RWBY Through Worlds

67: Some Legends Are Told

He smiled sadly. "I think Miss Likstar knew all along I'd make that choice, but she didn't want to tell me to do it. I appreciate that she wants me to be free, but she's...chosen to be a part of this when she doesn't have to be, and they came here for me. I can't just leave them either."

"She acts like your mother," Emerald said, trying to keep a note of envy out of her voice. "I mean, all protective. It's kind of weird."

"I don't know, my aunt isn't really like that, so I'm not sure what moms are like," Oscar said.

Well, that hurt.

"Me either," Emerald admitted. "Once I thought Cinder was kind of like a mom, sort of--she said she'd take me in, and I'd never be hungry, and she'd protect me...but it was...all a lie...or if it wasn't at first, it is now. She's changed ever since she got the Fall powers' first half, and then later the rest of it. It's like it made her worse...or...did she just not need me anymore?" She shook her head. "Worst of it is that idiot Mercury knew the whole time, but I didn't. I feel so stupid... I guess I'm no one to judge your choices."

"I don't know," Oscar said. "Don't think it's stupid to want someone to care about you. I think Cinder shouldn't have lied to you. I mean, if you never had family, how could you know any different? She probably just took advantage of that, but it's not your fault if you didn't know better. It's just...now you do. I think you should just pick better friends going forward."

"Friends?" Emerald sniffed. "I don't think anyone wants to be my friend... Most of them hate me. That's the thing--even if I want to be like all of you goody-goody people, I couldn't be. I've...got blood on my hands, and a record now, I can't just undo that. Look, I can't go back and become a better person. I mean, I don't even know if I ever was a good person, really, just not as evil as the others maybe. I helped destroy, like, three cities, and for what? Nothing..."

Oscar wasn't an expert on this kind of thing, but he did feel bad for her.

"I guess you did some bad stuff," he said. "But no one around here has been doing it right all of the time. I think it's easy to do bad stuff and not think of it clearly...but maybe, you know, if we get better, it's okay to have some mistakes."

"Your mistakes didn't ruin someone's life," Emerald said.

"I don't know how much I can say I had to do with the fall of Atlas," Oscar said. "But I know some of my team...did certain things that made it worse... If anything, a lot of it was on us. I think there's some saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions... We need more than that, we need real answers. I guess if you're here too, then you're with all of us. I don't know if the others will think this way, but I just...it doesn't bother me. I don't know why--maybe after I saw Ozpin's past and realized that could become my past, I realized that no one is going to always be right. It takes courage to leave all that and try something new. If it helps, I think you're braver than you think."

Emerald was embarrassed. "Oh, shove off," she said, trying to hide it. "Listen to how I'm talking to the kid."

"Well, you left Salem because of what I did." Oscar didn't swallow that as easily as she thought he would.

Emerald couldn't argue with that, so she just huffed.

"Nice retort," Ozpin said.

"Shut up, Oz," Oscar said. "Can you not distract me?"

"I'm bored, Oscar," Ozpin said. "This conversation is the only entertainment I've had all day. I already know all the books you've been studying. You can't imagine how dull it gets being in here without being in control."

"Fine, what book do you want to read?" Oscar didn't realize he said that out loud.

"Huh?" Emerald said.