RWBY Through Worlds

73: Just One Mistake

Qrow was brooding for a while, but then he thought perhaps he was being a little...unfair.

Winter was ice cold usually, but she wasn't a monster... The whole thing had probably rattled her anyway. Maybe this was her way of trying to make it better... She sucked at it, but who was good in this situation anyway? No one. There was nothing you could say to make it better...so what did it matter?

Anyway, he knew he was lying about not being affected by it, but he'd not admit that to Raven for anything...but she wasn't here...

"The situation is complicated," he said, a bit less snarky. "I knew some of those people...not most of them--they were too new. But we weren't friends. I left ages ago to work for Ozpin. Now Raven is going to blame him for what happened, but she was the one who went back there and led Salem to them. It looked like either option was equally dangerous now, and somehow we're still alive, and they aren't. Something about that is really cruel irony, but it's not funny. They had it coming, in a way. They destroyed other people's lives, their homes, everything. Now it happened to them, and a lot of people would say they had that coming. But it's not like Salem is an example of justice, so that's not a lot of comfort. It pisses me off, but it's like...what was going to happen? Of course, it wouldn't have if Raven had told us her secret ages ago and just left the d--- tribe."

"Yes..." Winter understood this part. "That is true... She would have led Salem back to you."

Pause.

"But we're already involved," Qrow said. "We chose that. So..."

"I'm not commending her, but your sister clearly isn't interested in being a part of this war," Winter said, "so she ran...to me this more says that Salem will let no one stay neutral...but that fact was not clear until recently. I can only say I'm glad the General didn't hand over the Staff in Atlas, because clearly she would have killed us anyway... But there is no real bright side to it, is there? And if Raven was going to doom someone, would you rather it be that tribe or your family?"

"I think that's giving her way too much credit," Qrow said. "She left before she was ever the Maiden. I don't know when the Maiden found her, but I'm betting she didn't die of natural causes, because she was young. Raven killed her. Does she think I haven't figured that out? I'm sure she'll have some excuse about it, like it was mercy or whatever, because Spring was weak...but that's just an excuse. She had to know Salem would come for her eventually. She chose to stay away and make those people a part of this instead of us, the actual guardians. It makes no sense."

"I don't understand it." Winter didn't. "But I highly doubt her intention was to get them killed... You can call her foolish, but the real reason for this is still Salem... But her hurting the Spring Maiden...is not a pleasant thought... However, it's no different from what you did in Beacon with Amber."

Qrow glanced at her. "What?"

"Miss Nikos filled me in," Winter reminded him. "And you owned up to as much later, if you'll recall. For that matter, it's no different from what I was willing to do to Fria. Raven may have judged that the powers were no good in the hands of someone else who wouldn't protect them well...a cold choice, but hardly one that she could say was unlike the ones Ozpin has made. I fail to see the difference here. I agree that thinking she was safe in the woods was idiotic...but then, fear is a strange thing." She frowned. "I don't know. Miss Likstar seems to think we're judging her too harshly."

"And Likstar's opinion is just law now?" Qrow said.

"Perhaps not, but she has a fair point. If we all make the same choices, why are we so desperate to say someone else making them is worse than ourselves?" Winter said. "I can't find any way to justify myself that holds up. We were all selfish."