RWBY Through Worlds (End)

BC30: Falling Up (Cinder and Co.)-2

["Falling Up" by A Million in Vermillion]

The pirates were not found, but the kidnapped and bedraggled bunch were.

It didn't take too long to get them back to Argus.

Royal's plane would be dug out of the bay, hopefully still in good enough condition to salvage.

He took it better than you might think.

"I suppose it's not too late to change careers," he joked.

Oscar only laughed half-hardheartedly.

By some feat of misdirection by Raven and her anti-paparazzi squad of Argus workers, they were not swarmed by news reporters upon arrival. The base kept them out and even away from the front gate.

Just the team members were there, and Claw and Piper, who were worried about Royal.

Which was quite touching.

Cinder thought the reaction to her being there would be mixed at best, and she wasn't entirely wrong. Not all of the team was enthused about her presence Argus, but no one said anything mean to her.

In all this time most of them had at least learned to curb their sharp comments when someone had been through something difficult.

[Which is more than I could say for their maturity in Volumes 6-8, so that is progress.]

"I knew she'd survive," Mercury said, from behind the guys.

"Oscar!" Yang and Blake pounced on him.

Ruby, who by now had gotten Raven to use Tai to bring her there the fast way (she never had bonded with Raven herself, for some reason she didn't really know, other than Raven hardly ever spoke to her), raced to join them.

Cinder didn't like that Ruby was there and backed up.

"Mr. Zapato." Claw walked up, not noticing Cinder at first. "Good to see you are all right. Those dastardly pirates dared to steal one of our ships? They will pay for it, I promise you."

"I'm sure they will and have already, Babs," Royal nodded. "You missed all the fun, Pedro."

"It's fun I could afford to miss," Pedro said. "But I could have stopped them, easy--if Commander Raven hadn't forbidden me to use my Semblance on humans."

Raven had decided this was too much a violation of free will, and, after seeing what happened to Salem and the Grimm lands, she had no stomach to allow it.

And unsurprisingly, this had been supported by other people on base who didn't like the idea of it either.

"We all have our restraints," Royal noted.

"But what other innocent person did they nab?" Claw turned to examine Cinder now. "I'm sure it must have been quite traum--" She broke off.

Cinder wished she could sink through the floor.

She stared back stoically, however. She would never have acted afraid of Claw.

"You!" Claw explained. "Well, so much makes sense now--" She started to step forward.

Royal put a hand out and stopped her.

"Now, Barbara," he said, a bit tightly, "I get that you're surprised, and you have a reason to be, but you can take my and Pine's word for it that Miss Scarlet is the victim in all this just as much as we were, and I saw it for myself. I think the lady has been through enough without you throwing around accusations. Leave her for the Commander to deal with, all right?"