Of Hunger and Jealousy
"What're you talking about?" Weiss asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.
"I had some cans stashed in this closet!" Ruby said, pointing to an open door, "Now they're gone!"
"Don't look at me," Yang said, holding up her hands, "I've got my own stash."
"Wait!" Blake said, "You're hoarding food too?"
"I'm just keeping some for myself," Yang said, "That's not 'hoarding'."
"We're all hungry here," Ren said, stepping forward, "You can't be keeping food just for yourself."
"Ren's right!" Nora said, "I'm not just saying that because he's Ren!"
"There's still plenty of food down in the cellar," Pyrrha said, as she came up next to Yang, "We can all have enough." As the group argued, Jaune stood the side, rather confused. Was he the only one who wasn't as hungry as the others? Figuring he should deal with this before anyone could potentially come to blows, he stepped forward, into the middle.
"Alright," he said, "We're all a little on edge right now with all that's happening, so let's all just take a break for now." Nobody said anything at that, but everybody seemed to be tired of the other's company, as they split up. As they did, Oz watched from the side, glad to see Jaune having stopped things from escalating, for now at least.
"What's with everybody?" Oscar asked. Oz narrowed his eyes, as he looked back at the book, and at the sketch of the "Wendigo". There weren't many Grimm in the world he hadn't encountered at least once in his lifetimes, but this was one of them.
"Be on guard," he said, "We're not alone on this farm." With that, he turned his attention back to the journal.
We ran through the food pretty quickly; I'm going to have get the others and head up to Argus to get some more supplies. We're thinking of boarding the kids there for the winter; a couple less mouths to feed. We'll completely fill up, and get some extra. That should last us the whole season without having to go back out.
(in the Land of Darkness)
Emerald sat on the floor of the training mat, her knees tucked against her chest, glaring at the wall in front of her. Behind her, Mercury was practicing.
"All that moping isn't going to change things," he said, as he struck out a kick. Emerald's glare just hardened.
"Cinder's still out there," she said.
"Yes, and?" Mercury responded plainly. That actually got Emerald to look up and glare at him.
"'And'? That's it?" she asked, "After all she's done for us?"
"All she's done for us?" Mercury said, as he paused for a moment to look at his "friend", "Last I checked, Salem was the one who promised us the world if we won this whole thing for her." He let himself smile at the thought of being the guy on top for a change.
"So that's what you're in for?" Emerald asked, getting to her feet, "Just to make yourself the top dog."
"Yeah, and I can guarantee that's all Cinder's interested in," Mercury answered, as he glared at Emerald, who balked at his words, "She doesn't care about either of us, and I suggest you make nice with that." Allowing her emotions to get the better of her, Emerald punched out, which Mercury easily blocked. He then kicked out, which Emerald dodged easily.
"I don't know or care what Cinder meant to you," Mercury continued, as the tow started circling each other, "But I'm here for me, and me alone; all I've ever had is me."
"So that's it?" Emerald answered, "That's all the reason you're here?"
"I do what I'm good at!" Mercury answered, narrowing his eyes, "Salem's giving me the chance to do my thing! You might not like it with Cinder not here, but I think I'm right where I need to be!"
"Pathetic." Both teens froze at the sound of the metallic voice. They turned towards the door, to see Talos standing there, his arms folded in front of him, looking at Mercury.
"You're not good at anything else, and are too cowardly to try and do anything else," Talos said, as he approached them, "All you are, is a small man, trying so desperately to be big."
"How long have you been there?" Mercury snapped angrily, coming up to the android, though Talos ignored him, as put a finger on his chest, and nudged him aside, as he advanced on Emerald.
"You and I are going to speak, alone," he growled. Emerald took an instinctive step back, knowing what Talos was talking about.
"Back off tin man!" Mercury snapped, as he stormed over to Talos, who looked down at him.
"Do you really think you can take me?" Talos asked dangerously. If he were being honest, Mercury seriously doubted it, but he wasn't going to leave Emerald at this guy's mercy just yet. So with that, he let out a yell, as he kicked out. Unfortunately, his metal leg didn't so much as scratch Talos head, who grabbed that leg, and tossed him aside. He then turned his attention to Emerald, who had her hands on her weapons.
"Now, I'm only going to ask once," Talos said, as he leaned towards her, "What did you have to do with the death of my sister?"
"Your sister?" Emerald asked.
"Penny!" Talos snapped angrily, "What did you do to her?" Emerald opened then closed her mouth. She could try lying, but she had a feeling Talos would be able to tell if she was doing so. With no other choice, Emerald finally gave the truth.
"I was just following Cinder's instructions," she said, "I created an illusion so that Pyrrha girl would attack her." Talos was silent for a time, as he seemed to process the information.
"So, she was telling the truth," he muttered, as he looked aside. Emerald let herself sigh in relief, thinking it was over.
"You did it." Those words immediately made Emerald look straight back at Talos, who was looking at her.
"You are the reason Penny died," he said.
