LXX - Stem

Not going to lie, didn't expect to have to keep up the plant based titles. Ugh.

~~~(LXX)~~~

"You what!?" Silver orbs were uncomfortably close to his own greens as Ruby's frantic eyes stared into his own.

After getting cleaned up, the group retired to the room given to Team RWBY and started a meeting about their plan going forward. It has been going well at first, the mini leader told Oxon about the plan General Ironwood had devised. And Oxon had to admit, getting the CCT out of reach of their enemies was a promising idea. Though, to his surprise, the good mood ended when he told them what he'd said to Winter Schnee.

"I told Winter that Salem was immortal." Oxon said, leaning back with his hands up. "I thought we were here to help Ironwood, and telling his right hand woman that the big bad witch can't die seemed like the right thing to say."

"But we all saw what state this kingdom is in! We don't know what Ironwood would do with that information!" The short girl moved away, hands in her hair. "Besides, every single person working with Ozpin has been lying to us from the start. And Leonardo! The Haven headmaster was assured to be "unwaveringly loyal" despite the fact he was working for Salem!"

The girl took a few breaths before speaking in a calmer voice. "I want to help the kingdom, we all do, but putting all our trust in someone we can't exactly verify seems unwise, not with the relic of knowledge."

The girl took a few more deep breaths, replacing the frown with a small smile. "I'm not mad at you for telling them about Salem. I can't blame you for going against a plan that we never even told you about. I told him the relic was useless in a split decision, nobody else knew about it."

"Which I'm still unsure if this is the right play." The group looked over to a worried and pensive Oscar. "Just because we've been dealt a poor hand when it comes to those outside the group, we shouldn't paint everyone in the same color."

"I think Oscar has a point, the guy worked pretty hard to save Beacon, almost died for a foreign nation. He seems reliable enough to trust. That aside, I'm with you Rubes, always will."

"Speaking of trust," Oscar nodded at Yang and removed the glowing lamp from his hip and held it out to the group. "Should we come clean that there is still one more wish? I mean, he knows we lied about what information we told him, isn't it a good idea to tell the full truth?"

"That… I don't know." The girl rubbed her temples as she thought. "We had meetings with him yesterday about scheduling for the upcoming missions, that was probably after he knew we lied, but he didn't seem upset. He was polite and formal the whole time."

"Maybe he thought Oxon was lying?"

Ren leaned forward with a passive expression on his face. Which, didn't mean much. Oxon had no idea what it would take to make the guy emotional and he wasn't enthusiastic about trying to induce said anger. "Blake's theory holds some weight. Why else would the general not confront us about it?"

"Yeah, he hasn't even questioned us about it."

The ex-criminal put his hand on his chin and thought hard about the likelihood of that being true. It was possible, but they couldn't prove it. "I did fool pretty much everyone until the tournament, including Winter. Maybe she thought it was another scam to divide everybody? But if the general thinks I'm trying to pull something, why give me the freedom that he has? If he thinks I'd be working against Atlas, I'd be in a cell instead of being given a chance to help."

"Yeah, that sounds right." Ruby began pacing back and forth, which was slightly difficult due to the number of people crammed into the dorm. "We can run with this, using the skepticism to our advantage to fix this. He was already off base about a lot of things in the reports. Maybe they just didn't believe him?"

Oxon doubted it, he doubted it a lot, but he could not think of any reason as to why else the general would not say anything. Why not mention their lie? Why not mention his distrust at Oxon's possible lie? Whatever was going through the general's mind, it wasn't something he understood. But there was more than what already happened to talk about.

"You said the general had a plan for Amity Arena? Sending it to the atmosphere to reconnect Remnant?"

"Yeah!" Nora burst forward, a large grin on her face. "And we're going to be helping!"

