XVII - Fire Scar
~~~(XVII)~~~
The two teams watched Oxon's retreating form. Once he was out of hearing range, it seemed Yang was the one to broach the topic on the tired Oxon.
"Anyone else notice the massive bags under his eyes?" Most of the group had quickly picked up on the fact something was wrong with their new friend. Weiss had also noticed that Ruby had been worried about their next meeting. "He also seemed to be in more of a mood than usual."
Perhaps the argument that occurred the other day had been forgotten by now. Or at least forgiven. Weiss herself picked up on the fact he was drinking coffee. Normally the taller teen had stuck to juices.
"Yes, he must have been up late the night before." What he was up to was his business, Weiss just hoped it didn't impact his classes.
"Yeah, maybe it's just stress over having to go to classes. I mean, Weiss has probably helped a lot, but once assignments, projects, and tests start, it could go poorly." Blake had a point. Perhaps it was just a case of nerves.
"I am not sure if it's my place to say anything, but I did see Adhmad yesterday." Seven sets of eyes swiveled to look at Lie Ren. He seemed uncomfortable with the sudden attention, but pushed through nonetheless. "I saw him yesterday afternoon, once I had gotten clean from the fight, and encountered him at the goldfish pond."
"He say anything? Or was he his usual silent self?" Jaune seemed disinterested in the mood of his sworn "rival" though a look from his teammate made him pause. "What? Oxon hardly ever says anything? Only time I've even seen him smile was when we fought." The last part was grumbled as the blonde knight remembered how that went.
"He does seem about as antisocial as Blake or Ren."
Ren shook his head at the trailing off. Something was clearly bothering the other male of JNPR.
"He seemed to be in a bad way when I saw him. He was sitting at the edge of the pond, just staring into the water. I was going to speak out to him, but he clearly didn't want any company. I'm not sure what caused it, but there was something very wrong."
His words gave the group pause. Weiss' eyes met Ruby's in a questioning gaze. Her leader must have gotten the intention as she spoke to the group next.
"Well, the other day, I brought Oxon to the firing range to see how he shot. Though afterwards I brought up the names of his weapons." At this point the group had begun to go to their first class for the day, and as Ruby was explaining the events, she was pressing the tips of her pointer fingers together. "I told him to make sure they mean something, like how I named Crescent Rose, and he did take it to heart."
Weiss had been told about the issue with the names. Morbid was putting it lightly when they thought deeper in the revolver's names. How one decided on such names was worrying, maybe the effects from his memories caused his absence.
At the questioning from team JNPR, Ruby explained the issue. She started with bringing up examples of how he'd mention his family and home, the use of past tense painted an obvious picture. When she shared the names given to his three weapons, Patris and Fratris especially, the others started to understand the concern.
"Patricide and Fratricide, those are terms used when one kills their father and brother." Pyrrha and Jaune picked up on the meaning of the weapons quickly thanks to how they too used ancient languages for their weapons. "To choose such names, well, that paints a troubling picture. He must be hiding something about what he's done in life. Do we even know where he came from?"
"Not really, all he said was that he's from up north in the mountains." He had a habit of steering her questions away from his past. Now that they knew something, the lack of any solid information was frustrating.
The four found themselves nearing the classroom they were scheduled at. They had to finish this conversation at another time, Professor Greene was not one to tolerate chatting.
Throughout the class, Weiss would admit she was unfocused. She was not one to zone out, that was something Ruby and Yang did, but her attention was not fully on the class. She hoped she could subtly borrow notes later, lest Yang and Ruby tease her. Her thoughts were occupied by what she knew about the latest addition to their circle of friends.
Oxon, did you kill your family? Or perhaps did you simply witness their deaths and blame yourself? He is definitely a bit rough around the edges, especially when he fought Jaune. Blake was once a terrorist herself, which shows the academies let less than perfect people in. So is Oxon perhaps…
Weiss shook her head before she could finish that thought. There was no need trying to suspect another friend of criminality. She had promised to be better after that night at the docks.
If he has a past like Blake's, then we should help him move past it. The others think he'd open up to me since I have been helping him prepare for the semester, but I doubt it would be that easy. He's clearly gone through some trauma, and Ruby has experienced his unwillingness to open himself up.
