As soon as the Grimm was gone, Blake and Weiss, who'd been distracted by Emerald so that they were swinging at nothing, snapped out of it.
"Huh?" Blake looked around, dropping her weapon.
"What just happened?" Weiss rubbed her head. "I feel like I was dreaming."
Emerald sighed and sank to the sand. "That was brutal, for so long..."
"Why didn't you fry it?" Sun asked Ruby.
"Everyone seemed to have it under control," Ruby said. "Last time I did that with something this big it didn't really work. It was better to just kill it, right? If I just turned it to stone, we might not have gotten through to it."
"We've still got it," Qrow said to Raven.
"Don't fist bump," Raven said flatly. "I hate that."
"Wasn't gonna," Qrow said sullenly.
Winter landed next to them and looked distastefully at the water, then she ran towards Weiss.
"Are you all right?" she asked, taking her shoulders.
"I think so..." Weiss said. Her eyes were back to normal.
She suddenly looked at her arm, and she had a bruise. "Ow..."
Winter cast a look at Yang and Blake.
"I think we were fighting," Blake said. "I remember I was suspicious of the thing, but then it started talking, and I just got completely scrambled. Did I hurt anybody?" She seemed near tears.
"Nah, it wasn't bad," Sun said hastily. "I'm sure Yang could take a few marks."
Yang looked at her arms and rubbed her face. She had a cut along one cheek. Might have been from Weiss.
"It started off looking harmless," she said. "I don't understand why I wasn't suspicious immediately."
"Don't worry about it, Firecracker," Qrow said. "It clearly messed with our heads. Was probably part of its trick. At least you're okay."
"And I'm okay," Raven said pointedly. "I was almost eaten, you know."
"Ah, Raven, don't be so overdramatic," Qrow said. "I'm sure that wasn't the first time that happened to you."
Raven shoved him into the water.
Qrow spat water out and gave her a nonplussed look, but she flounced away.
"Mad skills, girl!" Sun was saying to Vara, who had landed on the sand, breathing hard.
"I haven't done that in a long time, on a real opponent," Vara said. "But I still got it."
"You looked really hot," Theo said. "I would have fallen for you all over again if I could."
"I see you haven't lost your boomerang arm," Vara said. "Good to know that age doesn't always take its toll."
"It was like you had eyes in the back of your head," Sun said. "How did you do that?"
"My sensitivity gives me a lot of spatial awareness," Vara said. "I could feel it in the air before it happened. It's hard to explain."
"Dang, I wish I could do that," Sun said.
"No, you really don't." She frowned.
Then she seemed tired. "That took it out of me."
She sank into the sand and winced.
Theo held her up gingerly.
"Mate, you did it." Meridian was talking to Neptune, who was scrambling as far away from the water as possible.
"Ah, I can't believe you made me do that!" Neptune squeaked.
"Mate, you were great. King of the seas!" Meridian said. "Pow." He mimed the trident thrust. "Someone should have taken pictures of that moment. Hey, if you kicked this fear, you'd be unstoppable."
"I never want to do that again." Neptune was over the hype now that the Semblance had worn off.
Cinder looked around.
"I seem to have hazy memories of what just happened," she said.
"Good." Winter looked at her angrily. "If I thought you remembered it, I'd end you right now."
"What?" Cinder said. "Hey!"
"Okay," Shine said loudly. "Ladies, please. Cinder was under the influence of the Grimm."
"How could you tell?" Jaune said. "It was just like her the rest of the time."
"Jaune, please," Shine said, "go tend to the people who were injured."
Jaune sighed and went up to Weiss and Blake.
"I'm fine, really," Weiss to Winter. "It wasn't that bad. I mean, I'm sure they wouldn't really have attacked me that hard even in a trance."
"I'm not so sure of that." Ren had gone farther down the shore, since he couldn't do anything else helpful.
He was walking back holding a helmet. [Yes, it's a Mulan reference.]
Nora was with him. She had a flag.
"We found this stuff," she said, looking kind of horrified. "All this armor and weapons, lying farther down the bank in this cave. It was mostly underwater... The pile was sticking out of the water."
That took a moment to sink in.
