Location: Ivory Steppe, Mistral
April 4th-5th
[Mirage]
Her sister is married.
Yang and Blake tied the knot eight months ago. All of their former Beacon friends were present for the wedding, even Team CRDL were invited and had attended, much to everyone's surprise. Ruby was happy for her sister's marriage, she graciously accepted when Yang requested that she be her bridesmaid, while Sun was chosen to be Blake's groomsman.
Ruby left soon after the reception and returned home. She received a call from Yang when she noticed she was gone, her excuse was that she had a mission early in the morning and she needed a good night's sleep before then. She was lying.
For the next few months, she avoided her friends and often desperately searched for a mission to excuse herself from gatherings. There was a cold, numbing feeling constantly rolling in the pit of her stomach, but she wouldn't acknowledge it. She felt pretty much apathetic.
There were a couple of times when she couldn't get away and reluctantly joined the reunions, she put on her best act and feigned happiness. Nobody needed to know she was hurting, they had their problems to handle. Plus, Yang was still riding the high of being married, she didn't want to ruin it for her.
Two months ago, Blake and Yang decided they wanted to have a child someday and Ruby was the first to know about their decision. She was genuinely happy for them and suggested a program she'd found 'surfing the internet one day', they looked into it and were put on a waitlist. The program has become highly successful in recent years.
The first successful attempt was announced a few weeks after Beacon fell, and the couple had a healthy little boy.
It made her wonder that if Weiss was still alive, would they have a kid? What if it was successful? Weiss was killed a month after the fall of Beacon, and if she'd calculated the timeline correctly… She'd have lost both Weiss and their child.
Ruby's gut twists with grief.
"Ruby?"
The brunette's head jerks up and she wipes the tears from her eyes, clearing her throat to greet Yang as she steps into the rental house basement. With her emotions suppressed, she turns to look at Yang.
The blonde's brows furrow and she switches the light on, momentarily blinding Ruby. "You've been in here all day, Ruby," Yang mutters as she sits backward in the seat across from her, resting her arms beneath her chin, "we've barely seen you all week. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Ruby lies.
Yang's eyes dart towards a picture frame lying facedown on the brunette's desk, she reaches over to pick it up and turns it to face her. "You brought it…" Her expression becomes one of melancholy, "You've been acting a little strange since my wedding, Ruby," she murmurs, setting the picture back down, revealing the old photo of their team, taken at an outing at the mall, "talk to me."
Ruby's fingers clench around the edge of the table, she sighs melodramatically as frustration and grief battle inside of her. She glances at the picture. "I'm fine, Yang." She repeats heavily, one hand darting up to push the frame back down so that she doesn't have to see it. Her hand is shaking. "I just need to be alone."
Her sister stays quiet for a moment before raising a knowing brow, "Is this about Weiss?"
"It has nothing to do with Weiss," Ruby answers her coldly, but Yang doesn't seem to buy it. She exhales. "I just need some privacy, I'll be fine."
"She was your girlfriend for three years," Yang starts as Ruby scrambles out of her chair, moving across the room to distance herself and Yang, "you haven't taken any time to grieve, Ruby. You can't just bottle up inside, look at what's happening."
She glances back at the blonde, "You're distancing yourself from everybody, you won't let yourself even think of her!" Yang's voice becomes soft, yet simultaneously caring and concerned. "You need to let go and move on."
Ruby's chest is tight and it's almost hard for her to breathe, but she still refuses to let any of her emotions break through the surface. She's already moved on and let go. Right?
"Ruby, please," Yang pleads, "our family will be growing soon… I want my kid to know the real Aunt Ruby, not just the shell of who she used to be."
Well, maybe she hasn't let go, yet. Ruby sighs and turns to look at the older woman, the inner turmoil becoming increasingly harder to control. "I'll work on it." She promises.
Yang smiles a little bit, "Thank you, Ruby." She stands to her feet to leave the hotel room, "Get out there and meet some people, it'll help you move on." She gestures towards the outside, "We're in Mistral, for the Gods' sake! Take advantage of it."
Ruby strains a smile. "I'll try."
