Winter was not her favourite time of the year in all due honesty. So much red and green… It just wasn't her style. But fashion was fashion and seasonal looks never really changed, tired and gaudy though it may have been.

Her wardrobe, big enough to take up nearly a quarter of the room (something she'd fought hard for and exercised her right as team leader to quash all complaints), sprawled before her, each neatly-compartmented row of folded clothes nearly collapsing under the strain of cloth.

But what would she wear?

As she surveyed her collection, finger idly tapping against her plush lips, her mind wandered back to the snippet of conversation she'd overheard earlier.

"And then the guy said that since Old Man Shopkeep broke his hip a few months ago trying to frighten people in that Beowolf costume, they didn't have anyone to play Santa for the Vale Mall Winter Exhibit," the excitable scythe-wielding first year declared.

She'd seen the kid around a bit, she seemed nice enough - and judging by her friendship with Velvet, no Faunus prejudices either - but that hood of hers was a bold choice. Definitely pulled it off well though.

"Yeesh, that's rough. Are they gonna cancel it?" her yellow-haired, much curvier companion wondered.

Supposedly the two were sisters. Didn't seem like there was much of a resemblance if you asked her, but she guessed they must have taken after different parents. Yellow-hair didn't seem one for fashion - her clothes barely even covered her, in parts.

Well she certainly had it to flaunt it, that was undeniable.

"No, see, that's the thing! When Jaune heard about it he said that he would do it!" the smaller girl replied, bouncing in place.

She watched the elder sister stare blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter at the news.

"Seriously? Santa's supposed to be short, fat and old; how's that blonde noodle supposed to pull it off convincingly?" Yellow-hair wiped away a small tear of mirth as the pair of them walked out of earshot.

Blonde noodle, huh? That seemed like an exaggeration - she'd seen the pictures of him in that dress. Plenty of muscle there. A pity she'd not had the chance to see it in person, but chewing through armies of Grimm with her minigun had been a more important task than attending the dance.

Still, it'd been an interesting piece of information to hear. She'd been meaning to have a quick chat with her fellow team leader to thank him for corralling those meathead bullies who'd harassed her poor Vel.

Why the girl only mentioned it after he'd stopped them she just couldn't guess - that bunny was too timid for her own good sometimes. At least when it came to people at any rate, put her before the dread hordes of darkness incarnate and suddenly she was as mean as anything - go figure.

At least the "blonde noodle" had saved her the trouble of finding Winchester and his crew and showing them an up-close and personal demonstration of her handbag's capabilities, tempting though it was to do so regardless.

And this exhibit seemed the perfect chance to make his acquaintance - and if he played his cards right, perhaps something more. She'd vaguely heard about his trainwreck attempts to woo the Schnee heiress but apparently he'd given up that ghost after all.

Of course there was still his partner to consider. There were very few people in Beacon who weren't aware of Pyrrha Nikos pining away after her leader. Unfortunately for her, he seemed to be one of them, which would almost be unbelievable if it hadn't taken him so long to get the message Schnee had been sending him on a regular basis.

But her recitience (and loss) would be someone else's gain. The girl had had plenty of time to try her hand. It was a little sad, honestly. The famed Invincible Girl, unable to claim a guy? Where was the ferocity she showed on the battlefield? It should have been child's play for her to snap him up; he surely wouldn't have said no. He had worn that dress for her, after all.

Well, it hardly mattered anyway - the only thing that did was picking out a suitably stylish ensemble. And she had just the outfit in mind…

It was an hour later that she strolled out into the brisk winter air, a smirk on her lips and a sway in her hips.

Her beloved beret had been somewhat reluctantly traded in for the tried-and-true staple of festive headwear; the Santa hat. Her ever-present shades sat proudly on her nose, a new pair after her previous one had met its end in her final Vytal Festival match.

Her black scarf was replaced by a dark red, fur-lined shawl that sat over a similarly designed top, held on with a fetching rose clasp. Her hands were adorned with a set of fingerless gloves, perhaps not quite suited to the time of year but pain was temporary - impressions were lasting.