"That many people?" Yang said finally, looking wan.
Rem shook his head. "Some of the armor looked like it had marks from other weapons on it. There're signs of skirmishes in the trees too...like the people were fighting each other before the Grimm ate them."
"And took their stuff," Nora said, "like it hoarded it."
She showed them the banner.
It looked like the symbol of one of Vacuo's troops.
"Come to think of it, there've been stories of people who traveled to this coastline and never came back, looking for new territory," Theo said, "and that there were strange Grimm here--but they're old stories. That was back in the day when most of this place was uncharted. 'Here there be dragons' and all that. Guess there was some truth to it."
"There usually is," Qrow said. "Usually it's Grimm."
"I guess in this world that superstitious warning to keep people from exploring is more like a reality," Shine said. [The old use of 'here there be dragons', for those who don't know.]
"Shine, how did you know what would work?" Pyrrha asked, putting her sword away.
"The Hydra is a myth in my world, like most of your monsters are," Shine said. "But what is myth and what is fact, just from another reality, is often a hard thing to discern. You would know more of them face to face than anyone where I live would. But they do love stories about them."
"Love it, huh?" Mercury said. "They're not scared?"
"People aren't scared of things they think are not real, Mercury," Shine said somberly. "Only of things they fear secretly are."
Mercury had no comeback for that.
"Can we leave here?" Nora asked. "It seems kind of sad."
"What did I miss?" Wally suddenly was there, scaring the crap of some of them.
"Only the whole freaking monster!" Qrow said.
"Whoops. Sorry, I saw the flash, but I was a while away," Wally said. "I scouted away ahead, and I didn't find any Grimm. It's all green there. I didn't get as far as the dark stuff... What did you fight?"
"A 9-headed monster that hypnotized some of us into attacking each other," Weiss said.
"Wow... that's... not what I expected," Wally said.
"I'll explain it," Shine said. "But can you show me on the map what you looked at?"
"Okay, sure." Wally and she went to get it.
The rest of them gathered themselves together as best as they could.
"Blake, uh...I'm sorry," Weiss said meekly. "And Yang. I honestly didn't know what I was doing... I remember it kind of like a dream, but..."
"It's fine." Blake rubbed her arms. "Me too. I'm sorry."
"Yeah..." Yang said in a low voice.
"I think that might have been affecting us all before," Raven remarked offhandedly, "based on the argument we had right before it showed its face."
"That's not likely." Ironwood had been last to the party, since he'd gone away from them all, perhaps to scout for Grimm. He'd only seen the last part.
Glynda just shook her head. She'd been guarding the Relics, but she'd seen the heads.
The sun seemed to be setting earlier than usual, to their surprise.
But it made more sense--they were farther north, and if it never rose in the dark lands, then it was logical that it might set earlier close to them.
It must have only been about 3 p.m. or so, though, when it was.
It was colder, so they started a fire while they were waiting for the next move.
"Well, day one and we already got attacked by one monster unlike anything we've seen," Jaune said, as they ate their rations for the day. "Off to a terrific start."
"I kind of remember what it did," Weiss said. "I think it was distracting me, and I feel like it was trying to make me feel inferior to the others in some way... I think it was flattering me and then insulting me also."
"My theory is it didn't actually talk," Blake said. "We only heard it in our heads, not even 'heard' it. It must just have made voices in our heads that did what it wanted. I didn't even hear a voice at first."
"It took a few seconds to get into our heads," Weiss confirmed. "But then I stopped noticing it. It was awful."
Meridian patted her shoulder. "Happens to all of us. Some things just catch you off guard."
Weiss shivered but nodded.
Qrow was standing away from the fire so it wouldn't spit out logs by bad chance.
Winter walked up, bringing more firewood, and set it down, with a frown toward Ironwood, who was standing by the Relics.
Shine and Wally were still looking at the map.
"Uh, thanks for the save earlier," Qrow said, making Winter startle slightly.
But she gave him a frosty look.
"As part of a team, it's only in line of duty. Thanking someone for it every time is nonsensical," she said coldly.
Then she walked over to Shine.
"Anything yet?" she asked shortly.
