XVI - Thinning
~~~(XVI)~~~
Oxon had not been avoiding team RWBY. If anyone asked him, he was busy with his team. Of course, like most conversations he'd had in the last two months, that was a lie. He didn't know what strings Cinder pulled, but the fact that she had her own private room was some bullshit. Too high and mighty to bunk with her underlings.
Not that he really minded, sure it was another reason to dislike the bitch, but he didn't have to live with her at least. Emerald and Mercury were more than enough of a migraine to deal with.
Mercury was a dick 24/7 and would find even the smallest thing to use against him. Emerald was plain off, she seemed obsessed with following whatever "plan" cinder had, and wanted to make sure Oxon held the correct amount of respect for their boss.
He faked it as much as possible, not that it fooled them. He didn't respect Cinder in the slightest, he was afraid of Cinder, big difference. While that pissed off Emerald, it seemed that the boss lady didn't care as long as he followed orders.
Time has passed by quickly in the last few days. He'd not interacted with team RWBY since the incident in the weapons lockers. The fact that the little ball of optimism hadn't tried to get in touch with him in those days was curious. He didn't particularly care if she was upset with him, but it didn't seem in character for Ruby to hold a grudge.
He'd found a new project to occupy his time while away from the team he was supposed to get close to. With the new weapons of his, especially Bulls Breath, there was customization he wanted to put on them. The revolvers were simple and it took a few minutes each; he'd engraved the names of his brother and father on the barrels of Fratris and Partris respectfully. The larger task was what was done on Bulls Breath.
He had taken to carving names of friends and other family members into the wood that covered most of the barrel and made up the stock. This task was harder on his psyche due to the vast amount he'd had to carve.
Mother, Sachie, Tor Tunder, Babe, Opal, Inky Toss, Taog, there's too many names to put…
Once he was done, there were nearly a hundred names carved into the surface of the wood. Later he would come back to stain and varnish the carvings in order to preserve them, but for now that would have to do. He hoped this tribute would be enough to keep their souls satisfied after his abandonment of his old home.
Oxon was currently headed to Vale for some "mission" that Emerald and Mercury said they needed to complete. While he was glad for an excuse to leave campus for a bit, he was suspicious about what the simp and the dick were planning. He met them at the Vale air terminal and walked into the city together.
"So what are we doing here?" Like usual, plans weren't conveyed to him until the last possible moment. He was sure it would not be a long mission since the first day of classes started tomorrow.
"Got to plug a leak, it seems some rats are trying to get through." Mercury was a lover of cryptic bullshit and was as annoying as ever.
"Cinder needs us to stop an escape from a White Fang turncoat." Emerald, for her many problems, at least gave a straight answer. "Tukson, he operates a bookstore as a front for the Vale sect, the back room is a safehouse with weapons and munitions."
Great, dealing with the Fang was something he was done with. Clearly he still had to work with the terrorists. He would like to see the fang caught, less help Cinder would have, the conniption she'd have would make his day.
"So we convince this guy to stay in the group or face consequences? Whatever, let's just get this over with." The other two shared a look before Mercury grinned.
"Yeah, sure, we'll convince him real well."
The rest of the walk to the bookstore was not in silence. The two fellow criminals kept exchanging insults to each other, causing Oxon to try his best to mentally block their voices. Sadly his semblance didn't cancel sound waves.
Real subtle you guys, bragging about being thieves not half a block after robbing some poor old man. After he gave us directions for crying out loud. If anyone with half a brain was near us they'd call the cops immediately.
"Hey fresh meat, you brought what we told you?" Oxon didn't waste his breath in a verbal response. Instead he meaningfully patted his hip where Patris was holstered, hidden by his jacket. "Good, might end up needing it."
The trio finally located Tukson's Book Trade. It was a simple shop complete with a cheesy slogan.
"Every book under the sun? Hah!" Mercury took the lead and entered first. They had told Oxon to be casual so that in case there was anyone else in the store it wouldn't raise an alarm. Luckily there was nobody else in the shop.
Mercury stood by the door as Emerald went to interact with the hidden White Fang agent. It was a normal enough exchange with Mercury asking if he had certain books. Once the guy was done fucking around, he locked the door and began to dim the street side glass, blocking the store from outside.
