XXXIX - Marsh

~~~(XXXIX)~~~

Oxon collapsed into his seat overlooking the arena. He was tired after getting hardly any sleep the previous night. Guilt and stress weren't exactly a remedy for sweet dreams. The Schnee family seemed like a paranoid one, looking into the shadows for threats. Though he did know that Winter was right to be cautious, he was a fox dressed in a squirrel's pelt.

Ugh, why was the rear of Remnant so crazy? Politics of the world seemed more than strange to him. In Prism, nobody cared about anything but continued prosperity. Though it seemed that the kingdoms were just… weird.

Though, speaking of unassuming people hiding a smile full of fangs…

He was arguably in the worst seat in the entire coliseum. He was sitting next to Cinder Fall. After his tough interaction with the elder Schnee and the questions Cinder had about Qrow, he'd been too stressed to rest. He was hoping for a more relaxed day today. But no, he was ordered to cheer on his teammates for their fight alongside her. Much further down, he saw team RWBY enjoying themselves with the tournament.

Team CFVY was a well known team, expected to make it to the finals even. Though Oxon had a suspicion that wasn't going to happen. Cinder wanted one of the two of them in the finals, that was clear.

"I don't see why you wanted me here, I was gonna get in some more speed training today." She had been "advising" him to be prepared for the chance that they were attacked. And sure, he was slowly getting faster, but he still had a preference for being defensive. His armor allowed only so much mobility after all. "If we know the second years are going to eat it, why bother making an appearance?"

She seemed amused by his question. She stole some of the popcorn he'd bought. For himself. Bitch. "Oh, come now. Even if you know how the story ends, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch."

"Even so, I thought you wanted me to train up as quickly as possible? I've been in the damn training hall almost nonstop you know." Sometimes he sparred with Jaune instead of the training bots, but the point still stood. He'd like to relax a bit after months of work. "Or is it no longer necessary now since we made it this far?"

"It was primarily for the fight yesterday, but I am sure you're content with how far you have come?" She had him there, as much as he would rather laze about, the increased strength and skill gave him a good bit of pride. Hell, his fight against that "funky" team was a good example. If he actually stayed here, training for a few more years, how far would he rise then? "You never know what's around the corner after all."

"If you say so…" Oxon weakly waved his hands at Mercury and Emerald entering the stage. They were going to win. He knew it, Cinder knew it, but everyone else thought it could go either way.

"Don't worry, once our dear comrade makes it to the singles round, you can return to your preferred seating." Good, he tried to ignore her as the stage was set.

The ring was divided into four sections compared to the two halves of the first round. Four quarters began to rise up from below in very distinct biomes. The first was a field of tall grassy plains with a lonely tree, a savannah if he read correctly; second was some sort of ruined city block, the place even came with buildings that had shattered windows and rubble; a geothermal geyser basin came third; and a happy section of dense forest finished it off.

Nice, trees. Wait, are they a different stand from the one Nora destroyed? They have to be.

"That's… Quite a lot of very opposing landscapes." Nothing like this would occur naturally, but clearly this was what they wished for, to provide a spectacle. At that, he could suspend his environmental mind and enjoy the chaos on the stage.

With the countdown over, the battle was on. Though to his surprise, instead of rushing in like he thought, Mercury joined Emerald in walking back into the tall grass, quickly obscuring them. In order to flush them out, the leader of the other team used her handbag/ minigun of overcompensation to decimate the dry grass. Though the two were nowhere to be seen, vanished into thin air. Even Oxon hadn't a clue as to where they went, and he had fairly good seats.

Suddenly, Mercury dropped down from the sky, on a collision course with Adel but for the giant of a man pushing her out of the way and blocking his boots with his massive orange blade. The absolute titan pushed Merc back immediately after and the gunner opened fire at him. Though the fleet footed pain in his side is able to outrun each shot. He definitely hoped that Coco would be able to feed the silver teen some humble pie.

Mercury quickly reached the two and kicked the large gun out of the way all the while dodging Yatsuhashi's sword. He then delivered a duo of blows to the giant warrior before jumping over Coco's continued barrage of bullets. Oxon had to admit, when the guy landed on the barrels and kicked her in the face, he was impressed.

Merc used a powerful hit from Yatsuhashi to use the momentum to get behind Coco and force her to press her intimidating muzzle up into the torso of her own teammate. She had to think fast about her next move, otherwise the large guy would be hit with friendly fire. The three stood still until Coco compressed her massive weapon into its casual form.

The weapons just kept getting stranger as he watched. "How does that work..? Does it function like a normal handbag?"