Weiss looked at the clock on her scroll. Seeing as how there was still nearly an hour left in class, she began to impatiently tap her fingers in her notebook. Later that day was combat class, in which Oxon would be present. She would have to wait until then to get a better grasp on the situation.
~~~(XVII)~~~
Classes had gone about as poorly as Oxon had expected. With his exhausted state, he was able to grasp some of the basic teachings, but the vast majority eluded him. He was going to need to rest before he passed out, not that he was looking forward to sleep. His dreams were bound to be haunting tonight.
The theory class had been so over his head it may have well been in the canopy. His notes were a mess, he could tell, if he showed them to Weiss… There was no way he'd do that.
He and the rest of his team made their way to the combat arena. He hoped he wouldn't be called, his lack of info on most students paired with his current state was sure to lead to a loss. He did want to see his leader and teammates fight. If he could figure out how they fought…
No, there's no way I can beat them. Even if we fought, it's clear that they are not above killing. I'd just end up like Tukson.
His team had arrived before most others and found an open spot near the back of the stands. The rest of the students, both transfers and locals, filed in soon after. He spotted team RWBY and team JNPR enter and make a beeline for his team. Great.
They sat down in the row in front of him and waved to his team. Right, this is their first time seeing the other three. He just hoped Cinder didn't try anything.
"Oxon, are you ready for the fun part of the day?" Yang seemed to be bouncing with enough energy for the both of them. He definitely did not share her excitement and she seemed to notice. "Not feeling up for a fight? Well if it's me, I'll promise to take it easy on ya, yeah?"
His response was to nod while grimacing. Going easy on him was likely to still hurt.
"So, this is your team?" Weiss, like the competitive girl she is, saw the opportunity to learn about potential opponents.
With a glance to Cinder who nodded in affirmation, Oxon went and introduced them. "My leader is Cinder and her partner is Emerald. In the back is Mercury, he's my partner." The girls waved at them as they were introduced, the three of his teammates seemingly playing nice.
"Attention class." Their attention was drawn to the stern looking blonde near the center of the ring. "Now that there are increased members in this block, we will be extending class by an hour to get through more fights."
A series of groans rang out from the students assembled. It seemed like the prospect of longer class was unwelcome. It seems his team didn't mind, likely because they wanted to observe as much as possible. Creeps.
"For our first fight, will miss Xiao Long and miss Nikos please get your gear?" It seemed like Yang and Pyrrha would be up first. The groan from the blonde, it seemed like she was not pleased about fighting the champion.
"Well, looks like it's us again P-money. I'm gonna guess 90%." What was she betting on?
"Give yourself some credit, Yang, maybe today's it'll get down to 89%?"
"Oh! I bet a hundred!"
"Ouch Nora, is your faith in me that low? At least make it 99%, yeah?."
"Are you betting on aura level?" Oxon was unsure if this was normal or something they just did.
"Right, this is new for you guys. But yeah, I usually am the one to take on Pyrrha, I haven't been able to win once so I try to see what I can bring her down to aura wise." Was Nikos that strong!? "Lowest I've gotten the monster was 92% when I surprised her in a tackle."
Not even into the eighties… What a monster. The two were down in the arena after changing into their combat gear. It seemed that their casual clothes were the same outfits that they wore to fight. Definitely not something Oxon was going to do, what with his heavier armor.
Speaking of armor, it seemed like Jaune and Pyrrha were the only two he'd seen wear armor that he could recognize. Did most huntsmen not wear metal or armor? Did they focus on speed and flexibility over defense?
The two girls quickly came to blows once the fight began. He was right to be worried about those two. Yang threw out ground cracking blows at a speed that shocked Oxon. Just one of those would easily take off a good chunk of aura.
However as devastating as the one was, Nikos far outclassed her. Weaving in and out of her range, Pyrrha was able to deflect countless blows while delivering brutal counters. It was no wonder she was called "the invincible girl". The moniker showed itself in full when Yang was put in the red while Pyrrha was at a safe 94%.
"And the winner by aura is Pyrrha Nikos." Oxon was stunned at the one sided fight. Clearly Yang was a powerful fighter, but Nikos was on a whole other level.