"You know who we are, don't you?"
"Yes."
"And you know why we're here?"
"Yes…"
Mercury had moved closer to the counter but still stood a bit back. Oxon moved his jacket aside and placed a hand on the gun's grip. The threatening motions did not go unnoticed by the faunus behind the counter.
"It ain't gotta be like this Tukson." If you know why we're here, there's no reason to try anything." Oxon punctuated that by cocking back the hammer and preparing to draw. "There's three of us and one of you."
The man looked between the three, not intimidated in the slightest. Emerald spoke up with one last question. "So, if you know all that, are you going to fight back?"
The hairy man closed his eyes in thought. Oxon thought that was him surrendering. When the man opened his eyes and extended claws from his fingers, Oxon tensed his muscles.
"Yes!"
Tukson hopped onto the countertop before leaping towards them. Oxon dodged to the side and drew Patris and prepared to hip fire at the man. He didn't even need to pull the trigger when he saw Mercury send a bullet aided kick to the man's skull.
All it took was that single blow to kill the man. Oxon had frozen upon seeing the corpse fall to the ground, blood quickly beginning to pool. He wasn't prepared for this.
Mercury more than was. "Well that was quick, did the guy not even have an aura? I'm almost disappointed." The silver haired killer wiping the grime off his boots on the floor as he idly checked his scroll.
Emerald went to the back room to investigate. She came back holding a printed out airship ticket marked for Vacuo. "Looks like his flight was scheduled for next week."
He'd been close to escaping. If only the poor bastard had scheduled it for earlier. Mercury had finished cleaning off his soles and snagged a comic book.
"Mission complete, now let's meet up with Roman and inform him of our success." The two made their way to the exit calm as can be. Oxon on the other hand hadn't moved a muscle, frozen with his gun in hand and eyes locked on the body.
What the fuck? What the fuck? What the FUCK!? He's dead, actually dead. Why did he fight us?
The other two were less than impressed by his state.
"Oxon, we're leaving." Emerald snapped her fingers at him to break his trance. "You can stay if you want, good luck explaining all this."
Woodenly, Oxon placed his gun in its holster and slowly lowered it's hammer. Oxon spared one last look and a silent prayer for the man. Oxon then followed the two out the door and into the city once more.
~~~(XVI)~~~
Oxon stood to the side as Roman and the other two members of his team bickered. He had tuned out their words since he left the store. He had committed more than a few criminal acts since he'd come to Vale, but he had thought that he'd never cross that line. He was brought out of his thoughts when Cinder, like megalomaniac she is, slowly descended from the mezzanine via the lift.
She then proceeded to verbally tear into both Roman and the other two teens. Apparently that assassin had been Roman's job, and the two murder-thieves decided to do it themselves. Cinder had been upset at the three of them until Torchwick was thrown under the bull when the nature of Tukson's impending escape had been revealed.
"And you, Oxon, I am surprised to see you participate in such a matter." The glint in her eyes told Oxon all he needed. She knew he was upset about the murder. "It's so good to see you accepting your role."
Oxon bit back a retort. He had been freely exchanging insults with Emerald and Mercury, but to speak out against her was suicide. He wordlessly nodded at her, his posture defeated.
"Well then, let us return to Beacon, I would like status reports on the tasks I gave you."
~~~(XVI)~~~
Oxon and the others parted ways once the bullhead landed. He'd told them about what he had been up to with teams RWBY and JNPR. Right now, he needed to think about the day's events. Walking through the campus in a daze, Oxon found himself in an isolated section of the gardens. There was a fish pond in the center of a hedge clearing.
Oxon took a seat at one of the stone benches and gazed into the water. The fish swam about in their small pond. They were oblivious to the vast world surrounding them, Oxon envied their ignorance.
Thinking of what occurred had Oxon gripping his head tightly. Emotions he'd suppressed while with his "team" came up to the surface. Guilt tore through his heart and anger filled his mind at what he'd been a part of.
We killed Tukson. I might not have pulled the trigger, but I was about to. I didn't even think he wouldn't have his aura unlocked. I was about to kill him...