The older girl tried to hit Mercury alongside Yatsuhashi, but he easily jumped back and launched two blasts from his boots that the members of CFVY deflected with minimal effort. Again Oxon thought on the bullshit that was everyone deflecting shit. Seriously, ranged weapons were almost worthless against other huntsmen.

After his first shots, Oxon's partner began almost dancing and creating a vortex of them. With all the blasts spiraling around the spinning Mercury, it's an impressive sight until he sends all of them towards the other two. On the screen and on stage, small white explosions burst in the field. Once it all clears, Mercury is right behind the two second years.

He was kinda like a leggy version of Yang, Oxon realized. She used gun gauntlets while his firearms were in his boots. Both were aggressive and were able to hold their own against strong foes, yet Mercury had that edge to him that thankfully Yang lacked. She wasn't a killer.

He then grabbed the both of them by their arms and delivered a quick deluge of kicks that staggered them both. He knocked the girl back and a chain came out from the forest trees to wrap around Coco and pulled her back into them. It seemed like Emerald wanted the girl.

There's a joke to be made, but I'm just not feeling it…

The large man yelled out in a failed attempt to get his partner back. The girl disappeared into the trees, and he had to take a blow from Mercury. Oxon mentally cheated for the big guy as he grabbed and threw Mercury into the geyser field.

Suck it you asshole, hope you get curb stomped into a steam vent.

Yatsuhashi jumped high in the air as Mercury's still sliding back, but his blade only came down on his those stupid yet effective gun boots. Oxon cringes as the shockwave from their clash causes the earth to crack underneath them, causing multiple geysers to erupt around them. Aura or not, that definitely had to hurt the dude's knees. He almost, almost, felt bad.

Mercury sent shots out of his boots in order to get out of the awkward position; he sent a swipe at Yatsuhashi's feet that missed, then ducking around each of the retaliatory swings. One of his blows kicked up some rocks from the ground, which he used to knock Yatsuhashi around. Despite trying to block the blows sent out by Merc, Yatsuhashi was forced backwards, this gave Mercury an opening to kick him to the ground.

Oxon could only look on in shock as the guy landed with his head above one of the active super-heated geysers, which unfortunately erupts causing him to scream in pain as he frantically got back up, which was pretty impressive. The guy hardly had time to open his eyes just as Mercury came at him with a strong hit. Eliminating him.

The buzzer went off, signifying his loss to the assassin. Oh, and with that final blow, Yatsuhashi is eliminated!

Only a half minute later, the form of Coco Adel came flying out of the forest only to land next to her partner. The two seemed out cold. The buzzer rang a second time, cementing team CMOS as the winner that would move on.

And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!

"Well, we sure showed them, huh?" He watched, mildly annoyed as Cinder got up to leave without a word. She was either going to congratulate them or head off somewhere to plan the next move. Likely it was the latter, not like he was any different. Oxon got up and walked down and towards his friends.

They were cheering for his teammates for some awful reason. He'd tell them they shouldn't, but if Cinder heard… Better let them do what they want, he guessed.

"Ox! Your team was awesome!"

"Yeah, Mercury really showed Yats up pretty badly."

"Yeah, he's who we're going to put into the singles rounds." He turned his attention to Yang after her praise. "The poor guy got unlucky with that vent. He was still going strong until that happened."

"Regardless, it's nice to see your partner move on I bet, I just hope we have the same luck in our match as well."

He ignored the part about Mercury, cause fuck him. "I'm sure you and Yang will do fantastic, after all, you're one of the best teams here."

"Careful Ox, don't want to sound like you're rooting for the enemy do ya?" Yang was being playful, but she was dead on. He really didn't like Mercury and hoped he lost, and if Cinder's plan fails and Oxon can't be blamed? That would be the ideal outcome. However unlikely that is.

"Eh, it's not like I care too much for the guy. Remember, I met them just as the semester bagan, I knew you all longer. If you fight him later on, I know who I'll cheer for." She smiled at that and gave a not so subtle nudge to Weiss. Sadly it seemed like she wasn't going to stay when her scroll buzzed.

"Oh, I just got a message from Winter, she wants to chat." Right, her sister. He just hoped that their conversation the previous night wouldn't come up. He knew the impression he gave probably wasn't the best, but he'd stand by it. Weiss then turned to him. "Would you like to join me, Oxon? I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"Ah, I'm not so sure 'bout that." Quite the opposite really, though her sister was definitely correct in her assessment. "I'm sure she wants to catch up with you, and you alone, no need for a stranger to intrude."

"You're not a stranger, Oxon." There was that classic Weiss stubbornness.

"It's ok, I need to complete a little project of my own anyways." A lie, but he'd find something to do while the Schnees talked. "I hope you have a fun time with her."

He patted her head as he walked past. She had an adorable pout at his denial that made him chuckle. He'd make it up to her later if he could, but he definitely didn't want to be near the older Schnee for a second time.

Now, what to do?

