I realized by this point that I've never made it clear when this fanfic initially takes place since it wouldn't really fit with the events of volume 7 and 8. So, for simplicities sake, I'm treating this fic as being in an alternate timeline where RWBY and Co ended up trusting Ironwood earlier, they all came together and managed to put a stop to Salem's plans and push back her early attempts to invade.

Not technically important considering the story of this fic, but it gives context to some of the things the characters think about, such as how, with this version of events, they never directly faced Salem.

People were not generally honest, especially when they felt their words would be remembered. You shove a camera in some random person's face and ask them their opinion on current events and, for most people presuming they don't tell you to shove off, you'll get a mouthpiece spouting what they believe the current safe narrative is.

It didn't play out any differently for Ren throughout his hour-long investigation of Respite's lower-level districts. He thought that he would have better luck getting honest answers from the poorer end of society, the ones most likely to be upset about the current situation, but you know what they say about best-laid plans.

"What else can I say?"

It didn't matter whether he was sitting down with the local drunk, striking up a conversation with the gang of old nosy housewives or witnessing the demonstration of your regular 'money is the root of all evil' activists gathering outside a street corner; it was all the same.

"They rebuilt this junk yard of a neighbourhood brick by brick,"

Sure, they might have used different wording, perhaps they fell into a tangent about the old guy across the street they were certain was no-good, maybe they even had the decency to drop the condescending tone. But they all said the same thing. They hit the same points as if they were handing in an essay to a teacher and had to hit all the checkmarks. They came to the same middling, not too positive, not too negative conclusion.

"improved our houses at a low price,"

They all used the same fumbling tone, the same habit of turning away from Ren whenever it looked like their expression was about to falter. They were always aware. They were on edge, on guard, putting on a show and reading lines for some invisible audience.

"added some much-needed amenities and opened up a whole slew of jobs."

The more they went on, this legion of broken records humming their distorted and out-of-tune recording inflicted upon him, the more the sensation of a spectator spread to him. It ran up his spine like most morning chills, yet there was a subtle heat to this sensation. There were eyes upon him, somewhere, somehow, out of sight and directly in mind; and they held a hostile edge.

"The SDC can be a bit inconvenient, but I ain't got much bad to say about them."

He had to face facts, it was a dead end backed by five layers of steel and a 'Turn back, Moron' sign planted in front of it. Respite was the foundation of Respite and, while he and the populace hid behind the safety of the underwater barriers, he'd find no honest assessment from the people they watch over every day.

So, where was a desperate man to seek water in a desert? He could jump to bribing to loosen their lips, but he had neither the charisma nor knowledge to even begin to consider how he'd approach that option without the subtlety of a brick. Breaking into private property to stalk them was off the table. Going to any SDC offices would certainly raise suspicion until he had more information to work off.

Unless a miracle fell out of the sky to nudge him in the right direction, he was sure that it was time to return to the drawing board and let this lead di-

"Must get tiring." Well, a conveniently timed meeting with the scum of the world was just as good. It was either a testament to how memorable the voice was, or an indication of some deeply ingrained pre-existing connection Ren had shared with the owner before the simulation. He recalled only hearing Mercury's voice once, taunting Yang during the Vital Tournament match, and yet his mind instantly imagined the man's face before Ren had even started to turn to face the speaker.

Mercury perfectly matched the image his casual and self-assured tone laced with bitter edge communicated, that tall, raggedy looking shady man leaning against the base of a dark alleyway, whisps of facial hair adding that primal sense of wariness and a loose predatory grin making no mystery of the mischief the man got up to. The only way the image would be more fitting was if Mercury was balancing a toothpick between his lips and flipping a one-sided coin. "I mean, you've been at it all day, asking and asking; just to get the same boring answer."

There was no mistake to be made, no code to decipher, barely a hint of subtlety to notice. It was dropping all his cards on the table, a clear message; 'I've been watching. Your efforts are pointless. You're acting suspicious.'. Ren could only afford to narrow his eyes, fearful of those keen eyes now fixed on him like an animal out for blood. Whatever Ren's relationship was with Mercury prior, this man was looking for any weak points to make Ren's mask of stone crumble. "Mercury."

