Kale Reed learned of the plan during the midwatch. Sapphire showed him the map, though she'd scribbled out Professor Belladonna's notes. Then she lied to him about getting enough sleep. He was worried. He knew to be worried about her in particular. He saw his friend changing, rapidly. Adaptation was how people survived; But that didn't mean she would be okay.
He rose in the morning to find her tent already packed. She was dousing the fire. They marched while they ate, and their packs felt heavier than the day prior. He saw the black ribbon tied on her arm, and understood that she was battling fate at full strength.
The first good feeling of the day came from Robin. She drew his attention with a hesitant smile, and asked, "What do you call a Grimm with no eye?"
Kale was tired. He took a while to ask, "I don't know. What?"
"A Grrrrmmmm," she strained.
No one laughed. Kale forced a smile to show his appreciation. A few minutes later, Sapphire sighed, "that was pretty funny."
Mud nodded in agreement, musing, "and I thought I had a grim sense of humor."
"Damnit, Mud," Kale snickered.
They all smiled.
The dying smoke from Odessa was visible on the horizon, like a black smudge where the cartographer had erased it. Kale saw motion in the debris. He smelled meat cooking on a distant fire, and could tell by instinct that a specific beast of burden was ahead.
"Those criminals we camped with are here," he mumbled.
Sapphire reversed her walk to talk.
"I need to lay down some rules before we get there."
Robin, mistaking the mood, snarked, "Never change-"
"-Shut up or wait here."
Kale knew now, without a doubt, that his friend was not okay. But they all understood the mood. Sapphire continued.
"These people are not our friends. Do not trust them. We stay in line of sight with each other at all times. Keep your weapons at low ready, never holstered. I'm not losing any of you. No excuses. Rule two: You see something, you say something, we bug out. We're only here because we need food for the journey. We get food, we move on."
Kale was not in the know about his situation. He saw survivors digging through the ruins to rebuild their life. When he reached the first pile of rubble and started digging in, he began with a sheepish glance to the other person working on the same house. Then he hefted a boulder off of the fridge, and found it ajar. Blood and gristle filled the inside, where someone had tried and failed to hide. He retched, and declined an offer of help from the stranger. He saw that Sapphire and Mud had paused their work to watch him. Thumbs up. Move on. Breathe.
It was a moment later that he realized he wasn't the only scavenger. He was there for food; the others were taking valuables. He felt no shame after that. They organized a house-by-house party. They had grown up in the city, and Mud was suddenly the expert on what would keep fresh for their trek. The only heirloom that tempted Kale was the diary of a fellow faunus.
He looked from it to Sapphire, asking her judgment. She shrugged and leaned against the wall, her eyes closed. She put a hand on him, and he knew not to alert her until they absolutely were done with the house. The sound of voices, distant, below the others' hearing, made him stiffen. He held up a hand for silence. Two men, across the village were talking among friends.
"Had an interesting run in with the Balefires."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, they got all riled up last night while we was on patrol. Snatched one out from under them. They said it was fair game, since they'd lost it."
"And?"
"That's it."
"They didn't want to trade?"
"They said they had easier prey elsewheres. Anyway, we've got that broker from Atlas coming tomorrow. He'll appreciate good product."
"Been a long time since Atlas was buying."
"Labor's cheaper now. They don't want faunus in particular. Just coincidence. No, the real demand right now is aural fighters."
"Huntsman?"
"They don't want 'em for their fuckin' credentials, Ginger."
"What do they want them for?"
"Oh, experiments. Trying to relearn the old ways- How to steal a soul. What it's made of."
"Broker say that?"
"Yup. But he learned it from somebody else, and he says that one's got a sick sense of humor."
"Probably not true."
"Probably."
"Yeah, I think they got the same need for goods in Atlas as anywhere else."
"Wouldn't doubt it."
"Say, Boss, you know about that pack of students diggin' around down the road, right?"
"What?"
"Yeah, four huntsmen in training."
"Four?!"
"I think."
"Gimme the radio."
Kale had heard enough.
"They're talking about us," he murmured.
Sapphire snapped awake. She shouldered her scattergun.
"Drop it, Robin. We're leaving now."
Kale turned to see her, hunched beside the pantry with all the food they could wish for in her arms, but not in her pack. She looked stupefied.
"No time! We go now!"
They cleared the front door, weapons ready, into a mob. Sapphire chambered a burn crystal, cut, and fired a warning shot at the men approaching. The round kicked dirt and flames into their eyes, and they understood that this would be a fair fight.
The ringleader was jogging to reach them, shouting, "Whoa! Whoa! Everybody calm down."
Kale kept his rifle raised. The ringleader kept his tongue sharp.
"Hey now, we're just tryin' to be hospitable. Don't you remember us?"
He gestured to the cow they'd camped with.
"Look, fellow travelers, we know you're hard on food right now. And- well I won't pretend these properties were ours, but seeing as the previous owners are dead, we've availed ourselves of their valuables, just as you did. We're scavengers, I won't deny it. That doesn't mean we don't care about the living. Look. Ginger, show 'em."
The nearest man, a redhead, reached for his pack. Sapphire trained her weapon at his head. The man had been named for a color, but people outside of the walls did not indulge in fashion. These bandits all had the same worn leather and hide scraps for clothes. Ginger presented a fresh cut of beef.
Sapphire whispered, "Don't shoot," as she stepped to her side, and motioned her group to follow.
Kale followed, and they moved, arms steady from training and adrenaline. Kale could sense on their opponents that there wasn't an aural shield among them. But he could plainly see their rifles were from Atlas. There was a chance, slim but deadly, that they had just the right ammo for this fight. Sapphire had made a good call. Everyone could walk away.
Ginger sneered.
"They don't want it, Boss. I guess they ain't hungry."
"That's fine, we're moving the same way on the same road. And our offers always stay open," he smiled.
It was a malicious, voracious display of teeth.
Kale's focus fell elsewhere. The distance broadened as their group moved clear of the town. And just as his eyes were the last clear vision on the enemy, just as the range broadened to safety, he caught a glimpse of what would really bring his team back. Dread of duty fell like a weight from his heart to his bowels.
The ringleader, just as poorly dressed as his band, had somehow procured a black, silk ribbon.