After the storm ended, Libby said she should be on her way.
To Whitley's dismay, he found they were in an entirely different part of town than before.
"How did we get so far away?" he said.
"Happens," Libby said.
"But I can't find my way back to Shade from here..." Whitley said. "I..." He checked for his scroll. "Where is my scroll?..."
"This one?" Libby held one up.
"How did you get that?" Whitley asked angrily.
"Took if off you while you weren't looking," Libby said. "Wondered how long it would take you to notice...a full 30 minutes at least. At that rate you'd be stolen blind in less than two shakes."
She tossed it back. "You have no street smarts at all, Governor."
"I didn't need them in Atlas," Whitley said snippily. "And I think that was a mean trick."
"Oh, don't get your drawers in a twist," Libby said.
"Oh...it's dead." Whitley was dismayed. [Actually I've never seen a charger on RWBY... Are scrolls solar powered? I suspect in a storm that wouldn't work either though... They can't just be infinite though.]
"For a fee, I've been known to give tours of the kingdom," Libby said casually.
Pause.
"You mean you'd take me back?" Whitley said.
"For a fee," she repeated.
Whitley weighed his options.
"I suppose," he said. "Do you take credit?"
He got a scornful look.
"Of course not. I'll find change," he said.
"Be more than change," she said pointedly. "Well, come on then. We're losing what's left of the daylight."
She took off walking.
How she had the energy after that suffocating storm was beyond him.
[In case you hadn't put it together yet, Libby's character is a reference to the Chimney Sweeps from Mary Poppins, as well as the Robber Girl from the Snow Queen who takes pity on Gerta and helps her find her friend.]
* * *
During this time, Qrow didn't find Whitley.
He just missed him, actually. By the time he got to the right spot, Libby had taken Whitley farther away from it, as she preferred to use streets that were harder to be spotted on.
Qrow flew around some, but they stayed just out of his line of sight; perhaps it was his bad luck kicking in.
Giving up at last, he flew back to the camp.
While he didn't like Winter that much, he didn't like to disappoint her, because she had enough problems without losing her stupid brother on top of it, and they didn't need to lose another kid...but it was just their luck.
Maybe he really should just leave...
But the camp had moved closer to Shade in his absence, taking the sick people who they could there also and setting them up in some of the training rooms.
So he flew back there. It was nearly dark by then.
"Oh, there you are." Robyn was overseeing some of this. "Hey, something good finally--Live Wire convinced Theo to let a few more of us move in more people who need it."
"And why did he suddenly decide to do us any favors?" Qrow said darkly.
"Maybe he feels sorry for us," Robyn said. "Perhaps the guy has a heart after all, under all that get up."
Qrow could have believed it, if it didn't already look like Theo was selling them out.
Down one Maiden, the other one was exhausted, the other was his sister, and the last was a crazy woman... Yeah...just great job they'd done.
"I thought you'd be more chipper," Robyn said, "considering."
"Considering what? Oh, hip hip hurray, we get to move a few dozen more people in here," Qrow said.
"No, you idiot, because--" Robyn was cut off by someone saying.,"Get out of the way, lady."
Qrow slipped inside before she could say anymore. He wanted to head to bed or else...anywhere but here.
But he supposed he should report first.
To his surprise he saw Raven was looking around the main hallway, though not talking to anyone. She looked at him and then away, pointedly.
So now she was just going to haunt them?
"Did you find anything?" Emerald came out of the dining hall hopefully.
"No." Qrow hadn't seen any of the people he was looking for.
Emerald's face fell. "I can't understand why he hasn't done anything..." she mused.
Wasn't it better if he didn't? Kids...
"Where's the Ice Queen?" Qrow asked.
"Oh, her? She's in there." Emerald pointed into the dining room. "Looks like hell even more than yesterday. She should be in her room, but of course she didn't want to miss the party."
Qrow took that to be sarcasm and rolled his eyes.
In fact, Winter was still listening to Weiss' account of the other world. She was a tad more clear-headed now. Klein had been helping her recover.
