HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone! Wish you all the best!

Chapter 34 — Routine

"We deceive the world with lies we hide behind the smiles.

We can see the home of desperate hearts.

The truth is falling down.

The illusion we've become"

— Red,

Glass House

Falling back into her old routine came easier than Serena had thought. Her body easily got into its old rhythm of waking up, training, making breakfast, taking a bath, etc… The Grimm were more than happy that she was, once again, spending more time with them. Especially Loki and Ajax, who each gave her a big, slobbery kiss when she arrived at the home of the Grimm.

It was good to be with them. Although her time together with Adam had been more than enjoyable — minus a few tensions at the beginning — Serena cherished the welcoming paws of her friends. Napoleon welcomed her back with an affectionate nudge, and each Grimm told her about the past weeks and all that she had missed.

The time spent with them was wonderful. But each time she left to return to her own home, her heart sank at the empty cave she found. A routine was easy to slip back into, but there was something missing now that the Faunus was gone. She missed seeing him clean his weapon — such a mundane action, and yet it brought her a feeling of peace — or having someone to talk to during dinner. She sometimes found herself starting a sentence, only to realize that she was talking to thin air. She took out two sets of plates and cutlery more often than she liked to admit.

It was in those instances that the girl realized how incredibly lonely she was. The Grimm took notice of her sullen mood and did everything they could to cheer the human up, but there was a constant feeling of emptiness in her chest that would not perish no matter what they did.

She was aware that her despair would affect the Grimm, but she trusted them with her life. Even though there were instances when one Grimm fell back into its old tendency of being attracted by negativity and attacked her, several of its brethren would intervene and protect the human. To them, she was family, as they were to her.

It was on the fifth day after Adam's leave that Ruby announced herself. Serena was in the midst of preparing dinner, Ajax lying comfortably by the fire, facing the entrance, when the Ursa lifted his head and gave a low grumble. Lifting her head from the chopped vegetables, Serena was about to ask what was wrong when a surprised shriek interrupted her, followed by a string of laughter.

Ruby broke through the line of shrubbery, Loki trotting happily behind the silver-eyed girl. "Hey Serena!" she greeted, wiping a patch of saliva off her cheek.

Serena gave the girl a reserved smile, returning the greeting. "It's been a while. How have you been, Ruby?"

Ruby flinched at her first sentence, guilt taking up her face. Ducking her head, the girl gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I haven't visited for so long. But it's been so busy the last week, I just didn't find the time."

Taken aback by the sudden apology, Serena raised her hands in a placating manner. "Easy there; I didn't mean it like that. I know that you have your own things to do, being a Huntress-in-training and all that. I understand, really I do. There's no need to apologize," she soothed with a kind smile.

Offering the younger teen a seat, she brewed them both a cup of tea. When Ruby had calmed down a little, Serena inquired, "So, how have things been going in Vale? Everything alright?"

Ruby took a moment before replying with a defeated, "No."

Blinking in surprise, Serena motioned for the girl to go on.

"It's Torchwick."

Surprise was replaced by concern as the raven-head frowned. "What about him?"

"He broke out of prison." The girl morosely stared into her cup of tea, both hands folded around the ceramic bowl.

"What? How could that have happened? I thought the military had him under constant observation," Serena objected. She didn't know much, obviously, but still enough to know that the Atlas military was the best there was. How could Torchwick possibly have escaped from right under their noses?

"They did," Ruby admitted. "But there was an internal breach. Penny, an android created by the Atlas military, had been infected by some type of virus. It made her bust him out. The military discovered the virus before it could expand and infect other androids, or even the Atlesian Knights, but Torchwick still managed to get away. No one knows where he is."

The strange name caught Serena's interest. "Atlesian Knights?"

Ruby gave her a small smile. It always amused her how curious the girl was about her world. "They're special android soldiers created to defend the kingdom. They are here to provide security for the Vytal festival. Well, at least they were until it was postponed. Now they're just out to catch Torchwick, though I don't think they'll have any luck in doing that."

