Chapter 3 – Ruby

"Mommy!" a shrill, five year-old cry emanates from down the hall, soon to be followed by the pitter-patter of tiny feet. "Mommy, look what I made today!"

The girl launches herself at her mother, the older woman acting fast and catching the bundle draped in an overly large cape. Almost instantly, a mound of lumpy, burnt, sugary confections is thrust towards her face.

"Cookies!" the girl exclaims, and the woman just now notices the blotches of chocolate and flour all over her little girl. "I made them all by myself! Daddy and Yang didn't help one bit!"

Laughing softly, the woman lowers her daughter to the ground, still holding the two cookies—if one could even call them that—in her hand.

"Eat them, mommy! They're really good! I made sure myself."

Of course, that never meant much, coming from a girl who would eat an entire whale if prompted and then go on about it being such a delicacy.

Still, the woman plops one cookie into her mouth and begins to chew, and is pleasantly surprised when she doesn't have to mask her…intrigued…expression too much. Despite looking like a pathetic disaster, the sweets had turned out decent.

Well, at least as decent as a hyperactive five year-old could manage on her own. How the house hadn't burned to the ground, she would never know.

"They're delicious, sweetie," she croons with a smile, ruffling the red-tinged locks before her, immediately causing a cloud of flour to disperse.

"Really?!" the little girl cries before jumping up with an elated squeal. "'Cause I made five whole batches!"

Stumbling out of her boots, the woman can only roll her eyes before traversing after her daughter.

XxXxX

"So, what'cha want to do on your day off, Rubes?" Yang asked as she and Ruby sat down for breakfast a few days later. "You know Blake is always down to hang with us, and I'm sure we can convince Weiss too."

Ruby shrugged, busy dousing her pancakes in syrup. "I dunno. We could all go see a movie, I guess."

Yang immediately picked up on her sister's change in demeanor, yet chose to let it slide for the time being. She knew Ruby would never be the same girl from before…that night, but lately she had seemed to reach a lull she couldn't pull herself out of. Yang, of course, instantly traced her change in behavior to her job, having never been fond of it in the first place.

"Well, what's out you want to see?" she prodded instead. "You pick."

Ruby gave a half-hearted smile in turn as she glanced at her sister before focusing back on her breakfast. "I'll think of something."

Two hours later, Ruby and Yang found themselves standing outside the downtown theater, waiting for the monochrome members of their group to arrive. Glancing to her left, Yang noticed the still-lackluster look in Ruby's eyes and couldn't hold back any longer.

"Sis…? You okay?"

With a blink, the look faded from silver irises, and the innocence Yang was so acquainted with returned.

"Huh?" Ruby uttered, looking up at her sister, almost like she didn't remember where there were for a minute, having been so absorbed in her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Yang repeated gently. "You've been kinda…off lately."

Yang thought it curious when Ruby's cheeks darkened to a pink ever so slightly, but what soon trumped that curiosity was guilt when a downcast look shadowed her sister's features. Almost like she was ashamed for letting darker emotions get to her.

"Sorry, sis," she mumbled. "I just…"

"Hey," Yang whispered when Ruby trailed off. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm just concerned, you know? I don't expect you to be happy-go-lucky and hyperactive every minute of every day, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be worried when you aren't."

Ruby granted her a shy smile. "Thanks, Yang."

Yang returned the smile, but still tested the waters carefully. "Everything okay at work?"

When Ruby's smile faltered, Yang knew she had hit the nail on the head. With that bit at least figured out, she decided to leave it alone for the time being. Ruby would come to her eventually.

Hopefully. The incident three years ago still fresh in Yang's mind begged otherwise.

"Things are okay, Yang, honestly," Ruby replied, managing a true smile once more. "I've had a rough few nights here lately, but I knew that going in. I guess…these few calls have just hit a bit closer to home."

Yang's stomach dropped. "Oh…"

"B-But I'm fine, okay?" Ruby insisted, her smile only growing in hopes to prove a point. "And look!" She pointed down the block. "Weiss and Blake are here!"

Making a mad dash for their friends, Yang tried to force a smile at Ruby's seemingly returned antics as she chatted up Weiss and Blake as they continued their approach, Weiss's shake of her head telling Yang that Ruby had returned to her old self.

Whether that was real or was to last, Yang didn't feel as confident.

XxXxX

When Ruby returned to work the next night, she couldn't help but admit that something had indeed changed. She didn't feel on top of her game like she normally did. Where she used to be full of positive, boundless energy and always ready with a smile, everything was now toned down several degrees. Sure, she was still doing her job well, making sure the callers got the help and comfort they deserved, but it all just seemed so…forced.

Sighing, Ruby moved some papers around on her desk in hopes to start jotting down some more book ideas. As one piece of paper fluttered to the ground, it uncovered another with one word scrawled out and underlined that had Ruby's heart increase.

