"

…

"Alright team RWBY, listen up!" Ruby shouted, standing in front of her teammates. "The decision that awaits us is perhaps the most important to date!"

A silence passed over the cadre of teenagers.

"… What movie do you guys want to see?"

"Is this really the time to be doing this?" Weiss asked indignantly "Professor Port has assigned a test next week and we should be preparing for it."

"Psh, it won't be that hard." Yang interrupted with a cocky grin "It's literally the second week. It's probably just on basic stuff."

"Even if it is, we should be preparing for it. Also, why isn't the idiot in the gas mask doing this?"

"He ran away." Blake said, nose buried into another book.

"He went AWOL" Ruby corrected with a huff "As soon as I find him I'm going to make sure he understands how disappointed I am."

Ruby thought back to the previous day, when she'd had the idea for the team to get to know each other better. She'd gathered them together in the bedroom and the moment the words "team building" left her mouth he'd bolted out the door. Despite her speed far surpassing his, Ruby could not find Six. His stealth mode was too strong.

"Anyway-" Ruby said, focusing "-What do we want to see?"

"How about that new kung-fu flick?" Yang offered "'Kingdom of the Hidden Dragon' or something."

"Of course you'd want to see something so basic." Weiss said snidely "I'd much rather see 'the Duchess Bride'"

"I've actually been wanting to see 'The Scroll'." Blake added

"Wasn't that based on a book?" Yang asked.

"Guys, guys-" Ruby spoke up confidently "The choice is obvious! We should see Claws!"

Before any of her teammates, the airship they were riding on jolted to a halt. They'd arrived in Vale. The team of teenagers disembarked the ship and began to walk the darkening streets. They continued their bickering as the Movie theater drew closer.

"What's wrong with seeing a Kung-fu movie?" Yang asked indignantly.

"They're boorish and full of people punching each other." Weiss responded

"But those are the best movies!"

"They most certainly are not."

"I agree with Weiss on this one." Blake said in agreement

"Thank you." Weiss said in exaggeration

"Traitor!" Yang shouted

"But at least they're better than some fantasy B-movie." Blake added with a smirk

"Hey!"

"Then let's just go see Claws!" Ruby insisted enthusiastically

"I am not going to see some trashy horror movie or a half-baked romance movie."

Blake began to glare at Weiss while Ruby looked sullenly at the ground.

"You better not start insulting Nicholas Sparse." Blake said heatedly

"What, I'm not allowed to have an opinion?"

"I think you can both save your opinions for later." Yang said, coming to a stop.

The team of teenagers realized that they'd arrived at the theater and came to a stop. Upon looking up at the Marquee however, they came to an unfortunate realization. They were all over a half hour late to their films.

"Aw." Ruby groaned in disappointment

"Great, now we'll have to see a later show." Weiss grumbled

"That's not so bad." Blake said

"Yeah, now we can go do some shopping." Yang said with a grin.

"… I suppose that's not so bad." Weiss admitted begrudgingly. "We should have about another hour or two before the next showing."

"Ooh ooh!" Ruby said with renewed excitement "There's this new shop that just opened up a few blocks down that I wanted to go see. Come on!"

Ruby suddenly grabbed Weiss by the arm. Before the maiden in white could respond she was ripped from her feet and disappeared in a fury of rose petals and sound. Yang and Blake remained standing in front of the theater.

"… Well, that leaves you and me." Yang said with a smile.

"It looks that way." Blake said

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I'm actually thinking about going to visit a friend."

"Cool, let's go then." Yang walked a little ahead of Blake.

"Yeah… sorry about this."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Yang turned to look at Blake and saw that her partner was giving her a guilty smile. It lasted for a moment or two before Blake's shadow clone released its form and faded into a black mist on the ground.

"… Well, isn't that just nice of her." Yang said to no one in particular. "Leaving her partner all alone on the sidewalk. So much for team building."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The Golden haired brawler kicked some pebbles and continued walking down the sidewalk. She walked the streets a while longer, attempting to occupy herself with whatever she could find. This was failing however, as she only found herself growing more and more agitated.

"Ugh, this is so boring! There's got to be something better to do"

Yang scanned the surrounding city with a bored glare. All of the shops were still open, but there was nothing that caught her interest. She didn't need groceries or dust. Her scroll was working just fine. She wasn't in the mood to go drinking, it just wasn't any fun without friends. She was just bored.