Serena patted the girl's knee sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I know how much you were looking forward to that festival."

"It's okay. It's only been postponed, so maybe we'll still hold it at a later date. Then I can really show them what I can do!" The statement was accompanied by an enthusiastic fist pump in the air. Serena laughed good-naturedly at the girl's obvious fighting spirit.

"What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Hmm? Oh, me? Nothing much; just the usual, you know." Her attempt at avoiding the question was crappy at best, but Serena had a distinct feeling thatRuby would not be happy if she learned that her friend had been housing a wanted criminal, or rather terrorist, for as long as she had. Not to mention how disappointed the girl would be — it would make Serena a traitor.

Sorry Ruby, but some things are best left unsaid.

The girl in question, however, gave the azure-eyed girl a curious look. Serena hoped that she had not already seen through her blatant lie. A small grin spread on the younger girl's face, elbows coming to rest on her knees and chin propped onto her hands.

"Oh, really?"

Serena gulped quietly. "Yeah, why?"

Silver eyes pierced turquoise ones as they roved her face. "Hmm… I don't know, but something seems different about you. Like there's something off. Are you okay?"

The concern for her well-being touched her, and Serena could feel the guilt spreading inside her. "No, no, I'm okay. Just a little tired. I've been having trouble sleeping lately, that's all…"

It was no lie this time. Ever since the Faunus left, Serena could not find the peace of mind she needed for a good rest. The nightmares, that had disappeared when Adam had been there, now returned with a vengeance. She had no idea just how much his presence had affected not only her, but even her mind. It had soothed her in ways no medication or length of meditation could. Funny enough since they had butted heads during the first few days. Now, he was the best thing to keep her demons at bay.

As cheesy as it sounded, she actually found that she needed him.

"If you say so," Ruby yielded, ceasing her inspection of the older female. Her eyes lit up as an idea sparked in her mind. "Hey, how about you come visit Beacon some time? I'm sure you'll love it, and it's something else from seeing trees all day long. Plus, my team really wants to meet you after having heard about you. I'm sure Professor Ozpin would like to talk to you, as well," the girl proposed.

Serena shifted in her seat. "I don't know, Ruby. I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to go. You know the rumors about me. People are going to flip out when they find out who I am."

The silver-eyed teen waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry; the rumors about the 'Grimm Tamer' have all but spread across the entire kingdom. I'm pretty sure other kingdoms have heard about you, as well. People know that you're no threat. In fact, they consider you a hero."

The older female was still shifting uncertainly in her seat, hands gripping her own cup of tea.

"Just think about it, okay? You can visit whenever you like."

"Thanks, Ruby," Serena smile appreciatively.

In the back of her mind, the gears were turning. It would indeed be a welcome change, and meeting other people — or people at all — would be wonderful. She would love to see what Beacon looked like and meet Ruby's team. Even a meeting with this Professor Ozpin that Ruby so highly spoke of would be thrilling.

But she was no normal human. No, she was the "Grimm Tamer". People had heard of her power, and now not only Vale but also other kingdoms were in the know about her. Even if they knew that she only wanted to help, she doubted that people would welcome her with open arms once they found out who she was. She needed to be careful.

"Anyway, I have to head back now. We have Miss Goodwitch's class early tomorrow, and I don't wanna be late," Ruby stated, standing up and placing her cup on the 'kitchen counter', AKA the giant rock.

"I remember her; the scary teacher, right?" Serena joked.

"Yup. Never met a woman that was scarier than Miss Goodwitch. Be late for curfew and you might survive, but if you're late for her class… Ho, boy! I don't even wanna know what happens then."

The two girls shared a small laugh and quick hug before Loki accompanied Ruby back to the edge of Forever Fall forest, Serena returning to the preparation of her dinner. Ajax contently slept on by the fire.

EDITED 07/01/2019

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.