Autumn Rose lay spread out across the desk in Ruby's bedroom, illuminated only by silver moonlight shining in through the open window. Before it sat Ruby herself, a soft smile fixed on her face as her eyes trailed up and down the weapon. Her new baby had done well for its first outing. Not perfectly, of course, though she was willing to admit that was in large part due to user error.

Her eyes slid back up the weapon's body, lingering on the damage it had suffered towards the end of her and Cinder's fight against the Arachnid. When she'd cut the monster in half, thought it was dead, only for it to get back up and strike the two of them when they weren't prepared, Autumn Rose had taken the brunt of the hit aimed at Ruby. The barrel of its rifle had been bent enough to make it unsafe to fire, and the mechanisms it used to unfurl into its scythe form were damaged to the point where it, well, couldn't do that.

It was all damage she could fix, of course, it'd just require a little time in her workshop tomorrow, but all the same looking at it now just reminded her of how badly she'd messed up in that fight. She should've been better, faster, smarter, shouldn't have been taken by surprise like that, shouldn't… shouldn't have frozen up when she saw what was inside.

Of everything, that was the part that made her the most angry with herself. She'd been so convinced that she was ready, so sure that she could handle it. So sure that it would be her Mum staring back at her. But then when it actually happened, she'd just shut down.

It was all just too much, the fear and horror, the part of her that wanted to drop to her knees and vomit, the part that remained convinced that it was Summer, that it had to be, that her eyes must have been mistaken, screaming away alongside the part that recognised that it really wasn't, that she'd still have to face that demon down some other day. And so she'd frozen, unable to act, unable to speak. She'd almost got them both killed. Or worse.

The only reason she was still here was because of Cinder managing to access the maiden powers, and while Ruby wasn't exactly an expert on magic she wasn't going to fool herself into thinking that was anything other than blind luck being on their side for once. She couldn't afford for that to happen ever again, wouldn't allow herself to put Cinder in so much danger just because she couldn't handle her own emotions. Things had worked out in the end, this time, but she couldn't count on that. She had to be better.

A low sigh drifted from her lips, the smile she'd been wearing so recently now well and truly faded away. Speaking of how things had worked out… even now she could still so clearly see the face of that silver-eyed man in her mind's eye, the way he'd looked up at her as she plunged her blade into his neck.

The killing… well, she guessed she was about as okay with it as she could be. She'd long since come to terms with the fact that she'd have to hurt people in order to protect others, to protect the ones she cared about. Ending a life was further than she'd ever gone before, but the same principle applied. And, in this case, there really was no other way, no other option. On top of that, the way he looked at her as she stood before him… she could tell that it was what he wanted. To be free of that tortured existence.

As much as she justified it though, she still felt sick deep in the pit of her stomach as she thought it over. That was probably a good thing, though, she didn't think she ever wanted to reach a point where killing was just… easy, meaningless.

She sat back in her chair, another sigh drifting from her lips as she turned her gaze away from Autumn Rose and up to the moon. It stared back at her from high above, and she couldn't help but think back to all the many, many nights she'd spent in this very bedroom, sitting in this same chair at this same desk, staring up at the moon just like this. Things had been a lot simpler for her back then.

"Ruby?"

Cinder's voice was hoarse, scratchy, and immensely comforting as it cut through the silence of the night. After taking a moment to both recover from the surprise and fix her smile back in place, Ruby glanced over her shoulder to the bed where Cinder still lay. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No." Cinder only looked to be about half awake, but all the same pushed herself up into a sitting position, concern evident on her face even in the low light. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a little trouble sleeping." Ruby stood, and moved away from the desk to instead sit on the edge of the bed beside Cinder. "You should rest, though, you got hurt worse than me."

"I'm fine," Cinder replied defensively. She softened almost immediately though, her lone eye searching across Ruby's features as she continued, "It's bothering you, isn't it? The… person."

Ruby flicked her gaze away, settling on one of the room's dark corners as she tried to think of an excuse that would placate Cinder. It seemed that in and of itself was already answer enough, though.

"You should've let me kill him."

That wasn't what Ruby expected to hear. She looked back, finding that Cinder was now staring down into her lap. "Cinder, don't feel like that. I'm okay, really."

"You haven't killed anyone before, have you?"

Ruby hesitated for a moment before answering. "... No, I haven't."

