RWBY Through Worlds

65: Words Are Knives

The sword shone, and the glow seemed to vibrate into the floor itself.

The Grimm flew up to the end of the ship--but seemed to be wary of actually attacking it. They bared their fangs at it and made weird cries but didn't tear into it.

Watching it made Qrow feel weirdly both kind of sick and kind of relieved.

"How do you do that?" he asked Shine.

Shine didn't answer.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Raven... I had no idea this would happen. If I had, we'd have evacuated the whole tribe to Vacuo or somewhere else. It never entered my mind that Cinder would think to even go back there--but it should have. You can't blame yourself for this, though."

"I should blame you, then?" Raven said.

"That would be ungrateful," Winter said.

"Ice Queen," Qrow said in a low voice, "not now."

"But she can't just blame her," Winter hissed. "Miss Likstar saved her life by taking her away from this camp--and the Maiden powers also."

"I may not understand Raven very well," Qrow said, "but I know enough to know that would be the wrong thing to point out at this particular moment of time."

He was right.

Raven shot Winter a hostile look, but when she said nothing else, she let it drop.

Shine chose not to acknowledge the remark at all.

"You feel horrible, I'm sure," she said, "and I can't blame you for that...but, I hope that you will not forget that Salem intends to make you do something foolish by this move. The best revenge would be to surprise her."

"Oh?" Raven said bitterly. "What could surprise that hag?" She put one hand to her forehead. "I was a fool to think she would ever let us go. If Cinder hadn't survived...but even then, Watts could have told her... If they figured it out...they'd have found us eventually. I just hoped they'd be too busy chasing the other team to worry about us. But they did this for sport. They could have trapped me without killing them...but they didn't bother to even try. Salem doesn't care... All that, and you still don't want to try to stop her."

"She picked a fight with you." Shine said what Qrow would not have said at that moment, but her tone wasn't quite like his. "Not me. I act on your behalf. But I will not kill for you. Anything else I can do for you, though, I would try to do it...if that is any comfort."

"It's not," Raven said, frowning. "But perhaps I can make use of it. I suppose you think I have to go back to Vacuo with you... This worked out just how you'd want it, didn't it? I knew you were letting me go too easily. Did you want this? Did you think it would happen?!"

Her anger was unexpected.

Razor stepped back like he knew not to mess with Raven when she talked like that--she sounded just like Yang, too.

Shine somehow didn't flinch.

"I admit I had some hunch that it might not go the way you thought," she said, "but it was not anything specific... I only hoped you'd change you mind, perhaps...never this. I don't actually sit around thinking about horrible scenarios...but I suppose I thought Salem would not really let anyone remain neutral in this forever. Not anyone Ozpin has ever been involved with."

"So you did," Raven said.

"No," Shine said firmly. "And lashing out at me will not make you feel any better, whatever you think. But go ahead if you want to."

Telling her to do it kind of nullified the whole point of doing it, so Raven just sat in silence.

Shine sighed.