XXVII - Understory

~~~(XXVII)~~~

Oxon saw Cinder enter the dance hall and cut in to dance with Mercury. He took a massive gamble by telling Ruby about Cinder's break in on the CCT, he saw the general storm in and talked with the headmaster of Beacon. They didn't look like they were about to lock everything down, so he hoped that meant Ruby had been able to do something. He really hoped he didn't get the girl hurt, but if he went with her, Cinder would leave no trace of him on the planet.

I can't believe I did that! I mean, sure I've omitted a few things in my reports, but to actually try and mess with her? I'm pretty sure Cinder would have a conniption, though, if my death is on campus, it would draw too much attention.

He looked over the group he had been with all night. He'd met the rest of SSSN and a cheerful girl named Penny, each of them were unique in their own ways, but Penny was probably the most odd. Everyone seemed to enjoy the night unaware of what had happened in the large communication tower. He was brought out of his worries by his "date" leaning against his side.

"Tonight has been wonderful." Oxon had to agree, he had planned to spend the night alone so he could keep a safe distance. But in the end, he didn't have any complaints.

"I'll need to thank Jaune later, and apologize for my attitude towards him as well. Without him, I'd have never talked with you."

"And I'm glad you listened."

The two stayed like that for a while, basking in the first comfortable silence in a week. They continued to chat aimlessly, even dancing one more time, before Oxon decided to take a seat and relax. After a while, the dance began to die down and people began to leave for the night. They should head in soon, missions starting the day after seemed like a strange choice, but it wasn't his school.

"Well it seems like the night is at its end." He didn't want it to be, but nothing lasts forever, not even the best moments.

Weiss seemed just as disappointed that their time at the dance was at an end. She gave him a fierce pout at the acknowledgement of time's passing.

"Well I suppose we'll need to get rest for tomorrow. So I assume this is goodnight?"

"Not yet, I'll walk you back to your room if you want." That got a smile back on her face, if only someone could read the room.

"Not like that's much of a walk, aren't you like one floor down?"

"Don't be rude, Yang, Oxon is being the perfect gentleman. There's no need for you to butt in."

"I've literally seen Ox on his scroll when you haven't been around him." He began to sweat nervously as Yang continued to talk. He kept trying to nonverbally tell her to shut it. "Pretty sure if we check his browser history, we'll find results like "how to act on a date", "how to talk to girls", and "how to end a first date"."

"I refuse to acknowledge that slander." The blush on his face gave him away, as did his obvious hiding of his scroll.

"Hah! Knew it!" The monster in white walked off and snagged her partner, laughing the whole time. "C'mon Blakey, let's let the kids walk back alone. Oh, before I go, don't try anything hinky, and she better be back soon." The girl then turned and winked at Weiss. "Good luck Weiss-Cream. Give us the deets later."

Hinky?

The two watched them go and the awkward silence that had been absent had returned. Oxon, following the instructions he'd found online, offered his arm to the girl beside him.

"Well, shall we be off?"

She sighed at the implications of Yang's final farewell, but put her arm through his nonetheless. "Yes, I suppose we should. But I'm sure we can take our time?"

"Of course." Like a switch that had been flipped, all the stress of the last week had dropped off like fall leaves. He felt good, like he was before his home burned. Looking back, he'd been unconsciously in denial of his feelings for a while, but since last night forced him to think about them. There was a miniscule part of him still concerned, but for one night his mind took a back seat to his heart.

The two walked together through the campus, arms linked. The shattered moon above them illuminated the grounds in an almost mystical light.

"So, now what will you do, since you've failed at "keeping a safe distance". She had a nervous smile as she asked him such a loaded question. If he continues getting closer, then if he has to publicly help Cinder in her scheme, then he'd have two choices. He'd either save his own skin and follow orders, betraying the trust he'd built up, or Stand up against the bitch and probably be killed. Neither of those options had a good end.

"I… I don't know, this is new to me. I still have a lot to work through. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I meant what I said earlier, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to. But just know, you don't have to be alone, I and the others would surely be willing to help you." She really was too good for a criminal like him, all he could do to respond was nod. They were mere feet away from the dorm, only a minute at most left.

"I still think you could do better than me." She punished his self doubt with a gentle, yet stern slap on the arm.

"I'm pretty sure I can make my own decisions."

"Hah, fair enough." The two eventually found themselves outside of team RWBY's dorm.

"You don't have to commit to anything tonight, but don't make me wait too long, ok?" If only he were a normal person, he didn't trust his mouth to say what he wanted, so he just nodded his head.

The girl stood in front of the door, hands together in front of her. She seemed like she was waiting for something, evident by an expectant look on her face. They maintained eye contact for a few seconds, both blushing, before Oxon realized it.

I didn't read this far in the article, but I'm pretty sure I need to wish her good night!

He gave a slight bow, causing her to perk up. "Have a good night, Weiss, I hope I managed to make up for some of my mistakes."

Her expression switched to a look of surprise, then disappointment, then bemusement.

"Good night to you as well. And don't worry, you've made good progress." With that she entered her room, which became quite loud. No doubt in search of the "deets".

Oxon lightly shook his head and steeled his face and emotions. He had a team to get back to.