"Well, I have." Cinder looked back up now, meeting Ruby's eyes again. "I can handle it, but now because I… I wasn't good enough, you had to…"

As Cinder's voice trailed off, Ruby reached out and gently took her hand. "Cinder, listen to me. I'm fine. It was just… what I had to do, and I don't regret that. And I especially don't want you to feel like you ever have to do that kind of thing for me. You're not here to… to do things that I'm too scared to."

"I just… I don't want…" Cinder stopped and started repeatedly, as if struggling to find the right words. "I said I'd help you bear your burdens, this is the kind of thing I can do."

"I know you can, know that you have, but you're also trying to change your life. You can help me in so many other ways, Cinder, and you already do. You don't have to kill for me."

There was quiet for a few moments, as Cinder considered what Ruby had said, before she gave a small nod. "Alright then." With that, she reached over and gave the empty space on the bed beside her a small pat. "Come back to sleep?"

It had been forced before, but now Ruby's smile was genuine. "See, that's already a great way of helping me."

As Cinder lay back, Ruby clambered up under the covers, instinctively wrapping her arms around Cinder's waist and snuggling close as soon as she was settled. They pressed close together, sharing in comfort and warmth as Ruby gradually forced her worries to lay off for the moment, and allowed sleep to slowly begin to take her. Though, to be honest, it was hard to feel worried about much when she could feel Cinder curled protectively around her like this.

It was the afternoon of the next day when Ruby finished fixing up Autumn Rose. The damage ended up being a little more difficult to repair than she'd anticipated, some small parts in the mechanisms needing to be pulled out and replaced entirely, and then on top of that she'd had a few ideas about things she could change to make the transformations run a bit quicker, but after a morning of sitting hunched away in her workshop, it was all done.

She let out a satisfied hum as she checked over everything one last time, trailing her hands across the weapon's body. Looking good. Real good. Autumn Rose was similar to the old Crescent Rose in a lot of ways, though with a few key differences. It was a little bigger, for one; she'd grown a bit in the past couple of years, and more importantly gotten stronger, so she figured she could handle it. That came with the benefit of a slightly larger scythe blade, and more importantly a higher calibre for her rifle.

The big functional difference, though, was of course the addition of her new swords (which she hadn't really formally named but she'd been thinking of calling them her Petals. Hm. She might run that one by Cinder). It'd been a little tricky figuring out how to include them without adding too much unnecessary bulk on top of everything else, but in the end she'd managed to find a way to slim down the mechanisms that let the scythe fold in and out, and through that get space to sheath the Petals on either side of the main body. As a bonus, when she was using the rifle, the swords could fold out and alongside the scythe form a sort of tripod to steady her shots. And, with a small application of gravity dust, she'd come up with a way to have the Petals dramatically launch themselves out of their sheaths when she actually wanted to use them. She wasn't sure how useful that last part was, but she figured it would look really cool so y'know, worth spending time working on it.

In any case, her work was all done for the time being, which meant that she could finally stand up and stretch her back and arms out after hours of sitting hunched over her workbench fiddling with tiny parts. That felt good, though it did have the side effect of making her notice how greasy she'd gotten over the course of the day. Time to head back to the house, wash up, and also grab something to eat and drink before her stomach decided to revolt against her.

As she walked the short distance that separated her beloved little workshop from the house itself, she caught sight of Cinder standing on the opposite side of the yard. She looked positively stunning, framed by the golden afternoon sunlight, short hair fluttering in the slight breeze, jaw set with determination. Stunning to the point where Ruby almost tripped fully over while staring. Lucky no-one saw that.

It seemed Cinder was testing out her newfound ability to create a glass arm for herself (which, by the way, Ruby was very impressed by, all the things Cinder could do with her semblance really just blew her away). As Ruby watched, Cinder hefted a bow she must've created earlier in that glass arm, an arrow forming an instant later in her free hand which she quickly drew back, held, and then loosed at some target Ruby couldn't see from her position. Judging by the adorable grin which broke out on Cinder's face, though, she'd probably hit it dead on.

Ruby stared for another few seconds, letting the smile make her heart flutter and the way Cinder's muscles shifted as she fired off another arrow heat up her cheeks, before forcing herself to turn away and continue back inside the house. Ugh, it was really getting to the point where it was impossible for her to pretend that this was all just a crush she'd get over eventually.

She owed Cinder the truth, had promised that she'd tell her what was going on eventually back when they were still on the boat, but… Cinder also deserved an actual choice in the matter. Not only in this, but in everything. She shouldn't just be forced into something because Ruby wanted it.