Weiss was talking all about the odd tale they'd heard and seen and their fight with the Jabberwocky.
Sun and Neptune were listening too, and Ruby and Yang were just eating. Oscar had even made cookies. Which made Ruby super happy.
Except the girls had wondered where Qrow was, though Winter assured them there was no way they'd be so lucky as to be rid of his person for longer than one day.
She didn't even sound serious to herself.
Qrow walked in like a zombie.
"Bad news," he began.
Ruby choked down her cookie and yelled, "Uncle Qrow!"
Qrow didn't believe his eyes or ears for a full second when he glanced up in shock, and Ruby charged across the room faster than that and tackled him.
Yang came running too, ignoring that her mother was watching this from the doorway.
Winter caught Raven smirking and then looking a bit...sad?
Winter realized she was smirking herself and wondered why... Well, okay they were kind of cute...in an uncultured sort of way...like Weiss when she was a toddler... [Oh, don't fight it, Winter, you know you love them.]
"How undignified," Weiss said, with a smirk at Winter.
"Indeed," Winter said, sipping water.
"Ruby?" Qrow finally found his voice. "Yang? What the...? How did you...?"
"It's a long story," Ruby said.
"We jumped down a hole," Yang said.
"I guess it wasn't that long," Ruby said. "If you leave out all the interesting parts..."
"What about me?" Little was sitting on the table, eating some cheese.
"We'll get to you," Yang said.
Qrow looked up. "Did that mouse just talk?" he said weirdly.
"You get used to it fast," Winter said dryly, eyeing Little.
Her reaction had been more of a stare of surprise and then nothing... She'd almost reached her limit of what was unbelievable at this point.
"The mouse isn't the worst of it," Raven muttered.
"Did you miss us?" Ruby asked.
Qrow would have said no as a joke...but after the week he'd had he couldn't even fake that.
He just hugged her.
"Whoa...sappy." Yang made a face like she hated it.
"Are you okay?" Ruby didn't think this was normal.
"That does it." Pyrrha put down her fork and grabbed a napkin. "I'm going to cry now."
"Tissues?" Jaune shoved a box at her--they needed one earlier for Nora and Ren, who hadn't let them out of their sight since Nora tried to break their legs.
"You think you're upset?" Nora said. "I'm still not over how you guys even survived... We thought you were gone forever."
"Where have you been though?" Yang asked Qrow.
"Where have I been? Where the heck were you?" Qrow said.
"Hello, again," Pyrrha said cheerily, waving.
"Why do you always say it like that?" Oscar asked her. "Is that like your thing?"
"I don't know... I just do," Pyrrha said.
"I wish I had a thing," Oscar said.
"It's cool." Wally was leaning on one table. "Your thing is being smart and sassing Ozpin..." He put some ice dust to his head.
"I still can't believe you got heatstroke, Mr. West," Weiss said.
"Hey, my power doesn't come with a cooling agent," Wally said. "Plus I was just boiling out there, digging people out of the sand for an hour. It could happen to anyone."
"Miss Likstar will kill you when she gets back," Winter said.
"She'd kill you first for it happening to you twice," Wally said. "Or worse, she'd get all worried and make you feel guilty for being so stupid." He sighed. "I love that woman."
"That's a weird thing to like," Yang said.
"I guess we are weird, to you." Wally didn't care.
"You're weird to everyone, West," Raven said.
"Aw, you mean that?" he said, undaunted.
Raven rolled her eyes.
That reminded Qrow that Yang had some explaining to do...later.
"You have to hear all about what happened to us." Ruby tugged him up and towards the table with the others.
"Oh, please don't start all over." Winter rubbed her head.
"I really could use my Semblance some more," Jaune offered. "Maybe you could get those braces off."
"There are people who need your help more than I do, Mr. Arc," Winter declined. "I will be all right. Klein said so."
"He said you'd be all right if you don't push yourself any further for several days," Pyrrha corrected. "But he also said...you've become the Maiden."