~~~(XXXIX)~~~

"So, what are you doing here anyway? I thought Dad said that you would be on a mission, for like... ever."

Uncle Qrow was playing fiercely as he talked to them. A true master at multitasking. "Well, a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

She wasn't about to be shown up, not after the cool things they had done. "Yeeeeaaaah, I get that. We're pretty much pros, too."

"Oh, really?

"Yeah! Read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale while you were gone."

He laughed a little at that. "Funny, because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train." No fair, they couldn't make it to the front quick enough. But they'd still helped drive the Grimm back.

"SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!" Her uncle was smug at the victory over Yang. She was less than amused.

"But they don't give out medals for almost."

"They do! And it's called silver!" Ugh, he sounds like Oxon when they messed up with the Paladin.

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick! He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!" You tell him sis! They were bada- butts!

"Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like ones. You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in the Kingdom?"

Ruby knew what her uncle was getting at. They might not have been able to catch everyone, a lot of the Fang seemed to get away that day in the confusion. Not to mention his two sidekicks were still out there somewhere, probably plotting something. So much for the one switching sides. They still haven't been able to get a bead on the one the gangsters talked about. Same as that mystery lady who was with Torchwick on that one night.

"I mean, I did until you said that…"

Her uncle suddenly became a lot more serious than he was earlier. "Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed; it's stopped, completely."

That was good right? No more criminals doing crimes was a positive. Right? The look on his face said otherwise. "No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. You cut off the head of the King Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

Yang exchanged a curious look with ruby for a moment. What? "You... know the General?"

Suddenly he was all smiles again. He had a smug look on his face as he brought out an old, water stained, photo. "Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team that graduated Beacon! Hah, Team STRQ... That's where I met your parents. We were pretty well known back in the day."

She wouldn't let his gloating go unchecked, once team RWBY graduated, then they'd be the coolest. "Well known for crummy fashion sense!"

"Hey, we looked good! And I have a number of inappropriate stories to back that up!" Eewwwwww… "But, I'll save those for when you're older."

"Oh, gross!"

"Anyways, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of brats like you two. You're gonna cramp my style." Qrow stopped suddenly in the doorway and sighed before talking to them. "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go... And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stop moving forward."

She gave him as brave a look as she could muster after that. She knew it was harder outside the school, but they still had a lot of time here. There was a lot of danger outside, and especially outside the safety of the Kingdom. Oxon had told them as much.

Speaking of the not so broody bull. He said Qrow brought him to the city. Does he know anything about his past? Something he hasn't told us?

Ahhh, she has to stop him! "Wait, uncle Qrow!" She burst into the hall as he was slouching down it. He turned around, surprised to see her following him.

"What's up, squirt? Miss me already?"

"When you were out on your mission, you were the one that found Ox, Right?" He'd said as much, and Ruby didn't think he would lie about something like that.

"What, that frightened leaf of a guy? All ignorant and skinny, who used an ax without any real sense of skill?" The only part of that that Ruby knew was the ax part. Was he really that bad off when he got found?

"Uh, that doesn't sound like Ox at all…" If that was before we met him though. "He uses an ax/ rifle, and wears a lot of armor. He said you saved him."

"Yeah, I did, but I thought he was an enemy at first. He came charging out of the tree line with an ax over his head." He chuckled at the apparently funny memory. "I convinced him to ride back to the city with me, and I had to catch him up on global history too. He didn't know there was a great war, let alone that Mantle became Atlas. It was like giving a lecture, without getting paid."

