XII - Sapling
~~~(XII)~~~
Oxon gingerly touched the burn mark on his chest. A night of sleep and cream had worked with his aura and had prevented any infection. But the intensity of the fire and the fact he had not raised his aura in time resulted in a scar forming on his left pectoral, right over his heart. It was not as bad as it could have been, if he had no aura, it could have been far worse. The hand-shaped discoloration joined the other couple of scars on his body and was a painful reminder of his new life.
That woman, Cinder Fall, had marred him as a threat. He had not wronged her as far as he knew, but nevertheless, she decided the best way to earn his loyalty was through fear. He was ashamed that it had worked.
I shouldn't be. I'm still alive after all. If that was really just a way to instill fear, I dread to know what she could do if she wanted to kill.
He used a fresh bandage to cover the mark as he got dressed for the day. He looked at his jacket, depressed that it had been ruined. A large hole had been burned into it during that witch's demonstration. The rest was still in good shape, but he'd either need to patch it or replace it all together.
Oxon decided that could wait as he packed up his, admittedly few, possessions for his move. And it was a move that truly came out of a bush. Beacon Academy, the premier school for huntsmen. He was told he'd be arriving there a couple weeks before the rest of his "team" due to their own plans.
Oxon had informed Junior about his poaching. The man had been upset at the implication that someone could just take his men. He didn't seem to care that Oxon was leaving the gang though, which gave him mixed feelings. He'd secretly hoped Junior would have been able to prevent it, but that would stay a dream.
He was told he would need new gear by his new boss. He was even given a healthy sum of lien to ensure it was done quickly. He knew what he needed and was headed to the huntsman shop he'd gone to earlier. With all his necessities packed and being shipped to beacon. He made his way to the merchant area of the docks.
On his way out however, he ran into Miltia by the door. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Seeing him approach, she moved away from the wall and towards him.
"Hello there, Miltia." Oxon spoke to her with a confused frown. He hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks, so why was she here?
"Ox. I hear Roman is taking you on permanently?" The frown she wore was similar to Junior's, albeit with less anger. "Surprised you said yes, here I thought you hated the man."
"I think it was a partner of his, or something similar." He wasn't allowed to say much, but she'd been decent to him and decided she deserved at least a little. "It also wasn't a voluntary reassignment, more forced really. I'm going to Beacon."
The thought of that night was still vividly sharp. The sight of the fire, the heat it gave off, and the smell of the smoke would stay with him for a long time. He still was confused as to why him? Why had fate decided that he needed to be punished this much?
"An offer you couldn't refuse?" She spoke the words with an exasperated snort. "Sounds like something we'd do, not Roman."
"I guess? I apologize, but I do need to prepare some things." He gestured to the old armor strapped to his back. "Thank you for your help while I was here, I really appreciated it."
Her frown morphed into a slight smile and she shook her head lightly. "I didn't do anything, you said Beacon though? Do the gang one little favor when you get there?"
Surprised at the request he nodded in acceptance. "Uh sure, what?"
"Find that blonde bitch and push her shit in for me, Kay?"
~~~(XII)~~~
"That's a healthy stack of lien, a lot more than you seemed to have last time." The bearded man looked curiously at the stack of money chips, high numbers too.
Oxon had been given a script on what to say to any armorer in case they got suspicious. "I was given a scholarship to attend a huntsman academy, Haven specifically." Why he had to claim to be from a separate continent when Vale and Vacuo each had one and are on the same land mass? He wasn't sure, but Cinder insisted.
"No longer working for Junior's group huh? And you need a rush job for the armor?" A nod from Oxon confirmed the question. "Thought so, which means you need a rush on that weapon of yours too. It will cost a pretty stack, but it seems you got it in full. Luckily for you, that ax rifle is almost done."
Oxon handed over his schematics as well as the remaining pieces of his leather armor. It was not combat ready for Grimm let alone huntsmen. He felt like he was betraying his father by using it in this way, but he knew his father would understand.