Silence.
Apparently this hadn't come up yet.
Winter looked down. "Yes, " she said somberly.
"Well, at least it was someone we trust, right?" Jaune said.
"Yes..." Pyrrha looked grave.
She was glad it had happened naturally...but she felt all the burden for Winter, perhaps more than Winter herself did yet.
Winter could guess her thoughts enough to feel sobered.
"Well, it wasn't my choice," she said. "It was a gift. I must make the most of it. To the end, you kept her safe. You shouldn't blame yourself."
"I don't," Pyrrha said. She looked at Jaune. "But it's not your fault either."
"I guess.... I just wish..." Jaune sighed "I guess I wish it didn't have to be this way. Why do they have to die? Why can't they just give the power away? Like Ozpin."
They all looked at Ozpin.
Oscar even did, though it was more like he was frowning at himself.
"Some things are hard to pass along," Ozpin muttered. "Also, I worried about being tempted to try to be like a god again. I thought if the power was not mine, that couldn't happen...but it created a lot more problems than I thought it would."
Oscar repeated this to them.
"Terrific," Emerald muttered.
"But tell us more about the Jabberwocky," Nora said. "Was it really ugly?"
"Yes," Weiss said. "It was awful...and we wouldn't even have defeated it at all, if..." Then she stopped abruptly.
Ozpin winced.
"What?" Qrow said.
"Ozpin," Oscar changed the subject, "he told us a lot while you were gone. Some of us."
"Before we go any further into this," Winter interrupted, "where is Whitley?"
Pause.
"I didn't find him, or anyone," Qrow said.
"Wait, how long has he been missing?" Weiss said.
"Hours now," Winter said.
"And you didn't say that before?" Weiss said. "We should have been looking for him."
"You just arrived in Vacuo today," Raven said. "You think you know the way enough for that?"
"Why didn't you look for him then?" Weiss demanded.
"Why would she?" Yang muttered.
"This isn't helping," Emerald said. "Why don't we actually go look for him if you're so concerned?"
* * *
Outside, Shine had tracked Whitley all the way back to Shade, to her surprise.
She got there just as Libby deposited him at the gate.
"Well, where's my tip?" she said.
"I'd have to go inside and get it," Whitley said.
"Whitley!" Shine yelled, running up. "You young scalliwag! Where have you been?"
"Who is that?" Libby asked.
"That's Miss Likstar," Whitley said. "Actually she's the only one of the adults around here I can tolerate. Other than Klein, but she's a bit odd."
"In the head or in the heart?" Libby asked.
"Both probably," Whitley said.
"I heard that, Whitley." Shine came up and frowned at him. "What happened to you?"
"I got lost, and please, I really don't need a lecture right now," Whitley said.
Shine hugged him, to his astonishment.
"Just...you need to be careful. You know how the people around here hate Atlas. Someone other than this nice girl here could have found you and shanked you or something."
"Oh, a few wanted to, but I talked 'em out of it." Libby had had an altercation with a few thugs on the way that Whitley was trying not to think about.
"I think 'nice' is putting it a little strongly, but she's all right," Whitley said. "Really, it was just an accident that I found her."
"You found me?" Libby scoffed.
"I believe God must have sent you an angel," Shine said. "You could have been lost. When a sandstorm comes up, you should never be outside this city. Were you?"
"I...well..." Whitley said.
"Who is this, your mother?" Libby said, rather disrespectfully.
"Oh, gosh no!" Whitley was horrified. "She's a...well...a friend? I suppose."
He really didn't have friends.
"It was sarcasm," Libby said. "You already said who she was, you daft git."
"I can't explain your accent," Shine mused. "But did you want to come inside?"
"You want me inside?" Libby raised an eyebrow.
"It's getting a bit chilly out here, for the desert," Shine said. "Anyway, I'm tired from searching for you for an hour. Come on, and there's a surprise inside."
"It better be a nice surprise," Whitley said.
Shine simpered.
