RoR Chapter 10 Snippet #24

Chapter 10: Machinations

The sun was shining brightly, but the warmth felt dulled.

As she stepped outside the dust shore she just finished shopping in, two bags of premium Dust she never used before in her hands, Ruby Rose couldn’t help but stare at the people around her. The crowds seemed a bit small to her, especially with the Vytal Festival so close by. It didn’t take her long to realize why it might be smaller. Why the warm, sunny day suddenly felt a bit cloudy.

It was because of what she had failed to do.

Ruby's throat went tight, and she stared at nothing, unblinking

“Ruby?”

Ruby turned her head, and saw Weiss stepping out of the Dust store, her own bag of Dust hanging from her arm. She was frowning as she stepped closer to Ruby, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Immediately, Ruby gave her a tiny smile. “Yeah. Fine, Weiss.”

Weiss lips thinned; not like usual, though. Her expression looked just a bit tighter with emotion she tried not to let show.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” she insisted, widening the smile.

“I believe you, Ruby,” Weiss said, and if it were anyone else, it would’ve sounded like she meant that. But Ruby had been her partner long enough to know that was her “I-don’t-believe-you-but-I’m-just-being-polite-and-not-saying-anything” voice. And going by the look in her eye, Weiss knew Ruby knew, but still didn’t say anything. Probably waiting for Ruby to admit there was something wrong first.

But there wasn’t. Not really.

Ruby looked away, frowning. After a moment, Weiss spoke

“Do you still have the list?”

Ruby blinked, and turned. “What?”

“The list.” Weiss raised a delicate eyebrow. “The one where you wrote down the new video games Yang wanted us to get for ‘the team?’”

Ruby blinked, and then her eyes went wide. “Oh, right! Yeah, I got it right—” Ruby reached into the pocket of her skirt, and froze.

Weiss’ gaze suddenly went flat. “Ruby,” she said, and it was amazing how much exasperation she could put into her name.

“Wa-wait, hold on!” Ruby frantically looked over the pocket, but found nothing their. She checked the other one just as frantically, but again, there was nothing their. She looked back to Weiss, and a sheepish smile crossed her face. “Ehehehe…so, about that list—”

Weiss let out the mother of all groans, all but smacking a hand to her face as she dragged it down. “Every time. This happens every time, Ruby!”

“I-it’s not every time!”

“That time when I asked you to go pick up a package from my butler since you were in Vale,”Weiss said, and Ruby winced at that. Her stone-cold, unblinking eyes bore a hole as she lifted a finger. And then another. “That time you forgot to pick up Blake’s anchovy pizza”—Ruby winced again—“the time you forgot to pick eye drops for Blake or tampons for me from the pharmacy”—another wince, this one far harder—“the other time you forgot to pick up my package. And the time after that.”

Ruby winced so hard it was like she’d been punched in the gut. “I-in my defense,” she muttered, not looking Weiss in the eye. “That weekend I was really worried about the grade for our history paper.”

“Every time you always forget to pick up your friends’ stuff!” Weiss said, ignoring her. She sighed. “I’m starting to think the part of your brain, who’s only job was to remember to pick our things, was tragically lost during one of the many times you used your Semblance.”

“He-hey!” Ruby said, glaring slightly at Weiss, but her friend looked at her like she was Zwei trying to act like he was intimidating. Which wasn’t a fair comparison at all, because she could be pretty scary! “I didn’t forgot I had to pick something up! I just…forgot the list that told me what to pick up.”

“Yes, because that’s so much better.” Weiss rolled her eyes so hard, Ruby was surprised they didn’t fall out of her sockets. She sighed again. “Why didn’t you write the thing on your scroll and not on a piece of paper?”

“I didn’t have my scroll on me when Yang told me what to get!”

“And you didn’t think to write it down when you did get it…because?”

“I didn’t wanna type the list again!”

“So laziness,” Weiss said bluntly. “That’s the excuse you’re going with?”

