Chapter Text
Chapter XIII: The long, arduous road
The few blades of ghostly grass that grew in that accursed place were being trampled by the clawed paws of darkness. Five silhouettes woven out of colorful light darted about the field, respitelessly slaying the creatures of Dark that crashed against them like a furious, howling sea that desired nothing but to extinguish their radiant glow. Despite their ceaseless efforts, the incandescent warriors were barely making a dent in the seemingly endless legions of soulless monsters that crowded both the land and the skies, and it appeared that for every beast they cut down, two more of its brethren entered the fray. Every time it seemed that the raging ocean of teeth and clawed limbs would finally swallow all hope, a brief flash of pure, beautiful light would illuminate the battlefield like a bolt of lightning without a thunder, pushing back the monstrous tide and giving the fighters some breathing room before the army of shadows would strike them again.
Weiss watched as her teammates, aided by Qrow and Oscar, battled for their lives. Though they fought bravely, their situation was clearly hopeless; without any serious capability of crowd control, the sheer exhaustion would soon take its toll, making them all unable to keep up with the never-ending assault. The thought was driving Weiss furious, to a point that she wished she could just scream at the top of her lungs; seeing her friends struggle and being powerless to do anything about it, no torture seemed more cruel.
Space didn't appear to mean much in that strange realm of lights and shadows she felt she was a prisoner of. Her perception of it was... odd. Different from what she was used to. She was aware of just about everything that was happening around her, but even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to say whether the things she was seeing were happening close or far, in front or behind her — almost as if the position of things relative to her own self had lost all its meaning. She could move, or so she thought, but she could not perceive the action itself; in the end, she wasn't even sure if shewas, though that seemed a far less pressing of an issue than the situation her team was in.
Unable to do anything of substance, Weiss simply followed the scarlet light of her partner. True to the moniker some had given her after Maria, the girl brought death wherever she went, cutting down beasts with her scythe as if they were wheat ripe for the harvest. She did so with the grace of a dancer that had an absolute control over their body, her moves quick, fluid and purposeful, each of her attacks smoothly flowing into the next. Weiss rarely had had the opportunity to appreciate the visual aspect of her dear friend's fighting style, but every time she had, she was absolutely fascinated; this time, with Ruby enshrouded in red glow, was not at all different.
In a strange, contradictory way, Weiss had never felt as close nor as far to Ruby as in that moment; somehow, she couldfeelthe girl's grim determination, could sense the suffering and rawfurybubbling deep beneath... and yet, despite being so intimately aware of her friend's frame of mind, she couldn't join the fray, to fight by Ruby's side come hell, come high water, even if just for one last time.
While Weiss was thinking that to herself, Ruby was slowly cutting her way through a field of lesser Grimm, swinging her Crescent Rose in wide arcs meant to put some distance between herself and the beasts; every time a Grimm dared to set a foot inside the swath, it promptly lost both its limb and its life. None of her kills really mattered in the face of the horde that was upon them, but, considering her dire position, the girl was doing admirably, even finding enough time and clarity of mind to shout commands to the rest of her group.
The group from which she was inching further and further away from...
Suddenly, all thoughts were pushed out of Weiss' mind by the sight of an alpha Beowolf throwing itself at Ruby from behind, completely unnoticed as the girl was busy fending off a rather large pack coming at her from the front. Seeing her best friend about to be blindsided but unable to do anything, Weiss let out a silent cry of terror for no one to hear, screaming without a voice with every fiber of her being. Ruby couldn't hear her, she knew, but that did not stop her from trying to reach out to the girl.
A mere heartbeat later it turned out that Weiss' fear was unnecessary, as Ruby turned around just in time and presented the beast with the spearpoint at the rear end of her scythe's shaft. The beast howled in pain as it pounced straight onto the spike, sliding about three feet down the shaft before Ruby stopped it from going any further with a rib-shattering kick to the chest.
Ducking under a sloppy swipe of a clawed paw aimed at her neck, Ruby ripped the spear from between the Beowolf's ribplates. She brought her weapon around, in a single motion gutting some other Beowolf with the outer blade of her scythe and hitting the alpha over its head with the counterweight, knocking the Grimm so hard that it was brought down to all fours. Wasting no time, she spun Crescent Rose the other way, driving the point of the scythe blade squarely into the beast's sternum, with enough force to shatter a bone plate and lift the Beowolf off its feet, only to bring the Alpha over her head and then slam it into the ground behind her, smashing the beast into a couple of its lesser brethren.
The second it took the girl to take out the alpha was enough for the circle of Grimm to tighten around her like a noose, but just as the beasts increased the pressure, Ruby also upped her game, fighting with ferocity one would expect not from a single Huntress, but two. Many close calls took place in the moments that followed as Weiss continued to shout her warnings, only to see every time how Ruby somehow managed to pull through — be it with a sloppy, startled dodge in the very last moment, or by pulling off the nigh-impossible and actually parrying a strike she could not possibly have seen from behind.
Eventually, Ruby managed to cut her way back to her allies, retreating to relative safety. There she remained for some time, fighting by her teammates' side and issuing commands... until she caught a glimpse of a woman walking amongst the Grimm — a black, featureless silhouette, like a dark hole punched straight through the fabric of the universe — and her eyes flared up with a faint, silvery light.
Weiss groaned sleepily and clenched her eyelids shut in a vain attempt to stop the pesky daylight from offending her pupils; once that had proven ineffective, she turned onto her other side. Something seemed slightly off when some soft and light object brushed against her skin, but she paid it no mind, wanting nothing but to go back to sleep for just five more minutes.
Sadly for Weiss, a familiar, enticing aroma hung low in the air she breathed, tempting her nostrils and rousing her from her groggy state, bringing to mind thoughts of breakfast and a sunny morning. As the smell continued to stir her awake, the memories of the previous night started coming back to her, eventually leading to a startling realization as to what it was that seemed off — the thing lying on top of Weiss in that moment wasdefinitelytoo light and unrestrictive for it to be Ruby.
Propping herself up on her elbow, Weiss opened her eyes and looked around, only to find herself to be alone in the sunlit living room. That discovery alarmed her somewhat, but, noticing a mug of coffee waiting for her on the nearby coffee table, she calmed down a bit, letting out a soft sigh of relief; considering the thin wisps of steam still dancing above the cup, it must have been left there not that long ago. Next to it lied the remote, returned to its place after the poor thing had been flung across the room the previous night; the popcorn had also been taken care of, with not a single piece to be found anywhere in sight.
Pulling off the blanket Ruby had considerately left for her, Weiss sat up on the couch and reached for the mug, taking a few cautious sips, careful not to burn her tongue. The coffee was just to her liking, and very much appreciated; unlike Ruby, who would usually be wide awake in under a minute after leaving the bed, Weiss was not that great with mornings, needing a little while — and preferably a cup of coffee — to fully regain her bearings. Deciding against searching for Ruby just yet, Weiss relaxed and enjoyed her morning ritual, thinking back to the dream she had that night.
It was... odd, and perhaps a little concerning, seeing how it was not the first time Weiss had had a dream like that. Just like on the anniversary night, it felt clearer than her usual dreams, having burned clearly into her memory and leaving her with a rather peculiar sense of déjà vu, as if she had already dreamt that exact same dream before. She was fairly sure she hadn't — that ghostly grass, the Grimm looking like black splotches of living darkness, and radiant silhouettes woven of Aura all seemed like something she would’ve remembered.
Weiss sighed, wrapping her fingers tighter around her mug. As strange as that dream might have been, it had been quite convincing. Probable. Maybe not in the sense of her actually being a powerless, disembodied spectator, but Ruby and the others struggling against the endless sea of Grimm certainly seemed like something that could realistically have happened.
A pit grew inside her stomach as she thought of the hopeless battle her friends must've waged. Just like in that dream, Weiss felt useless; she vividly remembered the dread she’d felt seeing time and time again how Ruby was about to get hit, and the utter powerlessness of being unable to do anything to stop it… but in the end, her assistance had miraculously turned out unnecessary.
And it hurt, in a way.
To Weiss, those dreams seemed to be the perfect visualizations of what she felt, of what she thought, and of what she feared; her being a disembodied spectator encapsulated very well how it felt like, not having been there for her team and learning of what had happened only after the fact. The guilt, the powerlessness, the uselessness… why her own brain had decided to torment her so, she did not know, but it was certainly covering all the bases. Perhaps it was trying to tell her something, but as to what it was, she had no clue.
She took another sip of her coffee."Well. I might not have been there for her back then... but at least I'm here now."Then, thinking back to the last evening, Weiss scowled."Not that it makes me feel any less powerless..."
Before she could start dwelling on the deeply unsettling experience of the previous night, a quiet, crunching sound coming from somewhere near roused her from her reverie, sparking her curiosity. She cast a sweeping glance across the room, then, seeing nothing of interest, she sat still and listened carefully. The noise repeated itself a few times in the moments that followed, ultimately leading Weiss to believe that it was coming from behind — or perhaps from underneath — the coffee table. Risking a guess, she leaned in and called out: "Zwei?"
She didn't have to wait long before the pup poked his head from below the table, looking at Weiss curiously with his beady eyes as he held a piece of popped corn in his teeth. After chewing on his treat for a moment, he barked at Weiss in a greeting.
Weiss patted the corgi on his head, giggling softly. "So, Ruby has missed some, huh? Enjoying your meal, I hope? Just don't eat too many."
