Yang, Weiss, and Blake sat next to Ruby, who was lying down in the middle of their dorm room propped up by all of the pillows that each of them had. Blake originally wanted to rent a movie adaptation of a popular romantic novel, but Weiss contended that they should rent something else because the ratings were just way too low. They eventually settled on a rom-com that just stopped showing in mainstream theatres. Blake kept bringing up how rom-coms are stupid, stereotypical piles of fluff that will never really manage to connect with their audience. Despite how frustrated she was, she still ended up smiling at all of the "fluffy" romance.

"Don't go through her phone, you loser! You're never going to get laid!" Yang shouted, gesticulating vibrantly at Weiss's computer screen.

Blake rolled her eyes. "It's just a plot device."

"How are nun chucks not a plot device?" Weiss retorted.

"It's different! It's just who they are!" Blake groaned and pressed her palms against her cheeks.

The corner of Weiss's mouth turned up slightly. "What if going through phones is who this guy is?"

"It's not that," Yang cut in. "He stole a car two scenes ago. This guy's a total prick."

"Speaking of total pricks," Weiss muttered, "we can't go after Torchwick anymore."

Yang's smile slowly dissipated into a blank stare focused on a corner of the rug. She cast her eyes downward and quietly traced the lines on her palms. Blake longingly looked to Yang for back up, but then she realized that her sister was the one Torchwick injured on their last mission.

Blake admitted defeat. This task had proved itself dangerous in a very tangible way, and she couldn't ignore that. "You're right. We weren't ready. But that doesn't mean—"

"Yes, it does. We should let the professionals with many more years of training and experience take care of these problems. Ruby may have gotten the upper hand in a fight with Torchwick, but if she hit her head at virtually any other angle, she might have gone into a coma. We should count ourselves lucky that he didn't kill her right on the spot."

When did Ruby tell her that? What else did she say?

Blake slouched and turned away from Weiss. "All right. Fine, we'll just lay low."

Weiss meet Ruby's glazing over stare, pulling her out of her reverie. Ruby gave a slight nod, and Weiss released the tension in her body, taking a deep breath before pressing play on her computer. Just then, they heard a knock on the door.

"What is it?" Weiss asked.

"Can I come in?" A familiar voice. Jaune's.

"Go ahead, door's open," Yang responded.

Jaune stepped in with his chin tucked into his collarbone, opening and closing the door slowly as to keep from making too much noise. He leveled Ruby's softened stare with a sympathetic gaze that bored into Ruby's expression.

"Are you okay?" Jaune's voice floated soothingly into their ears.

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm much better."

"What are you guys watching?" asked Jaune, noticing that they were huddled around Weiss's movie screen.

"Thieves Steal Hearts. Wanna watch with us?" Ruby patted the ground next to her.

Jaune shook his head. "Nah, we already got something going on in our room." Jaune slid back through the door, waving to Ruby and her teammates. "See you guys later."

"Later!" said Ruby.

They continued to watch the movie for fifteen minutes before Ruby called it a night and decided to go to bed. Her friends protested, saying that she should see the ending—it's hilarious—but Ruby wasn't even paying attention.

Ruby climbed up to her bed and flopped on her stomach. She pulled the pillow underneath her head and clutched it tightly to her chest as she drifted off to sleep.


When Ruby woke up, she had the feeling that she woke up from a really good dream. She only remembered small details about the man she met in it—he was tall and he had big hands. She can't remember what the dream was about though. One phrase did stick out to her, though: "You don't know what it's really like."

Ruby didn't like the feeling that came with it, the dread that wrapped around her like rusting fetters. She rolled on her side and looked at her friends. They slept with peaceful looks on their faces, and Ruby wondered what they dreamt about. She joked once that Blake dreams about fish, but now, she wanted to know what kind of dreamscape she experiences in. Is the world perfect? Does she have everything she's ever wanted? Is everything she ever wanted it to be?

Is that what she fights for? Is that what motivates her, an image of how things could be better? Ruby understands Blake more than anyone else on the team. The both of them would fight like hell to protect their inner sense of justice, but Blake already has. And she didn't go unmarked. Ruby, however, has no scars to speak of—or at least until last night, she didn't. Her fight has just begun.

Ruby lifted her arm and looked at the bandages. Yang used white so she would be able to tell whether or not they were dirty. It was too dark to tell. She glanced at the clock in the windowsill. It was 3:45.

Ruby grabbed her scroll from the corner of her bed and lifted herself off the mattress. She slowly slid off the bed, careful not to wake anyone else. Ruby reached for the pillow and dropped it below her feet. When she let go and fell to the floor, the pillow cushioned her fall, allowing her to get down without making a sound. Ruby threw the pillow back up to her bed and tucked her scroll into the waistband of her sweatpants.

Ruby sauntered down the hall, yawning, stretching out her limbs in the space above her head, squinting to adjust to the dim lighting. At night, Beacon doesn't turn the hallway lights off. They just dim them in case someone needs to use the bathroom. Thank the heavens.

Ruby walked past the male facilities and walked straight into the women's. The lights were way too bright. When her eyes adjusted, she could see herself in detail for the first time since she left the infirmary—it was just a quick glance as she was washing her hands on the way out. But now she could see that she was tired. Not just tired, exhausted. She had classes today, but she was thinking about staying in her dorm and getting as much rest as she could.

Or she just needed to get back out there as soon as possible.

Suddenly, Ruby's scroll vibrated. She pulled it out and viewed the incoming message on her lock screen:

From: Unknown "I need your help."


Midblooder: Thank you so much 3 your support means a lot to me :)

Attention: please take note. This work is now titled "Paradigm shattered".