Libby followed them obligingly, looking at the inside of the school with some awe. It had been a hot minute since she'd seen the place this close.
"Oh, there she is," Pyrrha said when she saw her.
"Sunshine." Wally waved.
"Oh no!" Shine said. "What happened to you now?"
"Oh, just a bit of heatstroke," Wally said. "That's the name of the game around here, I guess."
"Really, Wally--how is it that you got that and I didn't?" Shine asked.
"Because you're a reptile," Wally said.
He looked at Qrow as if he'd understand. "This woman puts on a sweater when it's, like, 75 degrees, and has a blanket on no matter what the weather is to sit in her living room! I call 60 degrees comfortable."
"Eh." Qrow didn't care.
"60 is a thaw," Winter said.
"I'm cold blooded," Shine shrugged. "Look who just walked in."
"Whitley!" Willow said. "My word, where have you been?"
"Oh, just about." Whitley was really not used to her caring and still resented it--also he was a 14-year old boy and hated scenes.
"Whitley!" Weiss said.
"Yes, yes, spare me the lectu--" Whitley did a double take. "Wait, what? When did you...?"
"Surprise." Blake waved weakly.
"S'up, twerp," Yang said cheerfully.
Ruby waved.
"Hello again," Pyrrha said.
"Hey," Jaune said.
"You're a mess," Weiss added. "Did the sandstorm swallow you and spit you back out?"
"It's not like I had a bath available out there," Whitley said, embarrassed.
"Ah, this is nothing," Libby commented. "This is just a light sprinkling. I've had more sand than this in my coffee."
"Ew," Yang said.
Libby very uncouthly shook sand off her hat onto the floor.
"Who's the chick?" Sun asked.
"This is...uh...Miss Broom," Whitley said.
Libby snorted.
"I guess she helped Whitley get back safely," Shine said. "Do we have any dinner?"
"Oscar made stew," Nora said.
"Oh, perfect." Shine didn't like stew but didn't care to hurt his feelings...and anyway, food of any kind was better than nothing.
Actually, it wasn't bad.
"You've been missing quite the story," Nora said. "They should tell it all over again."
Shine suddenly checked her scroll.
She swallowed her food. "Hold that thought. I have something else to deal with right now."
Qrow remembered then. "Oh yeah, Likstar, don't we have a little something we need to finish discussing?"
"Not now, Qrow." Shine headed back for the front door.
"Someone stop her." Qrow got up.
"Why?" Winter asked.
"Why? Because she--" Qrow began.
Raven followed Shine in time to see her open the door, waving off the students guarding it.
"We're all in the dining hall," she said. "You should tell us all, save the trouble of explaining twice."
Neo shrugged.
Torchwick was with her. They'd met up part of the way to the school.
"And did you have success?" Shine asked him.
"Well, I had some success," Torchwick said. "Not as much as I'd like, but apparently some newcomers were seen getting off a ship not that many days ago. They were asking about this person in some of the pubs. For a price, of course."
"Nothing new," Shine mused.
"Well, it's not my fault if you already know it. Be more specific next time," Torchwick complained.
"Did you at least renew any old acquaintances?" Shine asked.
"Actually yes, a surprising amount... Apparently this was the place they came to after that business in Beacon," Torchwick said. "I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. Where else would you hide?"
"Whatever happened to all the dust you stole?" Shine asked.
"I suppose most of it is still in Beacon, holed up in the tunnels," Torchwick said. "I'm sure they never used the half of it after the Grimm force was so big."
Shine paused. "You mean the White Fang doesn't have it?"
"Oh, they have it, but they'd not have moved that much of it without being noticed," Torchwick said. "Aren't most of them still operating there?"
"Some of them are," Shine said. "Of course Adam would keep it for himself." She rubbed her chin. "And he's dead."
"Is he?" Torchwick said. "Good."
Neo made a cheering motion.
Then they came into full view of the dining room, and everyone stopped eating and talking all at the same time.
