Ruby stared off into the distance, watching as the sun slowly set. It'd been close to two days now since she and Cinder had worked together to destroy the grimm arm, and the maiden was still showing no signs of regaining consciousness. It was a worrying situation, to say the least.

Ruby had laid the woman down on one of the emergency sleeping bags they'd found aboard the Manta, and waited anxiously by her side for hours after she first collapsed, until it became apparent that she wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. From there, Ruby was faced with a predicament. The location they'd stopped at wasn't exactly ideal for an extended stay, too exposed to potential attack, especially if she was going to have to look after the defenceless Cinder as well as fight.

So, Ruby was forced to pack up their little makeshift campsite, and then set about trying to carry their gear, along with Cinder, to somewhere that would offer them a little more shelter. She briefly considered trying to just head to the nearest settlement, but discarded the idea almost immediately. They were still a good distance away, and there was no way that she could make that kind of journey carrying Cinder the whole way. Instead, she was forced to backtrack.

Earlier that day they'd come across a small cave that seemed like it could be a perfect place to stay. At the time they didn't really have a need for it, way too early in the day to even think about stopping, but right now it was just what she was looking for. Thankfully it wasn't too far from where they were now, and Ruby managed to get there without too much difficulty. In some ways, she supposed it was a good thing that they had next to nothing in the way of supplies, otherwise carrying everything would've been a whole lot harder.

The cave afforded them some protection from the elements, as well as isolating them from any grimm that may still be searching for them. Ruby had hardly taken her gaze away from the mouth of the cave for hours after they'd arrived, fully expecting some horrific monstrosity to suddenly appear intent on killing them. Luckily it seemed that Cinder must've been right about the arm being the thing that was attracting grimm, because as of yet none had managed to find them.

That just left Ruby with… not a whole lot to do. She'd tended to Cinder as best she could already, bandaged up the scarred tissue left exposed after the arm's destruction and put her into the recovery position she remembered being taught what felt like a lifetime ago back at Signal. Beyond that, she didn't really know what she could do for the maiden. She was breathing just fine, pulse seemed strong, didn't have any other visible injuries, no fever or anything of the sort. All Ruby could really do was wait and see what happened.

And now, two days later, here she still was. She felt like shit honestly, and had barely slept at all since there was no one else to keep watch. Didn't help that the only food they had was a small supply of tasteless emergency rations, so she didn't even have a nice meal to raise her spirits. She'd briefly considered heading into the forest to do some actual hunting, but ended up deciding against it because A: it would mean leaving Cinder alone and defenceless, and B: the only thing she really had to hunt with was the scythe Cinder had made for her, which while a fine enough weapon for fighting grimm, wouldn't exactly be effective at trying to neatly bring down a rabbit, or whatever other woodland creature she stumbled across.

She looked down at the scythe now. It was quite a well made piece of equipment. Ruby had always had something of a fascination with the glass weaponry Cinder created. Maybe a little silly but hey, she was willing to admit that she was something of a weapon nerd. Before now though, she'd never exactly had a chance to really just examine one of those weapons up close. Usually she was too busy trying to avoid getting stabbed when they were present.

There was a real beauty to them. The blackened glass, and the glowing molten core. The smooth curves, and the incredibly sharp edge. She traced her finger along the blade of the scythe now, her aura crackling slightly as it prevented her from slicing her finger open. It was kind of incredible just how casually Cinder could create something like this. Her semblance was really something else. Ruby could scarcely imagine what she could create if she really put her mind to it.

It led to a very interesting fighting style too. She couldn't say she'd ever heard of another huntress that created their weaponry on the fly like Cinder. Well, Cinder wasn't a huntress, but y'know. In a way though, it made her curious. She'd always loved how much weapons could tell you about their wielders. Back at Signal, when her class had first been learning about the process of creating a weapon, her instructor had told her that a huntress's weapon should be like an extension of themself. A part of them. Almost like a representation of their soul.

