RWBY Through Worlds (End)

231: Do or Die

Weiss tried to sneak back into her dorm area and hoped that the other girls were asleep already.

"And where have you been?" Qrow surprised her in one of the halls so that she almost screamed.

What was he still doing up?

"What do you mean?" Weiss tried to sound innocent but lacked Yang's experience with sneaking out and lying about it.

"Don't play dumb with me," Qrow said. "I saw you sneaking in with that archer kid. Where's he been the last two days anyway? Where were you?"

"Please don't tell Winter!" Weiss hissed, giving up on denying it. "Or my mother..."

She wasn't sure what Willow would do, but she'd probably be disappointed or worried.

"Should I tell her?" Qrow frowned. "You know, it's easy to get a little distracted after a successful mission, but that's not a good reason to be sneaking around and lying to people."

"I didn't lie," Weiss said. "I just wasn't going to tell her--it was harmless, but she'll freak out."

"Harmless, huh?"

"Yes, I swear, we just went for a walk... ride..." Weiss said.

Eyebrow raise.

"Well, what business is it of yours?" she snapped.

"None at all, but it might be someone else's," Qrow said. "I don't really want to deal with this. I could get Likstar or someone else."

"Don't do that," Weiss said.

Shine was mad enough at them for talking so loudly without this too.

She folded her hands. "I promise we just went down to the Oasis and talked about stuff. That's all. I wouldn't do anything stupid. I'm not naive."

"You're more naive than you think you are, kid," Qrow said.

"Come on, you know Meridian. He was on the mission," Weiss said. "You don't really suspect him, do you?"

"Not my place to really judge," Qrow said. "But if you're going to act guilty about it, that's your place to start wondering about your actions. Anyway, if you have to hide it, what's the point?"

Weiss looked down. "Sometimes it's just nice not to have other people around watching your every move."

She didn't know if the pity appeal would work on Qrow--it wouldn't have on Winter.

However Qrow was a lot more pliable where girls his nieces' age were concerned...

"Look, you're an adult, so it's your decision what you want to do, but if it blows up on you later, just remember you were warned," he shrugged. "Not that I think he's a bad kid... Still... besides it's dangerous out there at night no matter how much it might seem innocent. A lot of people worse than the students at this school are around Vacuo after dark."

"We were fine," Weiss insisted. "I think we can handle it. Besides, you go out after dark all the time."

"There's a big difference there," Qrow said.

"Why?" 

Qrow did not want to have this conversation with her. "Ask your mother."

Weiss frowned. "I'm aware, all right? But I'm sure nothing bad would happen as long as you're careful... So you're not going to tell Winter, right?"

"Knowing her, she'll find out whether I tell her or not," Qrow said. "Especially if you're concerned, and I don't want to get in the middle of it. Maybe you should just tell her yourself."