"Hmmm, not too complicated a design. Everything except that fancy bit on your arm will be easy enough." He looked over the design that Oxon had come up with. It was a crude sketch, but when explaining what he was trying for, the man had quickly understood.
"How quickly can I get them? It needs to be ready before the start of the spring semester." Torchwick had been the method of communication between them. She would use the man to relay her orders for him to obey.
"I already got the parts for your first order, and with making your armor a priority, you can expect it in a week or so. I can ship it too, someone at Beacon'll let you know when they arrive." That was useful and would save him time.
"Thank you sir, I appreciate it." He deposited the money on the desk and prepared to leave for the school.
"Watch yourself out there. Assuming ya don't know, huntsmen are a fairly interesting bunch." The info was strange, Oxon was unsure if he cared, but the man continued. "They are flashy, colorful, and eccentric in every way. Don't let em get to ya."
Odd warning aside, he nodded his head at the man in thanks and left. He had one stop at a clothing store for a new jacket. His decision was to simply cut off the embroidery and simply affix it to a new one. If he made good time at the shop and to the shuttle area, he could be at the school around noon.
~~~(XII)~~~
The terminal had been a new experience for him. Figuring out which shuttle he was supposed to board took longer than he would admit. He had to run back and forth and only just made it on before it departed. The craft he was taking today had a much better view than the one he and that huntsman rode all those months ago. The larger windows gave him a great view as the city shrank and the academy grew.
I don't think I'm nearly prepared enough for this. Hell, I didn't even know what a huntsman was until I came to Vale. I'm gonna have to bullshit my ass off here.
The automated voice alerted him that they would be landing in five minutes. When they touched down, Oxon had stayed on while the rest of the students or faculty left the craft. He dreaded stepping out into a whole new unknown, but he too disembarked and stepped into the stone landing and was stunned.
The architecture of the school was petrifying. Grand buildings and arches spread across what had to be multiple acres of land. Dozens of students milled about the area in a few different uniforms. He was told to not interact with anyone dressed in a Haven uniform since his cover as a Mistralian huntsman in training was still new.
Oxon became lost fairly quickly after leaving the landing platform. The campus was larger than his previous home! There were a few maps scattered around some major locations, but it hardly helped him since he did not know what landmarks were which. The location of his room was supposed to be inside the freshman dorms. But he had no idea where they were.
He was confusedly glaring at a map when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning his head he saw a student in a Beacon academy uniform. She had long brown hair and a pair of rabbit ears. She seemed curious yet nervous which seemed odd.
"Hello there. I noticed you were quite entranced by the map." He noticed her interesting accent while he nodded dumbly with a slight tinge to his cheeks. He told her he was completely lost since he just got in.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, I as well as my partner got quite lost on our first day as well. Where is your room located?" He handed her the slip of paper showing his room number on it. "Ahhh, this is the same building I was in during my first year. I can show you it easily."
"That would be much appreciated miss, I thought I was good at directions, but this place is a real maze." She smiled at the comment and told him to follow her. "So you're from Beacon I see, this is my first time here. What is it like?"
Small talk was not his strong suit, but it seemed that she didn't mind the question. "It's lovely here, I was not too sure if I'd fit in here at first. Though it was a bit rough at first, the team I am on has been truly wonderful."
"That's good, I've heard a lot of things about this school from an acquaintance of mine." Mostly Torchwick ranting about little red this, stupid cat that. Not to mention the one girl who his old gang was still not over.
"Well I hope you enjoy your stay. You are from Shade, correct?" Why did she think that? He wasn't in any uniform after all.
"I'm from Haven actually." He had to cement his cover story eventually, might as well start with this valean. "I'm new and haven't gotten my uniform yet."
"New?" He realized his mistake too late, curse his dumb mouth. "The second semester starts soon. Wouldn't you be at Haven to get used to that school?"
"I'm something of a special case. A teacher from there saw me fighting some thugs and decided to allow me in. There was a three person team who needed a fourth, so it was convenient for everyone."
She had a surprised expression at his story. He hoped she wouldn't call him out on it. After all, a story like that seemed too fantastical to let anyone into a huntsman school.
