RWBY Through Worlds (End)

BC122: Turn (Heroes)--1

The party went on for a long time, long after it was time for the younger kids to be in bed.

They were left, reluctantly, in the supervision of Vara for that, as she retired early too.

Shine noticed Cinder's disappearance, and it did not escape her how long she was gone and that Royal was gone also. Finally, they did return.

Not that many people noticed them come in, but Emerald did.

She thought they both looked all lit up, though she could read some uncertainty in Cinder's expression when she met her gaze.

The truth was, Cinder still couldn't really believe she'd agreed to what she had, or that she didn't even really mind it. She was reeling.

And Royal was reeling almost as much that she'd finally consented, and hadn't be able to think of much else since then.

They'd been talking for a while outside, after they'd left off...well, doing other things. Mostly because he'd asked her more about Esmeralda and where she intended to live now.

Cinder had explained the whole thing to him and even admitted, which she wouldn't have to many other people, that she wasn't really dreading the idea.

Argus, it turned out, didn't really suit her that badly. She had never been much of a small town person since she'd left her original one. She liked the variety of the larger city. But, of course, she hadn't given much thought to what she really liked when she was focused on survival. But now that she'd made up her mind to just stay for the time being, she realised she didn't hate it.

Royal was happy to hear that she wasn't going to resent being forced to remain in Argus in order to help Esmeralda out...and it would have been harder to date if she was in Eurus, though as it stood, he'd have found a way if he had to.

They had lost track of time.

But they eventually realized that the others would get suspicious of them, or probably had already, so they came back.

That didn't really get them out of it though. Mercury was anxious to find out what had happened, though he pretended it was more because Emerald was.

But they came up to them.

"Where have you been?" Emerald asked.

"Just....talking," Cinder said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah, talking," Royal said.

"Talking?" Mercury saw the look in his eye. "Yeah, right, bulls---. You were gone way too long to just be talking."

"It's none of your business anyway," Royal said. "By the way, Emerald, I was going to say, that's some nice jewelry. Where did you get it?"

He had guessed where and was purposefully trying to change the subject.

Emerald reddened. "Oh, well...it was a gift."

"From who?"  Royal asked.

Cinder remembered now. "From Mercury," she said with a sly smile.

Mercury didn't like that turn. "Forget about that. I have some new info for you about this misunderstanding you guys probably cleared up already. Did Princey here tell you who told him to not talk to you?"

This attempt was more successful because Cinder was also kind of mad about it herself.

"Yes," she said, more darkly.

They both looked towards Shine.

"Wait a second," Royal said. "She might have said that, but she never told you it was because I was angry, did she?"