“Ugh, Weiss, please, scolding me over this isn’t gonna help me remember what Yang—wait!” Ruby sudden shout was enough to make Weiss flinch. Ruby reached for the pocket with her scroll, took it out, and then went to the camera app on it and pulled out a specific photo. “I took a picture of it!” Proudly, she showed the photo of the Yang’s list in all its glory, and smiled. “I didn’t forget it! Hah!”

Weiss stared. Then, she pointed out, “No, you still did. You just knew yourself well enough to bring a backup.”

Ruby’s smile vanished, and her gaze went flat. “Let me have this, Weiss-Cream.”

“Don’t you dare call me that insufferable nickname,” Weiss said, eyes narrowing.

“Okay.” Ruby grinned impishly. “Would you prefer Snow Angel?”

Weiss’ glare was like a blizzard. “Were it not for the fact I left Myrtenaster at school, you’d find yourself at the end of its blade, Crater Face.”

Ruby glared.

Weiss crossed her arms haughtily.

Ruby crossed her arms, also haughtily. Or, as haughtily as she could.

Weiss let out a delicate snort. “We both know you can’t pull off the ‘smug rich-girl’ look like I can, Ruby.”

Ruby let out an unexpected laugh, one that almost made her drop her bag as she tried, and failed, to stop it. “Y-yeah,” she wheezed out, slowly coming to a stop. “I guess I can’t.”

She smiled at Weiss, and Weiss smiled back. She felt a bit lighter now, more than she felt in a while, honestly. When was the last time she had laughed like that? It was hard for her to tell. Then again, it kind of felt hard to remember things like that, after…

After she had failed all those people.

Immediately, her smile died, and it felt like the ground disappeared underneath her as she was suddenly back underneath the highway. She could hear screams that just kept getting louder and louder. Hear her friend’s painful groans as Ruby could just do nothing but wait for help. And then she was in a hospital, the noise of the staff and the people and just about everything fading away as she stared at the TV hanging on the wall let her know one simple thing.

She failed. She failed worse than she ever thought possible. She failed like a Huntress wasn’t supposed to do, that a hero wasn’t supposed to do, something she knew, for certain, Mom wouldn’t have failed.

But Ruby did.

Something grabbed her shoulder, and it startled her so badly she jolted upright, whirling around.

Weiss was staring at her, eyes full of concern. “Ruby, are you okay?”

Ruby blinked. When did Weiss get behind her? And why was it so hard to speak.

“Ruby?” Weiss asked, just a little frantically. Weiss never showed as much emotion on her face as she did now.

Seeing that was enough to shock Ruby out of whatever…funk she suddenly got trapped in. She cleared her throat, and said, in a slightly wavering voice, “Ye-yeah. Sorry, I just…I’m—”

“Ruby.” Weiss eyes were suddenly very firm, and Ruby clamped her mouth shut. “Please don’t say you’re fine.”

Ruby looked down. She was fine. She had been fine, it was just…her head just made her feel like everything was…was…

The sun was still out, but everything suddenly felt so cold it was painful, and Ruby shivered.

Weiss didn’t say anything. She just stood by Ruby’s side, hand still on her shoulder. Ruby didn’t so much as twitch. Then, after a moment, Weiss slowly moved her hand off her shoulder, and grabbed Ruby’s own.

“May we sit down?” she asked softly, nodding towards a nearby bench. And the implication, lying beneath her words, was clear, even in Ruby’s current headspace.

Honestly, Ruby didn’t want to. She wanted to just pretend none of this was happening, that they could go about their day and keep being normal. She didn’t want to deal with all the feelings inside her and her head that just refused to let her be fine.

But then she looked at Weiss’ calm, gentle eyes. It was an expression of honest care she rarely saw from her reserved friend. A look that, combined with her head being such a mess and just wanting to do something to deal with her thoughts in a way that actually helped, made it hard to act like things were fine.