"Well that is certainly impressive, it's rare for people to be scouted directly."
Oxon rubbed behind his ear at her praise. "I don't think it was all that impressive, I'm only really good at fighting Grimm. I've not had a lot of experience fighting people, hell, I've never been able to beat my dad."
His father had been one of the leaders of their defensive forces. All the other fighters were sad when he'd decided not to join the guard like his brother and father. They got into many arguments over it, but in the end the old man had accepted on the condition that he train to fight as well as work in the forests. He'd trained with many weapons, from spears to swords to guns, but in the end he'd settled on his ax since it would be what he'd have on hand in case of an attack.
He missed those days and he wished he'd listened to his father back then. Maybe then he would have been able to do more than just run away. Guilt spread through him at the memories of home.
The two had walked in silence the rest of the way. Oxon took in the scenery and landmarks of the area so he could find his way around in the future. Soon enough they arrived at a large building.
"Here it is, this is the building where a few transfers are being put up. Normally most are kept to different buildings, wonder why your team isn't with the rest of the Haven students?" The building looked vaguely similar to a half dozen other buildings nearby, the only difference was the name on its outside.
The King Ozmon Dorm.
"Huh, kinda plain compared to the rest of the place." The fantastic architecture seemed to have lost steam when these were built it seemed. Maybe not enough resources were left?
"That's 'cause they're pretty new. They were only built a few years ago. The rest of the campus was the Castle of the old royal family."
If this is a castle, then why is this what is named after a king?
Following his gaze to the engraving she let out a chuckle. "Oh that? That's because the king that founded the place wrote that no wing should bear his name. Something about how it was simply an obligation and that he didn't need recognition."
"Then why is this building in his name? Sure he must be long dead, but to ignore him?"
"The recent board thought that since these are technically "new" that they don't apply to the trust. Though the headmaster wasn't happy and insists that it "goes against the king's wishes.""
Oxon was confused at how to navigate the rest of the campus, but thankfully she picked up on it. So the girl sent him a better map of the place to his scroll since in her words "The design team did a rubbish job and this is what we use." He wasn't going to argue with that since it showed in better detail about where certain facilities were. With a quick thanks, the two parted ways and Oxon walked into his new temporary home.
~~~(XII)~~~
Oxon had set himself up in the bed nearest to the window and was laying down enjoying the cool air from outside. He enjoyed sleeping near a breeze, he just hoped there would be decent breezes aplenty. After unpacking, Oxon went over the map the girl had sent him, and realized he hadn't gotten her name.
Oh well, if I see her again I can always ask. Probably'll run into her at some point.
It was approaching time to get himself dinner. It seemed the cafeteria was near the center of the campus. Its building is just a short walk from the academic and training wings. He'd seen and packed away the sets of haven uniforms earlier and was not in a rush to put it on. Pulling on his new jacket he headed out to eat.
The walk was decent. The hustle and bustle that he'd grown accustomed to in Vale was blessedly absent here. There was a lot more plant life as well, grass, shrubs and trees created a few gardens for people to enjoy. The air also seemed a bit cleaner as well, not as clean as Prism's, but still better than the city.
The food was also good. It was much better than food he'd been able to make himself, which while not saying much, had been a pleasant surprise. Brother's knew he'd never be able to cook good food for that many people. Especially since some were able to chow down four damn servings. That one redhead had been terrifying.
Afterwards he'd taken the long route back to get a bigger feel for the place. He passed by a large statue of huntsmen triumphant over the Grimm, a larger garden with benches, outdoor training lawns, and a few other buildings. Once he felt like he had learned enough, he cut through the gardens to get back to his dorm.
Walking around his building he could faintly hear sounds of fighting nearby. He didn't see anyone in his walk around to the door, so he assumed it was either in the building or on top of it. Even seeing as the rooms could have room to spar in, he doubted it greatly. He doubted anyone was stupid enough to run the chance at ruining their room.
