So...who missed the new year upload because they were too busy watching the newest season of RWBY and is doing it later rather than never? This guy! Anyway, sorry for doing it late, but at least Someday is not over! I'm still writing it right now and will upload the chapters once a week, so keep watching for more! I take any critique seriously so I can improve, so feel free to leave an honest review for me.
Today was supposed to be a quiet day. Spent lazing either in bed or on the couch while plucking away at the scroll or watching tv. The year was ending today, and Alex was looking forward to sitting there doing nothing until the new year started, it was his tradition after all. But this year was forced to be different now that he was a part of Team RWBY, their additional member by order of Ozpin since his team was lost during the fall of Beacon.
Instead of enjoying the perfect comfort of his bed, unfortunately still a little blood stained no matter how much they tried to clean it, he was ousted from his comfort at first light. Ruby jumping onto his bed and Weiss' yelling making it impossible to even fake being unconscious. Blake and Yang had already split for their own plans, so he was left with the smaller two.
"Get down from there you Dolt! There's more humane ways to wake a person!" Weiss yelled at their leader. Ruby stopped her jumping, much to Alex's appreciation and sat down next to him, a sheepish look in her silver eyes that never failed to disarm him. Over time they had all gained a special place in his heart as a bit of a family for him. That didn't make times like these any less annoying, though.
"I've only been cleared by the doctor for a couple weeks, Ruby. Be gentle with me." Alex grunted, finally sitting up and admitting defeat.
Jumping out of his bed, he started his morning routine. A shower and change of clothes later, he started to prime Rose Bolero: the weapon that Ruby had made for him to replace his basic claymore he had left with the Belladonna's. Clip loaded into his weapon, and it reverted to it's sword form, he placed it against his right shoulder and did a test jump to make sure the magnet was still holding the weight. At this point, Weiss was finally finished with her shower and the air dryer could be heard working it's magic on her platinum hair. There'd be another ten minutes before the other two would hear from her, then her makeup as well so...better go get breakfast.
Alex and Ruby went to the dorms shared kitchen on their floor and looked around at what was available. Mostly holiday food still, but it was somewhat still stocked since most of the students were off campus. Ruby was staring into the fridge for a few minutes before speaking up.
"Hey, so this is the last breakfast we'll have this year?" She said. Alex nodded.
"And it's also the end of the first year you were with us." She followed up. Again, Alex merely nodded.
"So...I was thinking we do something special for breakfast! Yang and Blake aren't here but it'd be nice to do something with you today." Ruby finished, a hint of pink covering her cheeks. As if Alex could say no.
"What did you have in mind?"
Later….
Alex shouldn't have left her in charge of the food. He knew better and should've said something and didn't. In a way this was all his fault and he would face the consequences. And when did Ren get here?
The table was litterally groaning under the weight of all the food. Pancake mountains and syrup valleys. Enough oatmeal to feed a small village, different types of cereal in serving bowls, and an ecstatic Ruby waving her arms to the table, silently saying 'ta-da! Look what I did and you didn't stop me.'.
A small ball of concentrated frustration and disappointment stared up at Alex with peircing blue eyes, if looks could kill, this would've been the end of more than just Alex's year. He did not dare make eye contact with the pint sized duelist silently wishing all manner of pain on her teammates.
"Ruby." Her voice low and dangerous, intent dripping from every letter of their leader's name.
"'Sup Weiss?" Ruby said, oblivious to the clear danger she was in.
"...Nothing. Who else is eating with us then?" Weiss dropped it faster than ever. Maybe it was Ruby's excitement, the importance of the date, or just love for her girlfriend, either was Alex was thankful.
"Well JNPR are in town, and Ren helped cook so we made sure there was enough for all of us after Nora does her thing. And enough to leave for when Blake and Yang when they come back." Ruby said, the plan already in motion.
As if on queue, a pink blur materialized before the table. A ginger head of hair and a bright pink skirt drawing their attention as spoons and forks worked their way around the table, loading a lone plate well beyond any human rational.
"Nora, take it slowly please." Ren said from his place beside the table, a minor attempt with expected results. Before long, the rest were eating as well, the common area full of friends sharing stories about their holidays and why they were still on campus, the most surprising was Pyrrha.