"Yes, as Nora said," Began Ren, hand resting on his partner's shoulder. "Ironwood will have us support the Ace-Ops and other members of the Atlesian military. We have yet to be briefed on the exact details of our duties, but I assume it should not be long until then. They will most likely want us to get familiar with our upgrades before we go into the field."

"So, are we going to go train again tomorrow? I'm always down for a good fight."

"We know, Xiao Long…"

"Now don't be so stuffy Weiss-cream, I'll make sure to go a round with you next time." The blonde quipped with a wink.

"Please do not phrase it in that manner."

"I can phrase it in a different way if you want~"

"Jokes aside…" Blake verbally stepped in with a playful eye roll at her teammates. "It's a good idea. Some of us changed a few things while others, like Ren and Jaune, have upgrades that will take a bit longer to get used to. We need all the practice we can get with them and create new strategies to go with."

"Yeah!" The blonde pumped her fist in excitement before pointing a metal finger at the only other Blonde. "Dibs on fighting you tomorrow, I wanna see how that glowy shield handles against my new and improved babies."

The boy laughed at her challenge, but Oxon saw the sweat on his temples. "Sure thing Yang!" He saw the boy mutter something, but wasn't close enough to hear it.

"So, same time tomorrow?"

"Oh! We should invite Penny! That way we have ten people! Enough for everyone to pair up!"

"Dibs on not fighting the robot." Oxon withered at the angry pout from Ruby. "I mean, the very nice girl who we all love and appreciate." He got a nod of approval at the amendment.

The silver eyed warrior clapped her hands happily. "Sounds like a plan, so, I guess we'll have to pick you up tomorrow?" There was an awkward tone in her voice as she finished her question, it didn't take a genius to understand.

"Yup, just knock on the door and pick me up."

"Our very own Oxon on demand." Yang chuckled as she got up to stretch. "Y'know, it's almost convenient to have your whereabouts always known. You can't sneak off and be a hermit when you get in a mood anymore."

Oxon saw the play Yang was going with. Big sister instincts never seem to fail. "That might just be the worst part, I can't find a nice, secluded garden to escape you animals."

"Are you saying that you prefer actual animals to your friends?"

"Squirrels don't share your sense of "humor"."

"Oh contraire, those little guys are all kinds of nutty."

"This is why you rank below chipmunks, Xiao Long."

"Boo hoo-awuh." The cat girl said, yawning. "I don't know about you guys, but it's getting late, and I for one would like to rest before tomorrow. So this is me officially kicking you all out."

"Wow Blake, such a great host you are."

"Weiss, don't be mean. We can't all grow up with galas every other week." The white haired girl's serene smile morphed into a scathing glare sent towards said girl.

"That's hardly true and you know it."

With that final retort, the five people not living in that room said their goodbyes and left. Jaune and Is ar went back to their room while Nora and Ren offered to walk Oxon back to his room. And it seemed like they had a reason to do so without their leader.

"Soooo…." Nora had her hands linked behind her head as the trio walked through the white and gray corridors, Ren on her right with Oxon on the left. She was trying to casually look to the side at Oxon as if she wasn't obviously curious about something. He knew what it was about, his conversation with Jaune exposed how much she'd helped him.

"Hey Ren?" The calm and collected Mistralian glanced past his childhood friend and at Oxon.

"Yes?"

"Next time you guys go shopping, mind getting me a nice block of wood?" The teen seemed confused for a brief moment before a small smile formed.

"Of course, I'll have Nora help pick out a suitable material. "

Oxon smiled back at the easy understanding. "Perfect."

Nora, unlike the boys, was not on the same page. Her head went back and forth between the two on either side of her. Ren seemed to enjoy it as well, because Oxon could swear he heard one of the lightest chuckles ever.

"Wait? What?" The girl put a hand by her mouth, blocking Oxon from seeing it. "What about the things we were gonna aaask?"

The stage whisper was not nearly quiet enough for him to miss. Oxon and Ren shared a look before Oxon rolled his eyes and Ren smiled at a confused bomber. They continued in comfortable silence for all of about nine seconds before Nora decided she refused to be quiet and launched into a dramatic retelling of a dream that involved a magical peach that she used as a pirate ship.

