Ruby stares out the window of their train, having gotten not a wink of sleep since she boarded the locomotive with her father in tow. It has been hours since they departed from their little home in the north, situated just outside of town, and Taiyang has long since dozed off. Ruby cannot find enough peace to follow suit, though.

Moving to Vale was a drastic change, yes, but a necessary one, in Ruby's opinion. The Grimm had grown more aggressive over the years, encroaching on their little town in higher and higher concentrations. Moreover, their home was the only dwelling which stood outside of the town's walls, defiantly placed to the west of their sheltered protection. It had probably seemed a brilliant deterrent at the time, but now was nothing more than a weakness – a lure to the Grimm which prowled the forests and fields. It was better that they cut their losses, now that there were no more hunters or huntresses in the family who were not infirm or dead.

As Ruby sits, hand on her chin, arranging the justifications for her actions into something she could present to her sister without shame, a halo of faint light appears in the distance. Vale. The Shining Beacon of the continent of Sanus and the safest place in the Kingdom. Ruby straightens up at the sight, craning her neck to see if she can catch a glimpse of the communications tower. The looming silhouette overlooks the city, its blinking antennae like little fireflies hovering just above the horizon. Ruby breathes a sigh of relief. They were almost there.

With a light couple of taps on her father's forearm, Ruby begins the process of preparing for their disembark. Taiyang opens his eyes, blinking a couple of times before his gaze focuses on the steadily approaching metropolis.

"There she is: Vale. Beautiful, huh?" Taiyang remarks, a smile forming on his lips.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Ruby responds, taking another glance at what would be their new home. The city of Vale is a testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of humanity in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, with its walls standing unbroken for over 400 years. "Beautiful, that is."

"It's going to be interesting, seeing how much has changed. Things move fast in the big city," Taiyang says, grabbing his cane and hoisting himself up with Ruby's help.

"I'm sure they do, dad. But hey, it can't have all changed. Vale is full of history," Ruby reassures. It was true, too. Ruby remembers being raised on tales of the founding of the Kingdom of Vale and its capital of the same name, and the hard-fought victories against the Grimm which led to this achievement. It was inspiring. Ruby wished she could be like the hunters and huntresses featured in those stories of old, but she supposes that her dreams will have to be buried along with the ugly mass of unaddressed resentment and grief she locks away in her subconscious every single day.

"Right, you are, but I think we're pulling into the station," Taiyang replies.

Ruby and Taiyang stay in a hotel that night, before moving into their new apartment the next morning. Getting situated takes the entire day, and Ruby is exhausted once all is said and done. She dozes off on the couch, still dressed in her combat skirt and cloak. Once she wakes up, it is dark outside save for the dim light cast into their living room by the fragmented moon now dominating the sky. A blanket has been gently placed on her shoulders to keep out the cold.

Ruby lays there, wide awake, letting her thoughts wander for gods know how long. Had she really made the right decision, moving their family so abruptly? Doubt and regret relentlessly chip at her confidence. She cannot sleep like this; her mind will eat itself alive. She needs to get up and occupy herself with other stimuli.

Hoping to successfully dismiss her unpleasant thoughts, Ruby decides that she is going to take a short walk. Just once or twice around the block will do. She slips on her shoes, careful not to wake her father in the next room as she slinks out the front door. Creeping down the steps of her apartment building and into the deserted streets below, Ruby takes a deep lungful of the crisp, cool night air. It was the same night sky as ever, but here only the brightest stars shone – a reflection of human society, in a sense. A visible exhale, and Ruby begins walking.

About a block and a half into Ruby's excursion, she moves to turn right at the street-crossing, but as she rounds the corner, she slams into another person headed quickly in the opposite direction. The force of their collision knocks both of them backwards onto their hindquarters. The firmness of the concrete sidewalk is not welcoming.

"Hey, watch it!" the other girl blurts out, before clapping a hand over her mouth. She gets up, dusting herself off, before offering a hand to Ruby. Bewildered, Ruby takes it, and is yanked abruptly to her feet. A moment later, and they're sprinting down the sidewalk, veering left into an alleyway. The way forward is blocked by a padlocked chain-link fence gate. The white-haired girl curses, pulling Ruby down into a squat behind the dumpster.