Shine realized she maybe should have warned them...oops. Qrow must not have mentioned it.
Libby, not liking the temperature of the room now, discreetly slipped out, with hardly anyone noticing.
Winter knew, but she didn't know what he looked like right off. It took a second for her to remember--then she almost dropped her glass.
Raven raised an eyebrow, Neo realized she'd followed them and started perspiring.
"You!?" Yang shot up angrily.
"Torchwick?" Ruby said blankly.
"Oh, hello Red." Torchwick had completely forgotten that she saw him die. "Strange place to meet up, isn't it? Never thought I'd see you goody two-shoes here in Vacuo."
"Ahhh!" Ruby had her limit of weird.
Weiss screamed too.
"Weiss! Control yourself!" Winter said coldly and winced.
"Yeah, please." Wally rubbed his head. "Hey, dude," he added.
"Do I know him?" Torchwick asked.
Neo shook her head.
"What are they doing here?" Ren sounded very miffed. He stood up.
Nora frowned too.
"She stole the Relic," Ren added. "And he's...dead...I thought."
"But he was dead!" Ruby was pale. "I saw it happen."
"You saw it happen to me also." Pyrrha got up and walked to join Shine.
"Pyrrha Nikos." She held out her hand. "I recently came back to life too. Welcome."
"Is this going around?" Torchwick actually took the hand for some reason, though he seemed puzzled.
Neo gave Pyrrha a glare.
"Hello again." Pyrrha really couldn't stop saying that. "I see you got your wish. You must be so happy."
Neo smiled slightly and shrugged but then realized that she was surrounded by enemies, and her gaze hardened.
"Huh?" Jaune said. "Pyrrha, what's going on? Why is he...? Likstar? West?"
"Guilty," Wally said. "Sort of. I mean, really we just asked."
"It came full circle," Shine said. "To anyone who doesn't know, this is Roman Torchwick and Neapolitan, mostly we call her Neo. I think most of you know her already. Roman, Neo, that's Winter Schnee, Whitley Schnee, Willow Schnee, and I think you know everyone else. Qrow Branwen you met earlier today, right?"
"Yes..." Torchwick rubbed his throat a little. "Nice guy."
Qrow frowned. "You've got a lot of nerve walking in here," he said.
"I invited him," Shine said.
"I know that," Qrow said. "And you've got all the nerve in the world. Woman, what is wrong with you?"
"What do you mean what is wrong with her?" Wally said. "This is flipping cool. What's there to be upset about?"
"Because you two did your weird magic thing and brought one of our oldest enemies back to life!" Yang cried. "How could you do that?"
"They did what?" Whitley exclaimed.
"What?" Willow said.
"Geez, first time?" Emerald said, as if she hadn't been just as spooked earlier.
Hazel, who was there but had been quiet, just nodded. "They can do what they want," he said. "That much is clear."
"That is not really true," Shine said. "But this time it was."
"Well, this is certainly a warm welcome for an old friend," Torchwick said.
"Old friend?" Blake said, climbing onto the table as if to make herself taller. "You helped destroy Beacon... Sustrai was bad enough, but now this? Why don't we just invite the whole terrorist group of ex-White Fang members to join us?"
"If they'd help us, I'd thank them," Shine said.
"Are you kidding me?" Blake said. "Next you'll be saying Tyrian should join us."
"No, that would never happen," Shine said. "And if it did, I'd have him on a leash the whole time and muzzled."
"You'd need more than that," Winter said. "But I fail to see why everyone is so alarmed. This is not the first time it has happened. Are you not used to it by now?"
"Who gets used to this?" Ruby said. "I...it's...but..." she sputtered.
"Well, now that you're both here, let's just settle it for once and all," Shine said. "Torchwick, did Ruby kill you?"
"What? No!" Torchwick said. "Like I'd lose to a little girl."
"Didn't you do that, like, three times?" Wally said.
Ruby choked on a nervous laugh.