"So, what can you tell us about him?" Anything would be nice if it helped them understand the guarded guy more.

"Can't say much, I picked him up and took him to a hospital. He stumbled on me trying to help a friend. So I dropped him off while I took care of her. Though, I had hoped to talk with him after I was done. Except, when I ask the front desk, they say he'd split. Gone to the wind."

"Yeah, he got a job in the city, in some club. Then after that he was picked up by a teacher from Haven."

"Convenient, he told you who it was?" Now that she thought about it. He didn't, though maybe he just didn't care or remember. Maybe it wasn't someone as cool as Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin. "As I said before, I know a lot of people. I have a few friends in the other academies, so, which professor scouted him?"

"Uh, he didn't say."

"Interesting." Her uncle seemed to think for a moment before turning to her. "You know, I've been meaning to catch up with the kid, see how he's doing."

That was great!

"Well, he's been doing really well! He has helped us out a few times, not with the crime stuff though. But he did offer! He's been really fun to hang out with, he doesn't speak much, but he can be funny, especially when he's teased. Oh, speaking of teasing, he and-."

Her uncle put a finger in her lips and lightly shushed her. Rude. But then again, she was starting to ramble.

"Just tell me kiddo, where can I find him?"

~~~(XXXIX)~~~

Oxon was relaxing under the orange and red leaves of a good sized Vine Maple. Its fiery Colors were popping in a beautiful way under the blue sky. Dappled light spread out across his form as he looked through the branches. He blew a few strands of hair out of his eyes. He definitely needed a haircut soon, the long locks were getting a bit annoying lately.

It was ironic to him that he enjoyed the bright colors of fall, considering the boss he worked under. Beauty was beauty though, and he couldn't deny the leaves were mesmerizing. The rest of the trees were turning similar colors, like a sea of reds, oranges, and yellows spread across campus. Huh, almost like a wildfire. And while he was partial to the greens of spring and summer, fall was good too. Though, Winter snow and silence was a whole other marvel.

He placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, exhaling a deep breath. This was what he needed. A nice cool day with himself under the shade of a nice tree. No wild students, no megalomaniacs, no overly eccentric professors. Just, peace.

"Finally…"

His peace was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. He groaned internally at the violation of his rest. If he pretended to be asleep, hopefully they'd ignore him.

"Ah, Oxon Adhmad, I've been looking for you."

Cracking open one eye, he widened both when he saw who it was.

~~~(XXXIX)~~~

"It's almost time for me to go." Weiss hugged her dear sister tightly as the time for them came to a close.

"It was really good to see you, Winter."

Winter looked conflicted for a brief moment. Weiss understood, she didn't want her to go either.

"I had meant to ask this earlier, but didn't know how to broach the discussion."

"What is it? Is it about father?" Her sister shook her head, so it wasn't about him.

"It's about the transfer you have told me about, Adhmad." Ox? Why bring him up?

"Yes? What about him? Oh, I completely forgot to introduce you to him! Uh, I'm sure we can find him before you have to go, he'd undoubtedly like you, I've told him nothing but good things." Winter held her hand up to stop her words.

"No, it's fine." That… That was a shame. "I wanted to ask you about what you know about him?"

"What I know about Ox?" She knew what he had felt comfortable sharing with her. Mostly about his home, before the fall. He didn't talk about what happened after much.

"Yes, I'm… Curious about him."

"Well, he doesn't like to talk much about his past, other than it was in the mountains on the northern part of the continent. A sort of frontier settlement that unfortunately fell."

"A common story, unfortunately." Winter didn't seem surprised by the information, Weiss didn't read into it. It was something that happened outside the walls after all. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, I'm sure we could find him somewhere, if I send him a text, I'm sure he'd be willing to meet with us here. He's usually good about that."

"I want to hear it from you. I wish to know about the person you have been writing to me about. And why you are so, interested, in him."

"What?" Needless to say, this was not something she thought they would talk about. Father, the tournament, her summoning sure. Not… this.

"Please?" Winter seemed interested, maybe this was a way they could bond? She promised to read any more of those magazines, but this was something that came up a lot. Girl talk.

