What Defines Us - Ch. 20 (Patreon)

After briefly rubbing her tired eyes, Ruby blinked and then blinked again - trying to get the tiny object in her hand to come into better focus.  It’d be a whole lot easier if it weren’t so dang small! Like, seriously, why were small things the coolest? It made them so friggin’ difficult to work on!

Taking a big breath, she let it out in one smooth exhale while carefully layering another swipe of paint - her hand steady while a thin line appeared against a background of dark grey.  Taking another breath, she blew softly on the fresh paint so it would dry before she set everything down on the workbench.

Perfect!  

It was really tough to make such little lines, but she’d figured out how to do it after a whole bunch of practice.  ‘A whole bunch’ meaning pages and pages of trial swipes done just to make sure that one itty bitty line would look great.  But it did, so the sleep hours devoted to drawing instead of sleeping had been worth it. 

And, for not having a heck of a lot of time, her latest project had turned out a lot better than expected.  Maybe because her inspiration was better than usual. Or maybe because she was better than usual!

That was definitely something Yang would say.  But Yang wasn’t here right now, so Ruby got to say it!  Er...think it.

It wasn’t very long ago that she’d kind of dreaded the days her big sister would leave for hunts, but this time had been different.  Without Yang around, the house was actually...quiet. It was really weird, but also kind of nice. If anything, it gave Ruby the chance to work on her projects without her sister barging in and throwing random objects at her.  Although she missed the candy - it wasn’t so bad when Yang would throw candy into the garage. That was the best! It just wasn’t as great when Yang threw things like lemons or pieces of cheesecake. It was really hard to catch cheesecake without smearing it everywhere...

Yang and Blake had left last night after dinner, but would hopefully be back soon.  Using her novice interrogation skills (she was still learning from Blake), Ruby had managed to pry the hunt details from Yang like a hot knife slicing through warm butter.  Or...well, basically it had been really easy to get Yang to talk. Like bribing a parrot with a carrot. Heh, that rhymed.

But Blake and Yang had picked up an ‘assassinate’ contract - the kind Blake loved to do.  Ruby could see why - they sounded awesome! Basically, certain Grimm were so smart and deadly that they’d earn themselves a nickname - a cool one like ‘Deathdealer’ or ‘Ten Claws’ or ‘The Vanisher.’  The goal of an assassinate contract was to hunt down and destroy these overly powerful and aggressive Grimm. Wipe them off the face of Remnant!

This particular contract was for an Ursa who’d grown a bit too well known near the outskirts.  His name was - and Ruby had thought Yang was teasing her until she saw the name with her own eyes - The Hugger. The Hugger!  That didn’t sound like a deadly Ursa - it sounded like a character from some kids’ cartoon show! 

Or just a cartoon show, because cartoons weren’t exclusively for kids.  In fact, people of all ages could watch cartoons.  Not just kids. And watching cartoons didn’t make someone childish.  Adults could watch cartoons - cartoons with characters named The Hugger.

When Ruby asked how they’d know they’d found this super deadly bear hugger, Blake had almost too calmly answered that it’d be whichever one tried to hug Yang.  It was funny because sometimes Blake could be really possessive about people getting too close to Yang, but didn’t seem to care much when it came to Grimm.  If anything, it kind of sounded like Yang was going to be bait for this contract.

Tracking a Grimm through the forest at night though...that sounded like a lot of fun!  Ruby wished she could’ve gone, but she also knew she was a little clumsy and wasn’t sure she could stay quiet for that long.  She didn’t know how Yang could stay quiet for more than a few minutes at a time!

Because Blake and Yang had to find the Grimm before they could kill it, they had no idea when they’d get back.  It could be next week; it could be in a few minutes - it all depended on how quickly they could track and dispose of the beast.  Theoretically, they could be gone for years - stuck out in the forest, eating berries and tree bark to survive…but Yang had sounded pretty confident that they wouldn’t be gone for long.  She’d even made a joke about how Ruby should make dinner for them, as if they’d want to eat undercooked noodles and raw vegetables after they’d been up all night.

Staying at home wasn’t so bad though.  It meant Ruby didn’t have to eat tree bark and it had given her enough time to finish a spur of the moment idea she’d had.  Unfortunately, being spur of the moment didn’t mean this project was quick and easy. It was actually the opposite of that - never-ending and horribly challenging.  But she’d been determined! Determined enough that she’d skipped her last few practices - something she hadn’t done in months. Ordinarily, she’d feel guilty about skimping out on her training, but Yang said it was ok to take a little break after a hunt to rest and recuperate.

