RWBY Through Worlds

188: Meant To Live

[More of this song from Sleeping Beauty. Put it to 1:30 for only the creepy part.]

Emerald smacked the fruit out of Sun's hand and it burst onto the ground, making a pulp like a squashed berry.

That made the sweet smell stronger.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Am I hungry? For this?" Emerald said. "Do you not see this?! We're standing by a Grimm pond! And it's growing some kind of weird plant with fruit that you almost just ate!"

"Do you mean this?" Nora had one of the buds in her hand. "It looks like a flower to me."

"Well, yeah, but not like that!" Emerald examined it. She looked closer. "AHH!"

The flower had... little teeth-like strands inside of it instead of pollen stalks.

"Put it down, Nora." Emerald pulled out her knives.

"Em, what is your problem?" Mercury said, picking off one of the fruits.

"Mercury, put it down!" Emerald screamed.

"Why?" he said.

"Just do it!" Emerald said desperately.

"I don't see the problem," Hazel said.

"Yeah, it looks normal to me." Nora sniffed at the flower.

Her eyes glazed over immediately, and she lowered her hand, letting it fall.

Emerald, freaking out, stomped on it, but that only released the odor more.

It was making her feel sick... In fact...

Emerald promptly threw up.

One wouldn't think that would a reassuring thing, but it seemed to jar Mercury and Ren a little.

"Ew..." Mercury said.

But for a second he seemed a bit more focused. "Are you feeling okay?"

Emerald wiped her face. "No, I just threw up! Because this place is nauseating. That smell... Don't you feel sick?"

"I feel fine..." Sun said.

He suddenly took a bite of the fruit before Emerald could stop him--when had he picked another one?

"SUN!" she yelled.

"It's fine, Emerald," Blake said. "We'll just stop for a short time, then we can leave. But it's kind of hot, and I'm kind of dirty, so..." She moved toward that pond.

"That's a Grimm pond!" Emerald grabbed Blake's arm before she could step into it.

The Grimm themselves moved toward the pond and waded in without being bothered.

Emerald almost preferred the Grimm to whatever this was. At least they were familiar ugly things.

"Hazel, help me!" She tugged at Blake, who was a lot stronger than she looked.

She yanked, and Emerald's feet slipped.

"I feel kinda sleepy now," Sun said in a very weird voice.

He sank down.

"Sun!" Emerald shrieked.

"Em, can you stop yelling?" Mercury rubbed his head. "It's more serene here than anywhere else. Why ruin it?"