What Cinder had told her when they'd talked back on the boat, that the very fact that she was worrying about all of this proved that whatever the outcome she wasn't like the people that hurt Cinder before, it definitely made Ruby feel better about… well, everything. Still though, she felt like it was only right to make sure Cinder had real options. That she didn't just have to follow Ruby no matter what.

Finally reaching the bathroom, Ruby stood before the mirror and looked herself in the eye for a good few seconds. There was just under a week before the time would come to head to Vacuo, but, if she was going to do this, the sooner the better. Bowing her head, she began to scrub the grease off her arms. Tonight. She'd do it tonight.

With that ultimatum hanging over her head, Ruby found herself searching for a way to spend the intervening hours. The answer to that search came in the form of her Dad, who asked if she'd be willing to help him make their dinner. It was a bit of a surprise, to be honest, wasn't something they'd ever really done together before, but the distraction was a welcome one.

The two of them settled into an easy rhythm as they worked, Ruby putting her weaponry skills to use by slicing up a variety of vegetables as Tai bustled around behind her, periodically collecting what she'd cut up and adding it, along with a selection of other ingredients, to a steaming pot of soup. They kept mostly quiet to begin with, only really talking about the task itself as each danced around any kind of more serious conversation, though, inevitably, that conversation did come.

"So," Tai did his best to sound casual as he spoke up, idly stirring the soup the whole while, "Only six more days, huh?"

Ruby paused her vegetable cutting for just a moment. "Yeah, that's when Professor Goodwitch said we'd be able to get transport to Vacuo."

Tai hummed by way of response, but didn't say anything else at first. Just when Ruby was starting to wonder if that was all he'd wanted to say, though, he continued, "Shame, I was kinda enjoying having the two of you round the place. It's been lonely with just me and Zwei."

"Ah. I'm… sorry." Ruby wasn't really sure what else she could say to that.

"Oh, no, no, I didn't mean it like that. I know you're doing what you have to, and hell, even without all this," Tai paused, then gestured vaguely in the air, "Stuff going on, it's not like you and Yang would've stuck around here forever. I've always known the two of you were gonna head off into the world sooner rather than later. Just musing, I guess."

"Well, I'm still sorry." Ruby set the knife down, and looked over to her Dad, "I wish I could stay longer. I really missed you, y'know?"

"Hey now," Tai in turn set down his ladle, then stepped over to Ruby and wrapped her up in a tight hug, "I missed you too, but you really don't need to be sorry about anything." He quickly released her, moving back over to the pot and resuming his rhythmic stirring. "I'm just glad you were able to stop in at all, it's been so nice seeing you. And, as much of a surprise as it was, it's actually been nice getting to meet Cinder as well."

That came as a bit of a shock to Ruby. She'd kind of had the impression that her Dad and Cinder were mostly just avoiding one another entirely, other than that one time she'd caught him interrogating her. "Really?"

"Well, it was more than a little awkward at first, but yeah. She's definitely not what I expected, and I think she's really starting to warm up to me a bit, too. Actually, while you were locked up in that shack of yours earlier, she helped me with some of the gardening round the house. Didn't even have to ask, she just walked up and started pitching in." Tai trailed off for a few moments after that, then looked back over to her before he continued, "I… just want you to know that I'm really happy the two of you found each other."

That made Ruby smile, and she forced herself to look down and resume slicing up the vegetables in order to distract herself from all the warm feelings welling up in her chest. "I'm happy we did too. We were… really lucky." As those words left her lips, though, she could practically feel those warm feelings rapidly shrivelling up and dying. Because this thing the two of them had, that happiness she felt, might be very close to ending.

The rest of that afternoon passed by gradually, as Ruby did her best to shove aside and ignore her fears and anxieties. Dinner was eventually finished, served up, and then rapidly devoured. As they all ate together, Ruby noticed Cinder repeatedly looking over to her, brow furrowed and lips pursed, which Ruby could only assume meant Cinder could somehow tell how she was feeling. Cinder didn't press the issue for the moment, though, and Ruby was content to put things off for a little while longer, at the very least until they'd be able to be in private (as much as she loved her Dad, this was a conversation she really didn't want to have in front of him, or anyone else).