The wolfish grin remained even as Mercury pulled his lips together to whistle, brows spreading outwards as his face unfurled in barely contained laughter. "Ooo, are we on a first name basis now, Kuriyuri? Thought that stick up your ass would never loosen." With great effort, Mercury pushed himself off the wall and into the light. Though, it would be more accurate to say he pounced from the shadows and into the light. "Suppose all those months away did you some good. At the best resorts the little Schnee brat can buy, I bet."

In the simulation, Ren was always aware of his surroundings. It was natural when Grimm could have attacked at any moment, when they were constantly running head first into the lion's den looking for the head hunter. There he knew any slip-up would cost him dearly, any escape route missed could lead to someone being left behind, and any potential dangers not filed away could leave another village burned to the ground.

And yet, in this real world, it was only now that Ren felt those old senses flair up and tell him that his back was now against a wall and Mercury had just put himself in front of the turn back onto the street. Everything else about this world and its people had been off, the darkness swept under the rug and shielded in their hearts, hidden and easy to deny. Mercury didn't sweep it aside, he didn't make it digestible, and his eyes did not attempt to hide that nothing good could come from this man. There was only malice leaking into the air like a toxin. At best, you could get out of his way.

It was painful for Ren to keep a straight face, to not give into the temptation to tense his muscles and bring out his fight-or-flight response. It was the pain he always imagined Nora had to feel when she was somehow holding those inhuman grins. "Not my place to say." At this point, his curt response wasn't even an active choice, it was simply all he could muster without breaking character.

Mercury's lips drew together to let loose a short whistle, his entire body now swaying in a place like he was ready to move at a moment's notice. "Now, ain't you a good little boy?" To accentuate the underlying insult, Mercury's finger drew across Ren's chin, using its uneven nail (clearly only clipped by the man's teeth) to scratch him like you would a pet.

Ren embraced his position, leaning back and letting the wall that trapped him act as a show of disinterest. He let his lips stretch to opposing sides to form a visible sneer, acting like he was leaning away out of disgust for Mercury's mere presence rather than awareness of Mercury as a threat. "I'd like to think you just came to chat," A slight tilt of his head punctuation the pause, giving him time to slap his lips together carelessly. "but I get the feeling you don't offer that courtesy."

Suddenly, the man found interest in his left hand, holding it out in front of him and rubbing his forefinger and thumb together. It was so awkwardly casual. In a way, he was similar to the people Ren interviewed, nothing about him felt real, just… There. "I'm just curious, is all." Mercury powered forward, his face invading any shred of personal space Ren had in an instant. Plastered across his face was a bored frown with a wolfish grin shining through the cracks. "Why is the SDC's favourite mook shaking down shopkeepers about whatever company line they've been fed today?"

Ren hated to admit it, but that was a fair question. Someone who worked personally for the higher-ups at the SDC would, of course, already know that they'd get no honest answers from the people the company is watching. The only thing that was helping him avoid spluttering was thinking about how Nora would have made a 'just kiss already' joke if she saw Ren in such a 'close' position. "You said so yourself, me and Miss Wither have been away for a good while." In his head, Ren didn't like the excuse, it was still flimsy in his eyes, but judging by Mercury's simple expression; it seemed to sate him. "The lady doesn't enjoy unfamiliar territory, so I'm here on her behalf, filling the gaps in her knowledge of what's changed."

Mercury's gaze seemed to loosen, breaking away from Ren and casting its sight to the empty space beside them. A mental debate Ren was neither a part of nor wanted to be a part of. "I'm sure your mistress has a book or two she can open up for that."

Ren took this shift in positions to place himself on the attack, pushing himself off the wall with one foot and, while Mercury was caught finding his footing with Ren's light push, drove his finger into Mercury's chest. "The 'books' are incomplete. Besides, survey statistics don't compare to hearing it from the people themselves." He blew Mercury back with the waterfall of confidence Ren never knew he was capable of.

Finally, it seemed Mercury relented, that air of suspicion wafting from his eye vanishing as he fell back. "Way I see it, as a fellow grunt knee-deep in dirty work, you take what you're given." He swayed in one direction too far and his body fell past Ren, shoulder supporting the rest of his body with the wall. The suspicion had seemingly been replaced with a mocking tone and incredulous cheek. "If Papa Schnee doesn't think you need to know something, best to give him your shiniest smile and walk away."

Again, Mercury did not care for subtlety.

"Are you insinuating something?"