"… Maybe I ought to go find Ruby and Weiss. Or maybe I can find Blake if I look hard enough. She couldn't have gotten-"

Before Yang could finish her sentence her eyes scanned over a run-down looking tailor shop. Under normal circumstances, it probably never would have caught her eye. Under normal circumstances though, she wouldn't have expected to see a certain gas mask wearing boy standing inside. Trying on some very nice looking clothes.

"Hmm." Yang said a devious smile creeping across her face. "This could work."

…

The man walked back into the room, carrying a set of Pajamas. The material was soft and slightly shiny. For the past few minutes the man with the horns had been walking into and out of the back, bringing clothes that fit better or came in different colors. Quite frankly, it was surprisingly good customer service.

"This is nice." I say, holding the nightwear up by the shoulders. "They look to be about my size too."

"That's why I just took your measurements." The man said. "Wanted to make sure you wouldn't be tripping over it.

"Good business sense you got there- uh… Huh, Guess I never bothered asking your name, did I?"

"No, no you didn't." The man extended a meaty paw to me. "Byzantium, Byzantium Porphyra."

"Nice to meet ya." I clasped Byzantium's hand and gave a firm shake. "Call me Six."

Byzantium gave me a strange look.

"Yea, I know, not a very common name."

'But neither is Byzantium'

"I've heard worse." Byzantium grunted "Tell me something though, what brought you in?"

"… Personal reasons mostly. Plus I have a habit of walking into run-down buildings and finding treasure."

Byzantium's previously amiability quickly evaporated as he began glaring at me.

"Easy, easy-" I say, verbally back pedaling "-I mean it in the best way. There are very few times I'm actually willing to pay for clothes when I can just cobble something together."

Byzantium nodded, clearly not buying into the explanation completely. But he also wasn't trying to push me out the door so I'm assuming he got what I meant. "Tailoring's been the family trade for a long time. Took to it after we got tired of getting stuck in the dust mines."

'Dust mines? Who the hell mines dust?... Can you mine dust? I thought it just sort of appears…'

"Then why work in a building like this? This place looks about ready to cave in."

"It's all I can afford, Lot of people don't take kindly to a faunus run business being in the middle of the central market."

Byzantium began to gather the clothes I'd chosen and was heading towards the register.

'Faunus, there's that word again. What does it mean? This guy looks completely normal except for his choice in headwear.'

I shrugged and joined Byzantium at the register. I can't remember the last time I'd actually been willing to buy clothes off of someone rather than just scavenge what I wanted off of corpses. I folded my uniform up and stashed it in a bag alongside a set of night wear, two pairs of pants, four shirts, three ties, and two different vests. I was going to be set on clothes at least. I was wearing some more relaxed clothes at the moment, I was planning to wear them out rather than my uniform. Plus, now I look damn fine. Byzantium could probably give the White Glove Society a run for their money with their 'look at how dapper and dandy we are' shtick.

"Alright, totaling everything up.-" Byzantium said, punching some keys on the register " Your total comes to two hundred and fifty lien."

I stare silently at the register. Byzantium couldn't tell thanks to the helmet, but I'd gone wide eyed. Once again I'd made a very stupid mistake. I still had no clue what this place used as money. I was broke.

"Everything alright?" Byzantium asked

"Uh… Yeah. Just- just give me a sec."

I scrambled through my inventory at lightning speed. I didn't have much on me. A few caps for posterity and some random bits of junk that got left lying around. You know, just in case I ever decide to make something. Get the feeling Byzantium won't trade the clothes for a couple bits of rusted steel and a bottle of turpentine though.

"You-uh- willing to barter?" I ask nervously, starting to place items on to the shop counter.

Byzantium snorted "Barter? By the uniform I'd have thought you were going to Beacon. What, no money?"

"Yea, it's just… I come from an area that doesn't exactly rely on-uh… lien to pay for things."

"Ah, so you're from the frontier?"

"… in a sense, yes."

'This place has a frontier?'

I've learned more in just fifteen minutes of shopping than I have in the past week. If things continue like this I might just ditch the school and just wander around. Although, that might not get me back to the Mojave any faster.

"… Yea, I'll barter with you." Byzantium agreed at last. "Won't change my prices though, so you'll have to make an offer."