"We thought maybe we shouldn't go over there if it's getting dark," Wally said. "I didn't see a lot of places to hide. It's better on this side. If we wait till morning, we'll have more time to find somewhere. And honestly, the Grimm seem to like coming out at night more."
"We'd get there sooner if we travel at night," Winter said.
"But in one piece?" Shine replied.
Winter sighed.
* * *
[Kaden Mackay--don't you dare]
Raven watched Qrow staring and said. "I won't bother going into it again. I think I said some stuff earlier that I don't know why I said. Maybe it was the Grimm."
"Maybe you were thinking it," Qrow said dully. "Maybe for a long time."
"Did you think what you said?" Raven said.
"I don't want to answer that."
"Qrow, this has really gone on long enough," Raven said, kicking the sand. "I don't want to apologize for thinking I was right, and you certainly don't want to. We can't just call it even? Why does it matter anymore?"
"The truth is, it doesn't," Qrow said. "But pretending it does might have made it easier for me to think I was better than the people who just...get people killed for a cause they didn't understand."
"Wow...that is quite a concession," Raven said.
"Did it really ease your conscience to stay out of it?" Qrow said.
"Normally, I wouldn't answer that, but if we're both being honest--not really," Raven said in a lower voice. "But it was what I could do. You've never understood this, but it's just not in me to live for something I know is a facade."
"And the tribe wasn't a facade in one way?"
"There was some realness in it," Raven said, "little as you admit it."
"I understand that there was a sort of messed up camaraderie in them," Qrow said. "Maybe I just don't like the idea of being that kind of person anymore. But what I chose instead, it's not that much better. The joke is on me. I guess if you're willing to let that go, I can let the rest go. Just one thing--why Yang? What did she ever do?"
"Exactly. What did she do to be included in that? You know you think she was better off with Tai. And... with Summer there... well, it just wasn't necessary to make things more complicated."
"After Summer then?" Qrow said.
Silence.
"It was just too weird," Qrow finished his own thought. "I mean, how do you explain that to a kid? Especially one who just lost the only mom they actually remembered. Maybe I understood that deep down. Tai never wanted me to answer those questions anyway."
"Well, you did."
"So, I'm a little bit more like you than I thought," Qrow said. "The truth has to come out, right?"
"In the interest of attempting to be more understanding," Raven said, "I don't entirely not get the Semblance thing. You always wished you had mine, right?"
"Seems a heckuva lot less problematic," Qrow said.
"It's also a binding, in a way--at one time, maybe not one I thought was a bad thing, but over time... You didn't have that problem. You and I aren't that different, Qrow. But we played the hand we were dealt. I'm not asking who was better at it. It's all about even now."
"Maybe, if I had to be tied to people, I wouldn't like it," Qrow said. "I can't imagine really not liking it, but then, it's hard to know when you haven't walked in someone's shoes."
"Maybe," Raven said. "We haven't spent that much time trying to see where the other is coming from. We're both pretty selfish. And then I planned to attack you in Haven."
"And I planned to attack you right before that," Qrow said.
"We're finally being honest about that?" Raven said.
"It was a s----y thing to do," Qrow said, "in repayment for your tips. I guess I didn't see it as you trying to help--felt more like gloating."
"I was gloating," Raven said. Pause. "But it was also helping. It was helping myself too--kept the attention off me. I won't make it out like I had pure motives. But what suited me could have suited you. That wasn't a problem for me. And to be honest, you only wanted me to come back for the same reason. You don't actually like me."
"Do you have to like family to need them around?" Qrow said.
Raven shrugged.
"Are you thinking how much trouble we could have saved ourselves if we had this conversation years ago?" Qrow asked.
"Among other reasons I've been thinking about how stupid all of us are," Raven said. "Though we couldn't have, really. Things were different then."
"So what makes it different now?" Qrow said.
"Well, for one thing, you're not the same stubborn ass you were a year ago," Raven shrugged. "An ass, still, but not as stubborn. If anything has changed on my end, I'll be the last person to admit it."
"Well, you don't seem quite as b----y as before," Qrow said. "But other than that, I don't see any huge difference."
"Hmrph," Raven huffed.