So, almost without thinking, she slowly nodded once.

Weiss looked a little bit surprised, like she wasn’t expecting her to agree so easily. But that flicker of emotion quickly vanished under a calm gaze. “Thank you,” she said. Then, still holding her hand, Weiss led her to a little bench near the side of the Dust store, one at a corner where no one was around and was kind of hidden away, but still close enough where she could peer through some of windows that let yo inside at all the exotic dust arranged neatly in stainless glass cases. Weiss had told her that wasn’t actually normal glass, but highly tempered laminated glass that made it all but bullet reflective. Which was probably why it was one of the few places that hadn’t been robbed; it’d take an explosion to even dent the glass, and you’d have to be crazy to to use explosions around this much volatile dust?

She knew she was just listing off those facts to distract herself. She might’ve agreed to sit down, and to the implication in Weiss’ tone that she would actually talk, but a part of her really, really hoping Weiss wouldn’t try to talk to her about how she froze just seconds ago, and wanted to focus on anything other than that.

But then, they were sitting down, and one look at Weiss told her that wasn’t happening. Not that she could blame her, she basically just agreed to do that a second ago. And she…she didn’t want to keep worrying Weiss, or the rest of her team, about her ‘mood,’ so another part of her was willing to talk about some stuff.

Just…not a lot.

“So,” Weiss said, sounding a little unsure about how to start off. “Could you tell me what just happened?”

Ruby looked away. “I…”The words felt stuck in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to say another denial, or actually try to answer the question. Ugh. Why was her head being so difficult?

“Okay,” Weiss said, like Ruby had actually given a response. “In that case, can you tell me how you’ve been feeling since…Goldie?”

Ruby didn’t know if Weiss’ hesitance was because she was referencing that fight, or using that kind of silly name. Either way, it didn’t stop Ruby tensing from head-to-toe at just the mention of what happened with him. It was so stupid to be acting like this. She should just be giving it her all to be a better huntress, to just tell Weiss she didn’t want to talk and get up from this bench and go train some more and do anything to avoid this talk.

But again, Ruby looked to Weiss gentle eyes and caring face and the way she held her hand, and slowly, a part of whatever was clogging her voice disappeared.

“I…could be…doing better,” Ruby said, each word coming out slow and halting.

“In what regard?” Weiss asked.

“I guess, you know…” Ruby rubbed the back of her head. “I haven’t been that…happy, since, everything happened.”

“Yes. I’ve noticed,” Weiss said, without judgement. “Would it be right to assume that’s because of how we failed to stop him?”

Ruby looked away. “Yeah. Basically.”

“Basically?”

Ruby kept looking away.

Weiss paused for a moment, and Ruby could imagine her mouth thinning into a neutral line. “Ruby, would you mind if I share something I can’t help but notice since we began practicing with dust weaving?”

Ruby didn’t respond right away, but eventually, she nodded.

“I’ve seen you bring up that news report on your scroll sometimes about the death counts from the highway.” Ruby tried her best not to flinch. “I’ve also heard you muttering what sounds like ‘I’m sorry,’ and it’s usually followed by what I know is, ‘I’ll be better.’”

This time, Ruby did flinch.

“So…would it be safe to assume you feel like what happened was your fault.

Ruby couldn’t open her mouth. Not when it suddenly felt like lead, and not when she wasn’t sure what would come out of it. So, she just nodded instead.

There was a pause; Ruby and Weiss didn’t say anything. Ruby still didn’t face her, but she could all but feel the concern being aimed her way.

“Ruby…you know everything that happened that night wasn’t your fault.” Weiss tone was so soothing; it felt like her cloak after she took it out of the dryer. “You weren’t responsible for all the lives lost.”

“Bu-but I was!” Ruby almost shouted that, and Weiss leaned back in surprise. “It was my plan that didn’t stop him, that led to Blake getting hurt and, and you getting hurt, and all those people—”

“Ruby.” Weiss put a hand on her shoulder, and looked her firmly in the eye. “That. Wasn’t. Your fault. The only people who are at fault here, are Torchwick, the White Fang, and Goldie.”