~~~(LXX)~~~

Oxon had just taken off his gauntlets when there was a knock at his door; three sharp strikes in the alloy material. He honestly contemplated ignoring it, but he didn't want to get in trouble on day two. That would be pathetic.

With a groan and a silent curse, he placed himself back in his gauntlets and answered the door. Once he did so, the door opened to reveal an Atlas soldier standing outside. He must have been a decent rank since he had no helmet to obscure a surprisingly plump face.

"Good, you are wearing the restraints as ordered. It seems you can listen to your betters. Let us hope this trend continues."

The urge to commit a criminal act rose sharply at the man's tone. "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes you can, Oxon Adhmad. I am here to deliver a message and a summons." The military officer seemed relaxed, well, as relaxed as an army man could be. His posture was perfect, though his expression showed that this conversation was of little importance for him. Slightly smug and a little aloof. His voice was posh, like Ruby's poor imitations of Weiss' father. Not quite authentic, like he was trying too hard. "Also, I must request that you address me by my title: I am Captain Almond, do not forget it. I am here to speak with you on the orders of my superiors, I will need you to follow me."

But it's so late, why the hell do I need to meet with the military at this time of night? Surely most other officers are resting? Not like there's a choice, I gotta play nice.

"Ah, sure, Captain Almond." No visible reaction. "I do anything to warrant a visit or even a summons? Last I checked, I am free to leave as long as I am with an escort."

"Your training sessions with teams RWBY and JNPR are of no concern to I or the rest of command, there are merely a few things we need to talk with you about. Why somebody like I was asked to retrieve you, I do not understand. Nevertheless I am a man who obeys my orders." Three guesses on what the meeting will be about… "My time is precious and I would rather not waste it by spending time with you. So if we could get going now, Adhmad?"