After that there were a few more fights. Weiss won a fight against a rough looking boy from team CRDL. The dual daggers he used were neat, but Weiss was able to secure a solid victory. Blake had fought a Haven transfer that fought with a sniper, which had been a quick loss for the beanie wearer.
It was getting near the end of the class, and it seemed like there was one last fight on the schedule. "Would Oxon Adhmad and Cardin Winchester please come to the stage?" Looked like he wasn't getting out scot free today.
"Fuck… I am way too exhausted for this…"
Oxon made his way to the locker room with cheers of good luck from those near him. Once inside, he saw his opponent donning his own armor. It seemed he wasn't the only one who appreciated protection besides aura.
"Finally, someone that knows what he's doing." The tall teen, Cardin, seemed to approve of Oxon's armor. "Most of these "huntsman" rely on their aura too much. Don't think cloth will save them when it shatters."
Oxon had noticed that. Most of the combat gear was for speed and flexibility. The little hard armor was usually small and reserved for vital areas. It seemed to work for those that prioritized speed, but he'd seen a few examples of when they'd taken blows that Oxon's would have reduced or outright negated.
Then again, Oxon needed the extra protection. His fighting style aside, he needed all the defense he could get when fighting here. He knew he was probably going to lose this fight, the exhaustion of being up for two days made him tired before the fight even began.
"Yeah, definitely noticed." He was too tired to even make a good response. This was going to suck.
Once they had gotten ready, they met the professor at the training ring. She went over the rules for the spar. Red aura, ring out, or surrender would end the match. He hoped he lasted enough to not look like a complete fool.
Oxon rubbed his eyes before offering the ginger his hand. "I hope we have a good fight."
The taller boy looked down at the offered gesture before shaking the outstretched hand. "Damn, you look like shit, guess this'll be an easy victory for me. Well easier than normal." The grin on his face reminded Oxon of Mercury's. Only Cardin lacked the bloodlust in his.
The teacher called the match start once they were the proper distance away.
Cardin moved forward, deflecting the shots from Bulls Breath. Frowning, Oxon placed a few rounds in the tube before preparing for a melee situation. The mace Cardin used was definitely menacing. The large flanges meant the weapon would be quite heavy, and that it was held in one hand was a daunting prospect.
Cardin swung downwards in a blow that Oxon knew he couldn't block. His suspicion was correct when the ground fractured at the blow. Oxon's counter was deflected by the solid chest plate, cementing Oxon's poor matchup.
Unlike Jaune, Cardin had better armor and training. But his speed was a good bit slower. Oxon spun himself to the side to avoid another blow and used that momentum to land a blow right below the metal protection.
First blood to me.
Oxon tried evading and countering more, but his energy was quickly falling. He took a heavy hit to his stomach that sent him back a few feet. He had tried to block another blow, but his armored arm was too sluggish and he took the hit to the chest instead. He found himself on his back and out of breath. His armor and aura were lessening the blows force, but it still hurt like a bitch.
Oxon had enough energy to roll out of the way of a downward strike. Oxon pulled out Fratris and fanned the hammer to release all six shots point blank into Cardin's upper body. The ginger recoiled when some stray rounds struck him in the cheek. Oxon used that distraction to holster the gun and pick Bulls Breath back up.
Oxon was breathing heavily at the exertion. The fatigue left him on fumes as the fight continued. He needed to think of something before he really did lose.
Cardin glared at Oxon as his aura healed the bruises left on his face from the bullets. Oxon rubbed his temple in order to get a little bit more energy out. This opponent was not the toughest he'd fought, but fighting tired was a far cry from fighting after a good rest.
Oxon could have used his semblance to help mitigate the hits, but without the kinetic energy from landing blows, it would seriously drain his aura. It would have to be for an emergency.
Oxon did his best to deflect the next few strikes, and he did manage to score a few hits here and there, but the aura lev's were definitely in Cardin's favor. He had locked weapons with Cardin in order to get some time to think. The two were on par it seemed when it came to physical strength, something Oxon wanted to amend. He got pulled out of his scheming when a red glow began to shine from the center of the mace.