A gloved palm rose in a lazy, but defensive, position, shielding Mercury's face from Ren's cold glare. "I'm just giving you the same advice you gave me back in the day." The way Mercury's eyes danced around, casually checking for whatever surveillance he knew about, there was almost a sliver of bitter sympathy underneath his veneer. Like a man begrudgingly paying back a debt for one they hated. "If one of his top dogs starts going around him and sticking their nose where there ain't no need…" Once more, their faces were inches apart as Mercury leaned in, voice low and dangerous. His gaze was narrow, peering through Ren's persona, searching for something buried deep within. "Well, the higher ups might start thinking we got another Robyn Hill on our hands."

There was a pause. All Ren could observe was that someone in the distance was complaining about a traffic jam.

And then Mercury was back in his spot, his back to Ren and his arm lazily dangling at his side. "Don't glare at me like that, Bud. I'm trying to look out for you." His knees bent back as he arched his back, his arm too lazy to bring his hand up to scratch his cheek and complete the sheepish pose. "With Emerald being her own little bundle of issues, you're the closest thing I have to good company in this business. Even if you are stiff as a board."

Another pause, but this was one that Ren allowed. Mercury wanted to leave, but it was clear he was hanging back for Ren's answer, Ren's reaction, Ren's telling signs. And Ren was going to make him wait. It was feeble, if not even a little pathetic; but Ren was willing to settle for any amount of power he could gleam from this whole horrid affair.

"I'll take your advice into consideration." His response seemed to elicit a sigh of strangled relief from his companion. "However, it is Miss Schnee who calls the shots."

It was like watching a man who'd been chained up standing for too long, the sway in Mercury's walk far less deliberate than before. Either way, the man was satisfied and intent on leaving Ren some breathing room for now. "Whatever."

Yeah, Ren thought with his own sigh of relief, whatever.

Hours later, Ren had to privately admit that there was a smidge of catharsis to watching Jaune be the one to sweat like a pig before the slaughterhouse. They'd spent the better half of five minutes with Jaune's eyes glued to the 'Dust in' Bustin' sign precariously hanging over him, as if asking fate to just get it over with and drop the fatal object on his head, ending him before the jitters could consume him. "Nervous?"

Jaune's right eye twitched as a replacement for looking at Ren. His head began nodding along to an inaudible rhythm, transitioning into an awkward sway of his whole body. It only took a second for him to give up and let his arms drop into a loose, lazy slump. "I'm always nervous." His hands came up to his chest, offering a weak wave at absolutely nothing as if that answer perfectly demonstrated a point Ren simply couldn't grasp.

Thinking that maybe Jaune required some solidarity in tempting fate, Ren shifted to stand beside the lost boy, staring up at the safety hazard waiting to happen. "I'm sure Ruby's doing fine, the owner seemed like a nice enough guy." There was an immediate wince pulling together Jaune's frustrated features at just the mention of her name. Ren just didn't get it. He understood a lot about Jaune, why the man's insecurities and doubts often led him astray, why he was constantly questioning his place in the team, why he felt the need to be reckless, and why he talked so much when he had nothing to say. He had an understanding of Jaune Arc. What he didn't understand was the self-made tension with Ruby.

In the beginning, it made sense to question the legitimacy of their relationship when so much was unknown. They couldn't have known whether their feelings were genuine or not. But by this point it had to be clear to Jaune that those feelings didn't fade, they didn't numb, they just moved into mourning the relationship he gave away. It was getting to Jaune, that was obvious with every pleading glance at his fake ex-girlfriend, every twitch at the mention of her name and every dazed look that would overcome the man when she got too close.

Whether it was out of pride to stick to his guns, out of fear of making a mistake, out of denial of their situation or just plain stupidity; Ren couldn't figure it out. The two loved each other and they should damn well enjoy it. It was that simple. It left an almost bitter taste on Ren's tongue. Can't they see how lucky they are? He squinted, trying to contain the scowl he knew was unfair to throw at Jaune. They still get to have each other. They got to stay with the one they loved, they still have a chance and they're wasting it for nothing! They had the chance he lost. And no matter how much he told himself to be fair, it would never stop hurting him on some level.

Jaune gave a cursory glance over the door neither one of them had mustered the effort to open, lip twisting into a flicker of a smile. A small, sad smile, but a smile all the same. "It's not Ruby that's got me jittery." The smile immediately disappeared, replaced with a more shameful, vacant look that immediately put Ren on edge. "It's my work, I…"

"Ah. Right." Ren started slowly, the gears in his head turning as only one word came to mind. "Cinder."