She knows that when Yang leaves the room, her world would come crashing down and she doesn't want her anywhere near to hear it.
They landed the airship at a private docking station in Mistral, Winter then rented a vehicle and they made their way to Ivory Steppe, where she already had a hotel reservation pending at one of the most prestigious inns. She alerted the front desk of her arrival and led Weiss and Iris to her room, which was a luxury suite located on the sixth floor of the building.
The interior consists of a king-sized bed on the left, a large flat-screen TV, a bathroom on the right with a built-in hot tub and walk-in shower, a bright blue settee couch and a wooly round rug placed at a bay window, and a desk at the far corner of the room with a microwave, a mini-fridge, and a designer table lamp seated on the surface.
Iris wastes no time and hops over to the bay window, climbing onto the velvety couch and peering down outside. "We're so high up!" She laughs happily, her voice sounding a little better. "This is so cool!" The child giggles as Weiss walks over to look, gazing down at the active world beneath them, she lifts her head to see airships flying overhead. "This place have a pool?" Iris asks her aunt curiously, her silver eyes bright and hopeful.
"Well, not a private pool," Winter answers with a soft smile, seating herself on the bed, "but we do have a hot tub. It's in the bathroom."
Iris grins and hops down from the couch, scrambling her way to the bathroom excitedly. "While you're in there, you need a shower! I'll run the water in a minute!" Weiss calls after her, Iris groans melodramatically. She turns back to Winter, "She doesn't know what a hot tub is."
Winter nods, "I can imagine." She says stiffly as she stands to her feet. "Is Iris okay being left alone?"
Weiss raises a brow, already walking towards the bathroom. "Depends on the situation. Why?" She asks as she steps inside, putting their conversation on hold as she pulls up the holographic screen outside the shower, Iris had already stepped inside. She could hear her pouting from the other side of the curtain. Adjusting the water temperature, Weiss taps the button and leaves the room when the water begins running.
The specialist gives her a weird look when she steps out of the bathroom, "Wait, you're leaving her in there alone? She's four, you're not worried that she'll hurt herself?"
"She's five, and I've been teaching her to shower alone since she turned four," Weiss explains matter-of-factly, "she's fine, don't teach me how to raise my daughter."
"Very well." Winter murmurs. She leans against the wall with her arms crossed and one leg propped. Her posture and expression tell Weiss that the conversation will be serious. "If I saw that stunt you pulled with the train, then the driver likely did, too," Winter explains, getting straight to the point. "And what were you doing in the medical car?"
Weiss scowls, "What the fuck were you doing stalking me?"
Winter scoffs, "I didn't come here to find you, Weiss, I came here on a mission and happened to stumble into you."
The younger woman raises a brow in disbelief, "Oh? Do you just happen to be everywhere I go? Back in Vacuo, for example."
Winter stares at her for a long minute, waiting for her lecture to be finished. "You're not being careful."
"The hell I am!" Weiss sneers, annoyed. "My daughter is sick, and your stupid-ass plan sent me out on my own without hardly any support, why do you think I raided a medical cart?"
"What if she gets sick again?" Winter murmurs, sounding worried. "You can't continue to steal, this isn't like you." She was right, it wasn't like her to illegally travel between countries. It wasn't like her to be living like this.
Weiss lets out a harsh laugh, with one hand on her hip, irritation pulling at her brows as annoyance swells inside her. "It also isn't like me to be living like a criminal hiding from the law, but look at me now. Whose fault is that?"
"Yours." Winter frowns in slight irritation. "I tried to tell you, before your daughter turned a year old, that it is likely safe for you to find your friends." She stands up, silencing the other woman. "You are the one who was too afraid to consider the idea."
"My fault-?!"
Behind her, she hears a quiet rumbling noise, followed by a victorious laugh. Weiss' brow twitches. One of the problems of teaching Iris to shower alone was the fact she kept sneaking out, this time in favor of a hot tub she's apparently figured out how to work it.
"Of course," Weiss mutters under her breath, throwing her hands up, "she's a kid, what did I expect? I expected her to listen to me?"
Winter chuckles in amusement.