"I really don't remember what happened," Torchwick said. "Well, I think I was eaten... It all went dark... I don't really want to think about it, thanks." He frowned.
"You seem remarkably well adjusted," Pyrrha said.
"Oh, weird things happen all the time, sister," Torchwick said. "What's another one? Works out for me."
"I guess..." she said oddly. "I found it a bit harder to grasp."
"You nice guys always do," Torchwick said. "You want life to make sense. Life is not fair, and it doesn't make sense."
"Or it does and it's beyond your understanding," Shine suggested.
"A likely story," Torchwick said.
"Oh? Then you tell us how you're alive," Shine said. "Ponder on that one, chief."
Torchwick paused. "Well, for that, I defer to your clear experience in the area," he said smoothly. "But for anything else within reason, I think I know pretty well what I think."
"Well, he's at least partially honest," Shine said. "Still an ass, but a humble ass."
Wally laughed.
"How can you take this so lightly?" Yang said. "We're gone for three days, and you freaking bring him back? Do you just plan this stuff to make as little sense as possible? Are you constantly trying to frick with us?"
She looked at Raven, then at Shine. "And then there's my mother. I know you did that too! All you ever do is meddle with our lives, and no one asked you to."
"Yang!" Pyrrha said.
"Oh dear," Torchwick said to Neo. "I think we've started something... Maybe your news should wait for a less tension filled moment."
She nodded nervously.
"No, don't defend them," Yang said to Pyrrha angrily. "This has gone on long enough."
"Should you really talk?" Blake said.
Yang turned to her with anger and surprise. "What?"
"It's just that she's not the only one I found out was hiding something today," Blake said. "I'm not sure you're the one who gets to say that."
"I'm not sure any of you do," Winter said. "You hid enough from us in Atlas."
"Not on this scale," Qrow said.
"I'm tired of hearing that excuse." Winter stood up, with difficulty. "You are yelling at them now for what exactly? Is there any one of who is an authority on this matter?"
A pause.
"I think it's nice," Pyrrha said meekly. "Not that I know anything...but...if it makes someone so happy."
"And why the h--- should we care about making her happy?" Yang pointed at Neo.
Neo backed up.
Shine stepped in front of her.
"Enough, Yang," she said.
"No, I'm sick of you bossing us around," Yang said.
"Yang," Ruby tried to stop her.
Yang ignored her.
"Shine, just let them have it." Wally's head was killing him.
"What?" Shine said.
"I'm so sick of listening to them whine." Wally sounded so done. "And my head is pounding. Just shut them up please. Do your thing."
"You think she can just shut us up just like that?" Qrow said.
He caught Raven shaking her head at him and then giving Hazel and Emerald a knowing look.
"And why aren't you saying anything?" he said.
"You care about my opinion?" Raven said.
"No, but I thought you'd have something to say about the girl who almost killed your daughter and her boss being here like they're guests," Qrow said.
"Oh, I may not like it, but I'm not in charge," Raven shrugged. She wasn't about to stand out against Shine or Wally in front of everyone--they'd kill her (or she thought so).
Coward, Emerald thought to herself. But then, who could blame her? She wasn't about to say it either.
"You leave her alone," Shine said. "And all of you, with your foolish prattle, ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This is Ozpin's doing, isn't it? And the gods... You and your elevated idea of yourself--it's catching, isn't it?"
"Why is it my fault?" Ozpin said.
"You know why it is," Shine said. "If you had any courage, you'd speak up here and tell them exactly the truth. But if you won't, then I suppose I must be the braver person again."
She crossed her arms. "I don't know if I can say magic words and put all of you in your place. I'm not sure that works on command. I'm sick of arguing with you. So let me make this real easy for all of us. I want at least one of you to give me just one or two solid reasons why I should give a flying frick about your opinion on anything, one that I can't knock down in two seconds flat with any serious look at your track record. You give me that, and maybe, just maybe, I'll hear you out."
A pause ensued while everyone thought.
"Well, why should we have to have an example?" Yang said. "We could still be right."