Sitting on the edge of her seat, Ruby leaned over the bench to look at what she’d just created - being extra careful not to touch it for the next few minutes while the paint dried.  When a big yawn slipped out, she covered her mouth with one hand and blinked several times to knock the exhaustion away. 

The little project looked pretty good, but the most important question was - would she like it?

When Ruby’s scroll buzzed beside her face, she jumped out of the seat in surprise and knocked her knee into the workbench with a loud bang.  

It was Weiss though! 

Hopping on one leg while rubbing her broken knee, Ruby grabbed the scroll and was immediately disappointed.

It wasn’t Weiss.  It was a message from Yang - a picture.  

Resuming her perch on the chair, Ruby opened the message and found a picture taken through a heavily wooded area.  At first glance, it looked like nothing more than trees and bushes and leaves, which was totally something Yang would do. Send a photo and get Ruby all excited…

Ah!  But there was something!  If she squinted her eyes, she could barely make out a black shape in the distance.  Zooming in on that spot, the caption of ‘huggin’ time!’ suddenly made a lot more sense. If that was a regular sized tree right next to the black blob, then that was a big Ursa.  Big, big, big Ursa.  They should’ve called him Jumbursa.  No, that was lame. But not as lame as The Hugger!

She knew better than to respond right away, but her heart was pounding from just looking at the photo and knowing that Yang and Blake were, right at this moment, within shouting distance of the monster.  While Ruby was safe at home, they were getting into a huge fight. It was weird...she felt like she should be out there with them, but she also knew that they could take care of each other.

Hearing two knocks on the front door, she instantly leaped to her feet and yelped when both of her knees crashed into the bench this time, nearly knocking everything over.  Squealing, she managed to catch her newest prized possession, steadying it on its stand before dashing into the house and flying to the front door. Not even checking through the window to see who was outside, she threw the door open and grinned.

“Weiss!” she exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling Weiss into a hug that was returned with one arm.  

One of these days Weiss would hug properly - which meant using both arms! A full circle! Although it probably didn’t help that she was currently carrying a brown paper bag in one hand...

“Hi, Ruby.  I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you some food,” Weiss replied with a timid smile, holding out the bag.

“Why would I mind??” Ruby asked in confusion while accepting the bag.

“Oh.  Well, that’s just - I didn’t actually think that you would - it’s a saying.”  

Ruby couldn’t help but giggle at Weiss’ adorably flustered response, which only made Weiss look even more unsure of what to say next.

“How about - I brought you some food,” she finally concluded, her eyes searching Ruby’s to see if that had cleared up the miscommunication.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind if I accept the food I don’t mind that you brought me,” Ruby replied while unfurling the top of the bag.  “You really didn’t have to - oh!! Spaghetti! That’s my favorite!”

The comment made Weiss smile while she followed Ruby into the kitchen.  Setting the bag on the table, Ruby pulled out the containers and gave them a second and third glance. It didn’t take a master-level detective to figure out that they hadn’t come from any restaurant she’d ever been to.

“Did you make this?” she asked, which only made Weiss look embarrassed.

“Yes, I did.”

Homemade spaghetti!  From Weiss! That was a gift Ruby really didn’t mind!

“You can cook?” she asked in complete amazement.  “Wow, is there anything you can’t do?”

“Many things,” Weiss answered so sincerely that Ruby chuckled.

“Yeah right...tell me one thing you can’t do!”

Searching for an answer, Weiss looked into Ruby’s eyes while her mouth opened, but no words came out.

“See?  You can’t even think of anything!” Ruby pointed out happily.  Finally smiling, Weiss shook her head.

“I can’t catch butterflies.”

Bursting into laughter at the memory, Ruby quickly stuck the containers into the fridge so she could turn back to Weiss.  “But you looked so cute trying!”

Ah - that word!  It just slipped out.  Could she use that word with Weiss?  Yeah? No, she could play it off. 

“I can’t cook at all,” she added quickly, changing the subject like a pro.  “But I’m great at cutting things up! Yang calls me the Super Chopper.”

Waving her hands through the air in a chopping motion, she beamed when Weiss chuckled.

“Well that’s perfect - every chef needs a sous chef to prepare ingredients for them.”

“Then I can be your sous chef?”

“Absolutely.”

For a long time, the two of them shared a smile - probably the longest one they’d shared yet - before Weiss finally turned away and coughed into her hand.

“So...what have you been up to while Blake and Yang are away?”

“I’ve been keeping myself busy!  Working on another project and enjoying the silence,” Ruby replied with another small laugh.  “They might be back tonight though, so it’s not so bad.”

“You don’t mind having the house to yourself?”

