"Please come pick me up, Weiss…please…"
Weiss's eyes widened and she pressed the phone closer to her ear. Pyrrha and Blake, hearing Ruby's distress through the phone, immediately stood up from their seats.
Weiss could hear her heart beating in her ears.
"Ruby, we need to know where you are. Where are you right now?"
"I'm at work…at Menagerie Diner…"
"Okay. Sit tight, Ruby. We're coming to get you now, okay?"
"Okay…please hurry."
Weiss hung up the phone and shared a panicked look with her friends before bolting to the doorway, haphazardly throwing on a pair of shoes that she was pretty sure were Blake's, and flinging open the door. She didn't bother to check to see if Blake and Pyrrha were following, but two other sets of hurried footsteps behind her indicated that they were.
Blake suddenly was in front of her when they exited their home and opening the driver's seat to her car, frantically turning the ignition while Weiss slipped into the passenger's seat and Pyrrha into the back.
They said nothing to each other as Blake pulled out of the driveway and began racing towards the diner.
All of their hearts were pounding, several worst-case scenarios running through their minds. They took comfort in the fact that Ruby had apparently been in good enough shape to call them.
Pyrrha nervously chewed on her thumb nail as she gazed out the window. It was a nervous tic that Weiss had pleaded with her to try and break to no result. Anxieties of her profession weighed on her every day and she could be forgiven for having a bit of an unseemly habit.
The white-haired woman in the passenger's seat had her jaw clenched, lightly grinding her teeth. It was a practice Weiss had picked up to hide her consternation and concerns around respected company. It was a subtle indication that her mind was occupied.
Blake, meanwhile, had a stony expression on her face, mouth straight and brows furrowed. She incessantly trilled her fingers on the steering wheel, eyes staring ahead at the road.
Finally, the flickering neon light for Menagerie Diner was within view and Weiss immediately leaned forward in her seat to try and spot the redhead of their concerns. Pyrrha peaked her head in between the two front seats, frantically searching the sidewalk and the curb in front of the small restaurant.
Soon enough, they found her sitting against the building, knees curled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. The three women screeched into the parking lot and haphazardly parked in the first spot they saw.
"Ruby!" All three shouted.
The girl in question looked up, and the new arrivals all stopped in their tracks.
They saw the blood first, trailing down her forehead and face from a shallow cut. Drops of it had created small dark stains on her white uniform. Normally pale skin on her right cheek was instead an ugly purple bruise about the size of a fist.
Silver eyes were shimmering with tears, red and puffy.
Blake fell to a knee in front of the younger girl, immediately reaching up to cup Ruby's cheeks with both hands, taking care not to put too much pressure on the right. She gingerly moved the redhead's head this way and that, inspecting for any other injuries. Finding none, she sighed and pressed a long kiss to the girl's nose.
"Ruby, what happened?" Weiss demanded firmly.
The sitting girl hiccupped. "I-I was g-going on b-break and I usually s-sit out here b-by my bike."
Pyrrha took note that there was no bike to be found.
Ruby sniffed before she continued. "There were s-some guys by my bike. They…they tried to take m-my wallet. I told them I didn't have anything." Fresh tears began to fall. "They hurt me…and then they took my bike!"
Ruby covered her face as she sobbed, shaking something fierce. Pyrrha rushed past Weiss and quickly wrapped Ruby up in a hug, resting the smaller girl's head on her chest. She quietly shushed Ruby as she ran a hand through the girl's short locks.
Blake, meanwhile, looked back to Weiss.
"What's the plan?"
Weiss didn't even hesitate before answering. "We take her to our house. Like hell is she staying in that dingy apartment in the state she's in. I'm going to tell Ruby's manager that she's leaving early." Without missing a beat, Weiss marched into the restaurant.
That taken care of, Blake turned back to Ruby and Pyrrha. The taller redhead was rocking back and forth, trying to hold in her own tears. Blake saw Pyrrha's lower trembling as she forced herself to stay composed for Ruby's sake.