So what did it say about Cinder then, that she fought this way? Taking dirt and dust, forging it into a powerful weapon, and then tossing it aside as soon as it had served its purpose. Maybe that said something about how Cinder viewed the people around her, allies like Emerald and Mercury, or like Ruby now. Or maybe it said something about how she viewed herself? Or maybe Ruby was trying to read way too far into something that ultimately didn't really mean anything.

Her thoughts on the maiden were so confused lately. When they were just travelling together, chatting away (although Cinder wasn't exactly the most talkative), fighting side by side, Ruby could almost find herself forgetting everything that Cinder had done. And then all those memories came rushing back, and she found herself feeling a little sick. The fall of Beacon, Pyrrha's death, almost killing Weiss at Haven, and then everything in Atlas. She couldn't help but worry that what she was doing now, working with the woman like this, was wrong.

But at the same time, she wasn't the type to just turn her back on someone so obviously in need. She did her best to banish those doubts. This was the course that she was committed to for the time being, for better or worse. She especially wasn't going to change her mind right now, when Cinder's current condition was at least partially her fault.

Destroying that grimm arm had been quite an… intense experience. Obviously for Cinder, but even for Ruby it had been a lot. At first she'd been a little unsure about trying to use her eyes like that, for Cinder's sake. Every previous time she'd managed it, it had been while someone close to her was in danger, be that Jaune, or Blake, or Penny. Understandable, given that the silver eyes were powered by those feelings of love, of wanting to protect the people that she cared about.

This time though, the person she was trying to save… wasn't exactly someone she was close to. She'd been a little worried she wouldn't even be able to activate them, given that she didn't have all that much control over her powers at the best of times. Once she tried though, it came surprisingly easily, and with far more force than she had been expecting. It felt almost on the same level as the first time she'd used them, on top of Beacon tower, and disoriented her quite badly for a few minutes afterwards. And for Cinder, of all people.

Maybe that was poetic in a way, she mused. Even someone like Cinder, despite the bad that she'd done, had a life that was just as precious and just as worth protecting as anyone else. She liked the sound of that. It definitely helped to soothe some of those worries from earlier, even if she didn't think everyone would quite see eye to eye with her on that point.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she looked back up to the horizon. The sun had set almost completely now. It'd probably be a good idea to think about getting a fire started, something to keep her warm over the course of another uncomfortable night's watch. Right as she pushed herself up to her feet, however, a soft sound broke the silence, immediately drawing her attention.

She whipped her head round to the source of the noise, a quiet groaning, and was greeted by the sight of Cinder's lone eye slowly fluttering open. She could practically cry at that moment, relief suddenly flooding through her mind. Without a second thought, Ruby raced to the maiden's side.

"Cinder!" she practically shouted, skidding to a stop and then dropping to her knees right in front of Cinder, "You're awake!"

"Wha…" Cinder's voice was unsteady, much like her body. She shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around the small cave with clear confusion painted across her face. "What happened? Where am I?" she murmured.

"Oh gosh, you passed out right after we destroyed the arm. I couldn't wake you, and the place we were at wasn't really safe, so I ended up carrying you back to those caves we passed earlier that day, if you remember that. It was kinda difficult. Not that you're heavy or anything! You're kinda light actually. Probably because of the missing arm I guess. That's gotta weigh a few kilos. Sorry, that's probably a sensitive subject, shouldn't bring that up right away." Ruby realised at this moment that she was very much rambling, the flood of relief getting the better of her commonsense. She did her best to shut up in the face of the bleary, confused look Cinder was giving her, and instead met it with an awkward smile.

"My arm…" Cinder's voice trailed off as she looked down at the bandaged stump of her left arm. "Is it really all gone?"

"Yeah, I think so. Didn't seem like there was anything left of the grimm once you passed out, and I just reapplied the bandages a couple of hours ago and couldn't see anything." A small wave of concern washed through Ruby's thoughts as she watched Cinder. Even if it had been some weird grimm parasite, that had still been her arm. She wondered how the woman was going to take losing it.