“It’s awesome!  I can do whatever I want!”  After spinning in a quick, semblance-fueled circle, Ruby planted her feet and caught one of her petals out of the air when she came to an abrupt stop.  “I used to get kinda lonely or bored when they left for a few days,” she admitted. “But it’s not so bad anymore.”

This time she’d actually been excited for her two roommates to leave.  The front door had hardly closed before she’d messaged Weiss to see when she could come over.  And then the front door had reopened because Yang had forgotten something, so she’d caught Ruby texting and gotten in a few lame jokes before actually leaving.

“But now when they leave we can hang out, right?”  Ruby shot Weiss a hopeful look before quickly adding, “I mean, if you’re not busy.”

“I can always make time for you.” 

The effortless reply made Ruby’s cheeks warm right up.  It made her feel special when Weiss said things like that!  Like she’d actually try to create time for Ruby, if it came to that.  And the way Weiss said it was so simple, like of course she would do that - because why wouldn’t she go through the effort of doing something impossible just to hang out with Ruby?

“Great!  Then I hope they go on a lotta hunts,” Ruby said before stifling a yawn and rubbing her eyes.  

“Are you alright?”  Weiss’ eyes were openly concerned as she asked the question, so Ruby rubbed her eyes again to remove some of the tiredness Weiss must be seeing - only for another yawn to slip out.

“Yeahhh just a little tired!” she said after her yawn had passed.  Staying up all night tended to do that to a person.

“Did you not sleep well?  Is it your wrist? Did you take anything for it?”

Giggling at all the questions, Ruby shook her head.  It was sweet how Weiss fretted over something so simple, but the worry was unnecessary.

“Naw, just stayed up too late!”  

The answer was made of fudge.  Technically Ruby had stayed up until this moment - which was quite late (in her opinion).

“Do you want to get some sleep?  I could always come back later -”

“No, it’s ok!  I’m feeling great!” Ruby yelped before forcing a wide grin.

Weiss couldn’t leave yet - she’d just gotten here!  Plus, Ruby felt fine! Sure, she was tired and had a bit of a headache, but it was just one of those vague tired headaches - like when your head is squishing your brain a little too hard.  Being too tired must make your skull shrink...either that or makes your brain bigger! 

She could always take a nap later, but right now she had something for Weiss.

“Oh!  I have something to show you!”

Even though she’d been thinking about it since Weiss had knocked on the door, Ruby tried to make it sound like she’d just remembered it.  That way it would seem like no big deal - because it wasn’t really. It was just…a normal deal.

Waving Weiss after her, Ruby made her way back into the garage, where she’d spent practically all of her time since their visit to the Dust factory.  Which had been amazing and so much cooler than Ruby had ever expected. And so, so thoughtful – like, wow, Weiss had really gone out of her way to make sure they had a great time. 

Because Weiss had done something so nice for them, Ruby wanted to give Weiss something nice in return.  So she’d been hard at work! That meant she’d stayed up a little later than she should have - or hadn’t slept at all - but it was worth it!  Or it would be worth it if Weiss liked what Ruby had created - which was still resting on top of the workbench where she’d left it.  By now the paint would be dry, so she didn’t hesitate reaching over to pick it up and hold it out to Weiss.  

It was a little nerve-wracking!  Weiss was so amazing and obviously had enough money to buy anything she wanted, so the idea of giving her a gift was kind of stressful...stressful enough to make Ruby’s heart beat really, really fast.

“What do you think?” she asked, dropping the tiny object into Weiss’ hand.

“Wow...Ruby, this is spectacular…” Weiss whispered while holding the shiny object carefully between her thumb and forefinger, rotating it gently so it caught the light in the garage just right.  

It was just a little ring, but Ruby had made it from scratch!

The band had been the easiest part - repurposing a nice dark grey metal that had welded together smoothly.  Along the outer surface, Ruby had painted a single vine of thorns, but the thorns were in the same shade of white-blue as Weiss’ glyphs.  Against the dark grey metal, they popped way better than red or black would have.

“You made the entire thing, I’m guessing?”

“Uh, yeah.  The band is from an old sword, and I just finished the painting before you got here,” Ruby answered, wringing her hands while Weiss continued to look over the ring.

“It’s beautiful,” Weiss finally said, the reply making Ruby grin while her heart thundered in her chest.

“I’m glad you like it!  Because...uh...well, I made it for you.”

Running one hand through her hair, a nervous smiled tugged at her lips when light blue eyes shot up to hers.

“I can change the design if you want,” she added when Weiss said nothing in response.  “I’ve just been drawing thorns everywhere since naming my glove. Yang keeps making jokes about how ‘prickly’ I’ve been.”  Ruby rolled her eyes at the lame joke. “But I wanted to give you something as a ‘thank you’ for showing us around your family’s factory.  It was really fun!”