~~~(XXVII)~~~

Oxon had barely paid attention to the Beacon headmaster's speech. It was definitely interesting, but that culture around color must have been after his family had left Mantle. He Wondered what he'd be called if they hadn't.

I'd like something green, preferably. Definitely not anything red or yellow, those colors suck.

He'd come back to his room to find a passed out Emerald and a smug Mercury. He had a message for Ox from Cinder, apparently Ruby Rose had stumbled on her after she finished her task in the CCT.

She wanted to know why he didn't stop her. He'd made a rather unconvincing argument about keeping a watch on the rest of the team, primarily Blake. Cinder did not seem too pleased by that, thankfully for him, she acknowledged that the faunus girl did tend to be the cause of their issues.

Hopefully Ruby was discreet about how she came about that note. If she let it slip that he had "found" it, then it was bye bye him. He'd have to escape either Cinder or the authorities who'd lock him up.

"So, what mission will we be on ma'am?" The green haired brown-noser seemed interested in literally anything Cinder said. Whether it was actually important or not.

"Perimeter defense, it's always good to observe the defenses of each kingdom." So they were headed to the walls? He'd seen them once, and he actually did like the idea of seeing them up close.

"Walls, huh, sounds neat." Mercury gave him a stupid look, pissing him off. "Look, we never had anything of that size, it's interesting alright?"

"You do realize it's just stone and guns?" Boring stuff."

"Yeah, and trees are just tubes of carbon. There's gotta be more to them than that."

"I'm sure there is, which is why it will be enlightening to see them up close." Cinder started walking to the selection screens, Emerald in tow. "I'll select the ideal location, you two can get ready for our mission."

The two males of their team looked at each other before scoffing simultaneously and leaving each other. Yeah, like I'm gonna do anything with him again. He really only needed his gear, that wouldn't take long at all. So for the meantime, he has a blonde to track down.

Walking around the room, Oxon eventually spotted the lanky leader of team JNPR. In order to avoid confrontation from the guy's partner, he waited until she had to go somewhere for whatever reason. With just the "totally not together" duo left, he moved in.

"Jaune, got a moment?" The teen turned around in surprise. He didn't give him a chance, grabbing him by the shoulder, he pulled Arc to a more isolated area. "Don't worry, I'm just borrowing the guy."

Once they were sufficiently far from anyone else. Oxon got right to the meat of the matter. His apology.

"Look, Jaune, I wanted to talk about how I treated you this whole semester." Ugh, this was harder than he thought. "I was a dick, plain and simple."

The blonde teen seemed surprised, but didn't look upset.

"Uh, well maybe just a little."

"A little? I was constantly putting you down, not to mention being more than a little rough in our fights in combat class."

"Well, it's not like I'm unused to some of that. Besides, you only ever really did most of it in combat class." That still wasn't right, putting aside how he was supposed to investigate Nikos, he had no reason to be an ass so constantly. He'd let his emotions run too hot. "You're not the worst guy I've had to deal with. You didn't assault me in the halls and bathroom, blackmail me into doing your schoolwork, or make me try and turn on my friends."

"Hold on, that's a lot to unpack right there. Blackmail?"

"Yeaaahhhhhh… the fall semester wasn't exactly the best." The blonde scratched his head in a nervous manner, kind of like how he scratched behind his ear. "I'm just glad that the "big bad" of this semester ended in the way it did, no yelling, no big fight, no massive Ursa…"

"Just what kind of semester was that!? After our missions are done, you can tell me about the asshole I replaced." He put his hand out, hoping to put their beef behind them.