By the time he had gotten back to his room the sounds seemed to quiet down. He washed himself off and prepared to turn in for the night. Just as he was getting in bed he saw a new message pop up on his scroll.
Fuck off, I don't care if it's fire bitch, but I'm tired.
~~~(XII)~~~
Unknown: Cinder requires you to gather information on a few individuals. Their information is listed below. We will join you at Beacon once the semester officially starts.
Ruby Rose, Team RWBY
Blake Belladonna, Team RWBY
Pyrrha Nikos, Team JNPR
Sun Wukong, Team SSSN
Below were a few images of the targets, for people, three different teams. Oxon recognized most of the three. The Sun guy was with Blake that night at Juniors a few nights before the docks fiasco and Ruby was the one that beat him down and froze him. The redhead was new though, but the name did ring a bell for some reason.
He grumbled at having to get near the one girl that's caused nothing but issues from him. He hadn't told anyone, but she scared him, her cheerful annihilation of him sent shivers racing up his spine.
He'd have liked to ignore the orders, to tell the woman to go to hell. Oxon wanted to so badly, but he had a burning suspicion that he'd be in the firing line if he did. Quickly extinguishing those thoughts before they could continue, he got ready to go out and start his tasks.
Making puns in my head now. First sign of madness.
This time at breakfast, he kept a lookout for the four while waiting in the line. He didn't spot the monkey faunus, but three of the four were sitting down at the same table. He could see the two ravenettes and the redhead with what must have been the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR. There was an empty table behind them so he decided to sit with his back to them and listen in on their conversation.
"And the massive Grimm sloth king raised its huge claws to destroy the puppy orphanage!" An excited voice regaled her encounter to those listening. And he had to admit it was a fairly grabbing story.
"It was a single Alpha Beowolf trying to get into a chicken coop." A more masculine voice spoke next, seemingly to correct the story.
"Ren and I were the only ones those poor dogs could count on to save them, so we bravely stared down the beast!"
"We threw rocks at it to get its attention."
"With a mighty clash of Maginhild, we beat back the beast and it soared over the tree line, never to terrorize the city ever again." Now he was waiting for the guy to give the real event. It seemed like this girl had quite an imagination.
"That part is accurate." Oxon almost choked on his toast. Over the tree line!? Just how strong was she?
"The whole thing was accurate, Renny, you're just being humble." The girl (monster?) Huffed and continued with her meal.
Oxon had talked with a number of the refuge's guards and warriors about their Grimm encounters, but none had been capable of what she did. If every huntsman was like her and Ruby, then he seriously miscalculated his chances in a fight. He really needed to start training to fight again.
They began to talk about other topics like school and plans for the break. With his back turned, he couldn't put names or faces to each voice. He remembered Ruby's and Blake's from his interactions with them, but the rest were a mystery. He got some info on personalities, but he'd need to do more in order to please Cinder.
He heard shuffling and clanking as he walked past his table to throw out their trash. He watched as they chatted and left the room. He let out a sigh as he finished his own meal. How he was expected to go toe to toe with people like this 'Nora' person worried him. He just hoped she was an outlier.
Putting away his tray he decided it was best to head to the training rooms. The walk wasn't long and allowed him to think. His body was in good shape, he had worked hard to regain his previous muscle mass. He knew how to fight after years of training back home and had killed many Grimm. His concern was his combat ability against people who specialized in combat.
Reaching the training hall, he found that loaner weapons were available to use. That was perfect since his gear was not yet delivered. He picked up a simple sword of similar length to his old ax. There were a few other weapons, and he almost picked up a decent glaive, but he knew it would be better to swing around something more akin to what he commissioned.
Walking to an out of the way room he prepared to start. The rooms were quite sophisticated, he'd found out. He fiddled with the interface until he found a few presets. There were boxing, shooting, and a few types of melee options. He was reading through all of them when he realized he didn't bring his revolvers with him. Well he knew his plans for tomorrow at least.
He started up the program on an intermediate level to start with. He put his scroll in the terminal so that the system could monitor his aura. He pressed the start button and got in a ready stance with his sword and wished there was a shield he could use, or at least a buckler.