I gave a relieved sigh. Emptying my pockets onto the counter, I sorted through miscellaneous items. Whetstones, tincans, silverware, and items of varying purpose crowded the counter. I couldn't fit all of it on the counter, plus I wasn't carrying all of it, but I fit a good deal of items on it. By the time I stopped throwing items down, Byzantium looked like he was regretting his decision to barter.

"… That's a lot of garbage." He said flatly.

"I prefer the term dirty knick knacks."

Byzantium looked over the salvage briefly. Apparently trying to be fair in the trading we were attempting. Which was hard given the quality of the items before him. Maybe I knew what he could do with a few sensor modules, a leaf blower, and a length of surgical tubing; but he didn't. But I was going to either have to get him to go along with it or figure something else out.

"Hrmm…" Byzantium grunted "I don't have a lot of need for whetstones or tableware. I'm also pretty sure nothing here is worth the materials and labor either."

"Well… maybe there's something else I could offer."

"Not unless you're good with your hands." Byzantium gave an amused snort.

I stopped reaching though my pockets and looked at the horned man. "Come again?"

Byzantium stayed quiet for a moment as he thought about the way he'd worded that.

"Not like that, get your mind out of the gutter. I meant like with practical things like repairs or something."

"… Go on." I encouraged.

"… Well… the thing is my sewing machine crapped out on me a week or two back. I may not have a high demand for clothes most of the time, but having to spend most of mine working by hand leaves less time for other things."

"Like actually running your shop?" I ask curiously

"Yep, basically." Byzantium gave his best poker face. "I've tried fixing it, but I don't have a clue what I'm doing and It's not like I have the money to replace it… Anyway, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't know how to help."

…

I snapped the cover of the sewing machine back into place and stepped back.

"Give her a shot." I say, gesturing Byzantium towards the machine.

The towering man walked up to the machine and flipped a switch. There was a slow whirring that grew in frequency as the machine sprang to life. An amazed smile spread across his face.

"You fixed it." He said elatedly "How- how did you-"

"You learn to make do on the frontier." I say with a smirk, though I know he couldn't see it. "Fixing something like that was easy enough. Just don't ask me to do windows."

"Yeah, I guess." Byzantium was still smiling "You just saved me a lot of trouble doing this."

"And made some dapper clothes to boot. Speaking of, What else do I owe you for them?"

"Psh, forget it." Byzantium waved his hand. "Consider yourself paid in full."

'-and that was what I was waiting to hear.'

Me and Byzantium left the small workshop and returned to the store proper. I collected my bags and ambled towards the door.

"Pleasure doing business with you Byzantium, I know where I'm coming the next time I need clothes."

"Likewise, be sure to tell your friends to." He added sarcastically.

I stopped and thought for a moment. "… quick question, where's the nearest grocer's? I'm kinda lost actually."

Byzantium stared at me for a moment then started laughing. "-heh, Is that why you came in here?"

"… perhaps."

"*snrk* Well, if you're looking for the grocery store, head left out of the shop and walk to the market's edge, can't miss it."

"Thank you." I nod and push my way out of the shop. By now the sun had completely set and the street was bathed in the cold glow of its street lamps. There were people walking the streets, clearly relaxed and just looking to enjoy their evening. Most normal businesses had probably closed shop for the night already. Part of me wondered for a moment if this is what the old world was like at night.

"Well don't you clean up nice." A familiar feminine voice spoke to my right.

The other part of me was too busy trying not to leap out of my skin.

I looked to my right and leaning against the building was familiar pair of legs and a billowing cascade of blonde hair. Yang fixed me with her lilac eyes and gave me a smirk. She was dressed in the same clothes she'd worn the day of the initiation, short cut brown jacket with matching skirt/kilt/thing, black short shorts, knee length boots and a smattering of reds, oranges, and yellows.

"Bu- wha- wher- you-" I said eloquently

"Aw, what's the matter?" Yang said, poking fun "can't handle a little compliment?"

"H-how? How did you get here?" I asked in disbelief

"What do you mean 'how did I get here'? I took the airship."

"But the last one ran over an hour ago, I literally had to bust my ass just to get to it on time."

"… wait, is that why you ran out of class so fast?"

I remained silent as Yang looked at me. The smile on her face was growing wider as looked at her blankly.