He was relieved when the team leader took his hand and gave him a firm shake. "Sure thing, Ox."

The two walked back together to the rest of Jaunes' team. Pyrrha was understandably suspicious about why he'd borrowed her partner, but she eased off when Jaune explained what happened. It looked like his "beatdown by Nikos" was averted.

"So what are you doing for a mission? We're going to patrol the city walls in the south." And it seemed like they would be able to commute to and from the dorms each morning. Which was nice.

"Ren had the idea to go outside the kingdom. We're going to shadow a deputy out in some settlement." That sounded a lot more interesting than his own, but it's not like he had the option to voice it. "The girls of RWBY are leaving today, want to come with us and see them off?"

"Yeah, that sounds go-" A ping from his scroll stopped him. Looking at it, he saw an automated message for him to meet at one of the many landing pads in a few minutes. "Or not… Looks like I need to hurry to my own mission."

Nora seemed sad at a lesser send off party. "You can't just not wish them off."

"I'm pretty sure I trust you to give the girls my best, after all, Jaune is surprisingly good with words."

"Don't worry, I got you."

At that, Oxon walked away and gave a lazy wave over his shoulder. "Have fun, don't die!" He was sad he couldn't see Weiss and her team off, but the missions were only for a few days. Besides, they had a professional huntsman with them, they should be more than fine.

~~~(XXVII)~~~

With his armor strapped tight and his weapons in place. He waited at the designated bullhead for his team and huntsman. He felt that the time spent with whoever they were shadowing would probably be a breath of fresh air. Surely the three willful assholes wouldn't be able to get up to their usual nonsense.

He'd received a message from Yang earlier. She had admonished him for not seeing them off or even sending a text to wish them well. He'd tried to send a quick video message, but he was unable to reach them. After so many years of not having a communication device, he often forgot to use it.

One more thing to apologize to them for… ugh…

Soon enough, the rest of his group showed up, armed and ready. Cinder had her swords, Emerald had her bladed pistols, and Oxon still wasn't what Mercury had. From the spars in class, it was some kind of special boot with a firearm inside.

"So, are we ready for our field trip?" Said guy began. "We got food for a fun picnic later?"

"I'm sure you four will have the time for lunch eventually." Walking up to team CMOS was an older Faunus woman.

The huntress had black fur surrounding both of her eyes, making them seem larger. She chewed a stalk of something lazily between her lips, though her attitude didn't match her physique in the slightest. She was taller than Oxon by at least a few inches and built like a brick house. Oxon felt more than a little inadequate when she came to a stop in front of him.

She had a pale complexion with her black hair done in buns on each side of her head. She wore a thick leather vest with slightly torn shoulders. A thick white pauldron on her left arm and a similar looking vambrace on her right were the heaviest protected areas. Her black pants were loose and had white patches in some places. The oddest part, at least to Oxon, was the open toe sandals.

For her weapon, she has a large kanabō slung over her back, and he could see a few glowing dust vials on her hip. What confused him were the iron balls stowed on her thighs. A throwing weapon maybe?

"Bai Bao. Nice to meet you kids." The woman, Bai, turned and walked into the bullhead. "Come along now, we got walls to patrol."

Well she wasn't much for conversation, which he was thankful for. The fewer chances for Cinder and her goons to speak was much welcome. They piled into the aircraft and it pulled out right after they sat down.

Cinder and the woman went over their timetable for the day. Apparently they were going to look over the section near the poorer parts of the city. While the wall was maintained annually, the Kingdom usually neglected areas that were less reliable with taxes. Bai apparently was the only huntress that watched over a section that was roughly three miles long.

To Oxon, that was just asking for trouble. Prism had stationed guards every dozen or so feet. Granted Vale could fit multiple Prism's inside it, but the lack of proper manpower in the area had a bad look. "Politics" apparently, but still.

Once they arrived at their section, their temporary instructor got to instructing.

"This wall is one of the man-made barriers that work in tandem with the natural defenses to protect our kingdom. While the walls are tall and thick enough to keep out most Grimm, the secondary benefit is that it makes the citizens feel safe. Without negative emotions, the Grimm won't come to test us."

Looking over the four of them she singled out Cinder and had her stand beside her.

"We shall break off into groups. Your leader will come with me to walk the walls. The rest of you will be patrolling inside the wall, near the civilians."

They'd be walking down below? That didn't sound like a critical task. Surely there were more important tasks for them to complete. It seemed that he, Emerald, and Mercury shared the same unenthusiastic outlook for the day.

"Don't give me that look, this task is just as important as walking the walls. Seeing huntsmen in the community lowers negativity." The large woman shooed them to an elevator by the inner ledge. "So go down there, talk to them, help them out, entertain the kids."