Hard light constructs suddenly appeared around him in various forms of people. They had different weapons that ranged from spears to swords to daggers. He had a moment to take in the sight of them before they rushed him.
He was right not to test if they were truly solid. He deflected a hard light spear before slashing into the construct's body. It shattered into motes of light distracting him from the next one. His aura protected him from the blow easily. The next few constructs of light fell after a short fight.
He had worked up a good sweat from the fight and was panting slightly. The foes were nothing compared to the people he'd trained under, which was a good sign for him. If this was the middle level for the training machine, then he might actually have a chance here. For once, something seemed to be going his way.
He set himself up on a higher difficulty program and ran through a few of those before he decided to end there. The simple clothes he wore clung tightly to him as sweat soaked the articles. The in-gym shower was a welcome feeling after the mornings exercise, he felt great finally weapon training after months without it. The rust he'd accumulated on his skills were being shaken loose much to his cheer. He hoped to remove the last of it when he could finally use his ax again.
After drying off and changing, he packed his workout clothes in a simple bag and left for his room. On the way out of the training hall though, he collided with another person, who was knocked to the floor.
"Owww…"
Oxon looked down at the poor guy he'd almost ran over. A lanky boy in a simple suit of armor over what seemed like a hoodie. Not exactly what he'd wear for armor, but he didn't judge. Much.
"Are you alright? I didn't see you there." He offered a hand to the down boy who graciously took it.
"I'm fine, just surprised more than anything. Not many people are in the gyms on a Sunday after all." He dusted himself off before looking back at Oxon. "Are you one of the transfer students? Would make sense why I haven't seen you here."
He nodded in affirmative to the question.
"Cool, cool, I don't want to imply anything, but if you need any help getting around the campus or finding stuff, most anyone in Beacon would be willing to help!" A goofy grin splayed out on the blonde's face as he extended his hand. "I'm Jaune, by the way, Juane Arc."
He really did not care. If this wasn't one of his targets, then this "Juane" meant nothing to him. "Nice to meet you." He shook the hand but offered no other pleasantries. Was that rude of him? Yes. Did he care though? Not one bit.
He glanced at the weapon on his hip. A hand and a half sword. And surprisingly nothing else. Either he was a tremendous fighter with that alone, or has a semblance to allow him long range. Huntsmen were strange after all.
With the shake done Oxon excused himself to head back to his room. He dropped off his used clothes and began to ponder how to approach the three he'd seen this morning.
He had met the Blake girl that night at Juniors, it was brief but he mainly remembered Sun and their "toast". That and the fact she had cat ears, which were hidden in the cafeteria earlier.
Caught between a red devil, a disguised faunus, and some random redhead, he decided to look further at the two he knew of already. Finding out why the feline hid her ears would undoubtedly be of interest to his new boss.
One thing was certain. He had no clue on how to even start his damn mission. He'd never been one for subtly, so trying not to sound suspicious when asking about people was like sawing against the grain.
With a frustrated growl, he put in his jacket and stepped out of the door and into the cool air. There were many students outside as well in the middle of different activities. Some were studying, playing games, chatting, and even getting some outdoor exercise.
He decided to head to the more populated areas and see if he heard any gossip or people talking about them. Cheesy and probably stupid as it was, the spy movies he'd watch had to be somewhat based in reality. Besides, after their team's involvement against the White Fang, there must be a lot to talk about.
~~~(XII)~~~
Why was almost nobody talking about them!? Oxon had gone to three different populous areas, the cafeteria, the main gardens, and even the CCT. Students were talking about last semester's tests, bragging about Grimm kills, and even about crushes and what not. The docks heist was only a few days ago and yet nobody was even discussing it!?
Oxon ran a hand down his face in defeat. He knew real life was not those shows or movies, but he'd hoped to get something at least. He headed to the school's Library to use their computers to look up what he could. If that failed, then he was out of options.