"What the heck?!" Ruby hisses.

"Shhhhh!" the white-haired girl orders, taking her attention off of the entrance to the alleyway. In this moment, a realization dawns on Ruby as she finally has the time to get a good look at the white-haired girl's face.

"Wait a minute, you're Weiss Schnee!" Ruby exclaims, forgetting momentarily that this is clearly a covert operation.

"Be quiet!" Weiss responds in a harsh whisper. It is a few long moments before Ruby tries again.

"You, you're Weiss Schnee. International opera legend and heiress to Schnee Dust Company," Ruby whispers with wonder, though Weiss has turned her watchful gaze back towards the sidewalk, where several figures have passed by, clad in suits and speaking urgently into their earpieces. These must be the people who Weiss is running from. Once no more shadows have been cast into the darkened nook of their alleyway for quite a long while, Weiss finally turns her head back towards Ruby, her expression unreadable.

"Yes, I am. The very same," she utters quietly. Ruby could swear she saw a flicker of sadness in Weiss' eyes at the admission. Or was that shame?

"What happened? Why are you, um… Why are you running from those guys? Hiding here, with me?" Ruby inquires, barely above a whisper, the nervousness apparent in her tone. Weiss sighs, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't choose to be here with you. You were just conveniently in my way. We almost got caught because of you, but thankfully, you had the sense to keep quiet when told," Weiss responds, shrugging. "Listen, you don't need to know who those people were or why they're chasing me. All that matters is that I got away. Alone. You were never a part of the equation, and as far as you know, Weiss Schnee is off somewhere doing rich girl things a long ways away from all of this."

"I don't underst–"

"This meeting never happened," Weiss cuts off with a firm, desperate finality. "You're a fan, right? I'll give you an autograph as payment, so forget this entire ordeal ever occurred." Weiss is already hurriedly rummaging in her white peacoat for something, but Ruby places a hand on Weiss' forearm, stilling it.

"I don't need an autograph. I won't tell anyone about tonight, and I won't ask any more prying questions, so please. Just relax," Ruby says, directing one of her sunbeam smiles towards the mildly astonished Weiss. A sigh, and Weiss shakes off Ruby's grip, sinking down onto the cold, hard pavement behind the dumpster – her head in her hands.

"I don't know what I'm doing, why I'm trying so hard to escape when there's nothing, no one waiting for me on the other side. It's pointless," Weiss mutters.

"But you are trying, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"You haven't given up. You're still trying, no? So you have to believe that there is something or someone out there for you – even if they don't know it yet."

"Yeah, I guess so," Weiss replies after a long pause, offering a small, sad smile to Ruby. "Listen, I have to go, but take this." The white-haired girl holds out a slip of paper.

"What is it?"

"It's my Scroll number. Text me sometime, but don't call."

"Are you sure? You don't even know my name," Ruby points out, looking down at the neatly folded piece of paper in her hands. Weiss snorts.

"Well, that can be easily dealt with. Go on, then," she requests, gesturing towards Ruby's person. Ruby swallows, suddenly nervous for no apparent reason.

"My name is Ruby. Ruby Rose."

"Well then, Ruby. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I would curtsy, but it's a bit difficult from behind a trash container," Weiss quips, chuckling anxiously before rising from their shared hiding spot. A short nod in Ruby's direction, and Weiss is striding off, disappearing behind a corner and into the city streets beyond.

Ruby sighs, the tension leaving her body all at once as she is left alone in the alleyway behind the dumpster. Had that really just happened? If it weren't for the scrap of paper currently pressed against her palm proving that this was real, Ruby wouldn't have believed it. But more importantly, who was Weiss, really? Why did she look so desperate and fragile in those brief moments of quiet they shared? She was blessed with everything a person could want from life and more, if the press was to be believed, so why did she look so broken down?

Eventually, Ruby extracts herself from the myriad of questions plaguing her mind and gets up, ambling towards home at a leisurely pace. By the time she reaches the front door of her apartment, one of Weiss' ballads has wormed its way into her head. Absent-mindedly, she hums the tune as she turns the key in the lock, entering the living room only to find her father, Taiyang, awake and sitting up on the couch – Scroll in hand.

"Ruby, your sister's gotten into some trouble."