RWBY Through Worlds (End)

231: Do or Die

"She'd kill me."

"That's a distinct possibility, but you should have thought of that before you snuck out." 

"Ergh, it was just a walk!" Weiss said heatedly. "Why does everyone have to watch everything I do?! Yang snuck out plenty of times alone."

"Yeah, and do you know who followed her around a lot of those times?" Qrow shot back.

Weiss paused. "Well... I know that you and Raven both did..."

"Yeah, and now we can't turn into birds and do that. I guess Raven still has her portals, but I'm back to regular, old walking," Qrow said tightly. "So kids goofing around the way they used to is not going to be so easy to blow off. All of us are going to be a little less powerful than before, without magic. So, I'm not enthused about Yang doing it either. But you're less experienced than she is out there. It shows."

"It shows?!" Weiss said. "You know, I've been through a lot too. I had no problem escaping Bandit camp after getting kidnapped by Raven!"

"And by now you should know that's because Raven, with all her faults, is still less cruel than most bandits," Qrow said. "I hate to say it, but she instilled more order in her camp than most. If it had been the one we were raised in, you'd probably have been a lot worse off. You've been lucky to have people around you to watch your back, kid, but one other new huntsman isn't automatically safe around here."

"Somehow, not the logic I thought I'd get from you..." Weiss frowned.

But secretly she was starting to feel a little guilty. It had seemed harmless enough, but in this light, it might be reckless... Meridian seems to know his way around, but...

"Still, we're heroes now. Who would mess with us?" she said.

"Maybe, maybe not. There's always some scum who won't care," Qrow said.

Weiss thought he was worried too much but doubted she'd get sympathy from her sister with this point of view.

"Fine, fine, next time it won't be so late." She held up her hands. "Happy? I don't think he was trying to do anything dangerous... It's just...nice out of the sun, that's all."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't have a lot of common sense," Qrow said.

"Coming from you?" Weiss shot back.

"I was a lot like him when I was his age," Qrow said. [Still are in many ways, Qrow...]

"Well, what are you doing up anyway?" Weiss changed the subject hastily.

"I'm usually up this late. Call it a professional habit," Qrow shrugged. "You should be sneaking back into your room before someone else finds you out."

"I was just going to..." Weiss said haughtily.

She hurried up the stairs carefully.

[Hah, being busted by Qrow is both bad and good.]

* * *

The next morning was the day of the ceremony of course, though the real festivity didn't begin until evening, for climate reasons.

But the awards part was supposed to held around 5 to get it out of the way since it would be indoors.

Vacuo's council meeting hall was rarely used, but it was the only place big enough and fortified enough for this event, so that's where they'd be having that part.

The party itself was either outside or under tents and makeshift pavilions that had been built quickly in just the last week. Not fancy, but better than open exposure, and they'd have lights and music stands set up around them.