Walking through the nearly empty hallways had him lost in thought until he heard an argument nearby. He planned to ignore it but he noticed one of the participants. It was that white haired girl he'd seen with Ruby and Blake when he went to commission a weapon. She was in a heated argument with a guy with short hair and a dark complexion.
"You and your whole family are as crooked as they come!"
"Look, I am sorry for what my family's company may have done, but it has nothing to do with me." The girl seemed on the defense against the clearly upset man.
Oxon realized this was his chance to get close to the targets. All he had to do was intervene and help out this girl. Great.
"What in the gods damn is going on here?" While friendly chatting wasn't his forte, breaking up arguments was.
"Who're you? Some yes man paid to watch over her?" The aggressive guy crossed his arms at his approach.
She too looked at him with suspicion. Already on guard after dealing with this prick, she was likely wary that he was here to join him. Even if he wasn't on a mission, he still wouldn't gang up on someone like this. He had some morals left.
"I don't have a clue as to who either of you are, but what I can see is enough to warrant intervention." He crossed his arms and glared in a way that cowed the assholes in the club, he was easily a good couple inches taller than the antagonistic guy. Though the guy in front didn't seem intimidated, so he raised a questioning eyebrow at the shorter girl.
"This fellow here seems to take personal offense at my existence. And while I have sympathy for his father, his attitude towards me is misplaced." Her arms were crossed and the two glared at each other.
Well he was clearly missing a lot of context for whatever happened. He really didn't care too much about whatever happened to this guy or about his family. So it was easy to side with the girl who was under verbal attack.
"Look, little miss pale," He received an indignant squeak and an amused snort from the girl and the guy respectively. "I still don't know who you are or what's going on. Can you explain?"
"You don't know me?" She seemed surprised at his admission, this company must be important, that or she thought too much of it. "He is upset because his father was run out of business by my own father."
"He was a good man and ran an honest business, unlike your family, which knows nothing of good labor practice. You Schnees are all the same."
Schnee, Schnee, Schnee… why was that so familiar?
"When in the business of dust, it's a small pond and the SDC is a big fish. Again, what happened to your father was just the free market deciding."
"So, if I'm getting this all correct, buzz cut here lost his family business and is blaming you."
He received a glare from the boy and a wary look from the girl. "Yes that about sums it up."
Turning to the boy, he asked a question. "And when did your father go out of business?"
He seemed indignant at the questioning. "About 9 years ago, when I was 8."
He then turned back to the girl in white. "Well that seems pretty ice cold for a 8 year old, I gave wedgies, but financially ruining someone while still in the single digits? That's impressive."
She sputtered at the comment and began to deny such involvement. "I have no idea what you mean! I had nothing to do with what my father or the company did! Even now I have no control!"
"So you're saying that at 8 years old, you didn't have anything to do with this guy's dad's failed business?" He raised an eyebrow and used his thumb to gesture at the other.
"Of course not!" The sentence was punctuated by a stomp of her foot.
"Hmmmm, well if she had nothing to do about it, then that means you are just being an asshole for no reason." Oxon turned halfway through that comment to the other guy here who was looking quite red in the face. "Guess that means you should apologize, huh?"
"You- you, how dare you! You're really sticking up for some dust snorting slavers?!" His hands were twitching near what seemed like a trumpet.
Does he plan on serenading me to death?
The angry teen then got control of himself, straightened himself out, and left after giving them each a scathing glare. Neither Oxon or the girl were impressed.
"Well there goes that lovely specimen of humanity." He turned back to the shorter girl who seemed in shock at how the conversation went from accusing her to defending her. He did pull a fast one, to get his point across. "You all good miss?"
"Ah, well, I suppose thanks are in order." She gave a slight curtsy then looked him in the eye. "I appreciate your help with that misscreant. Seeing as you somehow don't know me, I should introduce myself, my name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and member of Team RWBY."
"My name is Oxon, Team CMOS from Haven." Cosmos was an interesting team name, not that he would complain, at least it wasn't named after that fire bitch.