As Zwei returned to munching on bits of popcorn still scattered in various nooks and crannies of the room, Weiss busied herself with finishing her coffee. Once that task was complete, she stood up and, with her mug in her hand, made her way towards the kitchen, having a sneaking suspicion that was where she would find her partner. Pushing the door open, she slipped inside, where she was immediately hit by the smell of fresh pancakes.
Proven correct in her earlier assumption, Weiss found herself face to face with Ruby, who turned away from her frying pan the moment Weiss set foot in the room; the girl smiled at her, but looked incredibly tired, as if the previous day's outburst had left her physically drained and she hadn't recovered from it just quite yet. "Morning, Weiss,"
Weiss smiled back at Ruby, hoping that her concern wasn't showing on her face too much. "Morning. Thanks for the coffee." Setting down her empty mug, she took a seat at the table. "Have you been up for long?"
Having returned her attention to the stove, Ruby flipped a pancake onto its other side. She nodded. "A while. Zwei woke me up before dad came home, so I had just enough time to, y'know... clean up."
Feeling that the conversation was edging uncomfortably close to what she feared was a rather touchy subject, Weiss jumped at the opportunity to steer their chat away from what had happened during their last movie night. "So Tai was working last night?"
Ruby chuckled softly. "Yes and no. He was working until late in the evening, then went out drinking with Port and Oobleck. Came back home, took shower, went to sleep." A moment of silence followed, after which Ruby let out a long, shaky breath and spoke up, touching upon the very subject Weiss hoped they could avoid. "Listen, about yesterday... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I..."
"Ruby," Weiss cut in firmly, trying to sound as gentle as possible. Looking the girl in the eye, she mustered a smile, which she prayed looked at least remotely reassuring. It was clear that what she had witnessed was gnawing on Ruby, that the girl felt the need to explain herself and apologize, but Weiss could not bear it — seeing her best friend blame herself for something that was outside her control was simply breaking her heart. "It's okay; I mean it. I'm here for you." Standing up, Weiss approached Ruby and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "That being said, I don't think you should wait till Blake's birthday with paying that doctor a visit," she said softly, quietly hoping that Ruby would not take her words the wrong way.
Ruby bit her lower lip and hung her head low, as if in shame. She remained silent for a while, but eventually nodded. "Yeah," she let out weakly, her voice merely a whisper.
Before long, the breakfast was served — a stack of delicious, extra fluffy pancakes of which even Ren, the unanimous master of pancakes, would not be ashamed of. The time Ruby had spent under his tutelage clearly bore fruit, but Weiss' enjoyment of the meal was somewhat curbed by the nagging feeling that the food was also a part of Ruby's apology — an offering to repay her for the scare of the previous night.
Ruby barely touched the food, but watched intently as Weiss took each bite, as if trying to make sure whether it was to her liking. For the most part, they ate in silence, and not of the comfortable kind; the few attempts at striking a conversation ultimately came to naught, with Ruby being unusually prone to short answers, after which she would once again retreat to her own little world. It was painfully obvious that something was troubling her, but whether it was the memory of the previous night or the upcoming visit to a therapist, Weiss did not know.
The instant she put her plate away, Ruby stood up and reached towards it, but Weiss managed to persuade the girl into reluctantly letting her take care of the dishes. While Weiss left the last remaining pancake in the dog bowl and went on to start cleaning, Ruby excused herself for a moment. Just when Weiss had put all the plates away and was about to wipe her hands dry, she heard Ruby come back from upstairs; the girl did not return to the kitchen, however, with the only indication of her whereabouts being the sound of a door opening somewhere in the house. Setting the towel she was using down by the sink, Weiss followed the noise and went to the living room.
She found Ruby on the porch — leaning against the rail, the girl stood with a piece of shiny cardboard in one hand and her Scroll in the other, fiddling restlessly with Dr. Glas' business card while she waited for her call to get picked up. Before long, the wait was over and Ruby's nervous voice poured into the living room.
"Um, hello. My name is Ruby Rose. I— I'd like to make an appointment with Doctor Glas. No, just... just for myself."
With the door to the porch having been left wide open, Weiss could hear Ruby loudly and clearly, eavesdropping despite not having meant to; easily able to tell how uncomfortable the girl was feeling just by listening to her, she fought down the urge to go to Ruby’s side in that instant and to comfort her with a hug.
Ruby fell silent for a bit while she listened to the response. Something about it seemed to take her by surprise, and she replied: "Um... yes, I'm free. Alright. Thank you." Not long after, the girl ended the call, breathing out a deep, relieved sigh and leaning heavily on the railing, hiding her head in her arms.
Seeing that Ruby was done with her call, Weiss gingerly stepped out onto the sunny porch. "How was it? When is your appointment?"
Lifting her head from the handrail, Ruby looked up at Weiss. "Um... in, like, two hours or so?"
Weiss blinked, slightly taken aback. "Aren't you usually supposed to wait, like,a weekfor an appointment with a therapist, if you're lucky?" she said, taking place by the handrail right next to Ruby.
"So I've heard? Preferential treatment for the Circle, I suppose."
"I guess..." Weiss conceded, having to admit that such explanation, although simple, did sound quite probable. The two of them let a few moments pass in silence, but eventually Weiss looked at Ruby with a concerned frown and asked: "Hey, would you like me to come with you...?"
Letting her gaze fall to the ground, Ruby nodded meekly. "If you wouldn't mind, yes," she said in a quiet voice.
Heartbroken to see her best friend in that state, Weiss wordlessly wrapped her arm around Ruby’s neck and brought the girl close, enveloping the poor thing in a warm, loving embrace. "I wouldn't."
Having taken showers and made themselves presentable, the girls left the house. As they marched through the forest towards the town, Weiss, considering how little time it seemed they had to spare, suggested calling a cab, but Ruby was quick to dismiss the idea — Dr. Glas' practice was located on Patch, and well within the walking distance from Ruby's home. Sufficiently assured that they'd make it on time, Weiss caved in, and so they headed there on foot, with Ruby leading her partner through the familiar, calm suburbs of the island.
They strolled down a long, slightly curved avenue lined with deciduous trees, whose red and golden leaves provided some shade for the occasional passersby. Dragging her feet along the paved walkway as if she unconsciously wanted to delay her arrival as much as she could, Ruby unhurriedly walked onwards, feeling on her back the concerned gaze of Weiss, who lagged a couple of steps behind her.
She wasn't sure what had created that gap — whether it was Weiss hoping to give her some space, or perhaps Ruby’s own silent behavior pushing her friend away — and though she felt a little bit bad about it, she still welcomed the opportunity to think in peace.
Though it felt as if she had great many things weighing heavy on her mind, in reality there were only two: the meeting she was headed to... and Weiss. Sure, what had happened to her the night prior was easily out there amongst the worst experiences of her life; it had been foreign, disturbing and scary, and had left her so drained that she still felt tired even after a night's sleep... but it had come to pass. As terrifying as it had been at the time of it happening, it had stung nowhere as much as the mere fact of it having been seen by Weiss.
Weiss, one of the few key people Ruby wanted to stay strong for, had seen her crumble — crumble so completely it had made her cry. It was not to say that Ruby wasn't glad that Weiss had been there for her, but she felt terrible for the scare she had put her best friend through... and the damage Weiss' image of her must've sustained.
After all, to Ruby, there was only a handful of things worse than those pretty blue eyes looking at her with pity.
Suddenly, Weiss called her name, bringing her back to reality. "Ruby, I think it's here," Weiss said, standing by the gate Ruby had just passed by, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even notice it.
Glancing at the number present on the bricky fence post, Ruby realized that the address checked out, while the shiny plaque which read 'Dr. Cordelia Glas, psychiatrist & therapist'proved beyond any doubt that they did, in fact, reach their destination.
They found themselves standing in front of a nice-looking, two-story building made of orange-hued brick, similar in shade to the ones making up the posts of the fence surrounding the perimeter. With a short hedge backing up the boundary wall, flowerpots hanging below windowsills and a tiny, roofed porch, the house seemed rather inviting at the first glance; that said, a discerning eye would soon notice the roller shutters lining the windows and a couple of cameras hidden here and there, one of which was built into an intercom. By Patch standards, the building was a small fortress, if a pretty one.
Ruby glanced at her Scroll, then showed the screen to Weiss, mustering a slightly triumphant smirk. "Told ya we'd be on time."
Indeed, it appeared that the two of them arrived with at least ten minutes to spare. While Ruby might not have been too familiar with that neighborhood in particular, shehadbeen living on that island all of her life, and thus knew most of the best routes.
"So, should we wait, or...?" Weiss asked, unsure how to proceed. To Ruby's slight amusement, Weiss, too, seemed nervous.
"Only if you want me to keel over from stress," Ruby muttered, hugging her stomach. Steeling her resolve with a deep breath, she made her way towards the intercom and pressed the button. At that moment, more time to stress over her upcoming visit seemed to be the very last thing she needed.
They expected that someone would pick up the call, but nothing of the sort happened — the gate simply unlocked with a soft, electrical buzz, shortly after which the front door to the house opened and a woman in her mid-thirties came forth to welcome them. Her honey-colored hair was tied in a neat bun, while her kind, blue eyes watched the girls from behind frameless eyeglasses.
The woman greeted them with a smile. "Miss Rose, Miss Schnee — welcome, welcome. Please, come in," she said, holding the door open for the two.
Ruby glanced nervously at the camera lens peeking at her from the intercom; the fact that the two of them had been recognized on the camera feed without having ever met the woman gave her a bit of a pause. She quickly decided not to dwell on it too much, figuring that her team had gained enough notoriety not to need any introductions — especially Weiss, who had been a fairly well-known figure long before ever coming to Beacon.
