RWBY Through Worlds

145: Gold Don't Turn To Rust

Oscar, Ruby, and Theo heard from the others that the airship had gone down...but they decided to go to Beacon anyway. Oscar thought that Shine would have portaled everyone off and straight there if she had to.

He forgot that Cinder probably couldn't have used the portals.

* * *

Wally and Cinder just ended up at Beacon, like Shine predicted.

Wally blow-dried them both, to Cinder's annoyance, as it made her feel stiff.

She was mad anyway.

"Ugh, I can't believe that happened again!" she fumed.

"You know, you've really gotta get that anger thing under control," Wally mused.

"Shut up, you imbecile," Cinder said. "We should just go get the Relic now and get out of here before something else happens."

"Can't do that without Shine," Wally said.

"Why is she the only one who can do that?"

"I dunno, we have different gifts," Wally said.

"Why are you so useless?" Cinder turned her back.

"I just saved your life," Wally said. He frowned. "But I guess you're above gratitude, huh?"

"We both know that you and Likstar only did that because you need me," Cinder said. "Or you'd have let me drown or get eaten."

She scowled at the stone streets.

"Do you really think that?" Wally asked, shaking his head. "You still don't get it. If we wanted that, we could have let Victoria kill you, or the others. We could have got your dumb powers anytime we wanted. Heck, I'm not sure we even need to kill you. Maybe we could just take them."

Cinder glanced back--which was hard for her to do with one eye.

"This whole set up?" Wally gestured around. "Shine is trying to save you. You're kind of dumb, you know that?"

"Why?" Cinder said. "She hates me."

That almost sounded like a real question.

"Shine doesn't hate anyone," Wally said. "She's cool like that. And I try not to either. Hate just eats you up from inside. It hasn't done you any favors, has it? It's hard to go around saving people if you're busy hating them. Hard to do anything you enjoy, really."

"I don't need to hear this." Cinder frowned.

"I think you do." Wally folded his arms. "I think you've needed to hear that forever. I don't know your story--Shine told me a little--but I think it's a real shame."

"I don't want your pity," Cinder said.

"I wasn't offering it," Wally said.

Cinder realized even he had an edge.

"I really don't feel sorry for you," Wally said. "I just think it's a shame that people dedicate their time to hurting other people. I've met a lot of people like you, actually. We call them supervillains where I come from. My friends and I all figured that the power we have is to help other people with. Why else should anyone be stronger than anyone else? But people like you just try to get on top, and when you can't, you blame us for stopping you. You're not that hard for me to figure out. I could meet a dozen of you at home in one week and think nothing of it."

Cinder didn't know how to take that.

"So?" she said.

"So, we still save them," Wally said. "Because people are people. Good or not. That's our philosophy. It's not up to us to judge them. Let people without powers and temptations like us do that. I can't say I've never thought about using my power for stuff I shouldn't, like you...but I think I wouldn't be happy if I did. I'd be all alone, at the top, with no one to make it interesting. That's not worth anything."