Jaune slipped away from his spot, taking refuge against the store's wall and resting his head against the flat surface. His muscles seemed to flinch ever so slightly, pulling together to express his exasperation in full, only to think twice at the last minute and drop back into forced normalcy. "Before, Cinder was just a smug, murderous psychopath I hated. She'd hurt me, hurt my friends, done terrible things, but she never… Never had an 'effect' on me."

Ren could see Jaune's fingertips flush crimson as their grip tightened and ground them into the hard wall. Every movement was dedicated to containing himself, limiting his expression, walling off any possibility that this unbridled shame and fear would leak out before Ren's eyes. "Walking into that meeting? I've never felt so violated just by someone looking at me. I-… I just know something's happened. And I know I don't want to remember what it was."

It didn't matter how closed off Ren usually was, in that moment there was nothing to consider before he closed the distance between them and rested a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. At first, Jaune seemed to jump, to wince at Ren's touch, as if inflicted pain, but Jaune managed to relax his shoulders and let his friend approach. "Don't let her get to you, Jaune."

He slapped his hands over his face, splashing himself with cold air. "I won't…" He repeated it to himself, a mantra, a promise made for his own sake rather than to Ren. "I won't. I'm fine, I'm good; we'll get through this." Again, and again until he was ready.

He had just finished raking his fingers through his sweat-laced fringe when Ren pushed himself back into the conversation. "I know we will." Ren didn't attempt physical contact again, simply leaning back with his arms secured in a lock over his chest, hoping it exuded a certain image of confidence. Jaune was too busy going through breathing exercises to notice. "We have you and Ruby leading us, right?"

It was a genuine sentiment. And as long as they lived, Ren knew it would remain genuine. It didn't bother him that the two always had an element of childishness to how they acted, he never found their loud antics and foolish logic grating on his nerves and he never looked down upon them for their simple attitudes that strove to bring him out of a shell he'd fully sealed himself within. And it wasn't just because Nora's hyperactive nature made such behaviours easy to digest.

There were no other people he'd trust to take the reigns and lead him into hell and back. People who could bold-face admit they had no chance nor any plan in the face of certain death, and he'd still be confident they'd drag him out safe and sound anyhow.

If there was anything that helped him bare the force of the revelations this return to reality has forced him to endure, it was the fact that, whether it is fiction or not, his trust in the two goofballs he was relieved to know he could still call friends hadn't wavered one bit.

There was a moment of silence as Jaune registered Ren's genuine words, his face flushing a darker shade and that trademark awkward Arc laughter quickly following. "We're doomed then." It took a few seconds of rubbing the back of his neck red raw for Jaune to think up a decent segway to distract from his bashful reactions. "You said you ran into Mercury? What's he like here?"

Ren had to take a moment before responding, and not just because of the sudden swerve in conversation. Truly, he'd never 'met' Mercury, his only experience with the man being to witness a grey blur dancing around Yang's fist from across the Haven entrance hall. All he had was the brief description his teammates could fill in about the cyborg assassin. "Nothing's really changed with him, I guess."

"That's good." Jaune was much quicker to respond, so fast he hadn't even finished snapping his fingers before he spoke. In the immediate aftermath, however, he found his simple smile wobbling as he tried to recall what he actually found positive about Ren's statement. "I think?"

"He mentioned Emerald."

This made Jaune put on his 'thinking face', which would have made Ren chuckle if the subject matter wasn't so tiring. "Who is Cinder's secretary…"

Ren nodded, gazing upwards towards the large SDC advertisement that played on the building across the street, Jacques Schnee's immortalized image towering over them, telling them that the 'SDC' was a no-brainer. "So, Cinder's connected to the SDC somehow."

"Oh great, more questions." Jaune's begrudging moan of contempt was quickly muffled as he ran his hand across his facial features, not just squeezing the bridge of his nose, but his cheekbones as well. "Let's leave all that until later, okay? I'm not in the mood to start depressing ourselves with conspiracy theories just yet."

