RWBY Through Worlds

8: Living in Sci-Fi

Everyone was so tired that they didn't have much energy for talking when they turned in. Penny finally left them to rest.

"Having us followed everywhere," Shine said aloud after she had.

"Penny is our friend," Ruby said, hurt. "She's not following us."

"Do you think Ironwood will leave you to your own devices?" Shine asked.

"Why would he not?" Nora asked.

Shine shrugged like the answer should be obvious.

"Well, I'm tired," she said.

"Which room did you guys want?" Jaune asked. "Penny said this whole hallway is empty because all the students are dismissed, so..."

"So, why should they get to choose?" Yang asked.

"I...just wasn't sure if they wanted to be with one of the teams," Jaune said.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Blake said. She meant that she didn't want to share with them.

"I don't really think that's appropriate, do you?" Shine said, with a faint look. "You guys are all teenagers and we're adults. Isn't that a little strange?"

"I'm an adult," Yang said.

"But you're still way younger than us," Wally said.

"On the road is one thing, but we're not barbarians here," Shine said.

"So you want a room to yourselves. Got it," Qrow said.

"Actually, no, we don't share rooms," Shine said pointedly. "But if we have the whole hallway, and you're all doubling up, then it's not a problem, is it?"

"You don't share?" Yang thought this was stupid. "What, are you afraid people will talk? No one cares."

"Did I ask you?" Shine asked.

"No." Yang frowned.

"Then why would you assume I care what you think?" Shine said sassily. "It's about what I think, and I think I want my own room, so thank you very much, I'll just take whatever one you guys don't want."

"Same," Wally said. "If there's a smaller one, we only need room for one person. Unless Qrow wanted to double up."

"No." Qrow was more than happy to have this rule in place.

"They're a couple and they don't want to share?" Blake muttered to Yang and Weiss. "Weird."

"Well, everyone to their own, I guess." Weiss wasn't entirely sure she'd want to share if she had a boyfriend, so she was a bit less judgmental.

[I find the pushing of couples to share rooms together in media to be rather toxic overall. Not everyone wants to do that. It's awkward and uncomfortable if you're not used to it.]

Pyrrha also wished she could just share with Shine because she felt like this was going to be awkward, but Nora didn't give her the chance to opt out of going with team JNPR.

"Just like at Beacon," she said. "Just like Penny said!"

Pyrrha swallowed the lump in her throat. "Of course." She tried to fake smile.

"Is something wrong?" Ren glanced at her more closely.

"I... you all don't feel...awkward at all with me being here after all this time?" Pyrrha said.

"No, why would we?" Nora said.

"It is a little strange," Ren said. "But you're still part of the team."