Oxon didn't have time to ponder what that meant before his world erupted into fire. The blaze's heat and intensity reminded him of the night he met Cinder. His already stressed and sleep deprived mind simply wasn't able to correctly deal with all the stimulus. Just the memory and the fact fire had engulfed his vision sent his mind back to that night. When the fireball faded, he saw Cinder walk through as if the flames obeyed her. He blindly fired his rifle at her form, terrified as to why she was in the ring.
He never saw the mace coming.
Oxon felt his consciousness fading as he faintly heard the match called. He did see a few multicolored shapes rush towards him from the stands. It was then that Oxon finally got his sleep after two days of being awake.
~~~(XVII)~~~
Ruby was the first one to make it to Oxon after Cardin knocked him to the ground. A burst of rose petals later and she was in the ring. Oxon's form was sprawled out with his long arm a few feet away. His face had taken quite the hit from Cardin's mace. The dark rings in his face were accompanied by a large bruise forming near his left eye.
"Cardin, we've been over this." Professor Goodwitch Gabe the armored teen a cold glare. "You need to be aware of the condition of an opponent when making a finishing blow. On many occasions you have landed far too strong blows on those close to the red. If you cause a grave injury from that, the consequences will be severe."
Cardin snorted in response and shouldered his mace. "Sure thing professor." Dismissing his downed opponent, he walked to the locker room.
"Everyone, class is dismissed, enjoy the rest of your evening." With her dismissal, the rest of the students ambled out of the room. Ruby noticed her team as well as the other three of Oxon's team walked over to them. "Ms. Rose, I appreciate the quick response you made for Mr. Adhmad, while I doubt any great harm has befallen him, it would be wise to take him to the infirmity."
"Worry not professor, we will take our injured teammate there immediately." Ruby looked up at the other part of team CMOS in time to see the leader have Mercury and Emerald lift him up and out of the room. The ravenette looked back to Ruby who was still standing next to where Oxon was laying. "I thank you for your quick thinking, it's good to see our teammate has made such good friends."
Ruby looked at Cinder for a good bit. There was something about her that was familiar. But in order to make more friends she pushed those thoughts aside. "Oh of course. If you want to hang out too, you're more than welcome!"
See Yang, I can be social!
"Maybe we will. For now though, I will see my teammate to the medical area. Farewell." The three of them, and an unconscious Oxon, left the room.
~~~(XVII)~~~
Oxon awoke to harsh lights above him. The next thing he noticed was the dull throbbing headache. He groaned tiredly and attempted to block out the lights that were blinding him. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was able to inspect his surroundings. He noticed the sterile white room was void of decor, yet had many beds.
A medical room.
Slowly the memory of his fight came back to him. His fight was probably the worst he'd had in a while. Sure the ginger teen was good with that mace, but Oxon thought he could have done better. Next time, if he gets better rest, then he might be able to win.
He was about to check himself out when a woman poked her head in from behind an opaque curtain.
"Oh you're awake. That's wonderful, how are you feeling?"
Oxon sat up to get a better look at who was speaking to him. A woman in a long white coat was pulling out some medical instruments. When she turned away from him, he noticed the fox tail she was in possession of.
"Hello Mr. Adhmad, I am Beacon's Chief doctor. You may call me Tsune." Oxon wasn't caught up on modern medicine, but that syringe she was holding was making him nervous. She followed his gaze and smiled at him. "I need a large needle due to aura getting in the way. Please, tell me if anything hurts."
Oxon guessed that made sense. Prism had very rudimentary medical care, and if this modern doctor told him something, he just had to believe her. He grit his teeth and prepared himself, he didn't want to seem strange by being scared of standard procedure.
~~~(XVII)~~~
Oxon walked into the cafeteria that afternoon with a new resolve. That resolve involved never getting sick or injured again. Modern medicine was horrifying, sure he felt leagues better, but at what cost?
He felt better after his nonconsensual nap. He was still in a state of guilt and stress, but at least he wasn't exhausted anymore. He had returned to his room to change out of his uniform and felt much better in his own clothes.
He found teams RWBY and JNPR together in their usual spot. Blake though, was curiously absent. He sat down in time for Ruby to pull out a massive white binder. It made a heavy thud when dropped.
"Picking back up where we left off yesterday, I think we need to do some fun activities together before we get too busy!"