"I just feel more at home here with you guys than at home. There, everyone knows me and expects so much, but here; you guys let me be myself. My parents understood." She said between polite bites making sure she wasn't talking with a full mouth, unlike Jaune who was trying to match Nora just to see if he could. He couldn't.
"Well for what it's worth, i'm glad you stayed behind. I never really get to hang out with you." Alex said, ignoring the 'no talking with your mouth full' rule. He regarded the whole party, Jaune and Pyrrha in casual clothing; Jaune sporting his pumkin' Pete's hoody and jeans but had forgone the armor, and Pyrrha in a crimson t-shirt that hugged her torso, and black shorts that stopped just above her thighs. Seeing her long legs without their golden armor seemed...inappropriate somehow to Alex so he tried not to stare. Tried.
"We gonna stick together for the countdown, Ruby?" Jaune asked. Ruby thought for a moment and shrugged.
"I was only planning breakfast, but if you all wanted to join, I'm not going to say no." Ruby said, mouth full of what she called 'breakfast cookies' and milk. They're party continued until Nora made sure there was no more food left and they had cleaned up.
Back in their dorm room, the fun didn't end, no matter how much Alex was wishing it to himself. Ruby had set up a TV on Blake's shelf and was in the middle of her game, Weiss sitting next to her feigning disinterest, and Alex with nowhere to sit but his bunk. He had declined playing the game (why play when you know you would lose?), and sat next to them as best he could. Trying to pass the time, he pulled out his scroll and was flicking through its many apps to keep himself entertained. Funny pictures worked for a few minutes, and movies were out while Ruby was playing her games. At this point, the damned thing was useless.
"Ruby." Weiss finally spoke up, pulling her out of her game filled haze and staring into diamond eyes hidden slightly by platinum hair.
"I have an idea, but you'd have to put down the game." Wiess whispered to her partner, goosebumps filling her skin as Weiss' breath touched her. The game immediately became the last thing on her mind in this instant.
"Whatever you say." Ruby said, entranced by Weiss who was closer than ever. Ruby had difficulty showing it, but she very much loved her partner and was somewhat sad at her lack of experience, but still Weiss stays. It was far from perfect, but they make it work.
"Don't you think that Alex's armor could do with some work?" Weiss whispered into her ear. Alex piqued up at his name being said and he knew what was going on. Weiss was playing her dear girlfriend like a fiddle to break up the boring atmosphere, and it was working in spades. The reaper was hard pressed to ever deny Weiss something she wanted, and when she was pulling her strings like this, Ruby moved however she wanted.
"Well that'd be up to-" Ruby began, befor a pale finger hushed her lips.
"I think it'd be a nice suprise and a team building experience." That whisper again. And sure enough, Ruby moved. The game shut down instantly, and Ruby had put her cloak over her shoulders again, loaded Crescent Rose onto her back and was looking at the other two wondering when they would get up and move already. With a huff, Alex stood with Weiss. There was no relaxation coming in his immediate future, but hey; he'd get some sweet armor out of it.
Looking over his jacket, they never got it repaired after their fight with Neo. Cleaned, yes, but the holes were still there from when Neo wore it while fighting his team. Slash marks tearing into the red leather, and a large singed hole in the back of the jacket where Blake's bullet tore through. A painful memory that Alex tries not to let Blake set on, so he hardly wears the jacket anymore, and he wouldn't today. New start for his equipment.
Rose Bolero back in its place on his shoulder, he met them at the door. Ruby looked back at the jacket hanging in the corner of the room and wondered silently to herself.
"Fresh start, and I'll pack it back in when we return." Alex answered Ruby's silent question. That seemed to appease Ruby, as she led her team out of the dorm room.
Meanwhile, in Vale…
The airship to Vale touched down gently and they loaded out into the city. A short cab ride later, they were in front of 'From Dust til Dawn' their favorite dust shop. Alex silently wondered what this had to do with armor, but if Ruby had an idea, no one could stop her.
The elder shopkeep recognised them immediately, and with a silent nod, let them shop in peace.
"Alright, we'll need a lot of fire dust for what I want to do." Ruby said out loud more to herself than anyone. She went to the large dispenser that fills the far left wall of the store and started filling a gallon sized thermos with red dust. Alex and Weiss waited patiently at the front of the store, letting Ruby shop in peace.
"Im suprised they're open on New Years Eve." Alex said.