He'd watched the fish for an unknown amount of time when he heard movement from the other side of the tall bushes. He gave it no mind, there was nobody he wanted to see at this current moment. He knew he was hardly friendly with many people, so hopefully that would keep them from disturbing him.
For once his answers were heard. The footsteps paused a bit or so behind him, but instead of joining him or even speaking out, whoever they were decided to leave him be. He relaxed his posture when he knew he was truly alone again.
A few fish came to the edge of the pond to inspect the large creature sat at the water's edge. The inquisitive fish stared at Oxon for a moment before disappearing back under water. Oxon had been in a state of uncertainty for the last few weeks, but now he was completely lost.
His family had sacrificed it all for his escape, and for what? So he could run off and nearly starve to death before joining three different criminal groups? He'd been justifying himself and his actions that it was all in the name of survival. Those that couldn't stand against the darkness would meet their end, but those who rise above would see the next day. Now though, through his cowardice, he had become a part of that same darkness.
Oxon sat at the pond until it had become dark out. He knew he missed his chance at a meal, and his team was likely to interrogate him about his absence. Looking up at the shattered moon and stars, Oxon continued to struggle with himself.
~~~(XVI)~~~
The next day came after a long and sleepless night. Dark rings were clearly visible when he'd gone to wash his face in the bathroom. It was going to be obvious that he wasn't doing well.
Oxon finally and begrudgingly donned the Haven school uniform. It was a mostly black outfit with a white under shirt. There was also a white stripe on the left shoulder. While not the most attractive thing he'd worn, the lack of a necktie was a real blessing.
He had to say he was not a fan of the jacket part of it. It was too warm for him, he still had yet to adapt to the warmer climate, so the stuffy cotton thing made him uncomfortably warm. He decided to modify the uniform slightly and leave the front of the jacket unbuttoned. He also kept his silver pendant, he felt a modicum of comfort rubbing the engraved metal disk.
"Hurry up Ox, don't want to be late on the First day do we?" Mercury looked surprisingly proper in the uniform. Guess even pond scum can look nice every once in a while.
With a growl at the murderer, Oxon brushed his bangs out of his face and followed them out.
"You were out pretty late last night." Mercury slung an arm around Oxon's shoulders in an almost friendly manner. Oxon knew better though.
"It was nothing, just needed fresh air." The less time spent with his team the better. He had to push down the dark thoughts and emotions filling him.
Oxon shoved the guy off him and walked ahead to the cafeteria. The first day of classes had almost every student dressed up in their official uniforms. Though he did see a good amount of students who wore casual or combat clothes. Did one school have no uniform? Lucky bastards.
Cinder wanted Oxon to continue his work by being close to team RWBY. He'd been trying to ignore them since that incident between him and Ruby, but cinder made it clear he had no choice other than comply. He approached the table and saw that even in uniform, Ruby wore her cloak.
Oxon pushed his emotions down and steeled his face before sitting down at the bench. The four girls seemed surprised to see him there. It had been a few days, and he'd not left on the best of terms.
"Oxon, it's nice to see you again." Weiss seemed pleased to see him again for some reason. A glance at Ruby saw that she was feeling awkward. He might as well help her out.
"Thank you Weiss, sorry I've been busy with some team stuff." It was plausible, with the tournament at the end of the year, it'd be strange for him not to work with them at least a little bit.
"And Ruby." Said girl "eeped" when he spoke to her. "About the other day, I apologize for my harsh attitude."
The girl stammered about how she was the one who should apologize, but he waved a hand at her to quiet her. She had nothing to apologize for, besides, he had a feeling she'd be furious at him if she found out what he'd done. And was continuing to do for that matter.
"Anyways, is there a reason a good portion of the school is avoiding you all?" It was hard not to notice how the normally crowded cafeteria was less than filled today, with a three table gap between the 9 teens and the nearest other person.
The eight teens shared a look before giggling awkwardly. Nora and Yang had regaled Oxon with the tale of the great food war of Beacon. From the sounds of things, it was no wonder why every single other group was giving them space. They were volatile as hell!