"Did you not look at the flight schedule?" She asked

"… didn't know there was one."

Yang burst out laughing. I could feel my face getting warm underneath my helmet. An odd recurring feeling as of late.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I say, trying to sound unaffected by her laughter.

"We *hehe* were planning on coming here." Yang was slowly pushing her laughter down. "Ruby wanted to do the whole 'team building' exercise here in Vale. If you'd stuck around you would've heard that."

'Wonderful, now I look like a dumbass.'

"-So, what're you up to?" Yang continued "I wasn't expecting to see you here after you spent all of yesterday running away from my little sis."

"J-just some shopping." I raise one of my clothing bags as an example. "Been trying to get here for the last week to get some groceries."

"It never occurred to you over the past week to check the ship schedule?"

I could see Yang's smile starting to grow again. I wasn't in the mood to be made fun of.

"This conversation's over."

I turned and began walking off in the direction of the grocery store. Before I got too far though, Yang ran up next to me and slapped me on the shoulder.

'Strange, normally when I do that people just walk away.'

"Aw, don't be like that." Yang nagged jovially "What's the rush? We can get your stuff and just hang out."

"No offense Yang, but I'm really just looking to find my way around. I just want to get this over with so I can get on with my night."

"Then why don't I show you around." Yang grabbed my hand and beginning to lead the way. "You'll get done a lot faster if someone shows you around."

I tried to free my hand but the blonde had a grip like iron. Despite my strength she pulled me forward, in the complete opposite direction of the grocery store.

"Hey, I'm trying to find the grocery store." I say, trying to get Yang to let go.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find it. C'mon!"

…

We wandered for about an hour as Yang dragged me from shop to shop. We visited everything from shoe stores to hardware stores, but we didn't once stop at a grocery store. Each time we'd finish at one Yang would grab me by the arm and haul me off to another one kicking and screaming. I couldn't buy anything since I didn't have any lien with me so running around and looking didn't make a whole lot of sense. Even Yang didn't buy anything and I'm pretty sure she has money.

Probably the only saving grace to it was Yang's bubbly attitude. With each store we ran into she just kept this chipper smile on her face. It was disarming, despite the fact I knew this girl could probably go toe to toe with a death claw and win. Provided it wasn't coated in armor.

We rounded a corner and Yang slowed to a stop. We looked out over the market square we'd left earlier.

"Well…" Yang said with a nervous smile "You got any idea where that grocery store is?"

I looked at the surrounding buildings. Still not able to read a single word on the signage. I did however, look through the now lit-up windows of the stores. I found the grocery store Byzantium had directed me to with ease. I'm just glad we'd basically gone in a giant circle.

"Over there." I motioned to the store and started walking.

"Oh! Huh, didn't think it was that close."

'I was trying to tell you that, but you didn't listen.'

I pushed open the glass door and walked in. I had to fight the urge to not stop dead in my tracks. This was by far the most food I'd ever seen in one place. There were shelves lining the entirety of the store, stocked with vibrantly colored boxes and bags. Fresh fruits sat openly on displays, gleaming like jewels in the light. Meats sat behind glass like treasure, cuts of every variety and origin, waiting to be cooked. The smell of fresh baked bread and pastries wafted through the air, warm and yeasty.

This place was a hungry wastelander's wet dream and I was living it.

"So what did you need to pick up?" Yang asked

"-huh?" I ask, struggling to regain focus as I watched a fresh batch of cup sized cakes were taken from an oven.

"I'm guessing you had some idea what you were going to pick up, right?"

"Totally, totally." I watched as a butcher began cutting roasts. Even raw they looked absolutely fantastic.

"…You feeling ok Six?"

A woman picked up several apples from the displays. Orbs of red and green that made the ones I found in the Mojave look like garbage. I wanted to grab one, rip my mask off, and rip into it like a wild dog to a mole rat.

A series of light taps on my helmet broke me free from my stupor.

"You in there Six?" Yang asked, confused

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Sorry."

"You sure? You were kinda zoned out there."

"Yeah, I'm good." I started walking further into the store.

'Just never seen so much food.'

If there was any place like this in the Mojave, I guarantee you some crazy scavenger would try and claim the whole thing for himself.

Chances are I would be that Crazy Scavenger. But that's not the point.

