RWBY Through Worlds

71: Bruises

Shine had a plan about the potential interrogation.

She'd spent the previous day thinking about it carefully, not wanting to rush into it.

While the other adults were off, she enlisted the help of Raven to keep an eye on Theo and make sure he didn't come down to the holding area.

Then she enlisted the help of Velvet to record the whole conversation for analysis later.

Velvet wasn't sure about doing this without permission, but Shine told her it was approved by the other leaders. Which was true.

Velvet assumed Theo must be okay with it then, and, after all, she didn't work for Vacuo, so she accepted it.

Now, as it happened, the person guarding the holding area that day was Yatsuhashi, so he let Velvet stand there with her recorder in place under the door.

Shine's plan was to talk to Ironwood first.

She portalled herself in there, surprising all three men.

Prison didn't look so good on them. They all had facial air growing out of control, but Watts seemed more upbeat. No doubt he was getting some favors from Theo in exchange for tips about his science friend.

"Miss Likstar?" Ironwood stood up when she came in--not out of chivalry.

"Hello, James," Shine said.

An awkward pause ensued.

"Have you heard from my son?" Jacques broke in.

"If you want your lawyer to cooperate," Shine said, "you will not say anything to annoy me, Mr. Schnee."

That worked. He shut up.

Shine really didn't care about his trial, but she didn't want him to distract her.

"Where's Winter?" Ironwood asked.

"Busy." Shine wasn't about to tell him anything. "I'm here instead... You can talk to me, or you can sit here and count the bars of your cell again."

That was scathing, especially since he'd already done that 100 times in the last few days.

Watts sat up to watch this with amusement.

"Where's Theodore?" Ironwood said.

"I assume if he wanted to talk to you, he'd be here," Shine said. "And I'm under no obligation to tell you where he is if he's not interested in talking to you."

"Then what do you want?" Ironwood said. "To gloat?"

Shine thought for a moment.

"Let's be candid, James," she said. "You know why I'm here, right?"

"No," he said.

"Things haven't turned out the way you wanted," Shine went on, noting Watts was leaning in for this part. "I haven't heard much from Winter, but she led me to believe at least that you're not exactly rethinking your actions yet...so I take it you're not interested in getting out of here."

A pause.

"Would you believe me if I said I was wrong and made an apology?" Ironwood said.

"Not a chance," Shine said. "Unless you said something truly profound that proves to me you really would have to realize why you were wrong."

"Exactly what I predicted happened," Ironwood said. "Salem destroyed Atlas... In what way was I wrong? You got the people here, but for what? She'll come here. They aren't safe. You've doomed them all."

"Have you been saying this the last 4 days?" Shine asked.

Ironwood frowned at her.

Shine shrugged, and a chair appeared behind her that she took from her room, and she sat down.