"Well, we never really get a day off from being a huntsmen, so our supply should be open all the time when we need it." Weiss said confidently as if it should've been obvious. Alex let it go.
"Alright! Now we need to get a new jacket or something to work as the inner lining to the outfit." Ruby had already purchased the dust and held it delicately in its plastic bag even though the thermos was supposed to be impact resistant. Something they had told him about an explosion during their first year flashed breifly in his head as they left for the next store.
The clothing store of choice was barely running, with only one person manning the counter and watching the store. Not that it was busy, but the person looked to just be there to pad their paycheck for the day as they drummed on their scroll.
"Weiss, I'll leave the jacket to you. Make sure it'd look good on him." Ruby said with a wink, taking a fruitless jab at Weiss sense of fashion. Weiss deadpanned at Ruby for a couple seconds before working her magic; weaving quickly through shelves lined with different styles of jackets, blazers and shirts. Occasionally she would come back to Alex and hold up whatever she picked to see how it'd look and fit, only to shake her head again and start all over. Minutes passed quickly as they watched her shop, before finally coming back with a short leather jacket, black with red highlights. Admittedly, Alex was impressed with it, soft lining on the inside to keep warm and comfortable, loose sleeves that were easily rolled, and a large collar that could hold together with a single button.
"This is gonna make me look like a biker." Alex quietly said to himself. It wasn't his style as is, but Ruby still had to work her magic on it. Jacket purchased, they continued down the road of shops, gathering bits of metal and paints and more cloth before Ruby was satisfied.
"So, what is this supposed to look like anyway?" Alex finally asked, heavy bags weighing him down. If anything he'd make himself useful but he underestimated Ruby's spending ability.
"It's all in here!" She said with a grin as she pointed to her head. This didn't bode well to Alex if it wasn't even written down, on the fly as it was.
"Alright, meet us back at Beacon, Ruby and I are going to handle some errands of our own." Weiss said, grabbing her leader's arm. Ruby attempted to put up a fight, but immediately crumbled under Weiss' gaze, and sheepishly nodded her head.
They parted ways there, and the pair walked further down the road. The shops gave way to hotels, bars small cafe's and other shops. Ruby looked around for whatever Weiss was wanting to do, and before long they stood in front of a restaurant. The inside was empty save for the crew, all staring through the glass panel wall directly at them. The top of the wall was lit with neon blue and red letters '7th heaven cafe'.
Weiss pulled them inside, to be greeted with low bows from the staff and immediate sitting in the empty cafe. The smell of fresh baked buns and coffee filled the air, tinsel stilled filled the raftors, giving a festive feel to the place, if not overstaying its welcome a bit. There wasn't a tree, but the dim lighting seemed to benefit from it, and the atmosphere was very quaint. Their table was already filled with menus and utensils, and the choices were in plain english, much to Ruby's relief.
"After our last date with the fancy names, I think this place is already better." Ruby said, eyeing the menu and picking something small to keep room for all their chocolatey deserts. Weiss smiled at the praise and picked up her own menu. A few minutes later, a waiter was already at their table to get their drinks. For Ruby, a cup of hot cocoa was already made for her and was still steaming, of course Weiss would pull out all the stops for her girlfriend.
Meanwhile, back at Beacon, Alex set his load down on the floor, thankful they didn't make him bring all the bags with him and crash landed on his bed, enjoying the blissful silence of the vacant dorm. Only the sound of the wind blowing through the tree outside their window was the only disruption to his peace. Soft pillows and blankets welcomed his fatigued form into their sweet embrace as sleep threatened to take him, and he was tempted to let it.
At least, until his scroll went off, its infernal racket reminding Alex that he needed to change his year old ring tone to something softer. Glancing at the screen, he noticed it was Pyrrha of all people. Sitting up straight and clearing out any anger from his throat, he answered the call.
"Hello." Came the soft and overly polite voice on the other end.
"Yes, Pyrrha, whats up?" Alex said as nicely as he could, his bed calling out to him more than ever. A few tense seconds went by as he hear Pyrrha shuffle her scroll around.
"You wouldn't be...busy, would you?" Cautious as ever, but Pyrrha's been good to him, so he might as well humor her.
"What's up?"
Later…
He should've said he was busy, then he'd be happily asleep in his bed. Bed never hurt him before, bed never betrayed his trust out of the blue. Not like the people he called his friends. True friends would let him sleep.