"I shouldn't have bit your head off about..." Qrow nodded toward Winter. "Just don't want to keep talking about it."
"She's pissed at you, you know," Raven said.
"I know," Qrow said.
"Then let me point out something else," Raven said. "We've got a long way to go to get to Salem. We have Grimm feeding off our negative emotions and turning us against each other, and we're not even off Anima yet. Even if you don't want her to know what's going on, hadn't you better clear up whatever she thinks about it? Because you're just making her more of a target. And I'd like to think your idiot pride isn't worth that. And you're going to drag the rest of us into it if you let bad feelings stay in the team. It's happened already. We already have the Relics--we don't need to draw more Grimm. So for the sake of this entire group, will you just put this to rest?"
Qrow sighed. "When you put it that way, it sounds pretty selfish."
"Yeah," Raven said. "It did already, but if that's what it takes to get it through your thick head that I'm not just worried about your lonely soul, then so be it. Watch and see if I'm the only one who says it if you don't get a clue."
"Actually, you're not the only one who has," Qrow said. "But I don't like to be pushed into it."
"And I suppose that is also worth risking our lives?" Raven was as harsh as ever sometimes.
"Fine, you've made your point. I'll do something to smooth it over," Qrow said.
"Just throwing it out there, but telling the truth might work the fastest."
"Enough," Qrow said.
"Fine." She threw her hands up and walked away.
To her surprise, Yang followed her.
"Hey," she said.
"Uh...what?" Raven almost tripped over a piece of driftwood because she was distracted.
"I..." Yang looked like she hated what she was saying. "...just wanted to say thanks...for earlier." She almost mumbled it.
Raven had completely forgotten that she'd saved her.
"Oh..." she said blankly. "Right...well, you should really watch your back more. That was disgraceful."
"I know," Yang said tightly. "I got it, all right? It was stupid to get caught. I feel bad enough. You don't have to rub it in."
"Well, I don't think that it was entirely...a deliberate act of stupidity." Raven said the nicest thing she was likely to say. "Just the effects of the Grimm."
"It's still humiliating," Yang said. "And I shouldn't have gone off alone. I broke the rules, again--I never thought I'd actually feel bad for doing that."
"Well, it certainly had a different level of consequences to sneaking out to clubs late at night," Raven made the mistake of saying.
Yang glanced at her. "So why didn't you ever own up to following me around so much, huh?"
"I...don't know what you mean," Raven lied, not making eye contact.
"Don't give me that," Yang said. "Did you really think I wouldn't remember eventually? I saw you everywhere, as a bird. It took a while, but...at the clubs...even outside the window after I..." She glanced at her arm. "But you never told me that."
"Well, what difference would it have made?" Raven was terse because she was embarrassed.
"I dunno, it might have been nice to know you were at least sort of there," Yang shot back. "I just don't get it. You didn't really answer when I asked before... Was it really just over Dad? To be honest, he didn't give me a real clear answer either, so now I don't know whose fault it was."
"The truth, Yang? It was everyone's fault," Raven said. "If you want to pass blame, you'll be doing it all day. These kind of things don't happen because of one person, whatever Tai said."
"He didn't exactly say that," Yang said.
"But he never told you his part in it, did he?" Raven said.
"Well...no." Yang was more subdued. "And I never suspected a thing. But you didn't say it either. And neither did Qrow."
"I'll give Qrow this much, he's probably just too dumb to see it," Raven said. "He's not one to pull his punches. But then there was Summer and Tai--why make them look bad? I'm sure that's what he thought. Anyway, Summer stepped in so fast, I was surprised Tai even mentioned I existed."
"Is that why you never came back?" Yang frowned. "Summer?"
"No," Raven said.
Pause.
"It was certainly one of the reasons," Raven added. "But not the only one. Salem... Look, Yang, if you're trying to hear something, I don't think you're going to hear it."
"I guess I just want to know how much of this was me and how much was everything else," Yang said.
Raven frowned. "Who said it was you?"
"What am I supposed to think?" Yang cried. "You left after I was born."