Weiss glares back at the specialist, she turns on her heel and speed-walks to the bathroom door, irritation pooling in the pit of her belly. "Iris!" She shouts. "What are you doing?!" The hot tub shuts off and she hears footsteps quickly re-approaching the shower.
"Nothing!" The child calls back innocently.
The woman exhales heavily and walks away from the bathroom door, heading to rest on the settee. She stretches herself out and lays her arm over her eyes, relaxing into the cushions.
"Can you watch her while I head out to town in the morning?" She asks somewhat tensely, opening her eyes and frowning as Winter approaches her. The older woman swats her legs off the arm of the couch and Weiss sits up to straighten her posture as Winter sits down across from her.
"I can just loan you some lien." Winter tells her nonchalantly, "I have plenty left to spare."
Weiss scoffs again, "I'm not going to rely on my big sister for financial survival forever. " She grumbles, meeting her sister's eyes coldly, "This town is pretty big, Winter. Perhaps if I can get some incoming lien, I can find a home for us." She sighs, her posture slackening. "I'm tired of running, and Father isn't after us anymore, we'll be okay…"
"If that's what you wish," Winter's voice is quiet and troubled, "but it is going to be more difficult than you think to finally settle down, especially with Violet's reputation." She continues when Weiss doesn't respond, "You will need a great deal of lien to pay the bills, Weiss. I'm not sure a job as a solo Huntress will be enough."
"Shut up." Weiss glares at her, annoyance pooling in the pit of her stomach again. "Let me make my own damn choices for fucking once."
Winter only raises her hands, "All right."
Weiss bows her head as an idea scurries through her mind, hope bubbles up inside her chest. "I can search for my friends now, right? They can help us."
The next morning Weiss left her daughter in Winter's care to pick up groceries, leaving her weapon behind as well. Winter made sure the hotel room was rented out for a week, giving Weiss a place to stay until she can stabilize herself.
The Townsquare was an hour's walk away from the hotel, Weiss can already smell the restaurants preparing food and it causes hunger pangs to tear at her stomach. She passes the first store without stopping to peer at the inside, she can tell from the sweet aroma that it was nothing but sugar and sweets. She pays no attention to the bell jingling behind her, signaling that someone was heading inside or coming out.
She was still low on lien, so she couldn't spend too much, it had to be just enough to suffice them for a few days.
A familiar smell grabs her attention and she lifts her head, locking eyes on the bakery. Sweetbread. She hadn't had any sweet bread since before Iris was born, she was never able to afford the high prices of homemade bread in Sandcaster. It was entirely Yang's fault that she liked it anyway…
Hesitating, Weiss counts the lien she'd brought with her and breathes in a deep breath.
She faces away from the store and continues down the street in search of a grocery store. She pauses in her steps and a cold feeling washes through her. She was being watched. She doesn't move.
She recognizes the feeling that has been eating at her for the past several minutes. She lifts her hand from the booth, turning to examine the passing crowds around her. Her eyes are immediately drawn to a younger-looking woman, the red cape around her shoulders immediately sending pulses of dread through Weiss.
It was Ruby.
Weiss' heart skips a beat as she locks eyes with the silver ones she never thought she'd see again. She froze up, her mouth growing dry as she tried to figure out what to do. She couldn't just run, that would be far too suspicious and dangerous. She would need to get back to Iris, and she didn't want to lead anybody towards where she was. Especially not her.
She didn't know if she could talk to Ruby, even after all this time. At least she was alive if this was even real. Knowing her luck recently, it wouldn't surprise her if it wasn't. 'Oh, the irony.'
Another fear dug at her. Could she trust Ruby? She was a fully trained huntress now, after all. Would she hand her over to her family for the money they were offering? Gods know how long it would keep her safe and fed. What if she hates her for what she said before Beacon fell…? They'd been separated on bad terms.
"Oh! Uh, sorry for staring!" Ruby apologizes frantically, her expression looking like she'd seen a ghost and her voice sending embers burning through Weiss' heart, "The way you were playing with your hair reminded me of someone."
'I was?'
Weiss took a trembling breath, pulling out the Mistralian accent she had been practicing recently, "It's fine." Weiss turns away, still feeling those silver eyes piercing her back.