"Hey now," Emerald said, as she tried to step back.
"You killed Penny!" Talos snapped, as he withdrew his blades from his wrists, "You must die!" Emerald drew Thief's Respite in defense.
"What're you getting all pissed off about?" Mercury suddenly asked, "It was just a robot." Talos froze in his place, as he slowly looked in Mercury's direction.
"Say that again," he said slowly.
"That thing was just a robot," Mercury said, "It wasn't like it was really your sister." Talos said nothing for a time, before his second pair of arms opened him, with their own blades.
"You, I'm going to enjoy bringing down," the android said dangerously. Both Emerald and Mercury took a fighting stance, as Talos got ready to fight both of them. But in an instant, he was on top of Emerald, bringing one of his blades down. Emerald moved to try and block, but the blow never came.
"Talos!" The android stopped, as he glanced over to see his arm being held by Hazel.
"Get off," Talos hissed.
"Don't you dare try and harm them," Hazel said, as he tightened his hold on Talos wrist. The android growled, before he drew in both of his blades. He then pushed past the man, and left the room.
"Thanks," Emerald said, though she wasn't sure why Hazel had protected her.
"Stick to places you're familiar with for now," he said, "Avoid the lower reaches of the castle, that's where he lurks."
"Why'd you do that?" Mercury demanded.
"We're in this fight together," Hazel said, watching the place Talos left from, "We can't be killing each other like this." He then looked back at the teens.
"There's been a change of plans," he said, "Tyrian, Watts, Crane, and Cheshire are all being sent to Atlas."
"To Atlas?" Emerald asked, "What for?"
"At this point," Hazel answered cautiously, "It might be better not to know."
(at Brunswick Farm)
It was now noon at the farm, and the storm still wasn't breaking. Oscar leaned on the window, as he watched the snow fall, focusing on the well in the front.
"I've never seen a storm this bad," he said.
"We're probably going to be here for a long while at this rate," Qrow said, as he sat behind him, taking a long swig from a wine bottle. Oscar's eyes briefly flashed as Oz took over.
"Yes, and that's what worries me most," he said, as he took another look at the Wendigo. He didn't share this with the others, knowing it would just put them even more on edge than they already were. He took his seat again, and continued reading.
I can't believe we've already gone through ten cans worth of food. At this rate, we'll have to go to Argus again tomorrow. What's worse, we may have to eat some of the crops ourselves. I hope people aren't taking more than what we agreed on.
The rest of the group was scattered around the house, trying to take their minds off how hungry they were getting. On Oz's insistence, they were all taking a break from eating, even though all of them, save Jaune strangely, were still hungry. While Ren and Nora were sitting with each other upstairs, Ilia, still only really comfortable around Blake, was with the cat, who was in the library, reading. Yang and Pyrrha were in the basement, training again. Jaune was sitting in the living room with Ruby and Weiss, playing a game with Ruby on their scrolls, while Weiss was trying to read.
"I'll be right back," Weiss said, as she got up to use the bathroom.
"Take as long as you need," Ruby muttered.
"What?" Weiss asked, looking at her.
"Nothing," Ruby answered, not looking up from her game. She watched as Weiss left the room, before she bent towards Jaune.
"Jaune, can I tell you something?" she asked.
"Uh, sure."
"I think Weiss is the one who took my food," she said softly. That surprised Jaune slightly, as he looked at the girl in red. What he saw disturbed him slightly. Her normally bright, kind eyes were dark, and suspicious.
"Why do you think that?" Jaune asked.
"It makes sense," Ruby said, "She's always wanted everything for herself."
"Ruby…," Jaune said, only to be interrupted when she leaned in, and grabbed his hand.
"We got to stick together," she said, "Here, I'm starting to think we can't really trust anyone."
"How can you say that?" Jaune said, "They're our friends."
"So was Darkness," Ruby said bitterly. That also surprised Jaune; though he certainly wasn't happy with their (he supposed now former) mentor, he thought it at least warranted some discussion.
"What the hell is this!" a voice suddenly shouted. Jaune and Ruby looked up as Yang came storming into the room, holding up some cans. That yelling summoned the rest of the group into the living room.
"Who's been hoarding this food?!" Yang demanded, throwing the cans on the floor.
"We found these in a closet downstairs," Pyrrha explained. Several people looked at Ruby accusingly, remembering saying how she stashed some food for herself.
"Don't look at me, that's not where I kept my food," Ruby said, getting up, before pointing, "I bet it was Weiss!"
"Me?" Weiss said, surprised by the sudden accusation.
"Of course," Ilia sneered, "Leave it to a Schnee to want everything to herself."
"What's going on here?" Oz asked as he came in.
"Weiss is hoarding food!" Ruby declared.
"Wha…"
"How do you know it's me?!" Weiss answered, "It could just as easily be you! Maybe you're just angry with me because you're scared Jaune'll choose me over you!"