I was aware of my lack in funds and kept that in mind as I grabbed a basket. If this place was willing to barter then I might have more luck than I did with Byzantium. But even if I did, I had no way to gauge how much of what I was carrying was worth something. So I had to keep it simple. I grabbed a couple pieces of fruit, some bread, some coffee beans, and a bunch of other necessities.

"That's an interesting diet you got there." Yang chuckled

"Whatever keeps me from keeling over." I placed a third can of beans into the basket

"I guess you've got a thing for beans too?"

"They're high in protein, fiber, calories, and everything else a growing boy needs." I say with a hidden smirk.

"You know, if you ate with us at the cafeteria you'd probably be able to get all that without eating just beans."

"Perhaps."

"… Come to think of it, You haven't eaten with us once this past week."

"Yea? Glad you noticed."

"What, you afraid we'll make fun of your love of beans?"

"Nope, just prefer to eat outside. Better scenery."

'And I don't have to try and hide my face then.'

"If you say so." Yang rolled her eyes. "Though I know Ruby hasn't been too happy with your constant vanishing acts."

"Well, it's what I do. I'm sure I'll find a way to make it up to her or something if it bothers her that much."

I stop throwing food into my basket and begin walking towards the front of the store. There were a few registers to choose from, all manned by people who looked like they hated themselves. I chose one and began handing the items to the cashier, a young woman with freckles and a ponytail.

"Just a quick question" I say, handing a can of beans to be scanned. "You guys barter, right?"

The cashier looked at me funny. Like I'd just said a string of cuss-words, thinking they'd make a sentence.

"Barter?" Yang asked "Like they do on the frontier?"

"Yea, that a problem?"

"It is, actually, sir." The cashier cut in. "I'm afraid that you can't legally barter with us. Corporate policy"

'Damn you corporations! First Vault–tec and now this.'

"… You do have money to pay, right?" Yang asked

I raised a finger, preparing to say something. Then I thought better of it. There probably wasn't much I could say to get someone who made less than I did running Vegas to exchange food for turpentine.

"… One moment please."

I began searching through my inventory at break neck pace. Maybe I couldn't barter with them, but that didn't mean I couldn't find something that would work as a stand in for money.

'Caps? No, already been down that road.'

'Pre-war bills? Nope, I get the feeling legal tender here is a bit different.'

'Casino chips?... Wait, where are these ones from?'

I took out one of the chips and examined it for a second. It wasn't your standard chip, it was fully metal and the color of brass. . The octagonal piece of metal held a Greco-Roman portrait of a feminine face. It was impressed into the piece, staring upon a set of initials: SM.

It was a chip from the Sierra Madre.

A shiver shot down my spine as thoughts of that accursed villa filled my mind. Every muscle in me tensed for a moment, ready to reach for the non-existent gun at my hip. Then I breathed, reminding myself I wasn't currently surrounded by the violet cloud. I wasn't waiting for some collar to blow my brains out. Though if I couldn't find some way to pay for groceries, I just might do that.

'… Yea, not opening up that can of worms right now.'

"Sir, that's not going to work either." The cashier said impatiently

I realized I was still standing there, holding the brassy chip in my hand. I slid it back into a pocket and kept searching for something to pay with. The chip had given me an idea however. I reached a little further into my inventory and pulled out a small leather sack.

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

I undid the drawstring of the sack and fished around in it for a second. When I withdrew my fingers, I brought with them two legion denarius. They probably wouldn't recognize the legion part, but silver should still be worth something here right?

"What about these?" I hold the coins up for the cashier to see. "Triple 9 grade, and about an ounce in weight."

The cashier went bug-eyed for a moment. She stared at the pair of coins I was holding in front of her. I looked a little off to my side and noticed Yang was having similar ocular issues.

"T-that'll work." The cashier said, holding out her hand.

I dropped the bits of silver into her palm and did a silent victory dance in my head. This was probably the first time I'd ever actually succeeded in getting someone to accept legion coin. On that note, I should probably try figuring out how much these things are worth here.

The register made a grinding noise and a slip of paper was spat out. The cashier handed it to me alongside a small multi-colored card.

"Here's your change sir." She said shakily

"Thank you" I say with a nod. "Enjoy your day, alright?"

"Uh, yeah… you too sir."