From the way Weiss was staring, she was at a loss for words.  It was only when Ruby shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the silence that Weiss opened her mouth to speak.

“You didn’t have to do this…”

“I know!  I wanted to.  I had fun making it, too.”

When Weiss’ eyes fell back to the ring in her hands and searched the inside of the band, Ruby held her breath.  Spinning it in a slow circle while examining it closely, Weiss eventually turned it back over, and Ruby couldn’t help but grin.  

She might have taken a page out of the book of the person who’d worked on Myrtenaster and hidden a word on the interior where the two pieces seamed together.  It had taken hours of practice before she’d gotten good enough to make the tiny letters somewhat legible, but she’d eventually figured it out. And apparently she’d done a good enough job that Weiss couldn’t see it - score one for Ruby Rose!

“I don’t know what to say…” Weiss whispered towards the ring in her hands before looking up and meeting Ruby’s eyes.  “Thank you. This might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me...”

“I’m really glad you like it!  Here I was all worried…” Ruby let out a small chuckle at how silly her fears seemed now.

“I love it, Ruby.”

Weiss looked directly into Ruby’s eyes as she said the words, making Ruby’s heart do a silly little double beat that felt just as weird as it sounded.  She’d hoped that Weiss would like it.  Loving it was way better.

“But don’t feel like you’ve gotta wear it or anything!” Ruby hurried out before Weiss could feel any pressure to do so.  “You can always put it in a drawer or something - I won’t be upset!”

Biting her lip, Weiss thought about the words for several seconds before she slipped the ring onto her finger and gently wiggled it around.

“It fits perfectly,” she remarked, her brow furrowing in confusion.  “How did you know my ring size?”

“Oh, you know, I have this super scientific way of figuring out someone’s ring size,” Ruby bolstered before letting out a giggle.  “It’s called ‘Ruby’s Art of Guessing!’”

Her laughter made Weiss chuckle softly along with her.  

“But I figured your hands are, uh, more delicate than mine, so I used my ring and then made yours a bit smaller!” she explained, briefly holding up the ring around her neck to prove her point.  “Oh, and the best part!” Moving around Weiss, Ruby grabbed Thorn from his stand and pulled the glove over her hand. “Ok - give me a high five!”

Curious, Weiss held up her hand and reached towards Thorn.  The moment the ring and glove were in close enough proximity, the thorns painted on each illuminated - the vibrant ice-blue popping out against the dark gray backgrounds.

“Luminescent paint!” Ruby exclaimed, clasping her hand around Weiss’ so the heightened color wouldn’t fade away.  “Isn’t it cool? It’s purely cosmetic, but ya know, totally worth it.”

“That’s...amazing…” Weiss replied softly, intertwining her fingers with Ruby’s while staring at the thorns glowing brightly.  

Ruby watched Weiss’ reaction with a grin, their hands still locked together.  She’d had to repaint Thorn since she hadn’t used the same paint the first time around, but it was worth it.  Now she and Weiss had a cool friend thing! If they went on more hunts together, people could give them a cool nickname - like The Glowing Thorns or The White Thorns.  Or they could be officially lame and go with The Huggers. Ha. Grimm beware…

Still undecided on a nickname, Ruby’s attention flitted back to Weiss when she suddenly slipped her hand away and rubbed both hands up and down her arms with a barely noticeable shiver.

“Are you cold?” Ruby immediately asked.

“Um...just a little.”  

“It gets cold out here.  Come on - I’ll get you something warm to wear!”  

“It’s really -”

“No no, don’t say it’s ok!” Ruby interrupted while heading towards the door to the house.  Turning around, she grinned at the perplexed expression on Weiss’ face. “You’re cold, so I’m getting you a jacket or sweater or something!  You can either wait here or come with me!”

Taken aback, Weiss blinked several times before finally nodding her head.

“Then lead the way.”

Chuckling at Weiss’ acquiescence, Ruby walked inside - tugging Thorn off her hand and tossing him onto the kitchen table while they walked by it.  Making it to her room, she gently kicked open the door with one foot and gestured towards her bed.

“You can sit if you want,” she offered, before heading to the closet to find some warmer clothing to lend her friend.

If she had to guess, Weiss would like something super trendy and fashionable.  In other words, nothing Ruby owned. But she couldn’t let Weiss be cold! There had to be something that would kinda...maybe...sorta…well, a great lesson to be learned right now was that Weiss had a different taste in fashion than Ruby did.  So...her favorite one would have to do! 