He was surprised Blake and Weiss had participated, though the fact that the heiress was the first victim in the fight, he figured she wanted vengeance. He thought Ren might have also stayed out, but he remembered Nora was his partner. Poor guy.
"I leave you all alone for a few days and you destroy the cafeteria…"
"Don't give us that look, Nora's the one that started it!" By the brothers, he was going to get another headache if kept thinking about it.
"So Ox, are you excited for classes? I'm sure you'll love the professors here." Weiss, predictable as always, talked to him about academics and the like. "While you might be behind a few in terms of base knowledge, I'm sure you'll be able to catch up."
"Unlikely as that might be, I have been curious about the curriculum taught here, first up I have a "welcome to beacon" lecture by Professor Peach." That was going to be a struggle. His state of being was close to being 100% exhausted soon, mostly due to the fact he was unable to sleep all night. He'd never been a coffee person, but he'd had at least four cups to keep himself conscious.
"Ah, didn't we gather sap for her that one time last semester?"
"Yeah! It was delicious!"
"Ignoring the gluttons, what sort of class schedule does your team have?" Oxon pulled out his scroll to show the girl. He had no idea any of the names on it so her help would be valuable. "Looks like you have a similar schedule to us first years. A few different lessons, but it seems you will share history, Grimm studies, and combat class."
It seemed half of his classes were shared with Beacon first year students. History would most likely be the class he would flunk. His historical knowledge was infantile compared to those of these modern cities. Combat was sure to be a trial, his combat experience was Jaune and Ruby, not that she knew him then, so he had yet to gauge the majority of the students.
He pondered his strategy for the coming days while the group continued to talk. Eventually the bell rang and he left to find where his "intro" class would be held. The rest of the eight watched him leave with differing expressions.
~~~(XVI)~~~
Fall colors down here are getting real pretty, all the greens have become a myriad of wonderful colors all over the mountains. Truly fantastic. Though mornings at the station are below freezing and our two space heaters are doing their damndest to keep me warm.
~~~(XVI)~~~
Omake:
Seeing the message from Mercury about some sort of job, Oxon decided to ignore it, later he would claim he was busy getting information or something. He made his way to the cafeteria to get himself lunch and meet back up with team RWBY. It had been a few days since that incident between him and Ruby and he hadn't been jumping at the chance to talk about it.
After he grabbed his food, he slowly made his way to the table teams RWBY and JNPR were seated at. He had almost made it to them when he saw Weiss take a pie to the face, covering her with food. While many would be upset at what happened, the fact that it had also gotten into her hair was another issue.
It was then that all hell had broken loose. Tables flipped and every team for themselves fought in what quickly became a free for all food fight. Oxon had barely managed to dodge a few trays of different foods as he made his way to one of the exits. He used a couple of trays as a makeshift shield and slowly inched closer to freedom.
Most recognized him as a noncombatant and was allowed to leave unsullied. A few fools had tried to get him which ended with a well placed shield bash to send the food back to the sender. He was halfway to the door when a bowl of beef stew flew in his blind spot, nailing him square in the head.
He froze as he felt warm broth trickle down his hair. He felt a chunk of meat fall into the back of his shirt. His eyebrows twitching, he turned back to look for whoever had assaulted him. After a fruitless search, he noticed that most of the participants had begun to flee the cafeteria. Diving out of the way of the stampede, he saw the reason for the exodus.
Somehow, in the short time of the battle, team JNPR had gathered all the tables and erected a sort of pyramid. Nora was conspicuously on top claiming to be the "Queen of the castle."
"… It shall be, delicious!"
"YEAH!"
Whipping his head to the left he saw team RWBY assembled on top of a table, and getting ready to charge JNPR. He'd have expected them to team up, but since Nora had been the one to cream Yang, starting this whole mess. He was about to turn and follow the crowd when Nora's booming voice called out to him.
"Oxon, the knight of waffles! Will you not come to your Queen's aid and vanquish these pretenders!?"
Ruby was quick to give out a counter offer. Clearly the two teams were prepared to bid for a crucial fight member to give them the numbers. "No, Oxon! Join us, together we can usurp the false queen!"
