RWBY Through Worlds

126: 'Could Have Been' Kills

Nightfall approached, and the team was mostly ready to leave.

Shine and Oscar did talk more about the gifts from Alicia and his dream.

"I wondered if I could have done more against those Grimm if I knew what she meant by authority," Oscar said.

"Speculation like that is useless," Shine told him. "If we succeeded, that is enough. I used to ask that question--it never ends. But about what Alicia said...well, generally I do the same thing when I leave a world. I choose someone to carry on what I did. She wants you to carry on what she started. I think you are already."

"That's a tall order," Oscar said.

"It's full of small things," Shine said. "Don't worry about doing huge wonders--they come and go, and they're not even that important usually. Worry about the small things. They add up. But...if there was something in it other than just that, I think you'd only know when the time was right... Just be open to anything being possible. I didn't expect people to come back to life here, and it happened so easily."

"Yeah...how do you just do something like that and then act like nothing happened?"

"You'll see when it happens to you," Shine said. "It doesn't feel like us doing it. It's still amazing to watch, but it won't ever feel like you achieve something--if it does, run. That's the beginning of making it a monster. It's better this way. He is the vine, we are the branches... Speaking of which, I love what you did with your cane. It looks so much better now, and it's much more practical. I always thought it was a stupid weapon."

"Is everyone going to say that?" Ozpin muttered.

"Thanks," Oscar said. "Alicia said something about it... She wasn't really a fighter--she didn't even have a blade on her staff. And I have no memory of her really doing that much damage to Grimm directly. I don't think I'm just like her either."

"I don't think she thinks so," Shine said.

"No, I don't think she does," Oscar agreed. "But I'm not like Ozma either, so much. He was a warrior, but I don't feel like I really like fighting the same way as him, like I don't think I would have gone around just doing it all the time. I thought about being a huntsman, but now that I've met them, I don't think I would have focused just on slaying Grimm and stuff."

"I agree, you're not suited to it," Shine said.

Oscar blinked. 

"I don't mean that you're not good at it," Shine said. "But that doesn't mean it suits you. There's talent and then there's passion."

"Oh, yeah, that's what I meant," Oscar said. "I'm not sure exactly what I want to be. I seem to be okay at planning, but I don't know if battle strategy is what I'd spent all my time doing either. I think if all this was over finally I'd want to explore more... I don't know. But I want to be better at fighting too. But I've almost been thinking that most of what I've really found useful is what you guys have taught me, about people and about knowing how to use a situation. I mean, our plan kind of worked...with a few hiccups."

"That's normal," Shine said. "That's why I always try to keep an open mind. Never know when you'll have to adjust your plan."

"Yeah," Oscar agreed. "I want to get better at that... Is there anyway I can?"

"Well, Oscar, I can't promise my way will work for you," Shine said, "but I use books, and you like to read, so..."

She pulled out a list. "I learned most of what I know from these books."

It was a long list.

But Oscar liked reading, so that excited him more than anything else.

"Wow, this is good...but these books don't exist here," he said.