Before Ren could open his mouth to speak, he stopped himself dead in his tracks, deciding to cool his engines before he ended up crashing into Jaune with a topic the man clearly didn't want to continue. "Right." Admittedly, it was difficult for Ren to pull himself out of work mode. His tasks, even with dead ends at every turn, kept him active, kept him busy, and kept him distracted. Throwing himself into his work was akin to hitting the snooze on your alarm, the bed is so comfortable and you just don't want to face the day, better to drift away into better times.

He let his voice slip at the sight of Jaune tiredly combing back his dirty mop of blond spikes, silently wondering how much sleep Jaune had gotten since they arrived in this world. If Pyrrha were here, she'd lecture Jaune on the importance of rest and relaxation. If Pyrrha were here, their Pyrrha… Things would be better. Both men knew that, but one of them avoided tackling the thought head on; and Ren felt the shame well up in his stomach at not thinking to broach Jaune about this before. "And, uh… Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"I know having Pyrrha back is a lot to take in for us after…" The silence that washed over the two was colder than ice and sharper than a knife. It pinned the two's moods down, cut into their souls and let spill the flow of memories both pleasant and tragic. Ren took a step forward, not daring to take his eyes off Jaune, opening himself up and building that bridge between them. "If you need to talk about it… Well, I'm a part of team JNPR too."

Jaune took a deep breath. Then his face broke out into a warm grin that melted the ice. "Thanks, Ren." Nothing more needed to be said, everything was carried by the relaxed sigh and relief leaking through Jaune's tone. To mark the respite, Jaune seemingly decided it was time to careen this conversation straight into awkward territory. The larger man threw his arms out in a wide, welcoming gesture, leaning forward with an eager glint in his eye. "Hug me, Brotha?"

Unfortunately for Jaune, he had neither the adorable nor desperation factor that Ruby had in spades. So, all he got in return was a blank, dry stare back at his request, forcing him to slowly lower his arms. "Alright, not there yet."

Without any more excuses to stall, the two were finally content with the obvious action of, you know, entering the store. By this point, they were sure that any customers that were going in or out of the shop were already giving them the odd glance for loitering in front of the entrance, but Jaune made it his mission to ignore his surroundings for now.

For Ren, going through those doors was the mundane matter you expect it to be. For Jaune? It was like being confined in a dark, claustrophobic space only for the bright light of day to burst through the doors full force, knocking him on his ass, drowning his choking lungs in relief and overwhelming his sense to the point that his eyes needed a moment to adjust to the new landscape.

Of course, this sensation was always exclusively reserved for whenever Ruby was the one behind the door being opened.

Even when she looked utterly ridiculous.

"Howdy, Folks! Welcome to Dust 'in Bustin', where taxes may be high, but our generosity is cheap!" It didn't take much detective work to know that Ruby had spent hours practising that greeting line, the eager energy bouncing her up and down, the prideful undertone to her delivery and those wondering wide eyes, desperately searching for a sign that she nailed it. Like a little kid rehearsing her school play with her parents.

Both boys enjoyed the display, but only Jaune was experiencing his heart thumping out its own high-octane hit single. For a moment, Jaune couldn't see the new reality they were forced to accept, he couldn't see the barriers around his heart, he couldn't see Audry Averg; he could only see that woman he fell in love with across the battlefield.

He was back in a dusty, dimly lit Atlas storage warehouse, the most wonderful girl in the world on his lap as they both cuddled against a heavy steel crate they'd given up on trying to move. It was so simple back then. Okay, well… It was actually very complicated with the whole shadow war with an immortal witch deal, but Ruby made everything feel so simple.

He'd stumble over his words trying to express his feelings for her drowned in amateur purple prose. She'd not understand a word he was saying. He'd feel like an idiot. She'd appreciate the effort and make him melt by just going 'I'm not good with the poetic stuff, but that's okay. I like you. I like being around you. I miss you when you're gone. I want excuses to be close to you. That's all I need to know, right?'. He'd still feel like an idiot, but she happened to really love idiots.

Everything in his heart yearned to return to that moment, yearned for her in every way he could have her. It was a miracle he could hold himself back. He could have tackled her then and there, he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close, tell her he was wrong, that he was stupid, that he should have never hurt her. He could have done so many things, but he didn't. Did he truly believe it was such a risk? Did he truly believe that this was what he had to do? Or was he just a coward?

