A quiet beep woke Ruby from her slumber. She lay in bed in one of the guest rooms in Mistral. Beside her, Qrow slept silently. He'd just gotten out of treatment for his wounds, and seemed to be doing better. Ruby yawned, rolling over to return to sleep, when the beep signaled again.
Rolling over, she picked up her scroll from the table beside her. It was a message from Qrow. She looked over to him, but saw he was fast asleep and couldn't have sent the message. It must have been queued up from a previous conversation. Yawning, she opened the scroll.
Attached to the message was an audio file. Ruby raised an eyebrow, looking once again to her uncle before sliding out of bed. She stepped into the hallway, pressing the phone to her ear as she sat down. Immediately, Qrow's voice flooded the silence.
"Hey petal," He started, calling her by her favorite nickname, "I know things are hard right now, and I know you're trying your best out there. The truth is, I'm right behind you. No matter what happens, I'll protect you. That's a promise.
"If you're getting this message, you've been gone for about a three months now. Doesn't seem all that long ago does it? Anyway, kid, this message has been queued to send in the event that I've been inactive for a while. For whatever reason, I hope I will get to see you soon. If not..well that's why I'm sending this.
"The first thing I want to tell you is that you look so much like your mother, it's crazy. You even sound like her. Sometimes, when you talk, it's like she's still here. I think…that may be part of why I agreed to train you. It was like I was spending time with her all over again. But looking like your mother comes with a price. I told you before, those silver eyes are a rare trait, and they've gotten the attention of some pretty dangerous people. Watch your back, Ruby. Do as I taught you, and you'll be fine.
"The second thing you need to know is that. I am so proud of you. Of who you chose to become. You are going to make a fine Huntress, Ruby. I know you're going to do amazing things. Things you can't even begin to understand yet. Things your mother was never able to accomplish, though I guess that's my fault. There's so much I want to tell you, about her especially. So much I think you need to know.
"Lastly… This may come as a bit of a shock to you. It came as a bit of a shock to me, too, when I realized it. The thing is, kid.. I don't come by these words very often so I'm not sure how to say it. I guess what I'm trying to say is I love you. You are the best thing that has happened to me since your mother died. The only good thing to come out of my countless mistakes. I want to protect you, and guide you as you grow into the Huntress I know you were born to be. But my job, and my semblance, put me at constant risk. I don't want that for you. I don't want to risk losing you, too. I….I know this is all hard to understand right now, but I promise you, Ruby. If I make it back to you, I will explain everything.
"I hope that this never has to make it to you, petal. But if it does, I hope you can forgive me."
Ruby dropped the scroll into her lap, shock setting in as a single tear slid silently down her face. She sat there in silence for a long moment, processing the information that she'd received. It was unlike Qrow to be emotional, but now that she was thinking about it, he'd shown more emotion in the last few days than she'd seen in months of training with him.
Ruby picked up her scroll and stood, making her way back into the room. Throwing her scroll on her bed, she moved to Qrow's bed and gently lay down beside him. His arm wrapped around her waist as she settled in, pulling her closer. She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breathe. Immediately, his scent filled her nose and she sighed, feeling safe for the first time in many months.
"I love you, too, Uncle Qrow."