As soon as they finished eating, though, Ruby knew that it was time. She asked Cinder to head outside and sit with her, and now the two of them were side by side on the edge of the porch, staring up at the night sky above as Ruby tried to figure out how to begin this conversation. Cinder seemed content to wait until she was ready, though, which was much appreciated, and the two of them ended up sitting in relative silence for a few minutes while Ruby collected herself. It was perhaps a little silly, she'd been so busy worrying about the outcome of this talk that she hadn't bothered deciding what to actually say. Nothing for it then, she supposed, but to speak from the heart, and let whatever happens, happen.

"So," as soon as that first word left Ruby's mouth, Cinder looked over to her, expectation and worry equally plain in her expression, "I guess I wanted to talk about the future. Your future, really."

It took a moment for Cinder to absorb that, apparently it was not the topic she'd been expecting. "Okay, sure, what is it?"

Ruby found it hard to maintain eye contact as she continued, "Well… the trip to Vacuo is in six days. I'm going, but… I guess I just realised that you don't have to. You can just stay here in Vale."

Cinder blinked slowly. "What?"

"Yeah, I mean, Dad would be happy to have you around the place for a while longer if you wanted to stay, or we could talk to Glynda about setting you up somewhere in the city, or you could even head off to one of the smaller towns nearby and start over there. You've got a lot of options if you don't come with me."

"Do you want me to stay?"

The simple question struck Ruby right to the core. Of course she didn't, of course she wanted Cinder to come with her, but… "I don't want you to just choose based on what I want, Cinder." She briefly met Cinder's eye once more, and found that she couldn't quite identify the emotion that swam there. "It's just… going to Vacuo, facing down Salem, fighting this war. That's all what I've chosen to do. But it's not what you've chosen, I've just been dragging you along with me. I want you to have options, to make your own choices, to pick whatever's right for you. Whatever will make you happiest."

Everything was silent for one second. Two. And then-

Cinder reached over, took hold of Ruby's hand, and with a voice practically trembling with conviction simply said, "I choose you." Those words alone practically took Ruby's breath away, and yet Cinder continued on. "I have been this entire time. You may think that you've just been dragging me along, but you're wrong. It would've been so easy for me to leave at any point we've been together, to just disappear into the night, to never see you again. I've always had a choice, and I've always chosen you, even before I really knew why. And now that I know I'm in love with you, I'm definitely not leaving."

Ruby's train of thought crashed to a very sudden halt. "Wait… what was that last part?"

"I…" Cinder paused for a few seconds, then very quickly her lone eye widened considerably, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that!"

"You're in love with me?" Ruby was, in a word, incredulous, even as her cheeks began to heat up and heart pounded away in her chest. This was definitely not what she was expecting from this conversation and also surely she misheard that because what? There was no way. Right?

"No! I mean uh… well… yes, but…" Cinder stammered, withdrawing her hand from her mouth and then balling it into an alarmingly tight fist. She let herself trail off, then sucked in a deep breath, held for a few seconds, then exhaled. When she tried to speak again after that, she was at least a little more calm. "I think I am, yes. I'm sorry, I didn't want to make anything weird between us, I know you won't feel the same way, and that's fine, you can just pretend you never heard it and I'll deal with it, and-"

Talk was cheap, Ruby decided. She reached out, grasped Cinder's cheek, then leaned in and kissed her.

Cinder's lips were chapped and dry, scratchy and stiff against her own as they pressed together. Ruby could only assume that hers were much the same, and she couldn't help but feel extremely clumsy in her every inexperienced movement, unsure of exactly what she should be doing, or if she should even be doing anything. She wracked her brain for every kiss scene she could remember watching in movies over the years and tried to in some way approximate whatever she'd seen there, but it all just felt awkward and off. In pretty much every way, it should have been a terrible kiss, an abject failure.

And yet, as Cinder's arm tentatively wrapped round Ruby's back, as their bodies slotted together in a way that felt simultaneously familiar and yet brand new, as Ruby's entire perception of the outside world began to fall away, her every sense entirely consumed by Cinder… it just felt so right. So satisfying. So perfect.

They parted briefly, staring deep into one another's eyes, their hot breaths mixing together in the cool night air. There was so much to think about, to talk about, to figure out between the two of them. What did this mean? What were they now? How would they go forward? But right now, neither of them wanted to think, and for the moment none of that mattered.

Wordlessly, they each leaned back in, lips meeting in another clumsy kiss. And then another, and another, as the night slowly passed them by.