“But—”

“No buts. It wasn’t your fault.” Weiss said it like she was stating a fact. But how could she think that when—“Do you blame me for what happened that night?”

“What?” Ruby leaned back in shock. ”I—of course not. Why would I?”

“I didn’t stop Goldie either. In fact, of everyone their that night, I probably had the best semblance and was in the best position to deal with him than and their. But I didn’t.”

“Weiss, you got ambushed by someone before you could stop him. That wasn’t your fault.” Ruby’s frowned, and she did her best to make it as sympathetic as she could. “You did your best.”

“Why is that a good enough reason for me, but not one for you?”

Ruby froze; just for a moment, and then her frown turned into something just a little angry. “That’s not the same.”

“Why?”

I’m the leader. I’m supposed to be able to turn any situation into a win. Or at least make sure no one gets hurts. Especially my own team.”

Weiss kept looking at her with that calm, judgement-free look on her face. Ruby was starting to hate it. “Ruby, sometimes people get hurt, and there’s nothing we can do about.”

“But I could’ve done something,” Ruby said, voice rising. “I was right their. I should’ve been able to save someone.”

“You did. Blake.”

“Barely.” Ruby didn’t know why she was scowling, why she was suddenly so angry. But her blood was practically boiling, and the words burned past whatever was lodged in her throat and she just kept talking. “Did you know when I first saw Blake fighting Goldie on the car, I thought, ‘oh, he’s done for; Blake’s got this.’ But then Blake got punched so hard and screamed louder than I ever heard from her, and I was so surprised I slowed down because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing?”

Weiss didn’t say anything.

Ruby was all but snarling now. “Then I see a truck coming, and then I’m pushing my semblance harder than ever because I slowed down and just barely make it to save my own friend, who’s got hurt so bad I was sure she was going to lose her eye, and then when I’m sitting their, calling for ambulance and just feeling so helpless, I hear people screaming and explosions and I can practically see their faces in my mind, but then Ms. Goodwitch comes, and she says she’s got this, and I’m hoping—no, praying she does, because God knows I didn’t, but then when I’m at the hospital waiting to hear if Blake’s gonna be okay, I see on the news that people died, and that I can never make that up to them, to all the families I let down, to the little girl that won’t eve see her mom again because I slowed down, because I couldn’t stop the bad guy, because I wasn’t good enough, because I should’ve been better, why wasn’t I better—”

It was only when she choked out those last words that she realized she was shouting.

And crying.

Weiss stared, frown getting deeper, and without warning, she threw her arms around Ruby and put her in a hug. Ruby went completely still.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Weiss repeated, gently stroking the back of Ruby’s head. “It wasn’t, Ruby.”

“How could it not be?” Ruby choked out. Her vision was so blurry she could barely see, and she let out a pathetic sniffle. “Everything went wrong, Weiss. And I couldn’t do anything to help where it mattered.”

“That’s not true,” she said softly.

“Really?” Ruby said, gritting her teeth as she shook. “Then besides Blake, name one other person I saved.”

Weiss was silent.

“Yeah. I didn’t think so,” she all but snarled out. Her skin felt like it was on fire, body burning with an ugly heat that made every part of her feel like a furnace. And that heat just wouldn’t stop rising. “I’m supposed to be a Huntress, Weiss! And I could only save one person! Everyone else died! I’m not supposed to fail when it matters! I’m supposed to be better! I’m supposed to—I’m supposed to be…to be…”

She was panting now, still shaking, still feeling so angry, so, so raw; like every little thought and feeling she’d had over the last few weeks could bee seen by everyone, and she hated that, hated feeling so out of her control of her own feelings, and that just made her snarl so much worse and made guttural, wordless sounds of pure anger leave her throat

But throughout it all, Weiss never let her go. She just kept rubbing the back of her head, still hugging her. Ruby continued to shake, but slowly, it lessened, and she put her chin on Weiss’ shoulder, sniffling as more tears fell.