Pushing the gate open, Ruby made her way through the front yard and, followed by Weiss, reluctantly entered the building, both of them giving their hostess awkward, polite smiles as they passed the woman by.
A mere few steps in, both of them stopped dead in their tracks, somewhat stunned by the sight they were greeted with and how... homey it all seemed. The place they found themselves in was more akin to a living room than a waiting room, bright and inviting, with its warm colors and comfy-looking armchairs being a far cry from what they'd expected. So much so, that both Weiss and Ruby got that awkward feeling of uncertainty one might experience when intruding upon someone else's house for the first time, not knowing how their host expects them to behave.
"Should we take off our shoes...?" Ruby asked, scratching her neck sheepishly.
Closing the door, the woman let out a short, soft laugh and shook her head; it seemed that she was getting that question a lot. "No need."
She went on to offer each girl her hand, confirming their suspicions and identifying herself as Doctor Glas. With the introductions out of the way, she clasped her hands together and looked at her guests. "Now, would you like some green tea?"
Having taken their hostess up on the offer, the girls were left alone for a moment while the woman retreated to what they presumed was the kitchen. She returned not long afterwards, accompanied by a young, rather short woman with pale skin and bright brown hair that reached her shoulders, whom she introduced as Jasna, her assistant; the newcomer smiled at them politely over the tray with three teacups she was holding, getting two nods of acknowledgment in response.
Taking one of the cups from the tray, Dr. Glas offered it to Weiss, then looked at Ruby. "Miss Rose, please, come with me."
Ruby obediently approached, and once she was within Dr. Glas arm’s reach, the woman turned to Weiss, smiling a bit apologetically. "It will take some time, so please, make yourself comfortable. Feel free to wait in the garden, if you'd like. Should you need anything, don't hesitate to ask my assistant."
Weiss simply nodded in reply. Although politeness would’ve demanded of her to reply with words, being standoffish or uncouth was not her intention; rather, she was simply too distracted by all the slightly anxious glances Ruby was sneaking in her direction to provide their host with a proper response.
As she followed the therapist, Ruby silently wished that Weiss could accompany her… but a part of her wasn’t sure if that would be such a good idea — not to mention that, unless she had read the room incorrectly, the offer didn’t even seem to be on the table. As far as she could tell, Weiss seemed troubled by a similar dilemma, but neither of them spoke up; as such, Ruby just continued on walking, head hung low and left hand tugging at her other sleeve, while Weiss watched quietly, smiling her best reassuring smile. As Ruby cast one last glance in her partner's direction, she saw Weiss mouth a silent 'I'll be waiting' right before losing her from sight.
Looking about the second room, she discovered that it wasn’t that dissimilar to the one she’d just left; sunlight seeped in through the wide windows, while warm, toned-down colors and brown accents surrounded her from every direction, with an occasional plant here and there providing a much welcome touch of green. Bookcases and cupboards lined the walls, while a nice coffee table stood in the middle of the room, with an armchair on one side and a chaise longue sofa on the other. A couple of paintings hung on the walls, along with Dr. Glas' MD diploma and something that appeared to be the certificate of having graduated from Beacon.
Jasna, who was the first to enter the room, placed the teacup tray on the coffee table and then, having been thanked by Doctor Glas, promptly left the room. Once the door closed behind Jasna, the doctor looked at Ruby and gestured towards the chaise longue, smiling encouragingly. "Please, Miss Rose, take a seat."
Doing as she was asked, Ruby sat down, perching herself on the very edge of the mattress; unsure of what to do with her hands, she placed them both in her lap, lining them neatly with her legs.
Once Doctor Glas grabbed a notepad and a thin stack of papers from the nearby desk and took a seat in the armchair opposite to Ruby, the girl finally found her voice back. "Um... may I ask you for one thing before we begin?"
"Certainly."
"Just 'Ruby' is fine. Being called 'miss Rose' feels kinda awkward, and I'm uncomfortably close to a total freakout as it is," she said, finishing off with a short, nervous laugh.
"Very well, Ruby," Dr. Glas replied kindly, a soft, polite smile never leaving her lips. Nothing in her disposition suggested that she'd found Ruby's request odd or funny.
Miss Cordelia took half a second to look at Ruby before glancing down at the bundle of papers in her hands; she grabbed a few pages from the bottom of the stack, then laid them down on the table and slid them closer to Ruby.
"Now, Ruby, could I ask you to fill out this questionnaire for me?" she said, then smiled a bit apologetically. "You may find some of the questions unpleasant, but it is important that you answer them honestly."
"Um, sure."
The form consisted of four pages, and its initial portion was roughly what Ruby expected it to be. She had to share her personal info and contact details, whether or not she was taking any medication, had any chronic health issues, or had previously attended psychological therapy. What she had not been expecting were the questions regarding her current relationship status and the satisfaction from thereof, but, in hindsight, it made quite a lot of sense.
The next section Ruby would find a lot tougher. The very first question was ‘How intense is your emotional distress, on a scale from 0 to 10? (Where 0 is not at all and 10 is incapacitating)’.
She needed a while to consider it. She thought back to the day prior and the sheer terror and shame she’d felt; then, she thought back to her breakdown inside a Beacon shower, and from there recalled the agonizing void she’d felt inside her chest while Weiss had been fighting for her life.
She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, finally encircling number 8.
Ruby stole a quick glance at Doctor Glas, and found a strange sense of relief in the realization that rather than wait for her in awkward silence, the woman seemed to have busied herself with her notes, letting the girl take her time. Somewhat heartened by that bit of info, Ruby returned her attention to the questionnaire, feeling a little bit less pressured.
‘Are you having any problems with your sleep habits?’ Yes. ‘If yes, circle those that apply’; as asked, Ruby highlighted the answers of ‘not enough’, ‘poor quality’ and ‘disturbing dreams’.
‘Are there any issues or difficulties with your eating habits’ — no.
‘Do you consume alcohol or other substances on a regular basis’; her brow furrowed as she underlined ‘no’.
‘Have you had any homicidal thoughts recently?’ — no.
The next several questions were of a similar caliber. ‘Have you had any intrusive thoughts recently?’ ‘Have you attempted self harm?’ ‘Have you considered self harm?’
By the time she was done with that section, she was almost relieved to move onto the questions pertaining mental health history of her family. It still wasn’t particularly pleasant to think about, but much easier to approach.
Eventually, she put down her signature beneath the closing disclaimer, basically acknowledging the ugly side of things — that she might need to discuss subjects of upsetting nature to resolve her issues, and that she understood that the success couldn’t be guaranteed. With a small sigh, she looked up at Doctor Glas.
Filling out the whole form had taken Ruby a good few minutes, and it seemed that the doctor spent the whole time either checking her notes or scribbling something inside her notepad.
"I’m done," Ruby spoke up, grabbing miss Glas’ attention before sliding the form across the table.
"Thank you." The doctor smiled softly as she accepted the form. Standing up from her armchair, she placed a brochure in front of Ruby. "Now, I’d like it if you would read this. It might answer some of the questions you may have about myself or our meetings. Please, feel free to ask if anything needs to be clarified."
Ruby just nodded, then watched silently how the doctor walked away from her and sat on the windowsill, starting to go over the questionnaire while sipping on her tea. Even though she tried, Ruby couldn’t really read the woman’s expression; as such, with nothing better to do other than psyching herself out, she resigned herself to reading.
The information contained inside the brochure wasn’t anything earth-shattering, for the most part, but it did it’s job in occupying her mind for a spell. In the whole read, there was but a single thing that really took her aback, so much so that she had to do a double take.
"Wait… I don’t have to pay?" she asked, looking up at the doctor in disbelief. "Am I getting this right?"
Taking her eyes off the form in her hand, Doctor Glas nodded. "That’s correct. The Academies are covering all treatment expenses of the students who seek therapy as a result of the Fall, as well as extending the same offer to their families."
"Huh. Kinda neat," Ruby said. She glanced at the brochure in her hands before looking at miss Glas and giving her a humorless smile. "Guess you’ve had many new patients recently?"
"I have accepted a few clients," the doctor half-agreed, "but with me being the only psychiatrist in the Kingdom working with the Circle, most of my time is reserved for people who are, let’s say, Circle-adjacent."
Ruby nodded quietly, then returned to reading. It didn’t take her long to wrap up.
"Is there something else?" she asked.
"Just one little thing." Leaving her spot by the window, Doctor Glas returned to the table, once again settling down in the armchair. She set down her tea on the tabletop before her warm eyes, shining behind eyeglasses, focused firmly on Ruby.
"Before we get started, let’s establish one thing. The success of a therapy relies heavily on building a sense of trust between the patient and the therapist. You may tell me as much, or as little, as you’d like; we’ll progress at your own pace. But please, bear in mind that for me to help you, we need to communicate. I want to help you, but I can do little about things I’m not aware of." The way she looked Ruby straight in the eye made it clear for her that she was being serious. "Is that clear?"
"Yes," Ruby answered quietly with a small nod.
Doctor Glas seemed satisfied with that response, her gaze softening back into one that was kind and filled with what seemed to be amiable curiosity. Crossing her legs, she leaned back in her armchair and pressed her notebook against her thigh, pen in hand.
"Splendid. So tell me, Ruby: what brings you to me today?"
It was only the first question, and yet it already had Ruby stumped. It was not that she hadn’t been expecting it; rather, she simply struggled to untangle her feelings and name them.