"Now wait a moment." Raven held up her hand. "That's an oversimplification. I left because I had a falling out with my team--over Salem. And I couldn't take you with me, but if you had found me, I would have let you stay, if you wanted it. You didn't. To me, that's a fair choice."
"A fair..." Yang trailed off.
Then she clenched her fist. "You know that doesn't make it okay."
"That's your right to feel that way," Raven said slowly. "I won't argue with you about it, all right?"
She turned, trying to keep her composure.
"But I do understand it better than I did," Yang finally said, to Raven's great surprise. "I understand why you felt trapped. I...did too. Kind of. And to be honest, the only reason I didn't do it might have been because of you. I already saw what it led to. I didn't want to repeat your mistakes."
Well, that hurt.
"But that doesn't make me that much smarter," Yang said slowly. "Just luckier, I guess. I had Ruby and Dad and Uncle Qrow. I found out the truth with all of them, except Dad, at the same time. Part of that was because you told me the truth. I found out it's hard to be brave when you know you can't win. And I found out that it's not as simple as I thought. Maybe I'm just as scared of the same things as you."
"Yang..." Raven looked back.
"I've even killed someone," Yang said in a low voice.
Raven stared at her.
And no, she didn't know that already.
"When?" she said finally.
"I killed Adam," Yang said. "With Blake... He found us, in Argus."
She looked at her hands. "You know, I told myself I did that to protect Blake. You know...that it was noble. And that's...true...in one way. But...if I'm honest, I would have killed him anyway. If it was just me."
"Well, he would have killed you," Raven said oddly. "He was crazy..."
She looked at Yang's metal arm for a moment.
"Yeah, he would have," Yang said. "But, the thing is, maybe I would have even if he wouldn't have. I was so angry..." She frowned. "I don't know what I would have done. I would have killed Cinder if I got the chance. I probably would have killed Emerald or Mercury. I can't keep saying that's all because I want to protect people. At some point, this had to be for me. Just like with that Hazel guy."
"You're a far cry from him," Raven said.
"He's not all bad," Yang said.
"I know, but he's made a lot of choices that you haven't."
"I haven't yet. That's the point, is there something in me that's really above that? Or is it just opportunity?"
"Yang, that's a useless question to ask."
"Is it?" Yang said emotionally. "I'm trying to figure out who I really am. I don't think I'm a hero like Ruby."
"There is no shame in the choice you made," Raven said. "You had to--"
"Survive?" Yang finished.
Silence.
"Well, I'm not your role model," Raven said finally. "Don't go and use my excuses."
"It's funny that you know that." Yang walked a few paces and turned back. "So who is my role model? Summer?"
"Isn't she?"
"The thing is, Summer kind of left us too," Yang said. "And she didn't come back. Come to find out, it's all part of the same mess. I still blame Salem for killing her, but I'm kind of mad at Summer too, for putting herself in that position when she knew what could happen."
"She did it to protect you and Ruby," Raven said. Though why she was defending Summer was beyond her.
"But she still left," Yang said. "So the sum total is, this whole situation is one big frick up. I don't know who to blame. I'm actually getting sick of trying to figure it out. I'm sick of blame."
She sighed finally. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...what I said to you, at Haven, it wasn't...it wasn't entirely fair. I hadn't had to make the same choice as you yet, so I assumed I was better. But, I think that wasn't true. Maybe you were right about that. I did just listen to Ozpin."
"Not quite," Raven said. "You found out later."
"Yeah, that more was Ruby, not me," Yang said. "I mean, I helped, but...I don't know. Look, can you just answer one question for me? And then I think I can finally put this to rest. And I just want the truth. Good or bad, I don't care."
"I could try," Raven said.
Yang took a long time to say it.
It took time to work up her nerve.
"Shine told me something," she said, "and I want to know if it's true or not. I can't tell with you... She said that you did love me. Is that true?"
Raven had been dreading this question since Yang showed up at her camp the first time.
She was silent for a long time.
"Is it?" Yang couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Yang..." Raven said.
"Just tell me!" Yang said, on the verge of snapping.
"I don't know what to tell you!" Raven burst out. "Do you think I know what love is? Look at me, look at my life. The way you define it, I don't know. I'm not anything like Summer."