“I’m…I’m supposed to be like Mom.” All the anger had left her, and now, there was just misery. “I’m supposed to be like her, but I’m not.”

Weiss continued to pat her head, gently rubbing her back as Ruby continued to cry. Eventually, she pulled away slightly, and Ruby got a clear look at her distressed, but still so caring blue eyes.

“Ruby,” she said, in a soft, quiet voice. “You have to know that no one expects you to be like your mother—”

“Yeah,” she interrupted, letting out a choked sob. “Because I’m a failure.”

“That was not what I was going to say, and you know that,” Weiss said firmly, and something told Ruby she would’ve crossed her arms if they weren’t busy consoling her. “Ruby, you’re fifteen years old, and you just started your first year in Beacon. You’re one of the most skilled and incredible people I’ve ever met, but that doesn’t mean you have to be perfect all the time, or that you aren’t’ allowed to fail. I’m sure even your mother—”

“She didn’t.”

“Ruby—”

“She didn’t, Weiss. Not like that. Not on a mission where she was in charge, and there was never a moment when it was her plans that led to a bunch of people getting hurt.”

Weiss opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, along with her eyes. “Even assuming that’s true,” she said slowly. “That still doesn’t mean you should hold yourself to her standards. We still only first year students, Ruby. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to a Huntress like your mother.”

“Why not?” Ruby asked, unable to look Weiss in the eye, so she looked down at the bench. “We’ve been dealing with things a lot of other first years wouldn’t deal with, haven’t we? And next to Pyrrha, we’re some of the best students in the school when it comes to pure combat skills. We even kicked Roman Torchwick’s butt, and he’s even taken down fully trained Huntsmen.”  She laughed bitterly. “I really thought, after doing all of that, I was doing good, you know? That I was acting like a real Huntress. But I wasn’t. I just tricked myself into thinking I was better than I actually was.”

“Ruby, just because we failed that night, it doesn’t negate all the good we’ve done previously,” Weiss insisted. “The good that we could only do because you were our leader.”

“What good?”

“You said it yourself. We stopped Torchwick and the White Fang when they tried to make out with who knows how much dust—and that was the second time you did so. We might not might not have captured him, but stopping him and his crimes alone is an accomplishment.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

“And what does it feel like?” Weiss asked.

“That I’ve been tricking myself into thinking I’m stronger than I am,” she said, wiping away at her tears. “And that’s why I wasn’t prepared for what happened.”

“Ruby, I’ve been in the same classes on leadership as you, and we both know no leader can prepare for everything.”

“That doesn’t mean I couldn’t do more to be better, Weiss!”Ruby shouted. It felt like she couldn’t get Weiss to understand that one simple fact: she wasn’t good enough to be called a real leader. Last night proved that. She had to get better, or else things like that would keep happening.

And if they did, then…

Then team RWBY would get a name change.

Weiss very clearly didn’t agree with her, but just as she opened her mouth, Ruby spoke.

“Why do you not want me to get better and save more people?” She all but begged, and every word shook with misery, her vision getting thick with tears.

Weiss practically froze.

“I just want to make sure nothing like that happens again? That’s not bad. It isn’t.” She kept staring into Weiss eye, and there was something about the little speck of unease in her eyes that made Ruby’s chest feel tight with a different emotion. “R-right? You don’t think that, right, Weiss?”

“Ruby,” Weiss began, like she was carefully selecting her words. “Wanting to better yourself in itself isn’t a problem. Under most circumstances, I’d even say it’s admirable.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed through her tears. “But?” she asked, and there was suddenly a bit of anger in her voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

“But…” Weiss let out a tiny sigh, and then she looked Ruby dead in the eye. “I feel as though the amount of time you’ve spent training isn’t healthy.”