It took her a good few seconds, but eventually she thought of her little crying session back at Beacon — of feeling so very lost, and yet wishing to hope for a better tomorrow. She held onto that sensation, and slowly formulated her answer.
"I— I want to move on, now that the war is over. But I don’t know how, or even if I can," she said. "Over the past few months, I’ve been feeling like I’m losing control of my life. Of my emotions. Like—" Her voice cracked and she cut off suddenly. Closing her stinging eyes, she clenched her teeth and drew a deep breath through her nose.
"Like I’m broken," she finished in a small, strained voice, having successfully managed to push back the pesky tears that she’d felt coming up. "I don’t want to feel that way."
Doctor gave her an encouraging smile. "You already have taken the first step to regain that control. And I will do what I can to help you achieve it."
"Good," Ruby said softly, albeit without much conviction. Then, a tiny, nervous laugh escaped her chest. "So, um, I’m new to this; the whole therapy thing, I mean. What should I do now to go about it properly?"
"That depends entirely on you. Just as one person is different from another, there’s no one correct way to go about it. Some people start going into their experiences even before they sit down, while many need a couple of weeks, sometimes months to get comfortable enough with their therapist before they feel ready to proceed. Do what you feel is right for you."
Ruby stewed on those words for several seconds. There was a tiny part of her that felt enticed by the latter option to just take things slow; to talk about little nothings until she got used to the setting and the doctor. It seemed… easier.
But she hadn’t come to that place because it was the easy thing to do.
She’d come because she wanted — no, needed — to get better. Because she was desperate. Because she was afraid. She was scared that if she waited, she’d only keep stumbling aimlessly in the dark and continue slipping.
She wanted to feel like she had a sense of direction, and that she was getting somewhere — as soon as she could. That she had something to guide her through the tangle of her mind, before she’d gotten ever more lost and overwhelmed. She wanted a release, but without burdening her loved ones.
She wanted not to give Weiss any more reason to look at her as if she was about to crumble.
Ruby nipped lightly on the inside of her cheek, then took a deep breath and looked at Doctor Glas with resolve in her silver eyes. "I don’t want to get comfortable. I want to get better."
"Very well. But please, don’t push it if it becomes too difficult."
Ruby struggled to speak at first, but the longer she talked, the easier it was for the words to flow freely from the bitter well of long-bottled up pain. Perhaps it was the fact that Glas was a perfect stranger and thus Ruby didn’t care about the way the woman perceived her, or perhaps it was just her being tired of pretending; once she’d started, it was easier to just keep on going, to get it over with, driven by the desperate hope that the person in front of her really would help her.
And so she told Doctor Glas of the cold hollows in her heart, left in place of Penny and Pyrrha, and of Yang’s broken body and once-broken spirit; how a part of her still blamed herself for those living nightmares, and how the poisonous what-ifs kept gnawing on her in the quiet before sleep. What if she’d caught Cinder on the prom night? What if she’d been faster? Speed was her thing, so why hadn’t she?
Wherever she had gone, death had never been far behind her; people had been dying around Ruby and her team, and they themselves all had more close calls that she cared to count… and yet, no matter how many times she’d seen all that, those situations had never become any less jarring — especially when someone she was close to had gotten hurt.
She remembered vividly the sight of Blake and Yang lying on the cold pavement the night of the Fall, while Penny’s dismembered body and Pyrrha’s raspy dying breath still haunted her dreams. She remembered Qrow’s delirious ramblings, and the night of Maria’s sacrifice, when the old Huntress had given her life and died in line of duty to save Atlas.
She remembered her own two run-ins with death. The burning of her lungs and how terrified and powerless she had felt when trapped under the unrelenting ice… and how quickly Tyrian had gone from cowering to going for the kill.
And, of course, she couldn't possibly have forgotten how she herself had killed; it'd be almost funny, to thinkthatwas where her innocent dream of protecting people as a Huntress had led her... if it wasn't so damn tragic.
Her whole reality had collapsed at the drop of a hat when Beacon had fallen. She’d lost her team and her way of life, only to lead her remaining friends into mortal danger. Then, she’d been hunted like an animal, all because of a gift she hadn’t even understood at the time. Eventually, she’d found herself a pawn in the middle of an eternal, hopeless war she couldn’t possibly have just turned away from — not that it made the cruel truth any easier to swallow.
She’d been fumbling in the dark for so long, dragging others with her, deeper into the shadows… and it wasn’t her who had usually been paying the price.
She’d been hurt, and hurt others. She’d lied, and she’d been lied to. But even considering all that, all of her pain and disillusionment, no memory seemed more harrowing than that of the pure anguish she had felt when cradling Weiss’ bleeding out body in her arms. Back at the time, it seemed to be her ultimate, crushing defeat, end of the line on the road she'd paved for all of mankind with her own damned failures; her world had finally crumbled and she could no longer carry onward, her soul torn in twain.
Weiss' survival was the miracle she had needed to muster the strength for that one, final push... and though the worst had come to pass, the memory of nearly having lost Weiss would likely never leave her, seared into her brain.
She was tired, and had lost a lot… and she feared that, somewhere along the way, she had also begun to lose her own self.
Doctor Glas had been listening intently to everything Ruby had to say, taking occasional notes and not once interrupting the flow of the story until it seemed finished. Once Ruby no longer knew what else to say, the doctor recalled certain parts of the report, asking Ruby for elaboration; once all those questions had been answered, she steered the conversation to the subject of Ruby’s family.
And so Ruby told the doctor of her mother’s disappearance, and how her dad had shut in after that, essentially leaving Ruby and Yang to fend for themselves for a couple of years; how he’d eventually pulled himself together, and been trying to make up for the lost time in any way he could.
She mentioned Qrow and the drinking problem he used to have until relatively recently; how he’d always been there for her whenever she’d needed him, and how she’d always looked up to him despite his shortcomings.
Finally, she spoke of Yang, of her unconditional love and sometimes overbearing nature, and how trying for both of them had been the few moments following the Fall of Beacon; of how glad Ruby was that the two of them had managed to patch things up between them.
When Ruby reached for the now long-cold tea, Doctor Glas took it as a sign that Ruby had finished.
"You've been through a lot, Ruby," she said softly. "But even considering all that, many people need a strongimpulseto seek a professional's help out of their own volition. Is it true in your case? Did something happen recently that caused you to call me?"
Ruby turned her gaze towards the half-empty cup resting in her lap, watching silently how her reflection danced on the surface of the drink. She remained silent for a while, and Doctor Glas respectfully did not rush her; when she finally opened her mouth, she spoke slowly, as if still searching for the right way to phrase it.
"Yesterday, Weiss and I were watching a horror movie. At first, it was just a normal movie night; the movie was decent, we ate popcorn and had fun, until... until something just... came over me," she said quietly, stumbling for a bit with words towards the end. Rubbing the rim of the cup in her hands with her thumb, she continued in a quiet voice. "My heart started pounding, so much so that I could barely hear anything over my own damned pulse ringing in my ears. My vision got dark and blurry. I was hot, sweaty, started shaking, and it was as if I was gonna suffocate no matter how hard I breathed... as if there was barely any air left in the room."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she mustered the will to turn her eyes towards the doctor. "I felt I was gonna die. The world was ending and I could do nothing but to sit paralyzed on my sofa, waiting for the impending doom, nauseous and tingling all over." As if having spent what little energy she'd had in her on maintaining the eye contact for that brief moment, Ruby once again let her gaze fall to her lap. Her shoulders slumped a bit — she herself didn't know whether it was simply her tired state, or perhaps the shame she felt in her heart. "I was scared out of my mind... I really don't know what I would've done if Weiss wasn't there. She was probably just as scared and clueless as I was... but she's saved me. Again."
"Do you have any idea what could've caused such reaction? Do you believe that it was random, or...?" Doctor Glas started to ask, but her voice trailed off — possibly because she had taken notice of Ruby nervously biting her lower lip. If so, she did nothing to urge the girl; she simply waited, letting Ruby dictate the pace at which she approached the matter.
"Actually..." Ruby started, averting her eyes from the disappointed stare of her own reflection and looking up at Doctor Glas. Miss Cordelia met her gaze without annoyance or judgment, patiently awaiting for Ruby's next words to resound inside the cozy, sunlit study. "I think I have a pretty good idea."
Having made herself comfortable in an armchair, Weiss was waiting for Ruby's therapy session to end. In an effort to pass time, she had tried reading, but had quickly given up on that, finding herself to be far too anxious to focus on the letters in front of her; instead, she had sought solace in music, as she was often wont to, which had proven a bit more effective — even if the lyrics of her favorite songs were all but flying into one ear and out of the other, the constant buzz of the background noise helped soothe her nerves somewhat... not that it could possibly push the image of her distressed friend beset with a barrage of uncomfortable questions completely out of her mind.
It'd been well over an hour — perhaps somewhere in the neighborhood of two — and Weiss was growing increasingly restless, to a point where she had to consciously stop herself from getting off her armchair and starting to pace to and fro about the room.
Most of that time she had spent by her lonesome, not really engaging with Dr. Glas' assistant outside of asking for a refill of her tea; the woman, on her part, had left her alone, likely having noticed that Weiss wasn't in the most sociable of moods. While the two didn't interact much with one another, Weiss had been sneaking occasional glances in the woman's direction whenever she had passed through the room; something about her intrigued Weiss, though it had taken the girl a while to put a finger on the reason why — while she carried no visible weapons, the way Jasna moved reminded Weiss of a Huntress.