"There is absolutely no way I'm participating in this madness, I need a da-rn shower." He could feel the grease starting to cool and coagulate. The sensation was incredibly disgusting.
"What if I told you it was Yang who hit you?" That got his attention, thinking back, everyone else seemed to be fleeing when he was hit. And the only active participants were the two first year teams.
His eyes slid to Yang's. Deep green eyes met lilac for a moment before Yang looked away and tried to whistle innocently. It wasn't very convincing. Looked like he had a chance at revenge after all.
Looking around him for a weapon, he found an assortment of strange ingredients and meals, he did see a usable item however. A pair of tomahawk steaks were laying on a tray and ready to use. Picking them up by the bones, he strode towards his target.
"Xiaaaaao Lonnnngggggg!" He heard Nora chear about his chivalrous aid. Yang had the decency to sweat drop at the effects of her earlier attack. Ruby lamented loudly at the off balanced teams.
His earlier attempt to leave now placed him in a spot to let himself and JNPR perform a pincer attack. His target was Yang, who had found a pair of rotisserie chickens and wore them in her hands. He cringed at how disgusting that must feel.
How is she holding them? By a bone? Or by some of the meat? It's nasty either way.
It seemed she was prepared for his approach and tried to sway his loyalties. "Hey, Oxy, buddy, pal. Can't we kiss and make up? Put it all behind us like stew under the bridge?"
His answer was to throw one of his bone-in steaks at her face. "Sheesh, I admit I made a mis-steak, but come on." She rolled out of the way to avoid the spinning projectile and seemed ready to engage. Rushing forward he picked up a food tray to hold in his left hand to offer some defense.
They met each other in a hail of greasy blows. Her chicken covers fist met his tray shield with a disgustingly wet slap. Seeing his opening he got her across the cheek with his remaining tomahawk steak.
"Damnit Xiao Long, this is for the stew!" A few more steak slaps to the face had Yang back away a good distance.
Oxon was prepared to give chase when a chain of sausage links coiled around his throat. He got pulled off his feet when his assailant, who was for some reason Blake, pulled back on the meat whip. He glared at her from the floor while she gave a shrug before recalling the meat back to her. He rolled to his feet and readied his steak and tray.
"It ain't gotta be like this Blake, I just want vengeance on the stew slinger." He didn't know anything about her fighting style, but it was clear that she knew how to use the sausages.
"Yeah, but if I don't help out Yang, she'll never let it go." Blake seemed almost apologetic when she sent out her next attack. He was ready this time and let it wrap around his arm before severing the chain with a chop of the meat ax. She tossed the remaining links at Oxon before performing a combat roll to grab a long baguette.
"Damnit Blake, you're getting in my way…"
The black haired girl was far quicker than expected and he was forced to go on the defensive against her gluten filled weapon. While she bashed him with the bread, all he could think about was how it had yet to break.
It was then that Lie Ren had come to his aid by throwing… Leeks? The green and white vegetables impacted the ground as Blake blurred out of existence and reappeared a few meters away.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
Oxon noticed Yang rushing them from where Ren came from.
"Didn't want to fight Yang?"
Ren gave Oxon a look, and while there were no visible emotions, he could tell the quiet teen was giving off a 'no shit' aura. "Who does?"
Oxon could relate to that. Under normal circumstances he'd be the last to test his mettle I the blonde girl. However revenge was a powerful motivator.
"I guess I do." Disengaging from Blake and Ren, Oxon decided to pull a Blake and threw his last tomahawk steak at the charging blonde. This time she was unable to dodge thanks to her high momentum and he caught her on the nose.
He needed a new weapon, reaching to the ground he grabbed the first thing he could. He found himself holding something he wasn't expecting to find in a cafeteria, an entire stalk of sugarcane. He stabbed one end into an oddly large coconut to give the end a bit more durability.
Oxon swung his food-made Bulls Breath at Yang, hoping to clothesline her. The poultry fisted brawler simply slid on her knees to avoid the blow. Oxon was still following through when she landed a greasy uppercut to his jaw, causing him to stagger a bit.