I collect my food-stuffs and make for the exit. Yang seemed to stand in stunned silence for a moment, only realizing I was leaving as the door opened.

Back on the street, I returned the small leather pouch to my inventory and waited for Yang to catch up. She meandered out of the store, still looking at me like I had two heads.

"You doing ok?" I ask

"Y-yea just… where did you get that kind of money?"

"… found it, why?"

"Because I don't think I've ever seen someone pay for groceries with silver coins before."

"… I take it that it isn't that common?"

Yang blinked, the stunned look on her face vanished and a wicked smirk to its place. "Oh no, it is, just kind of surprised to see you carrying it around."

"… rrriiiiiiight." I say unsure of how much I was trusting Yang at the moment.

"So, what's next?" Yang asked, regaining her previous energetic attitude.

"Well my shopping is done, so I'm probably going to head back to Beacon now."

"Aw, Really? Don't you want to stick around and have some fun?"

"No, thanks. I'd prefer to go back and catch up on some sleep."

"You sure? Ruby was really disappointed you didn't want to join us."

"Yeah, well that's sad and all but I've had a long week and don't feel like spending my down time chasing criminals or whatever Ruby does in her free time."

Yang looked at me in confusion. "That's not what Ruby does."

'The first time I met her begs to differ.'

"Look, I'm tired and just want to unwind. Why don't… you…"

"Six?"

I looked across the street that was directly facing me. It was a shady looking place. Tinted Windows and Neon signs covered the thing. I couldn't read any of it but I knew exactly what it was just by looking at it.

"Should I be concerned the one place I can recognize on sight is a liquor store?"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked

"Oh, uh, nothing. Hey, could you hold onto these for a minute?"

I passed my groceries off to Yang and walked briskly across the street to the store. Time to see if my luck was going to continue to hold.

*fifteen minutes later*

I found myself flying through the doorway and smacking against the pavement. The lower portion of my gas mask clicked against the asphalt and cocked my head painfully to the side.

"Beat it kid!" The shop owner said, slamming the door closed behind me

"Well that looks like it went well." Yang said with a smirk

"Fuckin' asshole-" I groan, picking myself up off the ground. "My money's good, why didn't he let me buy anything?"

It had gone down simply enough. I walked in, grabbed a bunch of different bottles, and went to pay for them. The guy starts checking me out and asks for an I.D., I tell him I don't have one. Then he starts yelling at me about how I shouldn't be in there and throws me out when I offer to 'lose' some extra coins.

"It might've had something to do with you being underage." Yang continued to smirk. "Aren't too many places that'll serve anyone our age."

'… Oh, right, forgot that I wasn't grown-ass man anymore. I look like a teenage twit.'

It hadn't been something I'd really thought about. For the most part I didn't feel any different. It wasn't unless I looked in a mirror that I'd be reminded I was a bit different than I had been. Guess it wasn't so hard for other people to notice. I stared vacantly at the liquor store for a moment.

"You ok?" Yang asked

"… Yeah, I'm good."

'Screw this place, I got the know-how. I'll just make my own stuff and it'll be ten times better than their swill.'

Yang and I started walking the streets. I didn't really have a destination now, I was just wandering until I decided to go find the ship back.

"Where to next?" Yang asked

"Not sure, I got most of what I needed already. There might be one or two other things I should go looking for though."

"Like what?"

"… Not sure if I should say exactly."

"Aw, don't be like that." Yang smirked again and nudge my shoulder. "We're teammates, y'know: buds."

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure it's a problem you can help with anyway."

"Hmph, try me."

I was hesitant to go around flashing how literally alien I was to the unnamed world. But, if their reaction to the denarius was anything to go by, I may actually be able to get some answers… screw it.

I reached up to the block of steel on my arm and grabbed hold of a small latch on it. I popped open a small compartment, relieving several pieces of steel framed microfilm. I ejected one of them and held it up for Yang to see, taking care not to let her see the contents.

"You know where I can find something like this?"

Yang reached out to take the piece of microfilm and I had to fight the urge to snatch it away. From the way she looked at it though she wasn't really trying to figure out what was on it and was just confused.

"What is it?" She asked

'And that implies you got no clue how to help me.'

"You know what film is?" I ask in return

"Yeah, like old movies and cameras right?"

"Bingo, what you've got there is a piece of microfilm. It's meant to hold information like maps and documents."