Instead, he finds himself elbow deep in pancake batter with an over energized Nora bouncing off the walls, asking himself how he got in this situation. The look on Ren's face next to him asked the same questions.
"Well...Nora's still hungry, and we're all out of leftovers. Would you mind helping us get dinner ready?" A simple request, really. And not outside of the scope of Alex's skills, but there was always a fine print. No one told him that Nora found the coffee. No one told him she drank the whole gallon tins worth out of sheer boredom. Nobody told Jaune to not get near her when she was a jittery mess unless he really wanted to be ridden like a pony as she swung her monster of a hammer around acting like a knight. Some things you learn the hard way.
Pyrrha was hurriedly washing batter off her arms and hair to Alex's left, noticably distressed also, and a fort of pancakes sat on the table in the middle of their shared dining room, threatening to topple over and end Alex's suffering in a mountain of fluffy goodness. Alex willed it, but nobody listened. Instead, he had to find a way to diffuse the situation as quick as possible.
"Nora?" he started cautiously.
Her crazed stare landed on him, and she was instantly more intimidating than any Grimm they've fought. He wasn't sure he'd get out of this one alive.
"You need to let Jaune go so we can clean up." Alex finished. Nora's eyes drifted down to her makeshift horse, Jaune looking up at her with pitiful eyes of silent mercy, then back to Alex.
"Don't wanna." She said, and kicked Jaune in the side again, and Alex could swear he heard Jaune neigh like an actual horse.
"Nora." Ren's rare voice, stern for once as he eye'd down Nora. Her gaze landed on him, and he did not flinch, not for a second even when she started to glare. He was ruining her fun after all. "Down." Ren said, and a few moments passed with no movement, no one even dared to breath, then Nora sighed and got off of Jaune, who promptly collapsed on the floor.
She crossed her arms and did her best pout she could as she glared at Ren who was still looking at her like he caught her with her hand in the cookie jar (no I don't know where that went either.). She stood at his side, not saying a word and still sporting her pout until he pat her on the head and gave her a gentle smile that she loosened up to immediately.
"Lets finish cleaning, and we'll relax with a movie later." Ren said to the subdued Nora, to which she immediately perked up and got to work sweeping up the flower on the floor.
Pyrrha joined Alex's side with a shy smile as Alex leveled a cold glare on her.
Later, Alex found his way back to the dorm, intent on finally spending some time on his own. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when he found the dorm still empty and no messages on his scroll. A large plate of pancakes was set down on his table, a relic of Team JNPR's snafu of pancake creation, and he fell once again into soft sheets.
All it took was a blink, and the sun had completely disappeared and the room was dark. He had managed to pass out completely and slept through a few hours of the day without even trying.
He stood on rubbery legs and a sense of nausea filled his head as he took in his surroundings. Still nobody from his team, and the pancakes now very cold and dry sitting on the table still, and the clock showing him it was 8pm only, not even past the day yet.
"Where is everyone?" He wondered out loud to himself.
Yang and Blake were finally finished with their date, several shops later and a couple drink stops. All they had were the books from earlier, not really interested in anything else but did enjoy window shopping and each others company before finally heading back to Beacon.
Touching down at the airstrip on school grounds, they were greeted by Weiss and Ruby, arms also heavy with their purchases and Ruby lost in thought, planning how Alex's armor would turn out. Yang closed in on Ruby from behind and blew gently into her younger sister's ear, pulling her abruptly back to reality.
Several shouts from Ruby, and a cackling laugh from Yang, they approached the school. On the horizon, the shattered moon was becoming visible for the first time tonight, soon to be blocked out by Beacon's famed dust fireworks filling the sky with all the elements and colors dancing around in harmony, blocking out the moon and stars. By their clocks, they had four hours left until the ceremony, so they would have to work quick. Blake branched off from the group to drop her books in her locker, and they all met up in Port's workshop, laying out their materials short of what they gave to Alex (Mostly the dust) and set to work.
Yang carefully cut the cloth to basic measurements Ruby had snuck on him (not sure when), normally firm hands working delicately to ensure nothing went wrong and to provide some style to the new outfit. She layered cloth on leather to keep the interior soft and made the length a bit longer than a traditional leather jacket, but not quite a trenchcoat, ending just shy of his knees. Buttons and slots for the buttons were replaced with latches that Ruby had found, engraved with different designs of fire and leaves and frillishes.