So many conflicting sensations began to overwhelm him in the short few seconds it took for his thoughts to spiral out of control, he needed a distraction. Naturally, he followed Ren's own puzzling gaze away from the most beautiful face he'd ever seen, heading south to appraise… That outfit.

It certainly took his mind off course.

He'd grown up with several sisters, or at the very least he'd lived through a simulation of growing up with several realistic sisters, he'd endured every dress they ever forced him into, and he'd been through all the fashion talks. He was qualified in this area at the bare minimum.

That outfit was a crime.

Her workplace persona completely shattered as she gazed upon the two boys, revealing that classic Ruby pout combined with the aggressive posture of a bull getting ready to charge. "Stop laughing!"

"W-We're not laughing." Jaune managed to splutter out. And he was correct, the two were not laughing at her, in fact, one could go as far as to say the two were making a respectable effort to not burst out into roaring cackles. Legally speaking, the Cheshire grins tugging at the corner of their lips as their willpower weakened were clearly distinct from the actual crime of laughter.

"Yes, o-of course." Ren was better at keeping his composure, adapting the master strategy of raising his hand in a clenched fist over the offending evidence on his face. He almost looked peaceful. "We're just so happy… For you…"

But Jaune showed to be the weaker of the two when he practically shouted out through strangled tickling coughs. "And your adorable little dress." The closest reference one could compare this to was a maid's uniform. It had all the pockets, the thrills, the hat, and the texture of a used wiping cloth. But not even the most eccentric of elites saw to dunk that simple set of clothes in a horrifying mixture of vomit green paint with mouldy blue circuitry patterns dotting the sides. Was there a drive-by graffiti assault or something?

And, by God, what was that on her head? It looked like someone had glued plastic fruit to a nurse's hat- Wait, were those supposed to be dust crystals?

It was indeed a dark day for the young rose, subjected to such cruel and unjust betrayal at the hands of her most trusted allies. Never did she suspect what monstrous personalities were hiding beneath their approachable masks. The innocent girl could only sway on the back of her feet, thrusting her only available weapons, her tiny fists, skyward to make her declaration reverb through the air itself. "This is not adorable, it's professional!"

Ren couldn't hold it in anymore. Even his legendary composure had to gasp for air. "It's like a computer threw up on you."

"Shut up, I'm an adult now, I don't have to take this!" And like an adult, Ruby quite literally stomped her feet, endlessly thankful that the customers around her paid her so little attention that even this commotion didn't warrant their gaze.

It took a minute or two for the laughter to simmer. Maybe the joke wasn't that funny at the end of the day, but damn did it feel good to have something to laugh about. Ren in particular realized how much rarer moments like this were getting for them. He had to draw them out as long as he could, so naturally, he brought in an old question that had been tickling the back of his mind since he first stepped foot in this store. "I don't even get it, why the computer symbols?"

Ruby blinked once. She blinked twice. Nope, another blink didn't make Ren's question make sense to her. "Because the pattern looks cool?"

Apparently, this was not the response Ren was looking for. He slipped past Ruby's small form, turning her attention to the dust dispenser on the opposing wall. "I mean, this is a dust shop, right? Shouldn't the theme be more dust orientated?"

Even Jaune was giving Ren an odd look by this point. "I think you're overthinking it, Ren."

For his moment of frivolous distraction from the weight of their situation, Ren had chosen this as the point to take a stand. His body swerved around to face the two naysayers, a pedantic spark of passion blazing in those usually dull eyes of his. "Nuts' And Dolts is a weapons shop themed around the components of weapons, Lucky Charms is about occult trinkets with a theme of good luck charms, Sugar Rush is a candy store themed around racing to give you tooth decay." There was no room to interject even when he paused, his hand cracking at the air like a whip, as if he were a TV detective hitting the peak of his pivotal eureka moment. "Here, there's a bunch of old-fashioned dust disposal units, the staff are wearing maid outfits with circuit board patterns, the wallpaper is tropical trees and bear shaped cakes are being sold over there." Ren just did not let up, puffing out his chest and ending his line of questioning with one power and accusatory finger thrusting out to point directly at Ruby. "What is this store about?"

It was pedantic. It was silly. It was odd. And Ren damn well enjoyed it. Hey, if Jaune and Ruby get to act out their childish arguments, he was allowed to have some of his own just for the hell of it.