Grabbing the red and black jacket and spinning around – her headache giving a slight twinge of complaint as she did so - Ruby found Weiss perched on the very edge of the bed like she didn't know how to sit there.  Her back was super straight, her hands were in her lap, and her hair draped over one shoulder. Maybe she felt uncomfortable, but she looked like a princess.

“Here you go!”  Holding up the jacket, Ruby waited for Weiss to stand and then helped her into the sleeves.  It was a little big on her - the sleeves too long and the shoulders too big - but it was kind of cute the way it enveloped her.

Ah!  That word again!  At least Ruby hadn’t said it out loud this time.  Wait - she hadn’t said it out loud the first time...had she?

“Sorry, it probably smells like roses,” she apologized when she noticed Weiss lower her nose towards the collar.  “I can never get the smell out of my stuff! It’s like permanent perfume. Permafume.”

Letting out a small scoff of amusement, Weiss gave Ruby one of the best smiles she’d received yet.

“Don't be sorry.  I love the smell.”

The words made Ruby’s cheeks pleasantly warm while Weiss turned her gaze down to the cuffs of the jacket.  

If Weiss loved the smell of roses, that was great! For Ruby. Probably not for people who didn’t always smell like roses.

“At least it beats smelling like I just jumped out of a burning building like Yang does!” Ruby joked at her sister’s expense, earning another surprised laugh from Weiss.

“If I’m not mistaken, Blake loves that smell,” Weiss replied with a smirk.

“Oh yeah.  Something about how it smells like ‘home.’” Laughing a little, Ruby shook her head.  “Those two are so weird.”

“At least they have each other.”

“That’s right!  Every weirdo must have a matching weirdo, right?”

“You’re right,” Weiss agreed, smiling back at Ruby.  Again their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds before Weiss abruptly turned away in favor of staring at the ground.  

Maybe Ruby wasn’t the best at social interactions, but she was more interesting than the ground, right?  Seriously, the carpet was just carpet.  It was a kinda gray, kinda blue color that probably had a weird name like ‘afternoon sky’ or ‘inky clay.’  The little whatchamacallits - the fabric part that stuck up - were super soft though. They felt really nice when she wasn’t wearing any socks!  There was also a small patch hidden underneath the bed that had gotten an itsy bit burned by complete accident. Yang had wondered why Ruby decided to rearrange her room so suddenly...

Ok, maybe the carpet was kind of interesting - but not as interesting as she was!

Determined not to be outdone by the flooring, Ruby grabbed the desk chair and spun it around so she could sit in front of Weiss.

“Did you get to hang out with your sister while she was here?” she asked, happily noting that Weiss was subconsciously playing with the newly appointed ring on her finger, but the question made her let go and return her attention to Ruby.

“Yes, we had dinner before she returned to Atlas.”

“I hope you had fun!”

“It was...great,” Weiss answered with a thoughtful nod and small smile.  “I wasn’t expecting to see her, so that was a nice surprise.”

“Yeah!  For me too!” Ruby replied.  “I mean, I didn’t even know you had a sister, so that was the surprise.  And the nice part was, um...her. She seems super nice!”

Nice, and pretty, and kind of stern.  A bit intimidating, actually. 

“She is.  She supported me growing up...I owe her a great deal.”

“Aren’t older sisters the best?” Ruby asked with a smile that Weiss returned.

“They are.  You happen to have a great one, yourself.”

“I do!  Yang’s awesome.”

“She is…” Weiss replied softly.  “She cares so much about you too.”

Growing up, Ruby had never questioned her sister’s love for her.  It was always her and Yang against the world - whether it was the actual world or some pretend universe they made up.  

“I know she does.  With my injuries and stuff, she really went out of the way to help me get better.  One day I want to make it up to her! I have no idea how, but I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

Ruby knew that sacrifices had been made in order to help her recover.  Of course, with the way Yang was, she’d never mention them. So Ruby had no idea what they were, but she knew they must be there.  No one devoted a year of their life to helping another person go through rehab without missing out on something for themselves.

“Well, if you ever figure that out, let me know.  I’m still trying to make things up to her, myself,” Weiss added with a self-depreciating shake of her head that made Ruby frown.

“Is she still being mean to you?”  

Yang had said that she’d try to be kinder to Weiss…but Ruby would talk to her sister again if she needed to.

“Actually, she’s been a bit more...tolerant...recently.  But something is still really...broken between us.” Pausing, Weiss sighed and shook her head.  “I know I hurt her, but I want to make it up to her. I have to. We used to be so close.”

“I’m sure she’ll give you another chance!  She has no reason not to when you’re here making an effort!”