"I'm Ruby by the way," Ruby chirps, moving over to walk beside Weiss almost hesitantly as if she was afraid to overstep. "Your eyes are really pretty," she pauses, "very familiar-looking. In a good way."
"Thank you." Weiss' chest tightened, trying her best to avoid looking at her once partner. She knew who she was, just as well as she knew her name. But to Ruby, now she was just a street rat trying to get along with life.
"Nice to meet you, miss…?"
She hesitates, wondering why she was being so polite to her. "Violet."
Ruby smiles again, "That's a really pretty name!"
Well, if she was here… She should see if she's still worth trusting. She wants to assume she is, this is Ruby after all! But her experience within the last few years has caused paranoia to settle in.
"What training school did you go to?" Weiss asks politely, making sure that her accent was as thick as possible. She already knows the answer, but by striking up a conversation with the reaper she would learn exactly what her life has been like since the fall of Beacon. The woman smiles, "I can tell that you are a huntress by that astonishing weapon you carry on your back."
Ruby's eyes light up and she reaches behind her, expertly withdrawing Crescent Rose and unsheathing the chunk of metal into scythe-mode. "You noticed?" The brunette grins and warmth spread through Weiss' chest upon seeing the pure joy on the woman's face. "I made her myself! Her name is Crescent Rose!" A silly smile grows across her lips to match Ruby's. "She's also a high-impact sniper-rifle! She's my sweetheart."
"Really?" Weiss giggles. Gods, she didn't know she would've missed that nerd so much. "Well, you must be pretty strong to wield a weapon like that."
As the words left her mouth, the reminiscent memory of Ruby wrapping her toned arms protectively around Weiss' bare waist enters her mind. Weiss' eyes trail towards the woman's sleeveless outfit and her heartbeat quickens, her attention becoming fixated on one thing in particular.
"Well, uh," Ruby blushes awkwardly and she fumbles with the red scythe, twisting it nervously. Weiss has to tear her eyes away from the brunette's arms to properly look at her. Her heart skips a beat seeing the childish, awkward smile on her face. How is she still so adorable?! "I wouldn't say that I'm strong, because my sister is stronger…" She smiles at her again, "But thank you!"
"You're welcome." Weiss rolls her eyes in amusement and casually starts down the pebble street again, Ruby following her, "You never did answer my question about what school you attended."
"I 'attended' Beacon." Ruby lets out a snort, "I'm sorry, Violet, you kind of sound like my girlfriend with the way you talk." It feels like an arrow had been shot through Weiss' chest. She pales. Ruby pauses in her steps, Weiss stumbles a little. The smile on the woman's face vanishes.
"Well… My ex-girlfriend." She looks sad . A frown tugs at the corners of her lips as though she were trying to fight it. There's an audible crack in her voice.
"Your ex-girlfriend?" Weiss asks, cautious.
"She was, um, she disappeared a few months after the Fall of Beacon…"
'I'm right here…' Weiss wants to say, tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. 'I'm fine.' She badly wants to take Ruby's hands in hers and show her who she was, she wants to tell her that she was still here and still alive, she wants to say that she still loved her…
She wants her to meet their baby girl…
But, perhaps she can trust her.
She clears her throat. She can't show too much emotion. "I'm sure she still loves you," she murmurs as Ruby glances up at her curiously, "just because she isn't here doesn't mean she doesn't..." Weiss pauses for a moment, considering her next words. "You seem to be a wonderful person Ruby, I'm willing to bet that she loves you more than anything."
'I do…' She smiles softly when Ruby's eyes meet hers. 'I'll always love you…'
Ruby smiles a little bit in gratitude, "So, um, would you like to get some food?"
Damn, she should've snatched that opportunity while it was still in the open.
Weiss hesitates for a moment and glances back in the direction she'd come from, her heart being torn in two different ways… She looks back at the brunette and her heart rate picks up, Ruby is waiting patiently for her response, and her kind, silver eyes are watching her.