"Well, he was just a student that I wanted to learn about, so that I could make a plan for the tournament. He was fairly gruff, not really willing to talk and content to just listen." Strange that was how it all began, she didn't feel the need to bring up Flynt. There wasn't much to say about him. "Admittedly, at the start, I used him. I used him to get information on his team and I used him to shield myself from less than wanted attention. Still, he never seemed to mind. He never treated me like a Schnee, but as a person."

"And you trust this person? You've only known him a few months. We both know that many want to worm their way into our family. Our father is a prime example."

"Oxon is not like that, like him. I trust Oxon with my life, he's proven that he would risk himself for my safety already. He cares about me, Winter, about Weiss not the Schnee." Why did Winter ask this? She knew her sister cared for her wellbeing, so it made sense. But yet… "He's someone who I've come to cherish, Winter. Someone as irreplaceable as you are, as my team here, a person I care for."

"And yet we know so little about him or his past. He's an unknown of which we don't know what his motives may be."

"Even so, I stil-" she paused for a moment as the words Winter had said registered in her head. "Wait… "We"? What do you mean by that?"

Winter sighed at her slip. Shaking her head, her elder sister continued. "Weiss, when the safety of the kingdom is under threat, we have to look at every variable." Was she… what..?

"Have you been… investigating him!?" That was, that was absurd. Oxon, Oxon was a threat? This is the guy who is so clueless about the modern world that he didn't even know how to eat a taco!

"Yes, not just for work, but out of concern for you as well. I want to make sure that the people you surround yourself with are trustworthy." Weiss took an unsteady half-step back. This couldn't be real. "I can see you've grown fond of him. Personally, I wish for you and him to discontinue this connection, but it won't matter. Oxon will be gone soon enough."

"What!?" Myrtenaster came out on instinct. Surprising both of them, Weiss had never raised her weapon at her sister in any situation outside of training.

Winter raised her hands in order to calm her down. Wiess lowered her rapier slowly. "I did not mean that as a threat, I apologize, just poor phrasing on my end. He will be traveling to Mistral soon, leaving you here to go study at Haven. So whatever is going on between you two now will eventually fade once he is no longer around. It's what's best for you."

Weiss felt power well up inside her. A large spinning glyph came to life under her. Winter seemed shocked at its sudden appearance, good.

"I don't know what you think you are implying, but I will choose what is best for me. Both of us know why we each left the Manor. I will choose my own path, as well as those I wish to walk it with."

"Weiss, I know I've upset you. But you must understand that such a strang-"

"Winter, I love you more than anyone else in this world. I know you must worry about me, but the friends I have made since coming here have become like a second family. I don't appreciate you thinking you know what's best for me, I can make my own choices." She willed the glyph to dissipate, letting calmness return to the area. "I appreciate your concern sister, but I will decide who I associate with. Even if you don't approve of them."

Weiss watched as Winter let out a resigned sigh. Hopefully she realized how set she was. She wouldn't toss people aside just because of a little bit of an unknown past. She'd come to accept Blake after all. And Oxon definitely wasn't close to being as bad as the hidden faunus once was.

"If you feel that way, then there's nothing I can say, is there?"

"I'm sorry winter, but no." She felt bad about her attitude, but believed she was justified.

"I understand." Her dear sister checked the time in her scroll quickly before stowing it away. "Though now I believe I truly must be off. I've delayed as much as I could, but I must return to Atlas."

The two embraced momentarily, trying to enjoy the feeling of holding each other. For now, Weiss would forget this ugly end to an otherwise pleasant conversation, it was Winter after all. It would be who knows how long until they saw each other next. Eventually, Weiss knew it was time to go.

Weiss broke off from the hug, looking kindly up at her sister. "It was really good to see you, Winter."

"Until next time, sister. And I am sorry for what I said earlier."

"I forgive you, I'm sure you just meant well." Winter gave a slight nod before moving away.

The siblings walked out of the pavilion, each going in opposite directions. Winter went to her ship, while Weiss went to see her friends. Neither of them noticed the caterpillar crawling up to a miniature, icey greatsword before dissipating into frozen motes.

~~~(XXXIX)~~~

Trying to watch and then write each fight is annoying, only a little tho. We all know what happens, I'm just adding in dialogue from the characters. Thankfully there aren't any more to really go over from Ox's perspective.