'I suppose that just about everything is more than it seems when the Circle is involved, huh...'she had thought, sipping her tea.
Weiss had just finished her second cup when the door to the study opened, revealing Ruby being led outside by Dr. Glas; with her slumped shoulders and downcast eyes, the girl looked...spent,in more ways than one, and in a desperate need of a hug.
Weiss all but leapt out of her seat as she darted towards Ruby, wrapping the poor thing in her arms while Ruby burrowed her face in Weiss' collarbone. Before long, Ruby let go of the hem of Weiss' sweater and slowly pulled away, not looking her in the eye while doing so.
"I'm fine."
The weakness of her voice caused a saddened frown to appear on Weiss' face, but the latter respected Ruby's underlying wish not to create a scene.
Although it was painfully clear that the girl wanted nothing more but to finally leave that place, Weiss had a couple of pressing questions she hoped to get some answers for; silently praying that Ruby would forgive her the delay, Weiss turned towards Dr. Glas and spoke up. "A word, if I may? It will not take long," she said, adding the latter part mostly with Ruby in mind.
"Certainly." Gently placing one hand on Ruby's shoulder, the woman gestured towards her assistant with the other. "Ruby, please, follow my assistant. She'll get you something to drink."
Weiss gave Ruby's arm a soft squeeze and then saw the girl off as Ruby followed Jasna to the kitchen; after both had disappeared from her view, she turned towards the doctor and accepted the silent invitation into the woman's study, where they could speak in private.
Doctor Glas stepped inside right after Weiss. The moment she heard the door close, Weiss got straight to the point. "May I ask you a few questions about Ruby?" she asked, giving the woman a pleading look.
The doctor nodded to herself, as if Weiss had touched upon the very subject she'd expected her to. "Normally I'd have to decline, but miss Rose has allowed me to impart to you what information I deem fit," she said, then smiled in a way that was open and encouraging. "Ask away."
Now that she had been granted permission, Weiss wasn't even sure how to phrase her question. "Has... has she told you about yesterday already?" Seeing the woman in front of her nod, she anxiously pressed on. "What happened to her?"
She wanted to understand. To help. She remembered full well how woefully unprepared she'd been for what had happened the night prior — how powerless she'd felt when somebody she cared for so dearly had been suffering right in front of her eyes — and was desperate to learn anything that could possibly aid her, should such a situation occur again; not knowing how to act was the worst torture.
"I believe she's suffered from a panic attack," Doctor Glas said morosely, then, seeing Weiss' inquisitive stare, sighed softly and went on to elaborate. "You must've heard of the fight or flight response, correct? In reality, it should perhaps be more accurately called 'fight, flight or freeze'. During a panic attack, the brain 'misfires' in response to some stimuli, preparing the body for a danger that isn't there. Adrenaline levels go up. The person in question might experience nausea, faintness, hot or cold flashes, flashing vision, hyperventilation, chest pains, profuse sweating, have the sense of impending doom, and more, all of which are prone to cause anxiety and, in turn, lead to a positive feedback loop that may last forhours; in many cases, it's quite easy to mistake a panic attack for cardiac arrest. Needless to say, calling it an unpleasant experience for every party involved would be a most severe understatement."
Weiss bit her lower lip, feeling her heart sink to the ground at those words. Of the entire list, one thing in particular rang a bell in her head — the 'sense of impending doom', one which even she herself had somehow experienced the previous night. But, while it struck her as odd, there were more pressing questions lining up in her mind. "Is it going to happen again?"
The doctor considered her answer for a moment, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It's hard to say, considering the fairly recent nature of the trauma. It's likely, but not certain; the next year or so will tell," she said. "For the time being, I taught miss Rose a few techniques that may help her to calm down should any more attacks occur, but let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"What sort of techniques?"
"Such as trying to imagine a whiteboard, and then writing down on it the word 'safe', very,veryslowly, over and over again." Taking notice of the slightly incredulous look she was given, Dr. Glas let out a soft chuckle. "I know it might sound odd, but such techniques do work for some; sadly, it's not a one-size-fits-all remedy. The understanding of what a panic attack is should help her, too."
Weiss nodded, letting her gaze to fall to the floor, then fell silent and started chewing on the inside of her cheek, mulling over what she'd heard. Eventually, she glanced up at the woman. "Is there something I can do to help?" she asked eventually, her voice ringing desperate even in her own ears.
One corner of the woman's mouth rose up. "Just carry on being her friend. Sadly, friend support cannot replace the help of a professional therapist... but it can still make a world of difference," she said, smiling softly, before her face took on more serious of an expression. "If I may suggest one thing, however... please don't hesitate to lean on her for help if you ever need it. It might sound counterintuitive, considering how much she has on her own plate, but it's abundantly clear that you mean a lot to her, and that she feels indebted to you for helping her get through the hardships of the past year. She wants to repay the favor, and I believe it would be best to let her."
Weiss let out a barely audible, short laugh. "Really, it is her who has helped me. Helped us." She shook her head. "We all would have given up long time ago if it were not for her. Given up on fighting, on Remnant... even on controlling the way we live our lives."
As Weiss turned her eyes towards the window to the garden, Dr. Glass gave her a long, knowing look; she could definitely tell that there was more than one story hidden behind the heiress' words, but did not press the subject.
"Perhaps so, but objectivity doesn't mean much in the realm of feelings," the doctor responded in a gentle voice. "Be it as it may, by 'saving her the worrying' you'd only distance her from yourself, and the feeling that she's too weak for you to lean on for support is the very last thing she needs at the moment."
Weiss nodded. "I understand," she said quietly, then once again faced the woman. "Will she be taking any medication?"
"Not for the time being, no, but I'd like her to come and meet me every week from now on," Doctor Glas replied. "However, she's not the only one who's always welcome here; my door will always be open to you and the rest of your team, if you ever feel the need to come."
Weiss averted her eyes, not quite knowing how to react — she didn't like the underlyingimplicationof those words, as it reminded her of the ugly truth, but, at the same time, she was not above admitting that she, too, had her own issues. At the very least, she could appreciate the seemingly genuine concern.
"Thank you." Weiss looked towards the door and a tiny frown graced her face with its presence as her thoughts were drawn towards Ruby. "Would it be okay if I kept accompanying her to her appointments?"
The woman followed Weiss’ gaze. "I think she'd appreciate that. And you might want her to tag along, too, should you ever come to me as a patient — assuming she'd be willing." A while of silence followed after she'd said that; when Weiss did not speak up, Doctor Glas assumed the two of them were done and placed her hand on the doorknob, smiling softly. "Well then, shall we join Ruby?"
Weiss jolted, gesturing for the doctor to hold on for just a second. "Just a moment, please. There is one more question I would like to ask." Doctor Glas did not take her hand off the door handle, but she did not turn it either, looking at Weiss with polite curiosity; seeing that she had the woman's attention, Weiss took a deep breath and carried on with the question that weighed heavy both on her mind and on her heart. "Did... did she tell you what Salem has done to her?"
For the briefest of moments, a strange, complex expression crossed Doctor Glas' face — the first display of any strong emotion Weiss had seen coming from the woman — only to disappear in a heartbeat as miss Cordelia returned to her usual, gentle and collected self.
But even then, she was no longer smiling.
The doctor nodded, and though her face was composed, Weiss could see sadness lingering in the blue eyes. "Yes, but it's something Ruby would rather tell you herself, when she's ready. Shewantsto tell you, and feels ashamed that she hasn't yet; please, be patient with her," she said. "I'd also advise against asking her about today's visit, at least for the next few days, unless she herself touches on the subject. First time at a therapist's can be... exhausting."
"I can imagine," Weiss agreed easily, taking one last glance around the room before returning her attention to the doctor. "That was all," she said with a small bow of her head.
Having concluded her business with Doctor Glas, Weiss silently followed her out of the study. Although she hadn't gotten the answer for the question that troubled her the most, their chat had still given her a lot to think about.
What seemed the most intriguing, however, had been the rare show of emotion on the doctor's part, as brief as it might have been, and Weiss wondered what exactly was the expression she'd seen on the woman's face — anger, or perhaps repulsion? Whatever it may have been, the thought of it was pushed out of her mind the moment Weiss marched into the kitchen and was reunited with Ruby.
Seeing that Weiss had returned, Ruby hurriedly finished up her tea, thanked both their hostesses and prepared to leave. Ruby and Weiss walked into the waiting room, with the other two women seeing them out; when they all came to a halt and the time had come to say their goodbyes, miss Cordelia spoke up.
"I know that today has been hard for you, Ruby," she said in a gentle, calm voice, looking Ruby in the eye with a soft expression painted on her face. "You've just set your first steps on a long, arduous road... There will be times when you visit me and leave feeling worse rather than better. There will be days when you'll be tired, and think to yourself that there's no point in coming. But please, do come regardless. Let us both do our best, and I promise I'll do what I can to help you get better."
Ruby gave Doctor Glas a tired, weak smile; it was clearly forced, but she deserved some points for the effort. "Sure, Doc. I'll try."
"Should anything happen, let me know immediately," the doctor said, and the look the girls had been given made it clear that her words were directed at both of them. She smiled. "With that out of the way, I'll see you in a week."
Bidding their goodbyes, Ruby and Weiss left the building. The moment the iron gate closed behind them, Ruby shut her eyes and turned her face towards the sky, letting out a long, weary sigh.
Weiss shot her a concerned look, uncertain as to how to proceed. "So, um, is there something you'd like to do now...?"
