RWBY Through Worlds

44: Just to Find My Heart Is Beating

The rest of that night passed in a blur to the team. All they remembered was moving people around, trying to get them organized, breaking up scuffles even between Atlas and Mantle, particularly with the Faunus and the higher class people, and just...the howling of Grimm in the background.

The kids were basically dead on their feet long before it was over, and it couldn't be said the adults were much better.

Winter kept going with the discipline and stamina of a machine, as a well trained military woman would, and the Ace Ops did also. Even Harriet didn't give much lip under the circumstances. She was still in disgrace.

Shine lacked the endurance to keep going without rest, and even Wally ran low on steam and had to stop and eat several times.

It might have been 2 a.m. in the morning when things had settled down slightly, though people were still being moved.

Sun was a huge help at least, and at some point Neptune, Scarlet, and Sage joined him. And they were less beat down to begin with.

Shine made Oscar go to bed at this point.

"You've had the worst last couple of days, and you're going to collapse," she said firmly. "I don't care if you feel like you want to help, go to bed."

"But the others are still working." Oscar even sounded sleepy.

"That's their mistake, but you're smarter than that. Go on." Shine pointed to the school. "I'll drag you. Don't make me."

"Shouldn't you be resting also?" Oscar said.

"With any luck, soon enough," Shine said.

Qrow had not returned, to her dismay and concern.

Raven had vanished from sight not long after they began moving, and no one was sure where she went, but she surprised Shine by reappearing right after Oscar finally went inside.

"Ah!" Shine jumped. Then brushed herself off. "If you're going to ask, no, it's still not a good time."

"I wasn't going to waste my breath," Raven said impertinently. "But I thought you should know, I swung by Theo's office after all of you did, disguised of course, but I don't think he saw me anyway."

"And did you find anything?" Shine asked.

"Maybe," Raven said. "Maybe I'd answer that, if..."

"I don't need your help that much," Shine said. "And I know how you will twist it if I start to bargain with you further. Do you think I'm so stupid as to think I can keep the upper hand here if I start bargaining for your information?"

"You know, saying that to my face isn't the best way to inspire trust," Raven said.

"If I didn't, you'd think it anyway and imagine you had something on me." Shine was in no mood to be polite. "What do I care? Do you like coddling, Raven?"

"No," Raven admitted. "But still, I'm not getting anything out of this."

"On the contrary, I'm already helping you immensely by allowing you to be here and
observe without doing anything in return," Shine said. "Other than give me tips, which is nothing, anyway, that you couldn't do if you chose, as a hobby. You will be on top of all this later and know how to act accordingly. I think I'm doing you the favor in the long run. Your presence has already damaged my standing with the others as it is."

"Yes, well, you should have seen that coming," Raven said bitterly. "I'm 'untrustworthy'."

"I'd love to talk about that, normally," Shine said. "But I really am just too exhausted right now to want to. You understand I haven't slept since... I can't even remember when it was now... Dang it, if I wanted to pull night ops I'd have worked with Batman more, not Wally."