~~~(XXVII)~~~

The moment the three stepped out onto the street, Mercury and Emerald abandoned him. They said something about an important contact hiding out in the area. While against the spirit of the mission, he doubted those two could do anythingbut raise negativity.

"Miss Bao, wasn't kidding, this place is worse than my home." Walking through the streets, most people looked at him with suspicion, but a few people approached him.

"Are you one of dem school boy huntsmen?" An older man that had a pair of gray furry ears had no hesitation and no fear of Oxon. He gave a critical once over of him, judging what he saw. "Not particularly flashy are you?"

"Well, I don't like too much attention…"

"Pah! What kind of huntsman doesn't want attention!?" The crotchety man walked around him, observing his weapons and the rest of his outfit. "Not much of one that's what, do you at least have some kind of fancy weapon? That ax morphs into some kinda sword or spear?"

Oxon had expected many things he'd encounter on this mission. He had a game plan for Grimm, criminals, and reckless kids that try to mug him. But he did not plan on being insulted over his choice of gear.

"That's- no, I don't have any mecha-shift on my weapons, but my arm-"

"You're not going to inspire anyone with such a look. Look kid, you're obviously prepared to kill Grimm, and maybe you're good at it. But looking at you doesn't inspire hope, a huntsman should be confident, eye-catching, and make us squishy folk feel safe. I don't get any of that from some frowning punk like you."

The old man, having said his piece, walked away into a full looking home. He had hardly got a word in during the brief encounter and felt embarrassed and even a little angry about how critical the old fart was.

"You'll have to ignore old man Lumin." Oxon turned around and saw a younger, yet still older, woman. Like most of the people he'd seen around, she had dirty, plain clothes. She was also a faunus, glancing around him, there was only faunus around him.

"Is he like that with everyone?" Oxon hoped so, he didn't want to be alone on that man's apparent shit list.

"Pretty much, we don't get many huntsmen down here, and most aren't usually enthusiastic about staying long."

"Well, if it's safe from Grimm, would we really need to?" If this area was secure, they could then move on to more degraded areas. Her eyes seemed sad at his logic and softly shook her head, shaking the long quills in her hair.

"This neighborhood might be secured, but we don't feel seen. Your group of students is the most huntsmen we have seen all year. Only Bao makes regular visits." The elder huntress told them she was usually solo on the wall, but he assumed there was more in the rest of the region. Was this place really that neglected?

"It's not your fault, son, we are grateful that your team accepted a mission here. The young ones do love seeing big strong huntsmen." The lady that was old enough to be his mother pointed at a group of children hiding behind a rusty car. "Come out kids, say hello to this nice huntsman."

Slowly, the group of faunus children approached him. The tallest came up to his belt. The group of boys and girls looked up at him in amazement and a few poked his armor.

"Woah… Big…"

"Mister, what's this?" A young boy was holding onto his sash

"How 'any Gwimm have you killed?"

"Can you lift a car?"

"One at a time now." The woman must have experience corralling the young ones. They all calmed down a little bit which helped Oxon from being overwhelmed.

"Thanks miss."

"Of course. Now kids, what do we say to the nice man who came to visit?"

"Thank you!" The gaggle of kids seemed in sync for the first time since he's seen them. This lady really had a good grip on them.

"Big brother huntsman! Up!" A smaller girl with small wings in her back looked up at him with raised arms. He looked at the woman who nodded kindly. Getting approval, he slid a hand under each armpit and put her on his right shoulder.

Much to her vocal happiness. "Wheeeeeeee! I'm flyin!"

The other kids began tugging on him, each demanding a turn to be lifted. He laid down Bulls Breath and placed another kid on his shoulders, another one found their place on his back, and a fourth sitting on his left shoulder. The weight was awkward due to the squirming, but he wouldn't drip them. A few kids were still on the ground and clearly jealous, but for safety he didn't want to put more on him.

"I'm on top of the world!"

"Nuh uh, I'm taller than you!"