Biting down the retort, Oxon put on his helmet and walked outside, Captain Almond leading the way.

~~~(LXX)~~~

It took a few minutes to traverse the large academy. Patrolling soldiers of various ranks paused to salute Almond as he walked past. The man was obviously well respected, though he hardly seemed to care and gave the briefest of nods at those he walked by.

The pair walked in a less than comfortable silence the whole way. Oxon, having nothing to say to the older man while Captain Almond seemed determined to ignore Oxon's existence. It was almost a relief when the room they entered held his two biggest fans.

Taking off his helmet and placing it under his armpit. "Good evening, General Ironwood."

The tall cyborg glanced up from a holographic map on a round table. If he had any anger at his presence, he hid it well. The other one though…

"Adhmad."

"Specialist Schnee." He gave the older woman a polite nod. Her eyes narrowed, but she otherwise didn't respond.

Captain Arnold snapped a salute at the two upon entering after him. "General, as requested, I have brought the boy."

"At ease Captain, and thank you." The general gave a salute to the man briefly. "I know you have other duties to attend to, but the lieutenant Colonel had a sudden and urgent report to go over. It has to do with why Mr. Adhmad was called here."

"Is this about those complaints from that hamlet?"

"Them and many other settlements." The general pulled out his scroll and began tapping away. "That will be all I need from you, old friend, you may return to your duties."

Rather than look pleased at being able to step out, the man's face morphed into a deep scowl, if only for a scant second. With a heel click and a salute, the man turned around and strolled out of the room. Though the natural stroll seemed to be a bit forced.

What's his deal?

"Adhmad, I understand you know what it is like to experience a Grimm incursion?" Smoke, fire, screams, and fatal shadows. The face he wore must have confirmed it for the general. "Despite what you have done, you have my sympathy for experiencing such a cruel event and how it affected you."

"I…" Oxon shook away the memories of that dark night. Despite the knowledge his brother lived, albeit down an appendage, there were some things that would never truly go away. "Thank you, general."

"That experience is something I can use." Tapping a few commands into his scroll, the map of Solitas lit up with a myriad of lights and symbols, many had names under them. Names like Essen, Ormit, Avon, Crossed, Kormat, and many others glowed blue. Some of the names glowed a menacing red. "I, and a few others in the military, have prior experience in this type of tragedy. Many more gained that experience in Vale."

Oxon winced at that.

"And while they have dealt with it, not many understand the signs that lead up to such an event." A few more keystrokes brought up the names of a few of the red colored towns. "Experience you no doubt have. And that's why I am asking for your assistance, to help prevent more tragedy like what befell Beacon and Prism. I will be honest with you, Adhmad, I would rather use teams RWBY and JNPR, but they will be needed for other tasks."

Amity.

"What are you asking me to do?" Seriously, what was going on here? "You want me to stop an incursion? Don't you have the largest military on the planet? Why not park a battleship above the town and call it a day?"

"Because, like Vale, things aren't adding up here." Moving past Oxon's shock, the general crossed his arms behind his back and looked at the holographic continent. One name enlarged itself for easy viewing; it read Elderfel. "The last town that fell had no reason to. It had the necessary defensive perimeter to stave off the normal amount of Grimm, or even a sizable horde. Putting the town's defenses, there were no reports of discontent, anger, or any other massive amounts of negativity to entice the amount of Grimm that attacked."

"I mean, Cinder's whole plan was to broadcast The Fall to the world in hopes of causing increased Grimm attacks. She hacked the CCT primarily for that reason." The man continued to stare at Oxon, making him more than slightly uncomfortable. "We also may have hacked your scroll to spy on you."

"You hacked the general's phone!?" Winter stride forward, balled fists and an angry scowl. "Do you know how much of our security may have been compromised due to that!?"

"Seeing as how she took over the Knights and your battleships, I'm pretty sure it was a lot."

"How dare-"

"Winter." And suddenly she was the picture perfect image of posture and decorum. "Adhmad, I would appreciate a bit more tact. Need I remind you that your wish of getting a second chance relies on our judgment on whether or not you will get it?"

Fuccckkk… I really need to not antagonize her... "Yes, Sir." The man nodded once.

"Frightening implications aside, which I will need more details about on another date, I will be sending a team of soldiers out to the nearby outpost of Essen to support the local guards and secure it further."

"There's been Grimm gathering, haven't there?" The general confirmed it by pulling up an aerial still of easily a thousand dark monsters. "But what do you want me to do? Go to the outpost? I am more than willing to defend Essen, anything to help, sir."

"I appreciate the offer, but not what I need you for. Your skillet is something that I need for a particular mission. As of fifteen hundred yesterday, the horde has begun to move from the spot they gathered at." A second image showed the monsters facing east came up next. The kicked up snow showed that they were moving. "The horde was seen occupied in a specific section of tundra for over a week, then they suddenly fixate in the outpost. The reason for this strange activity is something we need to know."

"And I come in… how exactly?"

"I mentioned you having a desirable skill set." Oxon raised an eyebrow, curious. "It's your survival skills. Qrow Branwen said he found you wandering the wilderness north of Vale for an extended period of time. You also come from an area of Sanus that is mountainous and frozen for most of the year, not too dissimilar to the cold of Solitas. The combination of familiarity with a similar environment as well as having the skills necessary to survive for extended periods of time outside the walls is valuable. This makes you an ideal candidate for a scouting mission while my men and other huntsmen go to reinforce Essen."

A pit opened up in his gut at that. Where this was going did not sound promising. Or short.

"I can't stop the Grimm from attacking Essen, but I need to understand what brought them to the original gathering point. It's an uninhabitable section of ice and stone, there should not have been any negativity high enough to draw them there." Moving away from the table, he stepped just a few feet in front of Oxon. "Your mission will be to take an expedition into the area and find out if this was a plot by Salem."

"And you trust me to do this? To go out and determine if anything has happened to draw them in?" He could see why this situation was so concerning, if Salem was working to induce Grimm attacks, then all of Remnant was at risk. "What if it's who we think it is? How can you guarantee I won't turn tail? Not that I will, I want to stop the bitch as much as you do, but isn't this a huge risk?"

"The fact that you question my decision is a point in your favor." The man finally gave a miniscule grin. "If you had accepted without any hesitation, I would have grown suspicious."

"I- wha?"

"Think of this as a fist step, Adhmad. A way to give me reason to lengthen your leash." The man picked up his scroll and pressed something. The next moment, a soldier entered the room, directly behind Oxon. "That will be all tonight. I will have someone contact you in a few days, once the horde has vacated the area, so you may begin your mission. You may return to your room now."

Recalling the conversation with the two beacon teams, Oxon stepped towards the now bust Ironwood. "Wait, what about-?!" The soldier placed a firm hand on his shoulder, the other holding his scroll. Oxon saw a very familiar button on the screen.

"Fine, but I'll need more information about the mission later." The man never responded as Oxon was escorted to his room. There, he contemplated what exactly could cause the odd Grimm activity.