After the outfit was cut, Weiss took over, sewing a design into the back of the jacket of a wolf's face, roaring out. The whole design took up the back of the jacket, and her skilled work and craftsmanship made it look almost like a painting sewn into the leather. Adding in some patches of darker leather to break up the constant brown color of the leather jacket, lining the cuffs, collar and pockets in a black design. Her last touch was adding the same material to the shoulders, adding a bit of leather protection around his neck and sewing in a floral pattern that exploded in snowflakes.
While the other two worked, Ruby was working hard on sculpting the metal peices to shape, a thin metal for his shoulders, and metal plates on the inside to protect his core. She had smelted different metals and folded them over each other before pounding them flat to keep them strong and thin, silently hoping they'd be strong enough to stop a bullet if needed. By the time the jacket was handed to her, she was ready to rivet the metal to the inside of the cloth layer before sealing the cloth around them. Two hours had gone by as the jacket finished cooling, leather settling under the weight of the armor underneath it and admittedly very heavy by normal human standards, but they trusted Alex would be used to it quickly.
"Alright, all we need is the dust and it will be done!" Ruby said triumphantly. It was rewarding enough to see her plan work, but it was doubled knowing that her team had worked together to make it happen.
"Just two small details before we get the dust…" Blake spoke up as she approached the jacket. Ruby was wondering what she was talking about but instead trusted Blake's judgement.
"First, he keeps his weapon on his back." She pulled a small disc from one of the workshop drawers. Testing it with a nearby screwdriver, she was satisfied enough to include it in the outfit, covering it with one last piece of cloth after gluing it in place.
"And while that settles, lets include a bit of ourselves in it too." She finished as a small smile filled her face, and her teammates joined her side. On the inside of the collar, where a normal tag would be, they took turns burning their emblems into the collar, adding their own flair to the overall design and a constant reminder of his teammates.
"Alright, lets get him down here with the dust." Ruby said, pulling out her scroll.
Alex's scroll interrupted the darkness, loud ringtone filling the empty room and its screen illuminating the whole room. He picked it up to see a message from Ruby.
"Port's Workshop? Okay…" Alex said. He quickly grabbed the dust, and put his weapon on his back thinking he could give his weapon some work while he was down there and was off. It didn't take long for him to enter the shop, something on one of the tables covered by a small tarp and flanked by all his teammates.
"What is this about?" Alex handed the bag over to Weiss who had an odd smile on her face. Now that he was paying attention, they all were smiling oddly at him.
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it." He immediately said defensively, flashbacks to the flight of the pancakes from earlier.
"What? No, shut up. Go over there for a few minutes while we finish up." Ruby said impatiently.
Nodding his head, he claimed one of the benches on the other side of the shop and set to work polishing and sharpening his prized weapon. Glancing up, he saw Blake holding the tarp up to block their work, amber eyes looking at Alex with that same odd smile before occasionally looking back at the glowing lights behind her, then back to him with a satisfied smirk.
Finally done with his sword, he glanced at his scroll, seeing it was ten minutes to midnight.
"Whatever you're up to, we're going to miss the fireworks." Alex said. He wasn't tired anymore so the least he could do was see the lights with them if they still wanted to. From The looks of things, they had a long day of their own.
"Almost done!" Ruby said from behind the tarp. Yang had emerged from where they were working and stood next to her girlfriend, intent in her eyes as Blake took her bait, looking at her instead of at Alex, and, from his spot in front of the cloth, he didn't need X-Ray vision to know that Yang had started mercilessly tickling Blake to the best of her ability.
"Yang." Blake said, stone faced as always. Yang didn't look like she'd stop.
"Yang!" Blake said a bit firmer this time but still nothing from the blonde brawler.
"Yang!" Blake almost yelled and Yang pulled back, doing her best to pout like a freshly kicked puppy, clearly unhappy that Blake wasn't ticklish.
"Done!" Came Ruby's excited voice from behind the tarp, and Blake finally put it down. Behind her was a long coat with floral designs glowing with embers and glistening like the embers were frozen. Ruby and Wess picked it up one sleeve each, and walked it over to Alex.