"Oh, ok. Then why do you need more of it?"

"Because half the reason I've been letting you lead me around is because I don't have a map of Vale."

'Half the reason.'

"Well, I can't really help you, sorry."

"It's alright, I kinda figured anyway." I slid the microfilm back into its tray and clasped it shut.

"You want some advice though? You should try asking Ruby, she's always been a bit more techy than me."

The image of Ruby trying to rip my arm off to examine the pip boy flitted through my mind.

"Y-yea, I'll keep that in mind. It's not a big issue right now though."

"Your right, it's actually pretty small. Almost microscopic."

I looked at Yang intently as a big smile swept across her face.

"… That was terrible. Please don't do that again."

Yang rolled her eyes, clearly pleased with herself.

"… unless I'm allowed to film it."

I promptly slapped my hand against my face. Yang snapped her fingers and gave an even bigger smile

'Did I really just say that out loud?'

"You're a bad influence." I say, rubbing my mask.

"What do you mean? I'm a great influence. I got you to talk didn't I?"

"Yet you still know jack-all about me."

"eh, one thing at a time. Speaking of film though."

Yang came to a stop suddenly and looked up. At this point I realized that I'd basically been following her blindly since we'd left the grocery store. Above us, ringed in lights, was a sign with names and times on it. Above that was an embossed neon sign the read 'theater'.

"We should be just about on time." Yang said, looking at the sign.

"In time for wha- wait a minute."

"Come on Weiss, we're gonna be late!" Shouted an all too familiar high pitched voice.

I turned around and watched as Ruby and Weiss rounded a corner, carry a large canvas bag.

"Hey Yan-" Ruby stopped speaking the instant she locked eyes with my helmet.

'OH SHI-'

Before I could even react Ruby slammed into me at the speed of sound. She would have knocked me to the ground if I wasn't built like a stone wall.

"You're not getting away this time Six!" Ruby practically shouted, "Yang! Hold him!"

"Take it easy Ruby" Yang chuckled "Six agreed to stick around."

"He did?"

"I did?" I ask, confused

"Yep, In fact he also agreed to buy pizza afterwards to make it up to you for yesterday."

"He did?" Ruby asked excitedly, immediately releasing me from her grasp

'The Hell I di-'

Before I could actually say anything Yang gave me a small jab in the kidneys.

"After all" She whispered in my ear "I'm sure we wouldn't want Ms. Goodwitch to hear about a certain student actively trying to buy alcohol, now would we?"

'Is… is she blackmailing me? She's fucking blackmailing me!'

"Or about a certain gas mask wearing student who is keeping a loaded shotgun in their room"

'…'

"Yup, my treat tonight." I say through gritted teeth.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered like an excited child. "Also, nice clothes."

"Oh, uh, thanks. Just got 'em today."

"Good to know you at least know how to clean yourself up." Weiss added snidely

"Where'd you get them" A fourth voice asked as Blake appeared from out of view. I noticed Yang give her a tiny glare of annoyance.

"Little shop over in the market. Nice place, I'll give you the name later if you want."

"They're not that good." Weiss added again.

"Anyway!" Ruby said, trying to pull the conversation back on track. "We still haven't decided what we were going to see."

"See?" I ask

"Yea, we're going to see a movie as a 'team building' exercise" Yang said

"What!? Why didn't you tell me about that!"

"I was going to, then you ran away." Ruby answered

"Oh… You should probably lead with that next time, I thought it was going to be something crazy like hunting Grimm for fun or egging Goodwitch's house."

"no, that's not till' later." Yang clarified

I didn't really show it, but I was actually very excited by this revelation. Do you know how many functioning projectors there are in the Mojave? Let alone actual film reels to play on them? This was going to be a trip, and I wanted in.

"So, what were we going to see?"

"That's what we were trying to decide, My vote was for Claws."

"Mine was the Duchess Bride." Weiss chimed

"I wanted to see the Scroll" Blake added

"And I wanted to see the Kingdom of the Hidden Dragon"

'None of this means anything to me since I don't know what they're about.'

"… I guess the dragon one sounds cool."

Yang raised her hands excitedly. While Ruby made a small whimpering and Blake sighed.

"But it's just going to be people punching each other for two hours!" Weiss shouted in annoyance

'… That sounds like the best kind of movie.'