"Fine, so you're not--but for you, in your way," Yang pressed.
"In my way..." Raven looked at the sky.
She could see a lot of stars from here.
"In my way, I suppose, the only way I've ever really been able to express that concept is through trust," Raven said. "I'm not entirely blind to the fact that I'm not the best person in the world. For Bandits, trust is a big thing. It's rare to have anyone to rely on."
"Is that a yes?" Yang said.
"If you want to take it as one," Raven said.
"I want to know what you take it as," Yang said. "Isn't it your big thing the truth?"
Raven wanted to smack Yang really badly right then, but of course she didn't.
"Well, it's as you said." She finally looked down. "In my way. Whatever my way is worth. Nothing, right?"
There was a pause.
"Might be something," Yang said finally.
Raven glanced up with some surprise.
"Look, I'm not going to pretend it's just okay." Yang held up her real hand. "I'm not sure I'm ever going to feel that way. But, we're here now, and I'm sick of fighting, so...can we find some kind of a way to get along, I guess? Maybe if I accept that you are the way you are, and you accept that I'm never going to be the type of person who's going to completely understand you, we can put the rest of our differences on the top shelf."
Raven swallowed.
"Well, that is...quite a compromise," she said slowly, "considering all the things that have happened."
"Take it or leave it." Yang sounded just like her right then.
Raven choked back a smile at that tone.
"In the interest of cooperation, I'll take it," she said, straightening her shoulders. "I like to be reasonable."
"Great," Yang said. "I'm going to go back now. It's freezing out here."
She walked away.
"This has been one weird day," Raven said to nothing in particular.
She decided that, rather than go face the awkward, she'd probably just go stand with Hazel and guard the Relics--Glynda was taking her break.
[I'm very much like Raven after an emotionally charged conversation, so I felt that.]
* * *
Qrow knew he needed to just get it over with, but he was still very apprehensive.
Winter just gave him a frosty look when he asked if he could have a word.
It didn't help that half the teens nudged each other and exchanged knowing looks when he said that.
But at least she did it.
Winter, on her end, had gone from puzzled to annoyed by Qrow's standoffishness sometime since yesterday. After all, whatever it was she did to bring this on, why not just inform her of it?
She couldn't remember any odd conversation they'd had since the roof in Mistral, and all she could assume was she'd said something wrong there, though he'd given no sign of it at the time...but then, it had been embarrassing to melt down like that.
Vara's comments hadn't helped, though she'd tried to act natural, and then they had what seemed like a normal dialogue in Vacuo, but he'd just walked away.
And yes, Winter had been over-analyzing every aspect of that since. [Girl, same.]
All in all, she decided that, whatever she did, it couldn't be as immature as just refusing to acknowledge her existence was.
But in the interest of finally finding out what it was, she stepped away from the group.
It was cold here, but it didn't bother her that much. It was still mild compared to Atlas weather.
Qrow was acting really nervous for some reason.
"Well?" Winter waited.
"I noticed you were a little... mad earlier," Qrow said.
Was he actually going to pretend not to know why?
"Excuse me?" Winter said, in an indignant tone.
"I guess you've probably notice I've been acting...different," Qrow said, holding up his hands.
Winter glanced up slightly. "And?"
"I just thought I should probably make it clear that it's nothing," Qrow said.
"Nothing?" Winter said.
"Nothing to worry about," Qrow said. "I mean, I wouldn't want to cause more strain in the group..."
He hated that he was letting Raven's words influence him that much--but she did have a point.
"I see," Winter said.
This was disappointing. That wasn't really an answer at all... In fact, this was more of an implication that the problem wasn't worth talking about.
"I'm guessing that didn't actually make it any better." Qrow didn't miss her obvious tone.
"I don't really see what it changes to say that," Winter said. "I don't understand what your problem is, but refusing to explain and just saying not to worry about it seems a bit of what they call a 'cop out' to me."
"I just don't want anyone stressing out," Qrow said.
"Except you, apparently." Winter had him on that. "Something clearly has been causing your actions, so..."
"It's complicated," Qrow said. "And I don't really want to talk about it."