"Wait a minute," Jaune said, "Don't go…"
I'm his partner!" Ruby snapped, "And you're just a rich girl who wants Jaune because she can't have him! There's no way Jaune will choose you over me!" The group all stared at Ruby, shocked by how harsh those words were. Weiss began to slowly shake, as she slowly brought her hand down towards her weapon's hilt.
"And you're just a kid who doesn't appreciate the gravity of everything that's going on, and what it means to truly love someone!" she then answered. Those words hung heavy in the air, as Ruby slowly drew, and opened Crescent Rose, while Weiss took out Myrtenaster, and pointed it at her.
"Wait! Wait!" Jaune said, as he positioned himself in between the girls, looking to the other's for support, but they were still glaring suspiciously at each other.
"Maybe these cans are really your's!" Nora said, as she picked up one, and pointed at Yang, "You're just blaming others so we won't be suspicious!"
"How dare you accuse her like that!" Pyrrha snapped, coming to her partner's defense, "Maybe it was you!" Oz looked around in shock and horror at the way everyone started going at each other.
"What's going on?" Oscar asked. Oz tried to think, and then he remembered another passage from Bartleby's journal. He hurried back to the table, and flipped through it again, stopping on the sketch of the Grimm.
I can't believe what I found today! Martha's been hiding food in the floorboards under her bed! She's been hoarding all the food for herself, like she's the only one who's hungry. If she's doing it, no doubt there are other's doing it too. I've got to found out who's been hiding our food! They've got to be stopped!
"It's the Wendigo," Oz muttered, as he stared at the image.
"The Wendigo?"
"There are a few types of Grimm known for being able to influence the psyches and emotions of people. It must be the one causing these feelings to swell."
"What do we do?" Oscar asked, but received no answer from the wizard, who hurried down towards the basement. He had an idea, and while it wasn't a good one, it was the only one he had at this point.
Meanwhile, Jaune was still trying hard to keep people from going at each other's throats, and while violence had started yet, anyone could tell that it was getting dangerously close. While Ruby and Weiss seemed poised to attack, Nora and Yang were both arguing fiercely, with Ren and Pyrrha ready to back up the other up. Ilia had taken to shouting occasional insults at Weiss, and Blake wasn't doing anything to stop them. But then, just when it looked like Ruby was about to push past Jaune and go for her friend….
"URAAAAA!" Suddenly the whole house was rocked by a roar, a sound that caught everyone's attention, and of wood breaking. Oz then came barreling into the living room.
"Everyone!" he shouted, "Run!"
The Old Ones: The Princess
Princess Artemis stretched, as she strolled down the halls of the palace, trying to think of something to occupy her time. She'd walked through the gardens twice now, and the novelty had since worn off. Trying to think of anything, she decided to annoy her sister some. Finding Neith was easy; she was always at the balcony, looking over the city, and that was just where Artemis found her.
"I don't get what's so interesting about this place," she said, causing Neith to look up.
"It's not interesting," Neith answered, "I just can't look away."
"Yeah, it is quite a sight," Artemis said, standing beside Neith, flicking her tail slightly, "So many working to one single goal."
"Working," Neith grumbled, her ears twitching, "Yeah, that's the word I'd use."
"Oh, not this again," Artemis groaned, remembering the bleeding heart her sister had.
"It's wrong!" Neith said, standing up straight, and pointing, "What we're doing out there is wrong!"
"They're just humans," Artemis answered.
"Just humans…," Neith echoed, "So we can just do whatever the hell we want to them?"
"Yes, we can," Artemis answered bluntly, glaring at her sister, "We're the superior race. We conquered them because we're stronger." Neith was silent as she let her sister finish, before taking a breath.
"Artemis," Neith said, "Our empire's not invincible. Someday, it'll start to show it's weakness. There could very possibly be a day when the humans will say that we're 'just Faunus'."
"Well then, all the more reason to keep them in their current place," Artemis answered, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder. However, her younger sister just shook the hand off, turned on her heels, and marched away. Artemis watched as she did.
"I'll never understand that girl," she grumbled.
Note: Come on people, did you really think I'd have the group try to start eating each other? I know the Wendigo is a cannibal themed monster, and I'm willing to go dark to some degree, but that's too dark. Next chapter will mark the end of the Brunswick farm arc, and the battle with the Wendigo.
Also, things aren't going well with Talos. Have to wonder what he'll do once this is all done.
Be sure to review.
So with Vol. 7 wrapping to a close, people seem pretty split on it. Again, I think RWBY as a whole plays better when all the episodes are watched sequentially as if it were a movie; my biggest grievance was how only Team RWBY was given any real attention; the previous seasons did a good job. Penny's return was my favorite part, and I have to say, I don't think anybody saw her being the Winter Maiden coming. I'm not a fan of the cliffhanger, though, because I'm not sure what the end of that will be. It's not like they're going to abandon Atlas, obviously, if for no other reason than Oscar is still there. I'm glad to see Penny joining the team; maybe she can join with Jaune, Nora and Ren, and become the new "P" in JNPR (though I doubt they'll do that).