"Um, yeah…"
Part of her felt like they were back at Beacon, wandering around Vale in their free time and just having fun. She was like a schoolgirl with her first crush again, but less obsessed about it. She intently listened to some of the reaper's stories, a few were familiar to her as she was part of it, but she never said a word. It was never the right time…
It almost felt like a date…
The other side of her consistently reminded her that this wouldn't be permanent…
Not unless she told her.
But, she hasn't gotten there yet… Her mind has been preoccupied; she has a daughter to return to, but she also wanted to spend more time with her former partner.
In a few hours, they would both go their separate ways and who knows when will be the next time they see each other. It may not even be in this lifetime, Remnant was a large place, the chances of them encountering again were slim to none. She probably would never see her anymore after this, so she was making the best of it, enjoying the moment while it lasts. Ruby seems to be enjoying herself, too.
Weiss was sidetracked again on their way back to the subway train, Ruby would be meeting up with the others on the opposite side of town. The opportunity had been perfect, she'd had her full attention… She could've easily told her.
"So, I suppose this is where we part ways?" Ruby asks, pausing in front of the train's entrance and turning around to meet Weiss' gaze. The look in her eyes are sad, but understanding.
'Tell her.'
Weiss cracks a small smile, "I guess it is."
'You idiot, what're you doing? Tell her!'
"It was nice talking to you, Violet…" Ruby's voice is genuine, the warm undertone is mind-numbingly familiar. She turns away from her and Weiss' stomach grows cold, "You stay safe. I don't want to have to get a call for a mission and find out you got yourself killed," Ruby playfully smirks a little, "but, I'm going to assume you're much smarter than that, huh?"
Weiss lifts her head a little, keeping her accent strong. "Of course I am."
The air becomes tense as familiarity flashes through Ruby's eyes, recognizing the tone of her voice. She frowns, examining the woman for a moment before heavily sighing. "You remind me a lot of my partner…"
The train's horn blows, Ruby's expression turning unreadable as she conceals her emotions. She turns to enter the train, her back facing Weiss. "Goodbye, Violet."
'Tell her! Tell her now! You dumbass, tell her!'
Weiss remains still, watching the door swing shut as her mind battles with her heart. It appears that Ruby already has a ton of weight on her shoulders, so much that she'd opened up to a supposed stranger. Would it be a good idea to add another responsibility? Taking care of a child was no easy job, would she be able to juggle all of it?
Of course, she would, she'd stress herself out trying to do so.
Then again, what if most of that weight was caused by the thought of losing her? What if telling her relieved all of that stress? What if Ruby misses her just as much? Judging by her attitude, she hasn't been genuinely happy for who knows how long.
There's also Iris… Iris has heard stories of her mother, she eagerly looks forward to meeting her someday. Ruby, however, doesn't even know she exists.
But, she could.
She lets her accent slip, she knows Ruby would recognize her voice.
"Ruby, wait!"
Her heart plummets as the train doors rapidly shut, the tinted windows making it impossible to see inside. The train lurches forward, setting into motion and quickly picking up speed as it exits the station. Weiss' body is cold and numb, her mind buzzing with incoherent thoughts of self-blame and frustration at her hesitation.
She could've told her…
Weiss let out a raggedy breath, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes as her body grew numb with grief and self-blame. No, she's okay. She'll be fine.
She manages to get her breathing under control, a hollowness forming in the pit of her stomach as she turns away from the train tracks.
WEISS!
NO!
Why didn't you tell her?!
-screams-
(pst, do y'all think Ruby heard her?)
Don't worry, don't worry. This story won't end with them reuniting, that would be a rather shitty ending, wouldn't it? Since most of you will likely be very pissed off with the chapter (as I was, writing it), allow me to remind you, if you didn't already know...
White Instinct has been planned out precisely, and by this, I mean it has been written in advance... Take a certain number and multiply it by five, you'll get exact chapters where important scenes happen... And it's up to you whether or not you notice.
Still confused? Of course, you are. Well, allow me to drop some hints that have already been revealed in the story.
Conception. Black-Out. Iris. Flood.
Now, which chapters were those? What was the chapter number? Hmm... I do wonder, what will happen soon? I suppose we'll wait and find out, huh?