“What?!” Ruby’s eyes went dagger sharp. “How could you say that? I’m just trying to improve!”

“I know, but—”

“I thought you understood that! That’s why you’ve been helping me train with dust, isn’t it?”

Weiss didn’t respond right away. Ruby’s stomach suddenly churned with something that almost felt like sludge; a mass of fear and anger so noxious she wanted to let it out with a scream, but some part of her held her back from doing so at Weiss.

So instead, she gave Weiss a stare made of barely suppressed suspicion. “Weiss,” she said, voice low. “What is it?”

Weiss sighed. “Ruby, be honest with me: since we started incorporating Dust into your fighting style, have you seen improvements in your combat, and also in other things?”

Ruby blinked at the sudden question. “I, what do you mean by other things?”

“Schoolwork, paying attention in class, being in a decent mood.” Weiss gave her a pointed look.

Ruby frowned. This sounded like some kind of trap, but for the life of her, she couldn’t see what it was. So, she answered honestly.

“Fine. All that stuff’s been fine.” She paused. “I…sometimes get up in the middle of the night“—because of nightmares—”but it’s been getting better.”

“And do you remember what I said when we started training with dust?”

“That I had to be sure to get used to making my aura get ‘in-tuned’ with whatever dust I was using, and the best way was to sit down and slowly pump my aura into them,” she said, all but copying Weiss’ exact words, and even her tone. “And I had to focus on doing just that before we could move on to actually using the new dust with my semblance.”

She was used to pumping her aura with the dust rounds for Crescent Rose, but it had been a while since she didn’t have to do so in a way that wasn’t rapid-fire, quick bursts. Or by focusing so much that her aura started to take on properties of the dust, which was apparently what Weiss had been doing for years. It was honestly pretty tiring too, and she could remember sometimes falling asleep afterwords, and apparently Weiss couldn’t wake her up so the training for the day was cut short—

Ruby froze.

Weiss stared, and then closed her eyes like she was about to brace herself.

“Have you been tricking me into taking naps instead of training!?” Ruby shouted, rage in her every word, and rapidly heating up her face.

Weiss open her eyes, and calmly met Ruby’s glare. “We have been training. Everything I’ve taught you are legitimate ways to learn how to use dust in conjunctions with your semblance. I merely emphasized certain lessons that I felt would help you with a few other issues.”

“How?” Ruby practically growled.

“You don’t really think it’s a coincidence that your mood and school work have been getting better just as you started to slow down on certain ‘training’ methods? Or that your mood has been better because you finally gave your body a moment’s break and catching up on sleep?”

No, she didn’t, but, but that was the problem here!

“You still tricked me!”

Weiss frowned, her calm gaze twitching. “I just said everything we’ve been doing has been some form of training.”

“That doesn’t change the fact you’ve been lying to me about, about actually wanting to help me, Weiss!”

“Ruby, I do want to help you, but the way you want to go about it is harmful,” Weiss said, crossing her arms.

“That’s just your opinion.”

“Oh, so it was just my ‘opinion’ that made you fall asleep literally five minutes into mediation, and not the fact you’ve been training so much you literally haven’t been getting sleep?” Weiss’ composure was cracking, tone more and more heated.

Which was fine with Ruby as her glare was also getting more heated, hands starting to clench. “I have to do this, Weiss. I just told you why.”

“Yes, to be like your mother. But I doubt she would’ve been ignoring her teammates very sensible advice.”

“You do not get to say what she would’ve wanted!”.

“I can when it’s literally common sense.”

They were suddenly so close, Ruby scowling deeply, Weiss very obviously trying not to scowl back, heads all but touching each other.

“You tricked me,” Ruby insisted, again; that one point what burned her the most, unable to let it go.

“I wouldn’t have had to if you would just slow down, Ruby,” Weiss said, voice a hiss.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“Oh, I absolutely can when my leader’s clearly not thinking straight.”