“Well, I think I’ve finally learned that running away fixes nothing.  It only leaves the wounds to fester…” Brow furrowing, Weiss was silent for some time before sighing and meeting Ruby’s gaze with mournful eyes.  “It was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop regretting it, but hopefully, I can find a way to overcome it.”

The biggest mistake she’d ever made?  What was it?  The biggest mistake Ruby ever made had landed her in the hospital with some pretty serious boo-boos and quite a few missing memories.  But that seemed like a completely different type of mistake. The way Weiss looked right now made it seem like she’d done something horrible.  But, to Ruby, it seemed impossible that Weiss was capable of anything that bad. 

Maybe it was kind of bad, or maybe Weiss was just really hard on herself.  Whichever it was, Ruby didn’t care. What she cared about was how sad Weiss looked right now.

“I’m sure you’ll overcome it,” Ruby replied confidently, leaning forward and nearly reaching over to grab one of Weiss’ hands before stopping and tugging on her necklace instead.  “And I’m sure you had a good reason to leave!”

“But she gave me the chance to come back.  I just...I couldn’t do it…”

“But you did!  You did do it! Unless...are you a hologram??”  Reaching out, Ruby lightly poked Weiss in the shoulder. “No, you’re real!  And you’re in Vale, so you did come back!”

“It took me so long though -”

“So?  What matters is that you did it,” Ruby said.  “You’ve gotta let go of how long it took, Weiss. You’re here now, and that’s what matters.  It’s like my mom used to say -” Scrunching up her face, she searched for the exact wording, so she didn’t mess this up.  “Mistakes don’t define you - your reactions to them do.”

When Weiss stared at her thoughtfully, Ruby kept talking.

“Basically, you made a mistake, but did it make you a better person in the end?”

“I...don’t know.  I hope so.”

Weiss was clearly unconvinced, so Ruby decided it was time to do some ultra convincing.

“Like, look at this!” she said, holding out her wrist so Weiss could see the scar running all the way across it on both sides.  “Clearly, a mistake was made. But I’m not going to be Ruby Rose - injured girl, forever. I train really hard every day so that I won’t be that person.”

After briefly glancing at Ruby’s wrist, Weiss turned away and bit her bottom lip in thought.

“We get to choose our reactions to our problems,” Ruby continued.  “That’s the great thing about life!  Maybe it took you a long time, but you chose to come back, Weiss.  Running away can’t define you anymore, because that’s not how the story ends.”

While Ruby grinned at her hopefully-successful argument, Weiss stared for a long, long time while processing the information.  It looked like she was going to disagree, but eventually, with a partial smile, she seemed to concede - for now.

“How did you become so...strong?”  

“I’m not though!” Ruby answered with a laugh, holding up her left hand and wiggling her fingers.  Without Thorn, her left hand was still injured - and she was beginning to realize that her full strength might never come back.  Fortunately, she’d found a way to compensate for her weaknesses and then some.

However, Weiss shook her head at the response.

“You are,” she insisted.  “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.  I still don’t know how...how did you work your way back so quickly from your injuries?  They were so serious...from what you’ve told me. And with your memories...it must’ve been so difficult.”

“Yeah, I guess it was...the beginning especially, but I had a lot of help!”

“Yang?”

Ruby nodded.

“Yang and Blake encouraged me, and I tried to keep my spirits up.  My mom helped too - it felt like she was trying to talk to me all the time, reminding me not to give up.  Oh, and can’t forget my secret source of power!”

Looking in both directions like she was about to disclose top secret information, it was only when she found the coast was clear that she leaned forward and held her necklace up in between them.

“Tada!” she exclaimed.  It was supposed to be a big reveal, but Weiss only looked confused - glancing between the ring and Ruby several times.

“Your...ring?”

“It’s not just a ring!” Ruby stated matter-of-factly, spinning the necklace around so she could fumble with the clasp.  “It’s also filled with magical powers!” 

Since she hardly ever took it off, she was less than skillful in getting the itty bitty fastener to open, but after several failed attempts she was finally successful.  Letting the necklace fall into one hand, she made a show of slumping her shoulders at the same time.

“Oh...yeah...I feel weaker already…” she tried to say in a tired voice while sliding the ring off of the chain and holding it out to Weiss.  “You can feel it – it’s like there’s an invisible power in this ring.”

Even though Ruby was holding the ring in between them, Weiss seemed extremely hesitant to take it.

“Don’t worry, it’s not one of those buzz rings or anything,” Ruby assured her.  Finally convinced, Weiss held out her hand, and Ruby dropped the ring into it. Curling her fingers around the small band, Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Can you feel it?” Ruby asked in a whisper, watching Weiss intently.  When Weiss opened her eyes, crystal blue seemed to be looking deep into Ruby’s heart.