Winter gave him a long look.
"So the grand sum of this amounts to...nothing?" she said. "Good to know. Can I go now? Pardon me if I thought this was supposed to actually help--"
She turned to go.
"Wait a second." Qrow grabbed her arm.
"Stop it!" Winter yanked away. "Don't act like we're on those kinds of terms if you're going to lie to me. Honestly, I don't know what's the most insulting--the lying, or the fact that you thought I'd believe it."
"Will you just wait a minute?" Qrow said.
Winter made a big show of rolling her eyes and half turned back like she just wanted to go.
Qrow would have found that more annoying if he hadn't brought it completely on himself and known it.
He sighed. "I'm not good at talking about problems."
"Is this supposed to help?" Winter said.
"Can I finish?"
She was silent.
"Can I just say that it's nothing you're doing and leave it at that?" Qrow said. "I've got something on my end that I have to deal with."
"And I'm hindering this process?" Winter was more insulted than before. "That still sounds like some fault on my end. I can't imagine what... I suppose I have been making this issue about the magic worse. I had considered that that might affect your problem with it more."
"What?" Qrow said.
[Well, Qrow, it is the most logical explanation from her end, you moron. What did you think she would think?]
"I understand, I suppose," Winter went on, rather mechanically. "Still, you could have just said that from the start. We're in no position to judge other people's reluctance to make this process more dangerous than it already is. I don't think I'd have been offended."
"You just jumped way further than I can keep up with to some conclusion," Qrow said. "Do you seriously think I'm talking about that magic?"
"Well, that's all I can recall of recent events that would be upsetting," Winter said. "But if I'm off the mark, do enlighten me." With another cold look.
"Can I just say instead that you'd rather not know?" Qrow said. "It won't make it better. But it's not the magic."
"Then I'd much rather know," Winter said, "than have to guess."
"Just don't guess. Don't think about it."
"Do you think I can help it?" Winter shot back. "I always strive for excellence in every area of life. To think anywhere has come up short would bother me incessantly."
"Again, it's not you," Qrow said.
"So it's revolving around me, but it's not me? That makes no sense."
Of course, Winter wasn't entirely a fool. The explanation Vara had given her was ringing through her head at the moment.
But she just didn't understand. That couldn't be it. Not with the way he'd been acting.
And why was she feeling so oddly nervous about it?
Qrow actually wondered if Winter really could be that clueless. Even a woman as disinterested as she was had to have some feminine instinct about this, right?
"Okay, you really have no idea?" he said.
"Did I start this conversation?" Winter demanded. "Is it my place to know what's going on? I'm growing tired of this. Either explain yourself or allow me to return to the others."
"If I explained it, you wouldn't like it," Qrow said.
Winter was getting just a little more suspicious that Vara might have been on point.
With a much less harsh tone, she said, "Are you sure about that?"
Well...that tone of voice clued Qrow in that Winter might be slightly more perceptive than he thought.
Hmm...he had a premonition he wasn't going to be able to think of an explanation that would convince her after this.
He wondered if Winter was the type to let you down easy... She wasn't as harsh as she tried to come off as. She probably would just find it awkward... but...
He still didn't want to go through with it.
Plus, if she asked him why he hadn't just told her the truth ages ago... No, it was too humiliating.
"Pretty sure," he said aloud, stalling.
Winter was just watching him closely.
She thought he looked kind of embarrassed...
Mustering her composure, she finally spoke. "If it's nothing against me, I'd really rather just know the truth."
She stepped a little closer cautiously. "I would prefer if you just trust me with whatever it is."
Though did she really want to know? Her mind was racing with possible explanations.
Qrow looked at her uncertainly.
Winter, inexperienced as she was, was pretty sure she could read the answer in his expression, and she thought she forgot how to breathe for a second.
"I--" she began and then broke off. She didn't have a complete thought to go with that.
Qrow moved forward suddenly and kissed her before she could react.
However, she didn't actually stop him--frankly, she didn't think to do so.
[And after 170 chapters of slow burn, we finally get somewhere with this ship!
Yes, I know my family will be cheering when they read this part.
It's so mean of me to make this a cliffhanger.]