He hardly had any time to regret dropping the tray, for Yang began to give a series of punishing blows to his torso and face. He tried to hit back when he realized his blocks were ineffective. The swing caused her to pause her blows and dodge, but his next swing was met by a rotisserie fist, causing the coconut to shatter and the cane to snap. Oxon watched as the weapon he'd made was obliterated in a single moment.
That moment of thought ended sharply as Yang sent him flying with a massive blow to his stomach. He felt a strange sensation of weightlessness before landing hard on the ground. Idly he noticed Jaune was face down next to him. He put his arms under him to get a look at how the rest of the battle was going.
Blake and Yang were teaming up on Ren and Oxon had a feeling the final male of the group would be out soon as well. Ruby was dodging around Pyrrha who was also using the baguette strat. Weiss who had… a swordfish of all things was squaring off against Nora who had a watermelon on a metal pole. The fencer had an entire fish and was using its pointed nose as a weapon. Even with the actually dangerous weapon, clearly she was at a disadvantage against Nora. What was going on with the food here?
As he predicted, Weiss was knocked out soon after by a powerful melon blow, and a sad Ruby yelled out in grief while holding the knocked out girl. Ren went next, clearly overwhelmed by the long haired partners. Conveniently, Ren landed next to Oxon and Jaune, so they all nursed their wounds together.
It seemed like it was two to three at this stage. The numbers advantage that JNPR and I had at the start was gone. Only Nora and Pyrrha were left, but that didn't seem to phase them as Pyrrha held back Blake while Nora avenged her partner.
Oxon idly watched as Nora sent Yang up and THROUGH the roof of the cafeteria. While he wasn't the one to do it, he felt satisfied that she got her just deserts. At this point it was two on two and Oxon was in the process of getting up when a great many soda cans suddenly flew past him at the remaining members of RWBY.
He gave Ren a shaky hand up to observe their soon to be victory when suddenly the cans were reversed. A red blur shot past the three staggering males, and a great gale followed directly after. Oxon, Jaune, and Ren watched in horror as the soda cans, trays, and a myriad of discarded foods were swept up by the mighty winds and rushed towards them. They tried to escape but the winds picked them and the girls of team JNPR and pinned them to a wall.
Oxon tried to defend himself with a single free arm from the onslaught, but eventually the amount of impacts became too much. The five of them had become a mess of drinks and foods and by the end blended in with the colors now coating the wall. Oxon barely noticed it ending before gravity took over and he slowly peeled off the wall and hit the ground.
A loud shout was heard past the gunk in his ears and he looked up to see a feat of magic. The tables, pillars and even the roof were all put together by an angry looking Goodwitch. Cinder had warned him to stay out of her line of sight and not draw her attention, but right now? Right now Oxon was too bruised to give a damn.
A hand was offered to him by Jaune to get him back on his feet.
"Man, even with Pyrrha we got creamed." The five of them looked like they had come out of a rainbow factory due to all the stains covering them. It was then that Yang decided to rejoin the group after her brief flying lesson. It had been so long since he'd participated in something like this.
He felt an uncharacteristic laugh bubble past his lips. The other eight teens all began to laugh and home about the absurdity that had just occurred. They definitely felt bold enough to do so when the headmaster himself came to their aid and prevented any punishment.
"Weiss, I can't believe you found a whole swordfish." A happy grin that had been absent for far too long now seemed stuck on his face when he recalled her fight with Nora. "Seriously, what kind of cafeteria is this?"
Giving off a giggle of her own, Weiss agreed with his confusion. "I am unsure myself, but it was likely the best thing I could have used. I can't believe you tried to use steaks as hatchets."
"I didn't try, I did. Xiao Long can attest to that." She still had the grease stains on her face from where he'd hit her.
The two shared a laugh at the absurdity as he idly watched the retreating figure of Sun and some guy with blue hair. Though judging by the stains on his outfit, it was likely the strange hair color was a result of the battle. Oxon pondered that maybe his arrival at this school wasn't so bad?
~~~(XVI)~~~
Fun little omake, where we see two possible days for Oxon. A nightmare of a day where he is involved in a murder. Or an absurd situation where he gets swept up in a food fight. If only Oxon had ignored that text, he'd have been able to sleep better if he had.