“It’s important to you,” Weiss remarked softly, uncurling her fingers and looking down into the palm of her hand.

“Yup!”

With a small smile, Weiss gave the ring one last glance before extending it back to Ruby.  

“I guess the answer is that I had a lot of people looking out for me,” Ruby explained while accepting the ring and sliding it back onto its chain.  “Yang, Blake, my mom, and the one thing from my past that feels...powerful in a way. They all kept me going.”

Stringing the necklace around her neck, she fumbled with the clasp several times before giving up and holding it out to Weiss.

“Can you help me?  I haven’t taken this off in months, so I kinda suck at putting it back on.”

Nodding, Weiss took both ends of the necklace in her hands while Ruby turned around.  Carefully lowering the chain, Weiss gently fastened it in place - drawing a round of goosebumps when her fingers lightly grazed the back of Ruby’s neck. When Ruby turned around, Weiss moved the ring so it was sitting perfectly in front - holding onto it for a few seconds longer while staring at it intently.

“Who’s it from?” she asked.

The question made Ruby’s brow burrow.

“I’m actually not sure,” she answered truthfully.  

“You’ve never asked?”

“Naw...Blake said she’d tell me, but…”  Ruby shrugged one shoulder and gave Weiss a small smile.  “Is it important where it came from? Or that when things sucked, it made me feel better?”

Weiss opened her mouth, but said nothing for a long time until finally muttering, “I guess...that it made you feel better…”

“But I have a sneaky hunch it’s from my partner,” Ruby admitted.  The words made Weiss’ eyes widen in surprise.

“Your partner?”

“Yeah, I know we had a fourth teammate - every team at Beacon has four,” Ruby explained, rubbing her forehead as sleep deprivation continued to weigh on her, pressing behind her eyes in a super annoying way.  “But Yang hasn’t told me much about her, and I haven’t asked. There was just...so much else to focus on. I don’t know. All I know is that whoever she was, she was really cool.”

The revelation seemed to catch Weiss completely by surprise.

“How do you know that?”

“That’s one of the only things Yang told me!” Ruby explained, briefly closing her eyes while trying to recall Yang’s words around the stupid, growing headache.  “She said…that our teammate was one of the most talented fighters she’d ever seen.  And was super smart - like the brains of the whole operation.”

“She said that?”

Ruby nodded.  “Yup! ‘We got the smartest in school,’ she said.”

“But you never wanted to know who it was?”

“Of course I wanted to know!  I still do. There were so many times I almost looked it up myself...because I’d love to meet her.  She sounds amazing, but…” her words trailed off as a familiar twinge pulled at her heart. 

It was a decision she’d made a long time ago and stuck with to this day.

“But what?” Weiss prodded, her eyes searching Ruby’s for whatever was going to come next.

“But she’s not here, is she?” Ruby finally answered, temporarily drawn back to the times when she hadn’t had enough energy for anything - when getting out of bed might be the best thing she could accomplish in a day.  “If I wanted to get better, I couldn’t dwell on the past. So I decided to focus on the here and now. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet her if...I mean...if she’s still...”

They’d reached the root of the matter - something she was too scared to ask, yet quietly desperate to know.  But if she could share this worry to anyone, it was Weiss.

“If she’s...still alive, you know?”

Weiss’ response was one of pure shock. For a second, her mouth hung slightly open with no sound coming out before finally speaking.

“But what makes you think she’s not?”

Raising one hand to clutch the ring around her neck, Ruby shook her head – and paid for it with another pang in her forehead, this one sharper than the last.  

There were a lot of reasons why she’d avoided her past for such a long time.  It was confusing. It was scary. It made her feel vulnerable and small.  

And it would’ve been impossible to move on if she remained stuck in the past.  Being able to let go and move on had been important. But, beyond all of those things, something was lurking in the fog that was really painful.  Whenever she thought about it, her chest tightened with this ache that only went away through distraction. There was something surrounding her partner that hurt, even with no memories of who they were.

It was the part of her past that eluded her most.  Some days she wanted the answers but was terrified to know them.  The way Blake and Yang dodged around the subject only made her more nervous to know what the truth might be.  So she’d avoided the topic altogether - content to deal with more important matters and live in blissful ignorance.  One day she’d probably figure everything out, but she wasn’t in any hurry for that day to arrive.

“I’ve always felt like someone or something important to me was missing,” Ruby tried to explain.  “It’s kinda difficult to describe, but...it must be her, right?” 

“But to think she died -?”