"Great logic," Shine said sarcastically. "Well, back at you, then."
Another pause.
"I mean...we...saved Haven," Ruby said.
"The White Fang did that," Shine said. "And Raven. Not you."
"Hey!" Yang said. "She didn't do a thing."
"She did," Shine said. "And just because you don't wish to acknowledge it doesn't make it not true. Try to get that through your head, Yang Xiao Long."
Yang was livid.
"Maybe our plans haven't worked," Jaune said uneasily, "but...still...one of our enemies..."
"Jaune!" Pyrrha was shocked.
"I'm just saying it doesn't make sense," Jaune said. "I mean...it doesn't make sense to me, but maybe you have a reason, and I'm willing to hear it, but I'm not happy about trusting them, that's all."
"An honest answer," Shine said. "But not a complete reason. At least you didn't call it one, however. I'll let that one go."
"You're not our judge!" Qrow said. "You're a meddling busybody--I mean, granted, you can do amazing stuff, but the way you do it, it's so...you just...and you don't ask us. You don't tell us anything."
"Why should I?" Shine asked. "What did you ever do to earn my trust?"
Another pause.
"But why are you even here then?" Nora asked. "Why would you care about helping us or anyone else if you don't even trust us?"
"You know, at this point I'm starting to ask myself the same question," Shine said. "You are very lucky it is not up to me to decide who is and who is not worthy of help."
That remark was so scathing...and somehow unexpected for her...that it shocked most of them into silence.
Really...no one had ever heard Shine say who was and wasn't worthy of help.
Wally was nodding slowly, like he could relate.
"You are all very fortunate that God loves you," Shine went on, somehow in a grave voice despite those words. "Because sometimes only God would look past the present and to the future."
Ozpin suddenly made a strange sound inside Oscar's head.
Have you...heard those words before? Oscar asked him.
No answer.
Shine somewhat had her temper under control after saying that, however, and she let out a long sigh.
"Well, I believe him," she said. "That's one thing... You know...if you really don't want us to act, at all, then you can tell us that, and we will not help any of you who don't want it. But you'd better make a clean break. None of this picking and choosing. You do not get to ask us to act when it suits your purpose and then brush us off when we do our own thing. We are not robots. We are not your slaves. We are people, with our own goals and missions and values apart from yourselves, and you cannot control everything. And news flash: the world does not march to the beat of your drum. Everyone will do things their own way, and that is how it should be. The tighter you squeeze them, the faster they break, just as Atlas did. And you all disgust me every single time you say we are overstepping but then turn around and ask us to explain things to you like portals and get you where you need to go. How dare you."
They looked at her in silence.
"You should be ashamed," Shine added.
"I never asked that," Qrow said.
"You never stopped it either," Shine said. "It was convenient for you to let us defy Ironwood while you thought you might get something out of it, Qrow, don't let's forget that. If what you got wasn't what you wanted, I'm sorry."
He looked like she'd slapped him.
"But it doesn't matter," Shine said. "We do what we do. And anyone--" She looked fierce suddenly. "--anyone who comes to us and asks for our help, for an honest reason, I will do what I can to help them. I do not care what they are, who they've been, or what they will do afterward. It's not my place to judge that. If what they want is permissible, then it's up to someone higher than me to determine what is best. And if any of you ever try to stop me from doing what I have been given to do, I will fight you just as I would Salem, because I see no difference whatsoever in that."
This got some surprise and angry gasps.
"How can you say that?" Blake did say.
"Because it is true," Shine said. "You had better learn now that standing in the way of Goodness, in whatever form it takes, makes you the villain. There is no difference. Anyone who does wrong is wrong. Anyone who does right is right. That is all. You should be thankful for that, some of you. But if you aren't wise enough to be thankful, then you are not wise enough to counsel us. Enough of this. I'd be happy to leave Vacuo and go to another kingdom if you all don't want us around anymore, but don't expect it to stop us from doing the same as we did here. It didn't before. So...?"
[Oh boy....]