The rest of the flight was spent in relative silence and occasional small talk.
When they finally landed, the four parted, from the docks in twos. Blake and Yang headed to their home on the southern side of Vale. Meanwhile, Weiss escorted Ruby back to the small studio apartment she shared with Pyrrha, staying only long enough to make sure Ruby made it to her own door safe and sound. Then she headed for her own home.
Inside of the apartment though, Pyrrha was fussing over Ruby's newest story of bravery and idiocy. It was a mix of pride and horror that she was well acquainted with, and that only Ruby could ever draw from her. Even after hearing the entire story for herself, Pyrrha wasn't sure where to begin scolding her lover for yet another injury that could have been prevented.
"I don't care what Yang thought she was doing when she started firing into the Grimm infestation. I want to know what you thought you were doing by taking on a Goliath stampede." Pyrrha ranted as she inspected her girlfriend for further injuries. "Of all the impulsive things you could possibly do. Does it hurt terribly?"
"Not really."
"You're lying. You don't seem to have a concussion but, I have the distinct impression you did at one time."
"My aura took care of it, Pyrrha." Ruby winced when she felt those soft gentle fingers press against her forehead.
"There, you see." Pyrrha sighed. "Ruby, it hurts, it has to. Please just admit it."
"I'm just a little sore." Ruby said, taking Pyrrha's hand into her own. "As for why I did it, I already told you, I was just trying to get them away from the villages."
"By jumping into the middle of the pack?" Pyrrha argued back. "Oh, Ruby, you're so reckless…"
"I'm okay." Ruby said. "Really, everything's okay."
"Are you?" She asked cupping Ruby's cheek. "You're not just saying that?"
"Pyrrha, I swear, I'm okay." Ruby said again. "I'm alright, I promise."
The older woman sighed, her red hair out of its usual confines due to the late hour. It cascaded around her like a crimson silk as she bowed her head low. For a long time she just stood there, breathing softly. Then her moist green eyes lifted, looking deeply into Ruby's. "Sweetheart, if I know anything, I know that it's never a good idea to fight battles on your own. You cannot repeat my mistake, we've been over this. You have your team with you, you absolutely must stay by their side."
"It wasn't exactly like I had a choice." Ruby told her. "Weiss needed to evacuate the village in case everything went wrong. Blake and I did the only thing we could think of to lead them away while Yang chased them."
"Ruby, you're lucky you didn't rush too far ahead with your semblance before getting hit and losing consciousness. Your speed can be your biggest danger, you need to understand that. What if Blake hadn't gotten to you in time? What if you had been trampled, or worse?"
"Nope. If I'm not allowed to think that way, neither are you. No more thinking about 'what if' since that gets us both into trouble." Ruby said, hopping off of the stool near the kitchen counter to stand to her full height. Pyrrha was still taller than her, and always would be. It was simply that Ruby made for a much more impressive looking huntress when she stood to her full height, scars and all peppering her body.
Pyrrha needed a moment before she nodded her head, agreeing to put the matter aside. "And there were no leads after all of that?"
"None. I don't know where Cinder is, but she's not in Vale."
"You're sure?"
"As sure as I can be." Ruby replied.
"I…" Pyrrha could only swallow hard. "I should be out there with you searching."
"You can't. I know you want to, but you just can't. You have to stay near Beacon." Ruby shot back. "With all the Grimm attacks getting worse, the people need to stay in high spirits. They see you, and they feel safe…they stay calm…right now, Vale really needs that. There's no point in going after the ones that destroyed Beacon if we can't make sure Vale stays safe this time…we rebuilt once, but there's no way we will be able to do it again."
"It's been years Ruby, I don't think the fighting will ever stop...somehow, I feel as if it will never have the chance to be completely at peace."
"It will." Ruby promised. "Vale's still in the middle of repairs. People haven't lost all hope. What does that tell you?"
"It still worries me that you think you can take that woman on by yourself. She's powerful, Ruby. More so than I assumed when I chased after her. The night that Beacon fell, things could have been different. If your uncle hadn't gotten there in time…you and I are so, so fortunate to be alive."
"That's why we have to do this right this time." Ruby agreed, desperate to pull that sad expression off of her girlfriend's features. "It's all in, together, or not at all."
Pyrrha shook her head. "I made a promise to help locate the remaining maidens and protect them, but there is no reason for you to be involved. You don't need to do this, Ruby."
"Getting into trouble runs in the family, Pyr, I can't help it." Ruby said as she wrapped her arms around Pyrrha. "RWBY and JNPR are a package deal now. We have to stick together. No one gets to be on super special maiden missions, or leaves, or does anything really crazy without the rest of us knowing. That was the promise we made, and I'm sticking to it. I'm not leaving you to deal with all of this junk on your own...not ever..."