Her toned midriff peeked out from between the top and her almost scandalously short fur combat skirt, accompanied by a white belt of simpler design than her regular one (and devoid of spare ammunition for her minigun, a tough call to make), though still clasped with the golden targeting sight that made up her personal sigil.

Finally a pair of dark-grey leggings and red high-heeled knee-high boots topped the look off. Was there a better dressed Miss Claus out there? She rather doubted it.

There were a few students milling around but she paid them no mind as she headed toward the bullhead hangar. The pilot nodded at her as she stepped into the vehicle, familiar as he was with her regular trips into Vale to visit the various shops. It was truly a shame that her favourite one had been demolished in that awful White Fang attack, but at least she'd made that Grimm pay for it. Along with a score of other ones.

Despite that, the streets of Vale still bustled - you could hardly see any evidence of the Breach. It was impressive how quickly they'd bounced back after such a damaging event. It was one thing to hear of Grimm attacks in the Frontier; quite another to have one in the heart of the city.

But still the people went about their business without care, shops selling their goods and children running amok, everyone enjoying the festive season. There were a few appreciative gazes thrown her way as she left the bullhead behind and sauntered along to the Vale Mall but there was only one man on her mind.

It was difficult for her to pass a few of her usual haunts as she grew ever closer to her goal, but there would be time for that later on; she was here for pleasure, not business.

The Winter Exhibit was surprisingly empty, with just a few straggler kids and their parents waiting in line. She could see him just up ahead, sat in a big wooden chair with a little purple-haired girl on his lap, the child waving her arms excitedly as she demanded a variety of presents from the fake Santa Claus.

As she watched in growing amusement, a figure bumped into her, jolting her from the heartwarming scene. She glanced down to see another kid, this one parentless and wearing an elf costume.

The smaller girl glared up at her with mismatched brown and pink eyes that matched the long hair spilling out from under her elf cap. On closer inspection it became clear that this was no lost child at all, though she was still of a much shorter stature; it was contrasted by her fairly prominent curves.

While it had hardly been her fault, standing still as she had been, her attempt to apologise out of courtesy was rejected as the green-adorned woman walked off without saying a word. Some people.

The line had moved up a little during the exchange and it seemed that the chair was devoid of happy present-seeking toddlers. Perfect.

He stared at her in bewilderment as she sashayed toward him, searching about presumably to see whether she had brought a child with her. His curious glances were cut off as she crawled onto his lap and settled herself in, facing him.

"Hello, Santa Arc," she purred.

"Uhh…" He grunted, scratching the back of his shaggy blond locks. "Hi? Are you here to… ask for a present?"

She hummed noncommittally.

"In a manner of speaking. I was more thinking of giving one of my own, to be honest," she replied.

His blue eyes widened as she wiggled in his lap, seeking to get more comfortable as she draped herself over his broad shoulders.

"I don't- please don't do that," he pleaded.

Oops. Was that a candy cane in his pocket or did Santa have something else waiting in his sack?

Her smirk turned feral as his face began to turn as red as his outfit. She slid her shades down her nose, eyes locked onto his.

"M-miss, there are kids waiting…" He whispered.

Ah, of course. That was something to consider, no way children could be allowed to see him if she got him all riled up.

But it was just too much fun watching him swallow nervously.

"I'm not done yet saying my Christmas wish," she declared, unwilling to stop just yet.

"...What would you like from Santa?" He asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

It was time to go in for the kill.

"You. In my bed. Fully nude."

His shocked gasp was nearly drowned out by an angry, feminine growl from behind them, but she ignored that, focusing on the way his pupils expanded and his irises darkened.

"I, w-well, um… I-I'll see what I can do?" He managed to stutter out.

Her brilliant white teeth curved into a victorious grin and she patted him on the cheek.

"Name's Coco Adel, be sure to write that on your Naughty List," she informed him, detaching from his lap.

The heterochromic elf's face was a rictus of anger as she marched forward away from the somewhat concerned looking parents, but that was no concern of hers. Instead she strode away triumphantly as his voice rang in her ears.

"Neo, I think we're done for the day. I've got to get back to Beacon."

It seemed her Christmas was going to be very merry indeed.