It's been a long time since Jaune Arc has last been seen trying to seduce the nefarious Salem. So much has happened since then. RWBY Volume six was released and a break has been granted to the cast as a way for them to celebrate before filming resumes. Volume seven has made increasing demands for Salem's role to be more prominent, leading to less of her being seem. Will Jaune Arc be able to seduce the increasingly popular star? Only time will tell…
Back at the studio, Jaune cautiously walked through the local bar while searching for somebody. The bar near the studio was a dark place where killed off characters went to grieve over their recent unemployment. Adam Taurus had been making several visits lately after what happened to him in Volume 6.
"Can't believe it," Jaune heard Adam groan. "I was once feared….FEARED! Everybody loved my gritty dialogue that complimented my edgy aesthetic."
"Oh, shut up!" Roman Torchwick hiccupped. "You think….you think YOU got it bad? Shoulda seen me swallowed by a Grimm….ehehe…."
Jaune could see the eyes glaring at him as he walked through the club. Volume six helped him stay employed while enjoying some new potential matches. Adam and Roman only received income by being rented out for fan fictions. It was humiliating for characters that were once billed as primary antagonists.
"Hey, pretty boy!" Adam shouted. "Tell…Tell ya buddy Blake….she sucks! Aha…Ahahahahaha!"
It was a sad sight to see a former star fall from grace, but show business was never kind.
Jaune walked past Tukson and Sienna to reach someone sitting at the end of the bar. A young man with tan skin and a green tunic continued to drink without looking up at Jaune.
"Are you Ozma?" asked Jaune.
The man gently put down his drink and sighed.
"Yes," he said quietly. "I…am Ozma."
"But isn't Ozma a woman?"
Ozma raised his eyebrows at Jaune. "Did you really seek me out just to say that?"
Jaune shook his head.
"Okay, good. So what is it you would like to know?"
Jaune pulled up a chair and sat beside Ozma. This man was a recent addition to the RWBY cast. Him being an already dead character gave him a unique position. Unlike Adam or Roman, Ozma was almost treated like royalty by everyone else.
"I want to know what you know about Salem," said Jaune.
Ozma smiled from the corner of his mouth and chuckled. "Oh yes," he said. "I am quite familiar with her."
"My agent told me that you two go way back."
"Haha…you could say that. We were both small town kids, dreaming of life in the big studios…those were the days."
"Was she always so…you know?"
Ozma raised his eyebrows. "Difficult to work with?" he asked.
Jaune nodded.
Ozma rolled his head back and burst out laughing. "Nearly every man who comes into contact with her says that!"
Jaune leaned forward a bit. "I've been shipped with her and I just don't know what to do. Everything I try doesn't seem to go anywhere. Sometimes I'll make progress, but then something else will happen to make me go several steps back."
Ozma leaned forwards and smiled at Jaune. "You need to show her that you deeply care for her and her ideals," he said softly.
"What?"
"Exactly what I said," Ozma said in a much sterner tone. "Salem is a woman who demands everything from you. And I mean everything. She likes to be around those who strongly agree and bow to her every whim. Why else do you think she surrounds herself with those men?"
"I always thought they were drinking partners…."
Jaune really did assume it was something like that. Tyrian was the party animal; Watts was the designated driver, Cinder the wild girl, and Hazel being the guy who supplied the extra oomph. While they did seem to agree and almost worship her, Jaune didn't notice any kind of romantic interest between them.
"They're mere henchmen for her. You'll also notice that she reveres most of them. That is until they fail." Ozma leaned back in his chair and down the rest of his mug without stopping to breath.
"You sure that's okay to be drinking all that?" asked Jaune.
Ozma laughed as if he were in a daze and slammed his mug down. "Anything's okay when you're me," he smiled.
"Oh, great!" Jaune heard Amber Fall say from a distance. "Qrow's in here again!"
"I think that's our cue to leave," said Ozma. "Everyone knows that man's presence results in one of us being pulled over. I hope that our talk made a difference."
"Yeah," said Jaune. "Me too."
Jaune returned to his studio apartment while thinking about what Ozma had said. If anybody knew Salem, it would be him. However, something felt off about him and his advice. There had to be a missing piece that he wasn't being honest about. It just seemed too simplistic to think Salem only demanded full allegiance and nothing else. He pulled out an old photograph of Salem that his agent had given him. It was hard to believe such a looker ended up the way she did. Then again, it seemed like every former star ended up looking like her after a while.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Jaune groaned loudly at the sound of knocks on his door. His agent was probably arriving to tell him that he was to star in somebody's harem fantasy again. Wearily, Jaune walked to his door and opened it.
"I'm not in the mood to hang out with twelve dysfunctional—Pyyrha?"
"Hello again," Pyrrha said with a smile. "I'm here to cheer you up."
"Cheer me up? From what?"
Pyrrha smiled and walked inside Jaune's apartment. "With your unhappiness, of course! You looked so sad in Salem's castle."
"Desperate is more accurate."
"I justwant to make sure you'er happy.
"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune warpped his arms around Pyrrha and embraced her in a tight hug. It'd been a while since the two of them had time to each other. Unlike most deceased characters, Pyrrha managed to stay classy. She happened to make more from starring in fanfictions than she did while on RWBY.
"Let's go for a walk," said Pyrrha. She grabbed Jaune's hand and ran outside with him. As they walked out, Jaune thought once more about Salem and if it would ever be possible for them to connect.2