“I am! Everything’s fine!”

Weiss let out a thunderous groan, and Ruby took some satisfaction in just how annoyed she looked. “Ruby, why is it so hard for you to understand this isn’t healthy!?”

“Why did you think you had to trick me instead of talking with me!?”

“I’ve tried! We’ve all tired, but you just keep ditching us at every point to go train!”

“I have too.”

“No, you don’t. Why is it so hard to let me help you!?”

“I never asked you to do that!”

“Well you won’t be able to ask when you’re in a grave!”

Weiss shout took Ruby so off guard she leaned back. Not so much from the volume, but because, even with all the anger in the voice, Ruby still heard the fear looming over her words.

Weiss’ was panting a little, her every breath ragged, composure completely broken. When she seemed to take in Ruby’s wide-eyed, startled look, Weiss’ own eyes went a little wide, guilt clear in her face. She leaned back, and quickly frowned apologetically. “Ruby, I…I…”

She sighed. She looked down at the bench, and Ruby…Ruby had never seen her friend look so unsure in all the time she knew her.

“I’m sorry for tricking you,” she began, and Ruby believed her just from the sincerity in her tone alone. “I wish I didn’t have to, but I felt like it did.” Slowly, she looked up to Ruby, and the fear she heard before was twisting her face into a painful looking frown. “When I say I’m worried about you, I don’t mean in the sense that you might forget to do your homework. I don’t mean that I’m scared you’ll accidentally cut yourself on your blade because you’re so tired. I mean I’m terrified that, if I don’t find some way to stop you, then…

Weiss let out a shuddering breath and, and Ruby could make out her arms trembling. Weiss tightly gripped them, and said, “I’m scared that I’ll lose the Ruby Rose I know. Either very literally, or that you’ll change to the point I won’t even recognize you, and you’ll practically be dead. The latter, I…” Weiss clenched her arms even harder. “I’ve seen happened before, and I’m not sure which is worse.”

Ruby didn’t know what to say. She just kept staring at Weiss, at the girl who, for all that she had a bit of a temper, had never looked so emotional before, and now looked so…

Scared.

Ruby never thought she’d describe Weiss like that. She knew Weiss had been more concerned than she was letting on, but this much? It didn’t seem possible.

How hadn’t she noticed until right now?

Almost unconsciously, Ruby extended a hand to Weiss, but she reigned it back in. She had a feeling she wouldn’t want to be touch right now, when she was visibly trying to control herself. Weiss opened her eyes, saw the expression on Ruby’s face, and seemed to realize something. Weiss took another breath, and slowly, she let go of her arms, and the coiled-up tension left her.

“But we…shouldn’t be talking about me. This is about you.” There was a slight tremble to her hands as she placed them on her skirt, but she still looked at Ruby with soft, gentle eyes. “Ruby, there is a difference between training to be better, and self-harm. And currently, with how much training you’ve been doing at the cost of your own health, you’re walking the razor’s edge of it.”

“Weiss, I—”Ruby couldn’t finish. She wanted to say she was fine, that she could handle this, that Weiss was worrying over nothing.

But Ruby kept thinking back to that scared look on Weiss face. That her friend had apparently been feeling like that for a long time, and she somehow didn’t grasp just how afraid she was until right now. How did she not notice that?

How?

Weiss looked at her, saw she wasn’t going to finish, and continued. “I know not saving those people hurt you; more than I think any one of us were expecting. But doing what you’ve been doing? Training non-stop? Pushing your friends away? It’s doing far more harm than good, and it won’t help you if things get as bad as they did that night.”

Ruby looked away. “I…”Her hands gripped her skirt, shaking slightly. “But I have to be like—”

“Ruby, you don’t have to be exactly like your mom to do good.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide.

“You saved Blake. Your friend. And that is something undeniably good.” Slowly, Weiss place a careful, comforting hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “You’re not a failure, Ruby. So, please, just…slow down. You can keep training, but you don’t have to do it like the fate of the world’s at stake, and only you can do something to save it. Because you’re not alone.”