"Go home, boot up some game and try to forget that today has ever happened," Ruby replied flatly, staring blankly ahead instead of looking at Weiss. Then, not saying another word, she simply turned around and started walking down the walkway; Weiss jogged after her without a single word of complaint, quickly catching up, and together they walked whence they'd come.
Neither of them spoke while they were strolling through Patch, as Weiss could tell that Ruby had a lot on her mind — respecting Ruby’s need of a moment for herself, the worried Weiss had her hands tied, left to quietly hope that simply being there for Ruby would suffice.
The two of them arrived at Ruby’s house before long. Right after discarding her boots, Ruby made a beeline for the couch and plopped down on it, then reached for the remote and turned on the TV. When Weiss circled the sofa and walked into Ruby’s field of view, Ruby cast a brief glance in her direction before letting her eyes fall to the floor.
"Look, Weiss... sorry I'm being not that great of a host,again, but I just— Ireallycan't deal today," she said, shoulders slumped and a deeply apologetic expression present on her face.
Weiss put on a reassuring smile, somewhat touched that Ruby still had the presence of mind to care, in spite of all the things that undoubtedly were weighing heavy on her mind. "That's perfectly fine. Take your time. I'll find something to do in the meantime."
True to her word, she strolled up to the nearby bookcase and began checking the titles she found there. An idle thought crossed her mind, sparking her curiosity — what books was Ruby into? Weiss had known for a long time that Ruby used to like books, but the two of them had never talked about the subject at length, seeing that Weiss’ upbringing left her with little room for leisure reading; now, however, she couldn’t help but wonder.
A strange, complex feeling bloomed in her chest; it was one more of those things about Ruby she had next to no idea about — an irksome itch, a gap in knowledge she sincerely wanted to find a remedy for.
Taking notice that she could not hear the usual sounds of setting up the console, Weiss sensed her partner’s guilty stare on her skin. Struck by an idea, she asked out loud, "Hey, would you have any recommendations? A favorite book, perhaps?" hoping that engaging Ruby in some way would make the girl feel at least a little bit better about the situation, all the while sating Weiss' own curiosity.
A tiny spark glinted in Ruby's eyes, breathing some life into the crestfallen girl. "Sure," she said and stood up from the couch, traces of the faintest of smiles present on her lips.
She went on to recommend Weiss one of her beloved series, as well as a couple of standalone novels. Leaving Weiss with a book she considered to be a good starting point, Ruby rushed upstairs for her headphones; while the girl was away, Weiss made herself comfortable on the couch, sitting with her back against the armrest of the sofa and torso facing the stairs.
Once Ruby had returned, she plopped down right beside Weiss, booting up some game she had on her bucket list for the longest time. Weiss, on her part, started reading, and pretended not to watch her partner carefully over the book. The novel she had been given seemed to be quite in line with what Weiss had been expecting of Ruby, endearingly so — a tale of great evil and brave heroes, who, while flawed, would go to great lengths to protect the common folk.
Not a quarter of an hour had passed before they heard somebody coming down the stairs. The heavy, slow footsteps heralded the arrival of Tai, who came into the girls' view shortly thereafter, stifling a long yawn with one of his hands; visibly tired, he didn't even notice the pair sitting on the couch until the moment Weiss called out to him.
"Good afternoon."
Tai blinked and looked at the two in surprise; the girls hadn’t been talking for a while and Ruby was gaming with her headphones on, so the house must’ve been pretty quiet when he had left his room, possibly leading him to believe that he was alone.
"Oh, hi there, you two." It appeared that he was about to simply pass them by and head for the kitchen, but the moment his eyes started to draw away from Ruby, he stopped and looked at his daughter once again, that time with visible concern. "Hey, Rubes... is everything alright?"
Ruby moved her headphones, uncovering one of her ears. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," she said as if nothing had happened, in a manner so natural and convincing that Weiss felt legitimately unsettled; it served to show just how much practice in hiding her pain Ruby must've had over the years — likely even before coming to Beacon.
Although Ruby returned her attention to the TV, Tai continued to watch her, uncertain as to what to think, seemingly torn between his gut feeling and trusting Ruby’s genuinely convincing facade. It seemed that he was about to ask her something, and Weiss, taking notice of that, stared him in the eye and — ever so slightly — shook her head, praying that he'd take the hint.
It worked, shutting Tai up heartbeats short of speaking up. "Well, uh, alright then," he said, sheepishly scratching his head, and the few-seconds long silence that had preceded those words made it sound all the more awkward. "So, guess I'll leave you two be and get started on dinner. Something you'd like?"
Ruby threw a brief glance in her dad's direction. "Anything's fine."
Weiss smiled politely when his eyes turned her way. "Same as Ruby. Thank you."
"Got it." With that, Tai left for the kitchen, stopping for a brief moment in the doorway to give the girls one last, concerned look before disappearing inside; if Ruby had noticed, it was impossible to tell; Weiss decided not to comment on her white lie from before.
Tai reappeared after about an hour, popping into the room only to tell the girls that the food was ready and that they could help themselves whenever they’d like. To Weiss’ surprise, Ruby and her dined alone, as Taiyang had already eaten and had gone to work in the garden, perhaps thinking that it would be for the best to give the girls some space for the time being. Though Weiss felt bad for him, she appreciated his consideration.
Dinner went by without a hitch. Ruby's mood had improved noticeably since they'd arrived home, and the two of them even enjoyed a pleasant discussion over their meal regarding the book Weiss was reading. Neither mentioned their visit to Dr. Glas.
They soon returned to the living room, to once again busy themselves with killing time. Returning to her previous sitting position with her back to the armrest and front facing Ruby, Weiss continued to sneak occasional glances in the girl’s direction, but, now that she seemed in better spirits, said glances were rarer and less concerned; for the most part, Weiss simply observed Ruby while the latter was gaming, finding her reactions more interesting than the book — not that the book itself wasn’t entertaining.
About two hours passed rather uneventfully. Then, hearing a soft chuckle, Weiss pried her eyes away from the page in front of her and looked up at Ruby with interest; a self-satisfied grin was plastered over the girl’s face, and Weiss, curious as to what had caused it, directed her eyes towards the screen. She did so just in time to see how one of the characters under Ruby’s command cast some sort of a fire-based spell at one of the monsters that surrounded the party… only to kickstart a chain reaction that covered half the battlefield in explosions.
Ruby snorted with glee; whatever the girl had originally planned, Weiss had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t quite that — or to that extent, at the very least.
Noticing that Weiss had been watching her, Ruby took off her headphones; the movement caused a stray lock of hair to fall onto her forehead, which she promptly blew off to the side as she eyed Weiss curiously. "Sup?"
Weiss shook her head a bit, a light smile upon her lips. "Nothing. You just seem to be enjoying yourself."
"I suppose," Ruby conceded, laughing softly. After a moment, she glanced at the Scroll lying in her lap, which she had been using as a gamepad, then looked back at Weiss, a tiny grin blooming on her face as she offered the device to Weiss. "Wanna give it a shot?"
Weiss eyed the Scroll cautiously. She recalled that one time when Ruby and Yang had managed to talk her into playing some fighting game with them, which had unsurprisingly ended in Weiss' utter defeat; she had never picked a pad since, and had talked herself out of any and all attempts to convince her to try again.
It was not that she had anything against video games — they seemed great for blowing off steam, not to mention entertaining; moreover, seeing how quickly both Ruby and Yang had been able to respond to anything she’d thrown at them had long since convinced Weiss that there was more to gaming than just the mindless mashing of the buttons she herself had employed. She simply believed that fighting games were not for her, and — considering that those had been pretty much the only kind the sisters had been playing during their time at Beacon — she’d never had an opportunity to try anything else. The game Ruby was playing right then was certainly not a brawler, however, and now that the opportunity presented itself, Weiss was quite intrigued, indeed.
After staring at the Scroll long enough for Ruby to start losing hope, Weiss leaned in and took the pad from Ruby’s hand; taking her legs off the couch, Weiss sat properly and slid a bookmark in-between the pages of the novel, then scooted closer to Ruby, who beamed at her and promptly put the audio on the speakers.
Facing the TV screen with a newfound resolve, Weiss asked: "So, what do I do?"
Blake woke up with a start, her eyes snapping open. She was lying on her side, facing a wardrobe in her room, while Yang's peaceful breathing tickled the skin on her neck. Moonlight seeped inside through the partially open blinds, creating silvery stripes of light on the paneled floor. The apartment was quiet — she could hear nothing but hers and Yang's breathing — and she knew that there was nothing to be alarmed about, but her heart still pounded wildly in her chest, making it clear to her that she would not be granted sleep anytime soon.
Exasperated, Blake let out a soft, resigned sigh into the darkness. The day before, after a long, serious talk with Yang about their relationship and their feelings, she’d slept better than she had for the longest time… but it appeared that another peaceful night was just too damn much to ask.
She gingerly freed herself from under Yang's arm and left the warmth of their bed, the pleasant coolness of the polished wood sending a shiver down her spine when her feet touched the floor. Standing up, she quietly walked over to the closet and slid it open, then slid her hand into one of the pockets of her coat. Having pulled out a small cardboard box, she took a spare blanket from the wardrobe and draped it over her shoulders, then unlocked the door to the balcony and quietly slipped outside.
Despite the blanket, Blake shuddered when the chilly air of the autumn night snuck under the sheet and made contact with the bare skin of her legs and forearms, causing goosebumps and leading her to wrap her makeshift cloak tighter around her form. Moon shone bright over the city of Vale as Blake approached the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railing, marveling at the view below.