So she was on team RWBY? Oxon thought she looked familiar. Though not how he thought the day would go, getting on the good side of one of their teammates was perfect. If he can use Weiss to get information for cinder, then that would be ideal.
"You said Team RWBY? Isn't that the team that stopped a huge dust robbery?" Subtly can die a ugly death, better to just get it from the source.
"Yes, my partner and teammate stumbled upon the theft and intervened." She seemed happy about that, which was fair since she was actually a good person and was on the side of the law. Which when was pretending to be while working with said terrorists.
"That's amazing, not sure if I would have been able to do the same. You guys must be pretty skilled."
The praise was noticed and caused a pleased smile on her face. "Well of course, my team is one of, if not the best, teams in our year."
"Really? I just arrived at Beacon the other day, so I'm still learning about the environment. I'm here to complete." At his mention of the tournament, her eyes narrowed imperceptibly and her smile became a bit sharper.
"You are, are you?" Oxon got a bad feeling from her new tone of voice. "Well let me say we here at Beacon are glad to have you all here. I look forward to seeing what your team can do."
"Well I'll try not to disappoint you, Miss Schnee." He was about to ask about her other teammates when another girl entered the hallway. She had long blonde hair that seemed familiar to him.
This is getting frustrating, I hear names and see things I swear I've seen before, but I can't place any of it. Damn my apathy to paying attention, it's really biting me now.
"Oh what's this?" The new girl said with a lilt in her voice. "Are you meeting a man for an illicit rendezvous? How bold."
Her grin turned into an exasperated frown as she turned to the new arrival. "Darn it Yang, I was just having a conversation with him, I'm not some floozy."
"Mhmm. I seem to remember how you were with Neptune." The blonde's grin became even larger and she put her hands against her cheek. "Oh Neptune~ call me snow angel again~."
The pale girl's complexion became bright red, either from embarrassment or anger. "I, I do no such thing. I simply appreciate his personality."
Oxon was once again lost for context in some strange conversation. But he realized this is the other girl who was in front of the dust shop. This must be the team's final member. The two argued about boys and romantic affairs when the blonde turned her attention to him.
"So stud, give me the details yeah? You come on to her or did she make the first move?" The girl was being kicked in the shins by Weiss, which did nothing since she kept her aura up. "Did you Kabedon her?"
"I have no idea what that is, soooo no."
"Xiao Long I swear to the brothers, you will cease ruining my reputation in front of the transfer!" Her demands went unheard and this Yang girl just wiggled her eyebrows.
"Nothing like that happened, we were just having a conversation since I was curious about Beacon and the team that fought Roman Torchwick." He didn't want to make another enemy if he could help it, especially if he needed to get close to the other half of the team. "Honest, just a simple chat."
"Hmmmmm, well you're no fun, could've at least played along." With a shrug of her shoulders and hearty laugh she wrapped an arm around Weiss. "Ruby was wondering how long you were planning on taking and used her puppy-eyes to have me to fetch you."
"Nice to meet you bud, names Yang Xiao Long, teammate of ice queen here." She gave a little wave before dragging the smaller girl away, to the rest of their team, he supposed. "It was nice to meet ya! If we end up fighting then it'll be nice to beat ya!"
With that the two rounded a corner and left his line of sight. Though their voices could be heard for a slight bit longer. It seemed that Weiss was close to getting something before she was interrupted. What that was, Oxon had no clue.
He rubbed behind his ear as he thought about the encounter with the apparent heiress. He made no friends with that male student, but if defending her got him closer to the other targets, then it was worth it.
He decided he no longer needed to visit the library since he now had an idea of how to get the info. With that he got out his phone to message his contact. He had good news for them.
~~~(XII)~~~
Our boi finally arrives at Beacon! I've been looking forward to this part since it's going to be a lot of interactions with many people. He has a long way to go though. Obviously he's not huntsman trained, so he's gonna need to work hard to not suck.
Also, I've seen that folks are following and favoring ME!? Uhhhh, you sure bout that? This is literally my first ever story attempt. I do appreciate it and it's a nice boost of dopamine.