He chuckled at the children's childishness. They seemed to be less nervous around him than most of the adults. If this was all he was doing for the next few days, then he was in for an easy few days.

"Hey, mister, what's your name?" The question came from a young boy with furry hands and was holding onto his green sash. That was one of the few intact articles from his home, he hoped the kid was gentle.

"My name is Oxon, friends sometimes call me Ox." He chuckled a bit at one nickname, his laugh caused his shoulders to jostle and shake the kids, causing them to scream fear and excitement. "Some people call me "The Broody Bull" for some reason."

"Buddy Bull!"

"Ah! Don't yank my hair!" His eyes watered at the unexpected pain. Kids were vicious.

"Now kids, I'm sure Mr. Oxon needs to do some important work, we shouldn't keep our protectors from protecting us."

"It's no problem, I'm just going to be walking around. I don't even have anywhere specific to investigate." He looked at the gaggle of children around and on him. "I'm sure you kids would rather go play than stick around a stuffy adult like me."

The children evidently disagreed. "We can show you the best spots!"

"Yeah! We can help you in-test-a-gate!"

This was getting out of hand faster than he could counter them. "I'm sure your parents don't want you hanging around some random person? Stranger danger and all that?" Their grubby little hands only gripped harder.

The woman from earlier had a conflicted smile on her face. "These kids… I am their caretaker." Oh, OH. So that's why no other adults resembling the kids were around. What other people that stuck around had glum looks on their faces.

"If you are fine putting up with them, then I think it would do them good to go with you."

At a loss for any way to reject the kind lady, he accepted the task of watching the kids while he worked. It's not like he minded all that much. Sure they were getting dirt all over his gear, pulling his hair constantly, and repeatedly tried to snatch his pistols. But that's how kids were supposed to be, far be it for him to brush them off.

"Alrighty then, you heard the lady! Show this here huntsman where he should go!"

"Giddy up Buddy Bull!" The child on his shoulders took his shoulder length hair and pulled on it like the reins of a horse and one particularly troublesome kid smacked his ass like he was a donkey.

Maybe it's not too late to change my mind…

~~~(XXVII)~~~

Oxon slumped into his bed exhausted. Those kids were brutal, the ones that had been walking demanded to be carried as well, but the ones already on him refused to give up their spots. In the end, he had to put the last two under each arm, which they oddly enjoyed.

The kids dragged him from spot to spot. Eventually the kids got tired, and sleepy, so he had to carry their limp forms back to the orphanage. The rest of his team and the professional huntress were waiting for him and of course saw the whole thing.

Bai Bao looked happy at the sight, Cinder was amused, Emerald looked confused, and Mercury laughed. He had slumped down in the bullhead and made a beeline for their room the second it landed.

He could finally feel a blissful sleep approaching him. Then he could wake up healed for tomorrow. That was, until his scroll went off. Groggily, he reached over to see which of his nine contacts was trying to contact him.

All he heard from whoever it was. Was this one of those scam calls he was warned about? It ended after only a few seconds, he rubbed his eyes to get a better look at whoever it was.

Weiss Schnee:.. Call Interrupted…

Well, that wasn't a good sign…

~~~(XXVII)~~~

Team CMOS was waiting for their pickup at their landing pad. The second day of patrol was going to begin soon, it was also going to be his turn to accompany Bai on the wall. Someone was looking forward to it. The kids were sweet, but he could only take so much.

Oxon waved to team JNPR as they walked to a waiting bullhead earlier. Jaune seemed concerned about something, if they were on better terms, he'd have asked. He was getting ready to complain about his late ride when loud alarms began wailing from the city.

Oxon looked on in horror at the large plume of smoke rising from Vale. What happened!? Was it a Grimm incursion… Was this Prism all over again?

The other three looked just as surprised as he did at what was happening. Emerald turned to the rest of them. "You don't think…"

Mercury recovered quickly, too quickly… "Sure looks like it."

"Looks like what?" He knew they sent out of the kingdom for some special operation, the bastard had been complaining constantly. It was some kind of White Fang demonstration from what he was told. Was this… "Wait, the Big White Fang operation is this!?

"Of course moron, but it was supposed to be days away!"

The three of them turned to Cinder who was a mix of anger and acceptance. "So? What do we do?" He hoped that they were going to help, not make it worse.

~~~(XXVII)~~~

Hope y'all enjoyed Bai Bao, cause y'all probably ain't gonna see her again.