The floral designs felt warm to the touch and glistened even in their low light environment, every thread touched with different types of dust. He turned it over in his hands to see a proud wolf roaring with the same thread, and in his hands the dust reacted, growing hotter and colder in some areas depending on where he traced his fingers. It was heavy in his hands from the armor that was added, and he didn't fail to notice their emblems on the inside of the collar.
He looked up curiously at his small leader, almost bouncing with excitement as she motioned him to put it on.
The weight was more manageable once it was on his shoulders, armor shoulders and core protection immediately making him feel more secure, the soft cloth barely touching his skin, and when it did it was smooth as silk, a super soft and warm material keeping the bare metal off of his skin.
Wearing the jacket also caused a reaction in him as well, feeling the ice and fire portions of his semblance fall into controllable balance. Alex held out his hands, and with a bit of concentration, formed a globe of ice in one hand and a small plume of fire in the other.
"YES! It worked just like I planned." Ruby said, giving a thumbs up to nobody in particular. "I know you struggle with your semblance, keeping your emotions in check, but hopefully now it won't be so hard."
"And we all helped, so you better be grateful." Weiss said, crossing her arms but still wearing a playful smirk that Alex couldn't help but mimic.
"We better get outside, the fireworks are going to start any minute now." Alex said.
But outside was a different story. The fields held the entire student body that had stayed to see the new year, but there was no fireworks to be seen. Instead, at the head of the crowd at a podium was Ozpin.
"I regret to inform you that the fireworks show will have to be cancelled. Between the cost of establishing the school this year and the securities for Vale, we cannot afford the expense right now. Next year we will plan for it, but this year...I hope you all understand." He finished breifly, and a wave of groans came from the students. Alex grit his teeth, anger boiling.
After how the day had been, woken up early, drug through Vale, fighting the pancake monster with JNPR, the movie day with them as well, all the walking and only getting a few hours of sleep, he'll be damned if there isn't some fireworks to end it all. Ruby tugged on his sleeve and looked up at him worried.
"Nothing bad, Ruby, but I think we all deserve some fireworks." Alex said, releasing his tension and giving her a confident smile.
He walked to behind where Ozpin was standing, and focused on his fire, but also his jacket, trying to use the dust to enhance his semblance like he did before. The fire didn't engulf him though, and he didn't need to be in a rage to tap into it like the other times, it just happened. There wasn't anything he could think of to repay Ruby for her gift, but this was a start.
The jacket's threading glowed with a bright red, tracing through Weiss' designs and meeting in his palms before being fed more by his semblance, growing larger and larger as he raised his hands above him.
Before long, the fire was shooting out smaller fireballs into the sky, lacking the satisfying sound of gunpowder launching them, but still bright and dazzling as they soared through the skies. Concentrating on the shots, he made them explode at a safe altitude, and went even farther to shape them as they exploded.
He started with the first shot, which exploded loudly above his head, the warm shockwave rolling through his body, and from Ruby's spot in the middle of the crowd, stared in amazement as her Rose emblem filled the night in all of its intricate detail. As it faded, the next shot exploded, showing Weiss' snowflake in burning red, a stark contrast to the original but still bringing a small smile to the heiress' face. Blakes symbol was next, the normally dark logo becoming emblazoned and bright in the night sky as the flames filled its shape and disappearing slowly. Yang's was last, her burning heart finally animated by real fire bright enough to block out the stars.
Showboating done, he added in different dust and emotions to his shots to create colored explosions in the sky. So focused was he that he couldn't hear the cheering coming from in front of him, and hearing them start to count down.
Ruby, using her semblance, danced through the crowd to land next to Alex under his large fireball swirling with fire and different colors of dust before they soared into the atmosphere.
"5." She started counting loudly into his ear, cuing him into the finale coming, as well as the end of the year. Seconds ticked by like days as he upped his power, more explosions being launched and exploded for everyone's enjoyment, until the last second.
As Ruby said '1', he launched everything in the ball into the sky, hundreds of explosions and colors mixing together to spell out 'Happy New Year' to all his fellow students and a roaring applause from his friends, all tunneling as he started to lose consciousness. Ruby caught him on his way down and laid him down gently in her lap, cradling his head as she smiled down on him.
"The test was a resounding success, Ruby. Thank you." Was all he had strength for before sleep took him and the colors of the thread finally stopped their swirling, growing dull as their energy was retired. Ruby smiled at the sleeping man before looking up at the shattered moon with longing silver eyes.
"This is going to be a good year."