Vale slumbered peacefully beneath her feet, with the usual buzz of the night life being carried to her by the wind that tousled Blake's hair. Watching occasional cars traveling down the luminous arteries of the city, she opened the box she had taken from her coat and pulled out a single cigarette, as well as the lighter she’d been storing in that same pack; it took her a couple of tries to get the flame going because of the wind, but she eventually succeeded.
Letting out a puff of smoke, she went on to put the lighter back in its place, only to notice one more thing she'd put in that cigarette pack — a small piece of rigid, slick paper with something printed on it. Recognizing the object nigh immediately, Blake huffed in amusement and pulled it out, placing her remaining cigarettes on the handrail; the letters, though written in a fine print, were easily readable in the moonlight, especially to a Faunus:'Dr. Cordelia Glas, psychiatrist & therapist'. Drawing on her cigarette with a slightly bitter smile, she congratulated her past self on the gift of forethought.
For the past year, the memory of killing Adam had been haunting her in her sleep. Those dreams, though relatively rare, were frequent enough to never let her truly leave the past behind, to never let the image of Adam's shocked face fade into the background of her mind. Sometimes, she'd relive their fight step by step, arriving at the same gruesome outcome, while other times — especially more recently — her mind would invent different scenarios for different settings. She had gone through so many variations — of killing, of being killed, and of seeing him kill while she could do nothing but to scream and watch her loved ones getting tortured and maimed.
That night, she had been the one doing the killing; though the details had begun to slowly fade into oblivion, she remembered some sort of a crash — perhaps a bullhead being shot down — and that she'd found Adam outside the burning wreckage, coughing up blood. He had been sitting alone in ankle-deep snow... or rather, had been propped up in that position by the mangled steel beam that pierced his right lung at an angle. Still alive, but certainly dying. She had stopped in front of him and watched the man for a while. He’d said something to her, but she couldn’t remember what it had been, exactly; whatever it might’ve been, the dream-Blake’s demeanor had changed, and her hesitation subsided.
'Do you remember your promise, Adam? The one where you promised you would destroy everything I love?'the girl had asked.'You have succeeded, if partially. You've managed to destroyonething I've loved...'The consternation on Adam's face had turned to disbelief when the dream-Blake had lifted the hand holding Gambol Shroud and pressed the muzzle of her gun to his forehead.'Yourself.'
She had pulled the trigger. Whether it had been out of mercy or out of spite, she did not know... and that uncertainty scared her as she gazed from up high at the city lamps below.
She heard the door to the balcony open behind her, but did not turn around, knowing full well who that was. Feeling a bit guilty for having woken Yang up, Blake blew a puff of smoke into the night.
From the darkness came Yang's voice. "Not in the kissing mood, I see. Should've just told me so," she said in a half-jest. While Yang had never done anything to explicitly forbid Blake from smoking, she would often express her disapproval with semi-serious remarks and adamantly refused to give her as little as a peck on the cheek if she could smell the cigarettes. Not that Blake could blame her.
Blake laughed, flicking the ash from her cigarette. "Hey, it's not like I'm trying to make it a habit."
She truly believed what she’d said — she smoked rarely, and did so only to relieve stress; in her current pack, there was just enough free space to fit her lighter, and she’d bought it back when Salem had still been alive. True, it was at least partially due to Yang hiding her cigarettes after Blake had burned through three in a row, back when Weiss had been on life support, but the point stood. She didn't evenliketo smoke, but there was something calming about the action that helped her cool down and gather her thoughts — perhaps the steady, peaceful rhythm of inhaling and exhaling.
Yang approached the railing and took place next to her, windward from Blake. Though she was clad in nothing but her tank top and shorts, the chilly breeze did not seem to be getting to her in the slightest. "Well, considering that you go for a smoke every time something is bothering you, isn't it kinda a habit?" Leaning against the rail, she looked Blake in the eye with visible concern. "What's wrong, Kitten?"
Blake didn't reply straightaway, holding the smoke in for a few moments before letting it out alongside a small sigh. "I've dreamt of killing Adam again," she said quietly.
Yang's expression darkened a bit, a sympathetic frown showing up on her face. "What was it this time?"
Held in the hand dangling off the ledge of the balcony, the tip of Blake’s cigarette lit up when a stronger gust of wind blew by; a few sparks flew off into the night, only to burn out and fade a mere heartbeat later. Looking into the distance, Blake spoke up.
"An execution. Bullet to the head, shot point-blank, muzzle pressed against his skull. He would’ve bled out anyway, but…" She shook her head and sighed again, then turned towards Yang. "Hey... have you ever regretted killing Tyrian?"
Yang turned around and rested her back against the railing, looking up at the starless sky. She remained silent for a while, giving the question some serious thought. "No, but I've never known the guy. All that Ididknow was that he was a crazy psycho that had almost killed my uncle and was after my baby sister. It was a simple decision, if you could even deign it as such."
"'Deign?'" Blake parroted her playfully, giving Yang a sideways look through her eyelashes.
"Oh shut it," Yang laughed, then once again turned serious. "He just flipped my momma bear switch, is what I meant. In any case: no, I've never regretted it; not now, and certainly not back then. Can't say I've felt anything, really, outside of wanting to protect Ruby. And to shred the fucker to pieces for stabbing her, I suppose."
Blake simply nodded, then fell quiet for a spell. "What about Ruby, then?" she asked eventually. "Do you think she has any regrets? You know… regarding Cinder?"
Blake could swear she saw Yang shudder at the mention of that memory. Blake, too, remembered that night well.
The hall that had been the unfortunate host of their battle with Cinder had fallen silent in an instant, as if the world itself had gasped in shock at the sickening, wet squelch of cold steel penetrating flesh. Ruby and Cinder, surrounded by ruins, had been staring at one another, with the rogue Fall Maiden impaled onto Crescent Rose, ‘kneeling’ in front of her conqueror; for a moment, Cinder's knees had been hovering a couple inches above the cracked floor as she hung from the scythe as if it’d been some sort of a gruesome meat hook.
Tears had been trailing down Ruby's cheeks, but no mercy had been hiding in her silver eyes — just cold determination. She had said something to her nemesis — to that day Blake didn't know what, and had dared not to ask — then ripped the blade of Crescent Rose from Cinder's stomach and spun on her spot in a pirouette of death, bringing her scythe down and beheading her opponent in a single, clean cut. The power of Fall Maiden, having been released from its usurper, had flickered towards Ruby, briefly enveloping her in an incandescent, orange mist; it had lasted for but a second or two, before that faint light swirled and scattered towards the sky, leaving their group alone amidst smoldering ruins.
Though claiming that a creature of flesh and blood dying by Crescent Rose is not a pretty sight would be a most severe understatement, what had happened after was no less harrowing in Blake's memory. Ruby had just kind of...stood thereover Cinder's body, and when Yang had rushed to her sister's side and asked her if she was okay, Ruby had simply replied 'no' and asked to just leave that place. Before they could exit the ruins of the building, the poor girl had thrown up, and when they had stopped by some fountain so she could wash off the gore, she would keep on frantically scrubbing her hands even though they had already been clean; she had been deaf to other people pointing that fact out, and it had gotten to a point that her teammates had been afraid she'd draw her own blood. She had stopped only when Weiss, heartbroken, had approached her and gently taken Ruby's hands in her own.
"No," Yang said quietly, but her voice was firm. "Her face back then was not one of regret." She sighed. "I think it's the fact that she killed apersonthat is bothering her, not that she killed Fall in particular. She'd wanted to become a Huntress to protect people, after all... and I think that a part of that dream had died along with Cinder. Thespiritof that dream, anyway — the innocent, romanticized fantasy she'd had... does that make sense?"
Blake nodded, all too familiar with the fear of having lost your way. "It does."
Yang continued. "As for Weiss... I dunno. If anyone would know, it'd be Ruby, but I'm not sure whether the two of them have ever talked about it."
Blake hummed in acknowledgment to Yang's response, saying nothing more as she drew on her smoke. The two of them let their conversation fade into comfortable silence, standing on the dark balcony and simply enjoying each other's presence; words did not seem necessary. Some time had passed, and Blake was about to finish her cigarette when her ears twitched; as she followed the sound with her eyes, she discovered that Yang was scratching her prosthetic arm, and the realization brought a tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows.
"Arm acting up?"
Yang glanced at Blake, a bit embarrassed that she had been noticed. "Yeah... it doesn't hurt at the moment, it's just... kinda like an itch you can't scratch, you know?" she said, looking at her bionic hand with a small dose of melancholy.
Blake frowned, directing her gaze at the business card she still held in her hand. She had known for a long time that Yang occasionally suffered from phantom pains, and though they were now relatively rare and fairly moderate in their severity — at least according to Yang — Blake felt a pang of guilt every time she would take notice; from what she had gathered, there were times when Yang could feel her arm as if it was still there, just... oddly short and awkwardly positioned.
An unpleasant shiver ran down Blake's spine as she tried to imagine the sensation and the cognitive dissonance it must cause; she couldn't help but feel bad for Yang, even though she’d been told time and time again not to worry about it.
"Thinking of paying that doctor a visit?" she heard Yang ask, who apparently had noticed the card Blake had been staring at.
"I'm not sure yet. You?"
Yang shrugged. "Seems like the smart thing to do, but I dunno. That said, Ruby will probably want us all to go after we return, anyway."
