Me? Writing again instead of studying? It's more likely than you'd think. This is set in volume 6, sometime when they're staying with Jaune's sister. Content warning for non-descriptive vomiting. Enjoy!
It's the sound of running water that wakes her.
Ever since Adrian was born, Sapphron has been an incredibly light sleeper, waking at any noise or movement that seemed out of place. Motherly instincts, Terra had teased her, when she'd complained about how easily she woke up these days. Your body's on high alert for anything unusual, to protect Adrian.
And the shower running in the bathroom down the hall in the middle of the night is definitely unusual.
Slowly, careful not to wake her wife or their son, sound asleep next to her, she pushes back the covers and slips out of bed. Maybe it's nothing, she thinks to herself. Maybe one of their guests just prefers to take late night showers. But in her gut, she knows that something isn't right.
Sure enough, as she approaches the bathroom, she can hear someone retching, and what sounds like a muffled sob. Her heart twinges in sympathy. Whoever is in there, it sounds like they're in a lot of pain. The bathroom door isn't closed all the way; it's cracked open slightly, allowing a sliver of light to spill out into the otherwise dark hallway.
Despite her concern, Sapphron still finds herself hesitating in front of the door, her hand hovering just above the knob. She doesn't want to just barge in and disturb the privacy of whoever is in there, but she also wasn't raised to just sit back and do nothing while someone else is suffering.
Another harsh sob sounds from behind the door, and Sapphron makes her decision. She knocks once, quietly, on the partially open door before slowly pushing it open and stepping inside. Carefully shutting the door behind her, she turns to the other occupant of the bathroom.
Whoever she was expecting to see, it certainly wasn't Ruby Rose, the youngest of Jaune's friends. The young huntress had been nothing but smiles since she'd arrived the other day. But as she whips her head around to look at Sapphron, her face is contorted in what looks like utter misery, her eyes red and face blotchy and stained with tears.
Before she can even open her mouth, Ruby is already trying to apologize. "I'm sorry Mrs. Terra-Cotta, I didn't mean to—"
She cuts herself off midsentence, curling over the toilet to retch again. Sapphron's instinctively places a hand on her shoulder. Ruby jolts but doesn't shy away from the touch. "It's quite alright, Ruby," she says gently. Under her hand, she can feel how hard the young huntress is trembling. "You're not feeling too great, huh."
She might not know anything about all this hunting business, but she does know how to take care of a sick kid.
Ruby shakes her head slightly in response to the question. Sapphron frowns, pressing the back of her hand to her pale forehead. She's a bit warm, but she doesn't feel feverish. As she removes her hand, the dark circles under Ruby's eyes stand out starkly. "Bad dream?"
This time, Ruby nods, barely, and Sapphron makes a sympathetic noise. She doubts that Ruby wants to talk about it, so she decides to focus on the things she can help with. "Do you think you're done?"
Another nod. Ruby wipes her mouth on the back of her hand slumps back against the cabinets. Sapphron reaches over her to flush the toilet, then reaches up and turns off the shower. The house feels eerily quiet without the sound of running water; the two of them are the only ones awake.
Ruby must be as exhausted as she looks, dozing off against the wood as Sapphron fills a cup with water and crouches next to her. "Ruby," she murmurs, gently nudging her awake. "I know you're tired but try to drink some of this first. It'll get the taste out of your mouth. Then you can go to bed."
The younger girl bobbles her head in an attempt at a nod, obediently sitting up and sipping at the water. She manages half the cup before her eyelids start drooping again, and Sapphron decides that that's good enough, plucking the cup from her hands before it can spill.
"Ready to go back to bed?" Ruby is more asleep than awake at this point, judging by the fact that she doesn't even protest as Sapphron helps her to her feet. She wobbles for a moment, unsteady on her feet, but manages to stay upright as Sapphron steers her towards the guest bedroom.
They make it down the hall without incident, and she somehow manages to both open the door and keep Ruby from toppling. "Time for bed, kiddo," she murmurs, nudging Ruby in the direction of her bed.
Ruby goes without a fuss. "Thanks, Yang," she mumbles, words slurring together as she crawls into bed.
Once again, Sapphron's heart twinges. She's seen how close the pair of siblings are. "Goodnight, Ruby," she whispers, slipping out of the room and shutting the door quietly behind her. "Get some rest."
Her instincts are telling her that all is well now. They can all get some sleep.
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