Cinder.

Clenching her eyes shut with a huff, Ruby knew the "now-not-so-mysterious" caller was the reason for her change in behavior. She knew she was the reason Ruby had not been able to enjoy her day off to its fullest, and why Yang had been so worried.

Not that Cinder was a problem—far from it, Ruby would insist. Still, she couldn't deny that the girl's circumstances hadn't given Ruby pause, causing what she had thought to be buried memories to resurface.

Of course, it wasn't all Cinder's doing, Ruby forced herself to remember, as the night she had first spoken to the girl, Ruby had dreamed of her suicide attempt for the first time in a while. Still, Ruby couldn't help but feel that the two were interconnected in some unfathomable way.

For only the second time that night, Ruby's desk phone rang, indicating Pyrrha had forwarded a call to her. Sparing the clock a glance, Ruby noted the time as 4:36am before pulling the mic on her headset back to her lips. Readjusting her voice to the cheerful innocence callers had come to expect, Ruby picked up.

"Thank you for calling the Vale-!"

"You weren't there last night," the familiar svelte voice cut her off. Ruby couldn't help the shiver that spread down her back at the condescending tone.

"C-Cinder?" she asked.

"Who else?" Cinder replied with a huff and with what Ruby expected to be the roll of the eyes. The girl sighed briefly before repeating, "I called last night. You weren't there."

"I'm s-sorry," Ruby responded, wondering why she couldn't help but stutter this time around. "It was my day off."

"Good to know you continue to carelessly live your life while the rest of us fall victim to our demons."

Ruby shivered again. "C-Cinder… Did you…?"

"Cut last night?" she finished in a dry tone. "Yup. Still want to insist I'm strong?"

"I'm sorry," Ruby repeated, her voice now wet as tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, an unrelenting feeling of guilt overcoming her. "I-I…"

Another heavy sigh from the other line stopped her.

"Sheesh, don't take it so personally," Cinder said. "You know me and my cryptic personality; gotta blame somebody else 'cause it sure as hell ain't your own fault, right?"

When Ruby still couldn't force herself to respond, she could almost feel Cinder's demeanor shift through the line.

"Red?" she asked in a much softer tone. "What's wrong? You're not your…sprightly self."

Ruby managed a chuckle at the nickname, but her stomach instantly twisted when a tear splashed onto the desk before her.

"Red?"

Ruby could almost see Cinder smirk. "Yeah, you know… Ruby, Red; I figured it fit."

Ruby laughed a bit more and she could hear Cinder chuckle at well, no doubt pleased with herself for managing to lift Ruby's spirits even a bit.

"And I-I don't know," Ruby found herself attempting to explain. "Things have just been…hard lately."

"Don't I know the feeling."

"I've been…dreaming of my…attempt a lot more."

There was a moment where all Ruby could hear was Cinder's quiet breathing on the other end before a soft, "Yeah?" drifted across the line, almost blending into the static.

"I don't know why," Ruby continued. "I mean, it hasn't plagued me this much in years, and then just…all of a sudden…"

"Why do you do what you do, Red?" Cinder asked then. "I mean, just…why? With your past… How can you do this all the time?"

Ruby laughed again, but it sounded a lot less humorous than before. "My sister asks me that all the time, so you'd think I'd have an answer, but the truth is I don't."

When Cinder remained silent, Ruby carried on.

"At first it just felt like the right thing, you know? I mean, I had been where most of the people who call here have been, surely I'd be of more help here than at…the supermarket or something. But…"

"It's not easy, is it?" Cinder finished again in a much more morose tone. "I'm sure our stories do nothing to help you forget."

Ruby shook her head. "I never expected to forget," she insisted. "I knew this would haunt me for the rest of my life; there's no running from it, despite how much you wish it. I just…didn't expect everything to come raging back like it is."

Another moment of silence passed between them before Cinder finally broke it once more.

"Why… Why did you want to…you know?"

When Ruby let out an involuntary squeak on her end, shocked by the bluntness of Cinder's question, the other girl immediately jumped back in.

"I mean… Shit, I know I can't just ask that."

Still, Ruby managed a small smile, feeling some of her old self return. "I… I want to tell you, Cinder, I do. But…"

"I know," Cinder mumbled back. "I'm just some stranger who calls all the time."

"I don't consider you a stranger, Cinder," Ruby told her, her voice filled with conviction. "You may think it's weird, but I consider all the people I talk to here my friends. Especially those I speak to more than once."

A beat.

"You think we're friends?"

Ruby chuckled nervously. "Silly, right?"

"No!" Cinder cried so instantaneously that it shocked them both. "I could…" her voice softened again, "I could use some more of those."

For the first time in two days, Ruby beamed.