"You're still on about this?" Weiss rose an eyebrow at the massive tome before narrowing her eyes. "I still want my binder back, Ruby."
"Friends, sister, Oxon."
Far from offended, he shrugged and accepted it. "Fair enough."
"Really? This speech again?"
"Four score and twenty four hours ago I tried to relay my dream to you all. But due to an unexpected brawl…" Her silver eyes slid to Nora who pointed at Jaune. "We became distracted."
"How did you eight not get detention? I've met professor Goodwitch once and I know she'd lynch me if I did something similar." Oxon's question was quickly ignored as Ruby hashed out plans and events for the coming weekend. Apparently the ones for yesterday had been scrapped due to the incident that happened yesterday.
"So, those who are free, our team was going to play some board games in the library tomorrow after classes." Oxon hadn't played many games growing up. They had some simple games like horseshoes, bacci, and cards, but he was curious about what Vale had to offer.
The group seemed happy about the little get together. Oxon was thinking of attending, and the massive puppy eyes from Ruby was the final blow. Happy that her plan was succeeded, Ruby and Nora plotted what games to bring.
Oxon heard many names being thrown around, none he recognized of course. He just hoped he wasn't abysmal at what they played. The group finished their food and waved him off with a few smiles and promising fun for tomorrow.
Oxon knew he was being a piece of shit by stringing the group around like he was. He felt that if they'd met under different circumstances, they'd be great friends. But what he was doing was so far from that. If he could be a normal person again…
Oxon shook his head to clear the pointless thoughts. Imagining alternate lives and imaginary scenarios would only depress him more. Well, more than his current reality anyways. He decided to spend the rest of the evening against the training bots to help suppress his brain. The less he thought, the less he hurt.
~~~(XVII)~~~
The next afternoon once classes had ended, thankfully without a combat class, nine teens were around a few tables with a few games piled up. Oxon had opted to observe the first few rounds to see what each game was.
The first game that he'd played himself was called Plague and Pestilence. It was a historical based dice and card game that was based on a great disease that swept through Vale a few centuries ago. Oxon had been doing fairly well, he'd amassed a large amount of people before the plague ship arrived.
"Oxon, we're friends, right?" Ruby currently has the highest population. What he did with his disaster card could harm those closer to loss than him, or bring her down to their level. "You'll target Ren, right?"
"If I recall correctly, yesterday you said "friends, sister, Oxon", am I right? Now I know I'm not the most intelligent person out there. But clearly there was a separation that seemed important enough to be said aloud."
Ruby tried to use her puppy eyes, but Oxon wouldn't relent. Looking her dead in the eyes, he sealed her fate.
"Mongol raid."
"Noooooooooooo!" Her luck truly had run out. The girl in red had to discard a frustrating amount of subjects as well as her aqueduct.
That's for freezing me to the docks.
"That's cold, man, and I thought Weiss was the ice queen." Yang had been playing a different game with members of team JNPR earlier but had finished recently. Now she was entertaining herself by watching the Plague and Pestilence players tear each other apart.
The brawler was currently leaning over his shoulder to inspect his hand. She had given him advice here and there on how best to hinder her sister, much to Ruby's frustration.
"Yang, stop interfering! Oxon, don't accept help, this isn't a team battle!" Ruby was trying to cling to a vain hope of victory, but with her massive people loss earlier, she was now in last.
"Don't be salty cause you're losing sis."
"Well, now that Ruby is brought back down, I shall declare a major war." Ren placed down a card that depicted valean knights of old engaged in a large battle. "Ruby, do you have any bonus cards?"
"Ren, you know I used those on Weiss last war!" She was fearfully looking at her cards for anything to save her, but came up empty.
"Unfortunate." Ren then played two cards, Dust Cannon and Vacuan Cavalry. Each card gave him added bonuses to the dice roll that would decide the winner. Unsurprisingly, the contest was not even close. Ren far surpassed Ruby's feeble two.
"My loyal subjects, I'm so sorry…" Ruby was near death with only fifteen population left to her name.
Oxon was in second place, behind Weiss who was lucky in the early game and had pulled improvement cards that protected her. Ren, in third, decided to take Ruby out while she was being knocked down.
The game was nearing its end, and it looked like unless he had something that could turn it around, Weiss would come out on top.