Her thoughts flashed back to Yang, how devastated she'd been after her own injury. Even someone as bright and confident as her could fall apart so completely when faced with that kind of loss. Of course, Yang had managed to pick herself back up eventually, but that had taken time, and support.

Now that Ruby thought about it, Cinder had lost her original arm on the exact same night Yang had. She couldn't help but wonder what her recovery had been like back then. Had Cinder felt as lost as Yang did? Or had she held herself together?

At the very least, having been through that kind of experience once before might make it a little easier for her to go through a second time.

Cinder continued staring down at that stump for a few moments more, then looked back to Ruby. "How long was I unconscious for?"

"Around two days." a small sigh drifted from Ruby's lips. "I'm so glad you're awake, I was really getting worried."

Cinder blinked slowly. Or maybe winked, it was a little hard to tell with one eye. Ruby was pretty sure they were blinks though, just from context. "You've been waiting for me for two days?" she croaked.

"Yeah… oh, that reminds me! You must really need water, and something to eat," Ruby sprang back to her feet, racing over to the small pile she'd stored their supplies in and quickly retrieving a canteen and some of those bland emergency ration bars.

When she returned to Cinder's side and held them out, the woman accepted them immediately, the confusion in her expression quickly giving way to relief as she greedily drained away the water. The ration bars disappeared just as quickly, Cinder evidently not having as much of a problem stomaching them as Ruby did. To be fair, she must've been completely starving, although now that Ruby thought about it the maiden always just seemed to eat quickly and without complaint, at least during the few days they'd been travelling together.

"So, how're you feeling?" Ruby asked as soon as Cinder swallowed the last mouthful.

Cinder seemed to think for a moment, then replied, "Sore." She shifted her position, wincing slightly as she did, and then began to slowly roll her shoulder, evidently attempting to work out some tension.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh a little at the simple answer. "I can imagine, I tried to make you as comfortable as possible, but laying in that position for so long can't be too good for your body."

"Right." Cinder seemed to be mulling something over as she continued to stretch, struggling to put something into words. A small silence settled over the cave, until eventually the woman spoke again. "You… look tired."

It certainly wasn't what Ruby had been expecting her to say. "I guess I am, yeah. I decided to stay up on watch the last two nights, just in case. Didn't exactly have anyone to take shifts with," she finished with an awkward chuckle.

There was quiet for another spell, until Cinder continued, "If you kept going you'd be at the town we were heading for by now."

Ruby did some quick mental maths. "I doubt it, carrying you would slow me down a lot."

Cinder looked at her like she was an idiot. "If you left me behind, I mean."

"Oh, yeah, but I wouldn't just leave you all alone unconscious in the middle of the forest. Who knows what could've happened to you?"

"I thought I told you to stop pretending that you cared." Cinder looked down, starting to frustratedly massage at her thigh. "I already know you hate me, so you can drop the act. Don't worry, the feeling is mutual."

"Cinder," Ruby began, a small frown finding its way onto her face, "It's not about whether I like you or not, I'm still not going to leave you behind like that."

Cinder growled in annoyance, head snapping back up to meet Ruby's eye. "Why not? I've been out for two whole days, you had no guarantee I was even going to wake back up, and by staying here you've done nothing but set yourself back. You had every reason to leave me."

Ruby's frown deepened as she met Cinder's molten eye. "Would you prefer it if I did leave you behind?"

"I…" Cinder's voice trailed off, until she finally tore her gaze away from Ruby, looking anywhere else. "Whatever, forget it."

"I'm not going to just forget it. The only reason I'm here is because you told me that you wanted to stick together, if that's changed then I'd like to know."

Cinder was silent for a time, still pointedly refusing to meet Ruby's eyes. Eventually though, she replied, "I'm just confused about why you'd bother with," she gestured vaguely at their surroundings, "all this. If it's just because I helped you back in Atlas, then you really don't need to."

It was quite strange seeing Cinder like this. Her expression a mixture of uncertainty and reluctance that before recently Ruby could scarcely have imagined on her. During their few encounters over the course of her adventures, Ruby had always thought Cinder seemed so untouchable, always completely in control, always cool and collected. It was becoming increasingly clear that all of that was just an image Cinder tried to project, to hide what she was feeling underneath.