Blake snickered under her breath. "We have a wise sister."
"I know, right?" Yang easily agreed, laughter present in her voice. Having said that, she stared off wistfully into the distance, towards the lights dotting the isle of Patch and, as Blake presumed, her home. "Wonder how those two dorks are doing."
Blake looked in that same direction, but could only discern the massive shape of Signal Academy, its walls illuminated by numerous spotlights. In truth, she shared Yang's curiosity, though likely for different reasons — Yang was simply anxious about leaving her sister’s side so shortly after everything that had happened, while Blake herself simply wondered what leaving Weiss and Ruby on their own for a week would lead to.
"Probably being so adorable together that they're giving us a run for our money," Blake said in a half-jest, hoping to cheer Yang up a little.
Yang let out a short laugh, but it was as if her heart wasn't in it, mind still riddled with worry. "Right."
There was an old ashtray on a small table just off to Blake's side, likely left there by the previous residents of the penthouse. Having burned out her cigarette, she pressed the tip to the tray to snuff it out; as Yang watched her grinding out the cigarette, her lips curved into a tiny little smirk.
"Won't your mom kill you if she sees a fresh butt in that ashtray?" Yang asked teasingly.
Blake froze at those words, the twisting motion of her wrist stopping immediately. Stony-faced, she remained in that position for a second or two, only to grab the ashtray and dump all the ash off the balcony; setting the ashtray back in its place, she then took the stub of her cigarette and rushed to a nearby empty bin, tossing the butt inside. Yang, in the meanwhile, simply continued to snicker at the spectacle, most entertained by Blake's reaction to her half-serious question.
As she was dusting off her hands, Blake heard Yang speak up behind her back. "Hey, Blake... remember how I asked whether you wanted me to fill you in on the things you don't remember? Y’know, because of your concussion?"
Hearing that, Blake stiffened a bit, then slowly turned around and met the lilac gaze; Yang’s face was serious as she stared back at her, back still glued to the balcony railing. Blake nodded, even though she had a feeling that Yang didn’t really need her to.
"Want to do that now?"
Blake silently stepped to the edge of the balcony, retaking her place next to Yang; resting her elbows on the railing, she looked the other in the eye. "Yeah."
Much to Ruby's delight, Weiss, after overcoming the initial hurdles of a newbie gamer, found herself enjoying the game quite a lot and, after about an hour, agreed easily to Ruby's suggestion to start the whole playthrough from the beginning and play together in co-op. And so, the two of them spent the rest of the day having a total blast, taking short breaks every now and then to grab a bite to eat or to get something to drink, playing well into the night and stopping only when Ruby started getting too sleepy for her to continue. Moon was already high in the sky by the time they turned off the console, the TV defaulting to some action flick that aired at that late hour.
Ruby sat cross-legged on the couch, turned slightly towards her partner. Propping her chin in her hand, she looked at Weiss with a tiny smirk. "Didn't think you'd get so into it."
Weiss laughed at that, shutting her Scroll shut. "What can I say? Fighting games may not be my cup of tea, but this here — a turn-based RPG, was it? — this I can get behind. The story is actually interesting, and though I may be biased on the matter, I'd say that all the different ways you can use elements to your advantage make for a really satisfying experience."
Ruby let out a soft chuckle; Weiss had built her main character around elemental magic, as it was the playstyle she'd found herself liking the most during the time she had spent trying out the game solo. The choice had not surprised Ruby in the slightest, and there was something inherently endearing about Weiss, her team's caster, playing an elementalist in a video game.
It had been kinda cool to watch how quickly Weiss had slipped right into her role, and the two of them even managed to fall into their usual battle routine of Ruby taking care of the tactics and Weiss helping with the plans’ execution. Once Weiss had gotten a better hang of the game's mechanics, she’d even started coming up with her own ideas, and their brainstorming had led to some truly hilarious shenanigans. Many laughs had been had, and at one point the girls had been so loud that Tai had come back from upstairs just to check what the hell the ruckus had been about.
"Yeah, I've figured the combat would be right up your alley," Ruby said. Though sleepy, she was in a fairly good mood; it warmed her heart that she'd had an opportunity to bond with Weiss over one of her hobbies, and the whole experience had been made all the better by the fact that Weiss had also enjoyed herself in the process. "Hey, listen... thanks for putting up with me today. And sorry it had turned out this way."
Weiss simply smiled. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's just good to see that you seem to be feeling better."
"Guess I am," Ruby agreed with a quiet laugh.
Weiss looked down onto the hands resting in her lap, as if there was something she wanted to say and was searching for the right words to do so; whatever it was, she seemed a bit apprehensive to broach the subject. Eventually, she managed to muster the courage. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking... how was it like, having a panic attack? The doctor has told me what are the symptoms, but... I'm more interested in your personal experience." Hearing that question, Ruby let her gaze drop onto her lap as she pondered on the answer; Weiss, who must have taken that action as a sign of distress, was immediately alarmed, and quickly added: "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
Ruby shook her head. "No, that's fine."
It really was — the attack was now little more than a pale memory in her mind, especially considering that she now had a decent grasp of what it actually had been; it was kind of like having been spooked by something in the darkness, only to see that very same thing in broad daylight, able to recall your fear while no longer experiencing it. It was not to say that another such attack would not be terrifying, but in hindsight it seemed somewhat...abstract, and Ruby found herself not really having any issues with talking about it for the second time that day — outside of her shame, perhaps.
"Have you ever tilted your chair so far back that you fell over? Or slipped on ice?" Seeing a small nod, she continued. "Remember that 'oh no' moment between being completely fine and panicking, when you are just beginning to fall and the world kinda comes to a standstill for a heartbeat, and the realization hits you that you might break your neck and die when you hit the ground? It's kinda like that... except it keeps on going. Add nausea, pounding heart and feeling like you just can’t get enough air no matter how deep you breathe, and you'll get the picture."
"Dust, Ruby... I'm so sor—" Though Weiss likely meant that to be comforting, the tone of her voice cut into Ruby like knives.
"Pleasestop," hurt, Ruby snapped at her, eyes clenched shut as if to prevent any tears from rolling out. Weiss froze in the middle of her sentence, as if slapped across her face, startled by the sudden reaction. "I answered because I want you to understand, not topityme. You being there was the best thing about that whole ordeal... but also the worst. I don't know what I would've done without you, but I also don't know how to deal with the fact that you've seen me just... crumble like that, for no reason," Ruby said quietly, then shook her head.
She opened her eyes, but did not dare to look up to meet Weiss' gaze, staring at her lap instead as she continued to speak. "I'm a mess, Weiss. You are my guest, and yetyouare the one taking care ofme,even right now. I feelpathetic, and I can't get out of my head the thought that I'm one slip up away from... I dunno, making you see me in a bad light? Or making you think that I'm a burden?" Ruby fumbled with her words, herself too confused by her own tangled up feelings to be able to explain them.
With her gaze downcast, Ruby saw how a slim hand entered her field of view and rested atop her own. "Why would I ever think that, silly?" Weiss asked softly, speaking with a faint hint of amusement that made it sound as if she considered the prospect to be preposterous. "Yes, it bothers me whenever I see you sad or hurting, but it's because Icare, not because I think you're weak, or unreliable, or that you need my pity. I worry and feel for you, but that's because you're my friend, and as cheesy as it may sound, I just want you to smile. It's like you've said — we're all messed up, but we're in thistogether.Really, you'd have to do somethingmuchworse to make me turn away." She paused for a while, then huffed through her nose, as if something amusing had crossed her mind. "As for being your guest — honestly, I feel much more 'at home' here than I've ever felt at my own house. You're fine."
That got a tiny chuckle out of Ruby. "That's not a very high bar, is it," she replied, finally looking up at Weiss.
Weiss giggled, visibly glad that she'd managed to defuse the situation a bit. "No, but the point still stands — don't worry about it." She paused for a brief moment, turning her eyes towards the floor. "Hey, would you mind if I asked you one more question?"
"Shoot."
"What helped you calm down in the end?" she asked. "Doctor Glas told me that a panic attack might last hours, but yours didn’t last anywhere that long."
"Might,but not alwaysdoes," Ruby pointed out, setting the record straight. "But yeah, I've wondered about that myself, and, honestly, I don't know. Might've been the fact that I wasn't alone, or maybe it just went away on its own... but whenever I try to think back to that time, the first thing that comes to mind is the sound of your heartbeat."
Weiss blinked a couple of times. "My heartbeat?"
Rubbing her neck, Ruby glanced to the side. "Yeah, I, um, kinda listened to it, I suppose...? Sorta grounded me in the reality that I wasn’t alone. Can't really remember anything after that; I must've fallen asleep at some point," she said, and a while of awkward silence followed shortly thereafter. Desperate to break it, she let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Well, that's... awkward."
"Yeah, a bit," Weiss admitted, laughing softly. "It's getting late. Shall we turn in for the night?"
"Sure," Ruby agreed, a tiny smile lighting up her face.
The moment Weiss got off the couch to go upstairs, she felt something grab her by her sleeve, quickly followed by Ruby pulling her into an embrace.
"Thanks," Ruby whispered. The word felt insufficient on her tongue, but she had a hunch there were none that could adequately describe the depth of gratitude she felt to Weiss, for sticking with her through thick and thin, even in time of her weakness. She could only hope that touch would deliver where speech couldn’t possibly suffice.
The sudden hug surprised Weiss, but before long, two lithe arms enveloped the small of Ruby's back, returning the embrace. "Anytime, Dolt."