“It’s either that or she left and has no interest in speaking to me, or us.”  Either of those answers kind of sucked - enough to bring tears to her eyes as a sense of loss grew in her chest.  Sniffing once, she tried to play it off by rubbing her tired eyes. 

This was part of the reason why she avoided thinking about the wall of fog sealing her off from those memories.  It made her way too emotional!

“I’m pretty sure the ring is hers,” she whispered, briefly scrunching her eyes closed when another quick jab of pain appeared over her left eye.  “That’s why it’s so powerful,” she continued, opening her eyes and shaking off the exhaustion. “It’s a huntress’ ring. And that’s why I always kept it near me.  Honor her memories even if I don’t have them, ya know?”

Picking up the ring again, Ruby looked down at it the best she could while it was still hanging around her neck.

“Maybe she’s not in my life anymore, but she helped me get through some rough times without even being here.  If I ever get to meet her...and I hope I do, you know? I hope I’m wrong. But if I ever get to meet her, I want to thank her for that.  For leaving me with something that helped me through.” 

Smiling, Ruby looked up only to find that Weiss was staring back with tears growing in her eyes.

“Weiss?” Ruby yelped in concern, quickly moving over to the bed and sitting by Weiss’ side.  “Are you ok? What’s wrong??”

“I’m -”  Choking up, Weiss stopped and shook her head.  “I’m sorry. Just...hearing you say that…I didn’t realize...”

“Hey, it’s ok.”  Consoling Weiss, Ruby made sure to smile to prove that she was just fine.  Because she was. This was something she’d come to terms with a while ago. “It’s just one of those things, you know?  That’s why I try not to think about it too much!”

“Yes, but…”

When Weiss’ lip quivered, Ruby reached out and pulled her into a hug that again made her stiffen.  Only this time she eventually gave in and returned the hug in full, wrapping both arms around Ruby and pulling her closer.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss murmured, burying her face into Ruby’s shoulder.  “I’m so sorry…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Ruby replied softly, rubbing one hand up and down Weiss’ back.  “I’m probably just overthinking it anyway. Maybe she decided to go off on her own after school and no one’s heard from her since.  Maybe we were never that close. Or maybe I bought the ring for myself!”

Her sense of loss could come from not having access to any of those memories, not over some specific person or thing.  The ring might only symbolize the years she’d lost - a tiny, pretty reminder that she could carry with her everywhere.

Maybe she should consider that her story might be a little sad to people who were hearing it for the first time.  Just because she’d accepted what had happened to her didn’t mean that others were on the same page as her. But it was really sweet that Weiss was so sympathetic!

Savoring the hug, Ruby gave Weiss a gentle squeeze to try to comfort her even more.  Now, this was a good hug.  Firm yet comfortable.  Open and accepting. This was how a hug was supposed to be.

It was only a few more moments before Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby for what felt like a long time - her hands resting softly on Ruby’s knees.  If Ruby could look into Weiss’ mind right now, she could probably see the wheels turning full speed - coming up with an answer to some question Ruby had never asked.

The next second, Weiss abruptly stood up. 

“Ruby, I need to tell you something,” she said, immediately pacing back and forth in front of the bed.  

The sight made Ruby feel a strange twinge of anticipation - like something really significant was about to be revealed.  If she was right, that would be amazing. The possibility of getting another glimpse into Weiss’ thoughts made her both hopeful and excited at the same time.  

“I’m listening,” Ruby said, standing up as well.  The moment she did so, there was another prick of pain in her temple that caused her to temporarily close her eyes and wait for the feeling to pass, but it only slightly went away this time. Thankfully, Weiss hadn’t noticed, but Ruby might need to get some sleep soon…

“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d respond -” Weiss was saying quickly, pacing the small room and not daring to glance Ruby’s way.  “I know it took me a long time to summon the courage, but I hope that telling you now counts for something. Because I need you to know.”

Standing in the middle of the room, Ruby remained as motionless as possible.  She didn’t want to move because the room had kind of started to spin. The tired tension in her forehead was getting a little harder to ignore, and she was growing increasingly light-headed the longer she watched Weiss walk back and forth, back and forth. 

Something didn’t feel right.  

“I know you’ve wondered how Yang and I know each other.  From school, but -”

Weiss’ words were beginning to fade away as a dull roar crept into Ruby’s ears, and a black spot appeared in the center of her vision.  She blinked, but it didn’t go away - it only got bigger. Probably not a good sign.

“Weiss…” she said, her voice sounding hazy and far away.  “I don’t feel so good…”

“Ruby?  Ruby!”

The last thing she saw were light blue eyes headed her way.