"I play Bumper Harvest, giving me plus five people."
The rich get richer, eh?
Oxon resigned himself to second. Ruby was bound to lose in at most two turns when she loses population on her turn. As long as he could outlast Ren then he could at least resist a total annihilation, with that, he'd be happy.
Ruby seemed determined to not come in last, and tried to kill Ren off with a Famine card. While it hurt him, he still had a healthy amount more to spare and weathered it well. Her poor plage roll had left the girl with a sad five people left, and it was clear to everyone, Ruby especially, that she would be out next turn no matter what.
Seeing this his chance to finish someone off, Oxon played his last good card. He played the Pied Piper card that stole fifteen people from another player. Which was conveniently the same amount Ren had left. The silent boy sighed in resignation as he was the first to fall.
"You should thank Oxon,` Ruby, now you didn't end up last." Weiss seemed happy to rub vinegar into the wound of both Ren and Ruby. He couldn't fault her since she was in the best position.
As expected, Ruby rolled away her last few people. Now the only two surviving lands were Weiss and Oxon.
"With the Rose Principality and the Ren Shogunate wiped out, it's Oxon and his Ox-dom vs. Weiss' Icy Empire." Nora was having fun narrating major events. She had been especially vocal whenever Ren was on the receiving end of a disaster.
"It's not much of a kingdom, I really only have twenty five to Weiss' fifty." Said heiress was smug in her good fortune. Enough to subtly spread out her population cards to show her exact number.
"Hmmmm, more like ninety five." What he'd assumed was a five at the edge of her cards was in fact a fifty person card. The one that each person starts with. "I'm sorry, we can continue if you want, but we all know what the outcome is."
His cards were middling at best. A lose five here, a gain five there, an extra sewer, and two war bonuses. Nothing that would save him. Contemplating his chances, Oxon came to the obvious conclusion.
"I surrender, I'll take graceful loss over a slow death." He placed his cards face up, showing the futility of his chances. Weiss had a smug grin that rivaled Yangs, winning seemed like the natural outcome in her mind.
After that game, Weiss challenged Pyrrha to a game of chess. Those two sat at a table and prepared the board. Weiss of course chose to play as white while Pyrrha had black.
Ruby was setting up a larger board game on a separate table and beaconed him over. It seemed like she, Nora, Jaune, and himself were called to play "Remnant, The Game" now. After asking if anyone knew the rules, it seemed Oxon and Nora were the only unfamiliar players.
After a quick rundown of the rules, the four were ready to play. The kingdoms were divided as such: Ruby had Vale, Nora played as Mistral, Jaune led Vacuo, and Oxon was in charge of Atlas. Oxon of course was unfamiliar with what most cards meant and what real life things they were based on, but he did his best to put plans together.
Oxon had a decent mind for strategy, he thought, he'd had to to keep note of where and when to log the various plots of woods and prepare expeditions to get the needed materials. Like the last game, the biggest threat was the girl from team RWBY since she knew the game well.
Twenty minutes later Oxon had been thoroughly defeated by the blond male at the table. His Atlesian fleets and armies had been wiped out by Arc and he was helpless to stop it. Nora was hanging on by a thread, while Ruby was the only one who stood a chance.
"How… How is he this good at the game?" Oxon looked to the ginger girl beside him, she shrugged and said something about how Jaune was in "Leader Mode" or something. Either way, it was obvious that he had a mind for strategy.
In the end Jaune emerged victorious and led the people of Vacuo to prosperity. Ruby vowed revenge the next time they played. Nora simply laughed and gave her "fearless leader" a "friendly" pat on the back that almost knocked him down.
Weiss and Pyrrha's game came to an end with Weiss eking out a narrow checkmate. It was nearing time for dinner, so Ruby and Yang took the games back to their dorm and asked them to meet up at the cafeteria later. Once that was gone, Oxon walked over to Weiss to ask a question.
"Hey, Blake's been absent recently, why?" Apparently the girl had been the one to ambush Torchwick at the docks, the fact she was once white fang and clearly trying to stop them also increased Cinder's interest. Which meant he needed to watch her and see if she was on to anything.