"Cinder," Ruby said quietly, "I know we're very different people, that we've led very different lives. And so, I know that the way I do things probably seems pretty stupid from your perspective. But all the same, when I asked you if you wanted to travel together, I promised that I'd do what I could to keep you safe, and I really did mean that. If you'd prefer to part ways, then we can, but as long as we're travelling together I'm going to keep that promise."

Slowly, Cinder looked back to Ruby, her eye moving across the huntress's features as if searching for something. "Are you being serious? For me?" her tone seemed almost disparaging, yet tinged with something else. Something hopeful.

"Like I said," Ruby let out a short laugh, "it probably seems stupid to you. But yes, even with our history, I'm not going to turn my back on you when you need me. So, are you still okay with us travelling together like this?"

"You're even more of a naive fool than I thought. But… yes, we can keep going together," Cinder huffed back.

Ruby smiled at that. "I'm glad, I'd miss your company if you said no."

"Ugh," Cinder rolled her eye, then slowly forced herself to stand up. She grimaced slightly, and seemed a little shaky at first, but quickly adjusted, taking a few slow experimental steps.

Ruby started to push herself up in order to join the maiden, when suddenly a hand pressed against the top of her head and pushed her back down. She yelped in surprise, "Cinder!"

"Now it's your turn to lay down. We're going to leave first thing tomorrow morning, and I don't want that to be delayed because you've forced yourself to keep going without sleep for too long. Besides," Cinder smirked down at her, "I think I've earned a shift or two on night watch."

"Oh, uh," now that Cinder mentioned it, some rest sounded really good right now. "Are you sure you're up for it? You're still injured, if you need more rest-"

"Ruby, I've just been sleeping for two days straight. Rest is the last thing I want right now. Now shut up and lay down."

Ruby snorted, "Alright then, you drive a hard bargain." She carefully shuffled over to the sleeping bag Cinder had previously been occupying, laying down and almost immediately feeling all that fatigue she'd been trying to ignore come washing over her.

The sleeping bag was still warm from Cinder's natural body heat, and that only made it easier for Ruby to relax. She managed to stay awake for a little while longer, watching idly as the maiden paced around the cave, continuing to stretch her sore muscles as she set about starting a small fire to keep herself company overnight. Soon though, she started finding it hard to keep her eyes open, (and also caught Cinder shooting her a murderous look that very clearly said "I thought I told you to go to sleep") and so allowed herself to drift off into that comforting embrace. As darkness gradually overtook her thoughts, she found herself thinking about just how glad she was that Cinder was okay. How happy she was, even.

"And you're sure you're well enough to travel?"

Cinder rolled her eye theatrically at Ruby's question. To be fair, it was far from the first time she'd asked that this morning, so a little annoyance was probably justified. "I lost an arm, not a leg. I can walk just fine."

"Alright, if you need another day though it's really no pro-"

"Ruby," the woman glared at her this time, "I'm fine. Let's go." Without waiting for another response, Cinder turned and walked out of the cave.

Ruby sighed. When Cinder said that they'd be leaving first thing in the morning, she didn't think that she was being serious. And yet, as soon as dawn broke, she'd woken Ruby up and told her to get ready to head out. Ruby couldn't deny the logic in such a decision, they were running pretty low on food so the sooner they could make it to a town and resupply the better. Still though…

She took a second to check that her scythe was secured properly on her back, then hurried off after the maiden. She wasn't entirely convinced that Cinder was as fine as she claimed to be. She was strong, for sure, but losing an arm like that… not to mention how vulnerable she'd seemed last night…

Still, if Cinder was determined to put up a strong front, there wasn't much Ruby could do to stop her. All that she could really do was look out for the maiden, and support her as much as she'd allow. Ruby would keep her promise. Whatever their personal feelings toward one another, and whatever had happened in the past, she deserved that much at least.