~~~(LXX)~~~

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I think most of my seasonal fog has lifted. So I should be having more regular updates going forward. Hopefully.

~~~(LXX)~~~

Omake - So you're saying… there's a chance..?

"So, you're saying that if we all agree, you go with us for a night in Mantle?"

"If you all agree." Oxon felt good about his condition for joining Yang out for a night on the kingdom. "I really would rather not ingest alcohol, it disagrees with me."

"Weiss already knows what you get like, you called her, remember." He in fact, did not. And that was a worrying thought. The first time he got drunk at The Club, he embarrassed himself in front of the boss's enforcers on an unimaginable level. He really hoped he didn't do or say anything too mortifying to Weiss.

"Oh gods… no wonder she kept giggling the few days after break…"

"Yup, she kept drilling me on what exactly happened. Did not help the hangover I got after that night."

"And now you want to do it again? Was the party for Ruby's birthday in Mistral not enough?"

"That was a lame party, Uncle Qrow didn't let us drink enough to go crazy."

"Which is what any responsible adult should do, especially since most of you had not drank before." Oxon shook his head. "Besides, if you haven't forgotten, I'm not exactly popular with the population of Remnant. Getting my drink spiked is the least of my worries."

"Eh, it's fine." The blonde waved away his completely legitimate apprehension with ease. "We'll find some place in Mantle that won't ask too many questions. If anyone asks, you just happen to unfortunately look like him."

"Yang…"

"C'mon big guy!" The girl put her hands on his shoulders and gave a pleading look. "We just got our licenses and made it to Atlas. Besides, after everything that went on between Haven and now, I think we've earned a night out."

Gently, he moved her hands off him. "And you guys can have one, and you should, it's just that I won't be joining you."

"Ox…"

"I'm not the most social of people, you know that. Besides, after the last two times I drank, I have sworn off the thing."

"What happened the first time?"

"Never you mind that."

"You're joining us, Ox. I don't care if I have to use those restraints and carry you there." They stared at each other before the blonde sighed. "What's it going to take to convince you to come?"

Oxon did not want to go, he'd rather rest in his room and not embarrass himself. Though the look on the girl's face told him he needed to give her something. With a moment of thought, he came up with a task she was unlikely to complete. "Everyone in our group has to be on board to go out next weekend."

"Easy! I tell them we're gonna see a giddy Ox, they'll accept in a heart-"

"Without telling them about this deal." Her cheer deflated slightly, but it did not disappear. She still had a confident look on her face. "I'm sure you could easily get them all together with cheap bait, but you're going to have to earn drunk me."

"You're on!" Her robotic right hand thrust forward, waiting for an answer. "You should have given me a harder mission."

"Good luck with Ren, Weiss, and Blake." Oxon met her hand with his own and gave a firm shake. "Looking forward to a relaxing night and a morning after without a hangover."

The two had a grin as they shook one final time. Each believing they will win.

~~~(LXX)~~~

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