"She has been fairly distant lately." Under her breath she mumbled about "even Oxon noticing" which he only barely heard. "Worry not, Ruby has a plan to get her to the next gathering."
Without the info he needed, Oxon would have to push more. "She worried about her grades? I didn't peg her for the obsessive studier type."
"No, while her grades are normally fine, she's been obsessed with the White-" she coughed to distract from the slip. "She's been worried about a few old friends of hers, trying to figure out how they have been doing."
So Cinder was right to worry. It seemed her previous interruption was only the start. "Well I might not have been there long, but my old job is a pretty popular social scene. If she has friends new to town, that's a nice place to have a good night."
The short girl hummed in thought. "Thank you for the offer, but this is something we will be doing as a team. Her old friends might not be comfortable around too many people."
If only I could tell you weiss. I know exactly where the Fang is.
"Well if you decide to go into vale for a social visit with 'em, I'm sure I could put in a good word with my old boss." He was trying to give subtle hints, but he doubted they got through. After all, why would some refugee turned student know about terrorists?
The group walked to the cafeteria with some amount of small talk. Oxon was deep in thought about his next move. If Blake was indeed looking further into the fang, then he'd be expected to do something about it, or at least warn them.
Why are students trying to end a terrorist cell? Shouldn't they leave that to the actual huntsman or the police? Team RWBY is still in training, going up against confirmed killers can't be safe. I need to figure out more, then report to Cinder.
Oxon could feel his karma getting worse as he thought all this. Their treatment of him was surprising. The fact they were open to him joining their group while he worked against them…
The six of them got their food and after a few minutes the sisters arrived. The group only became livelier with their addition. Ruby was still burning off her happiness from a successful game day and was planning another for this Friday.
He shot Cinder a text about the problem that was Belladonna. He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about interacting with the reclusive girl, they have hardly ever talked, but it seemed like he was going to have to.
"What do you think Oxon, I'm right aren't I?" Oxon had been zoned out and stressing over possible ways to get information on Blake, but it seemed someone wanted his attention. He looked over to who was addressing him. Weiss and Ruby were looking at him with expectant faces.
What the two were arguing about, he had no clue, so he asked for clarification. Weiss complained about him not paying attention while Ruby filled him in.
"Shoes for the dance, Weiss says that heels are required. I, on the other hand, say they are traps."
"It is a formal event, and formality requires that one dresses appropriately. Heels are just part of that."
"I know you somehow fight in those lady stilts, but I refuse to wear them. It's bad enough I have to go cloakless, but that would make it so much worse."
"This is why we need a tie breaker." Weiss seemed exasperated at having to explain her points again. "Yang is on my side, likely to annoy Ruby. Blake thinks the whole dance is a waste and sides with Ruby. And even JNPR is split evenly on the issue."
"And you want my input? Weiss, the social events back home most likely compare to rioting chipmunks compared to whatever it is that the dance is." Why was this important? He didn't even want to go, but boss bitch made it clear he had to.
"For those events, were there certain outfits required or perhaps expected?"
"Yeah, at some festivals we wore special outfits for that night."
Weiss looked like the cat that ate the canary. "So, for a formal dance that is coming up in a short while, would heels not fit?"
"I mean." Oxon rubbed behind his ear to think of who he should agree with. Ruby had pleading eyes while Weiss looked just as expectant.
"I guess I agree with Weiss, if a certain dress code is expected, then you should adhere to it." Why was the girl so upset? He'd seen her pull of tons of acrobatics, surely heels couldn't be that hard?
"Betrayer, thou hath forsaken me in my time of need."
"Sorry kiddo, my father always said dressing the part is important for special occasions. Besides, it's only one night. How bad could it go, really?"
Ruby continued to grumble about the "unfairness" of it all, but nobody seemed to pay attention. It was almost amusing how much she seemed to hate the idea of heels.
Wouldn't ever say this out loud, I'd be chased out of Beacon. But you know what they say in times like this Ruby? Get gud.
His first week at this school was almost halfway over. And while he didn't fully understand Cinder and her goals, Oxon decided that he might as well relax while he could. After all, it had been so long since his long trek across Sanus. Cinder said she wanted their hands clean while here, so as long as he kept out of trouble, maybe he could relax at the dance?
~~~(XVII)~~~