However, beneath Pyrrha's emotional outward appearance, there was a rage building beneath her. It was almost beyond comprehension to her. She had known Ruby only for a short time, but she had already established herself as the sweetest, shyest, most adorable girl she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. How someone, anyone, could bring it upon themselves to lay a hand on Ruby to hurt her was just beyond Pyrrha, and she had half a mind to start tearing the city apart to find out who was responsible.
But not now. Right now, Ruby needed them.
"Ruby?" Blake said quietly.
A small grunt from the girl was her response, as her face was still buried in Pyrrha's chest.
"We're going to bring you to our place, okay? Weiss is letting your manager know, so you should be good to go."
Pyrrha looked up. "Speak of the devil."
Weiss raised an eyebrow as she stepped closer. "I certainly hope your opinion of me isn't that low." She cleared her throat. "The manager is letting Ruby go early."
"Great." Pyrrha said with a small smile before looking down at the redhead still cuddled up against her. "Can you stand, Ruby?"
A mute nod was all she received as she slowly began to stand at her full height, carrying Ruby with her. Pyrrha kept an arm slung around Ruby's shoulder as she steadily led her to the car, Blake and Weiss following close behind.
Pyrrha deposited Ruby in the middle seat in the back before sliding in beside her. The smaller girl tiredly leaned her head against Pyrrha's shoulder.
The car was quiet as they drove back to the three women's home. All of a sudden, everyone in the vehicle were feeling quite exhausted. It seemed that Ruby had already fallen asleep by the time they got there.
Pyrrha gently unbuckled Ruby from her seat before lightly shaking her.
"Ruby, we're home." She whispered.
Ruby blearily opened her eyes, blinking a few times before nodding, letting Pyrrha carry most of her weight as she was pulled out of the car.
Ruby could barely take in her surroundings as she half walked, half-stumbled into the home. It was clean, very clean. White flooring and high ceilings, with a large chandelier hanging in the entryway.
She felt herself laid down on something soft. Something was pressed against the cut on her forehead. It felt itchy.
"Ruby, you need to drink this, okay?"
The girl slowly nodded as she sat up. Vision coming back to her, she found herself in a living room with white carpet. A large television sat in the corner, right next to a bookcase filled with thick novels, along with photographs of the three women she found in her company. It was definitely a far cry from her own apartment.
Blake was sitting next to her, arm around her shoulder, and pushing a small cup of…something into her hands.
"It's not going to taste very good, but it'll make your head hurt less."
Ruby hesitantly took the cup and, sparing a glance at Blake, held her nose as she tipped her head back and emptied the contents of the cup into her mouth. She immediately gagged at the taste.
Blake couldn't help but smile a bit at the childish reaction to the medicine. She took the cup from Ruby and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch, rubbing Ruby's shoulder a bit.
"Weiss and Pyrrha are getting ready for bed, and I think that you should too. Come on, I'll show you your room." Blake said softly, tugging a bit to get Ruby to follow her off the couch.
Ruby allowed this, leaning into Blake's side as she was led up a flight of stairs and into a room with a bed far larger than anything she had ever slept in.
The raven-haired woman helped Ruby under the sheets, tucking her in, and began making her way towards the door.
"Wait…Blake?" Ruby called out.
The woman stopped at the door and looked back at Ruby.
Ruby could feel her cheeks heat up as she shyly looked to the side. "Could…you stay with me tonight?""
Blake's eyebrows rose, and she hesitated for only a moment before smiling and retracing her steps back to the bed. She crossed to the other side and slipped under the covers next to Ruby. The younger girl scooched towards Blake a bit, eyes asking a question.
Blake answered, raising an arm and inviting Ruby to move closer. She did so, putting herself flush against Blake's front. Blake curled her arm around Ruby's back and tucking her head underneath her chin.
Blake pressed a kiss to Ruby's forehead.
"Goodnight, Ruby. Sleep tight."