Weiss’ other hand went to Ruby’s, and gently held it.

“So let us help you, Ruby,” she said, eyes soft and pleading. “Please.”

Ruby stared at Weiss’ hand. You’d think that someone who’d specialize in ice dust would have just as cold hands, but her hands were honestly just as warm as anyone else’s. She wasn’t sure why she was focusing on that, but it stood out in her mind. Just like how Weiss’ words and offer to help kept echoing through her head, combining with that warm feeling of her palms, and somehow, made all the anger and fear and misery and regret inside her…not fade away, but made it seem more manageable.

Like it could get better.

Slowly, Ruby opened her mouth—

“I keep telling you, that isn’t mine!”

—and closed it as she heard someone shouting. She blinked, and Weiss did too. Ruby turned around to where she heard that voice.

It was a bit hard to see, but at the front of the dust store, it looked like some guy in a hoodie was shouting at a woman in a long blue skirt and red, long sleeved shirt. The woman was holding onto some kind of backpack, and was fearfully shrinking away as the guy screamed at her face. The woman said something, but all she could hear was the man screaming, “Bitch, are you deaf, or are you just—”

He then dropped the r-slur, and took a few threatening steps closer to the girl.

Ruby was up in an instant. She wiped away at the remnant of her tears, and quickly approached the two. Weiss said something to her, but Ruby wasn’t really listening now, eyes narrowed at the man. She didn’t use her Semblance, but she only took her a few seconds to get close enough to hear the woman fearfully stuttering as she held the backpack up to her like a shield.

“Excuse me!” Ruby shouted, and the two of them snapped their heads too her. Now that she was closer, she could make out the man has what looked like deep, black marks on his face, and woman had tears in her bright blue eyes. When she was close, she stopped walking, and firmly cross her arms with a tight frown.

“What’s going on here?” Ruby said. She was hoping that sounded authoritative, and that they didn’t hear her the tiny crack in her voice, and that neither could see how her own hands tightened on the sleeves of her dress. Because it only just now occurred to her that she didn’t have her weapon, and, even though she did had been practicing on her hand-to-hand, did not feel all that confident in it.

“I, I was just—” The woman began, eyes sill wide wide with fear and…confusion? “I was just trying to—”

“None of your business, bitch!” The tiger faunus—at least, she assumed tiger, going by the marks on his face and his angry, amber cat-like eyes—interrupted with a shout. “Fuck off!”

“You’re threatening someone and clearly frightening her,” Ruby said, and she was proud she didn’t so much as stutter despite the fact her heart was kind of racing like a sports car in her chest. She tried to do her best imitation of Weiss’ glare when she was being genuinely scary. “So no, I won’t.”

The man, unfortunately, was not at all threatened by her glare, and just looked even angrier. He took a step towards her, and Ruby couldn’t help but take a step back, her glare wavering.

And that was when a voice that was colder than a blizzard spoke up.

“Excuse you.”

Ruby turned, as did the man, and even the still scared woman.

Oh. Oh, no wonder the man was intimated by Ruby’s glare.

There was no one else who could pull off a tight, scornful looking glare while looking almost regal, and also looking like all it would take was for her to lock eyes with someone to turn them into a popsicle.

“What, exactly, do you think you’re doing to this poor woman, and my friend?” Weiss asked, marching towards the man without even blinking. Even as the man’s glare twisted from anger to outright hate.

“Schnee,” he all but growled out.

“Yes, Schnee,” she said, matching the man’s angry glare with one of pure ice. “Congratulations, you have functioning eyes.”

“Oh you—”

“‘Spoiled Rich Girl?’” She interrupted, sounding almost bored. “Or maybe ‘Spawn of Evil’ if you’re feeling poetic. Or how about just ‘bitch.’ That seems to be your favorite word.”