At his overwhelming display, Ruby was reduced to the socially awkward primary state, twiddling her thumbs while she stared directly at her feet and stumbled over whatever words came to mind. "It's like, like a hybrid store? You know, like that furniture store that also sells hotdogs."

"And this store is…?"

"Well, it's…" She pursed her lips, desperately wracking her brain for an answer that wasn't admitting defeat, even quite literally starting to try and slap sense into herself.

"Like, you know…"

Jaune chuckled, leaning over her shoulder. "Ruby, you do work here, right?"

Finally, the girl relented, crossing her eyes and assuming the 'hurt puppy' facial formation. "Look, I'm afraid to ask questions, the old guy just tells me to carry things out to customers and I do it."

Ren leaned in as well, suddenly making Ruby feel even smaller when between the two vastly taller men. "What, and you don't-"

"Apparently not." She scoffed. "You guys are terrible, you know that?"

They paused.

They looked between each other.

They all shared a smile as the ridiculousness of it all swept over them.

"Sorry, sorry," Ren muttered through the first small, but genuine smile Ruby had seen from the man in a while. "How's your first day going?"

"I'm acing it." She pumped a fist into the air, her free hand grasping her victorious biceps and squeezing it with that wolfish grin of hers. "One guy asked to see a Series Y1 Scroll out of the case, and I was like 'Whoosh!'-" She clapped her hands together, jumping past Ren and landing into a crouching stance, hands ripping away from each other to angle all fingers towards the closest store shelf. "'There's your Series Y1 right there!', and I didn't freeze up once."

"Impressive." Jaune spoke softly, holding back the urge to cry like a prideful parent at how much she's grown... In a couple of hours. "The other employees don't give you a hard time?"

This question made Ruby's lips curl for an uncertain effect, ending with a shrug as she couldn't decide whether or not the answer was a good thing. "Nope. Most of them keep to themselves." As a card-carrying member of the socially awkward since birth, it would seem to be a no-brainer that not having to talk to new people was a blessing, but on the other hand, she could feel that creeping sense of awkward doubt creep up on her when she realized none of the other staff even noticed she was there.

"Well, most of them are too busy dipping out for smoke breaks, so I don't have to deal with them." Idly, she let her hand cup her puffed-out cheek, fingers tugging lightly on her frazzled strips of hair. "Ooo, but I've been getting along well with the Boss's niece, she's-" She stopped dead in her tracks. Not a dramatic pause. Not an awkward pause. It was a pause where both boys could immediately hear her heart slam against her rib cage in a sudden spike of realization and energy. Before they knew it, the girl had their hands in a death grip and was dragging them toward the front counter, eyes gleaming with utter delight. "Oh god, you guys need to meet her, she's amazing!"

Jaune gave her a look. That narrowed eye, sarcastic stance kinda look. She didn't know what it meant, but it offended her. "What?"

A shrug. The nerve of this boy. "Last time you tried to introduce us to an 'amazing new friend'," Those quotation gestures might as well have come equipped with cartoon sound effects with how Ruby imaged them. "we were back in Mistral and she turned out to be a bandit trying to lure you us into an ambush."

At this, Ruby could only gasp, that simply wasn't a fair comment. "Whoa, whoa, you can't pin that on me. She was an amazing actor." She pulled Jaune down closer to her, letting her grip on his hand loosen and slowly walking her fingertips up his arm. It was supposed to be teasing, but she couldn't miss Jaune's face immediately heating up at the gesture. "I remember her convincing a certain dumb blonde to give her his only weapon, so she had more space to 'appreciate' his biceps."

"Point taken." Jaune swallowed whatever dignity he was rumoured to have and gave Ruby a firm nod, causing her to mercifully let him go. "Alright, let's meet this new friend of yours." The two looked to Ren to see if he had any building reservations to add. "Ren, you rea-" Only to find that there was nothing building around Ren. He was frozen in place, eyes wide and disbelieving, a slight fearful curve to his lips that made it look like he wanted to bolt it out of the front door. "Ren?"

"Jaune…" His hands caught Jaune by the collar, but his grip was merely a pack of weak-willed fingers lifelessly tugging at the cloth of his shirt. Ren didn't just look odd, he looked physically unstable, so weak, but still swaying back and forth. Jaune moved to support Ren, resting a hand on the man's back, hoping that Ren would only unravel at the seams in a mental sense rather than a physical one.

It was only when that was done that Jaune bothered to follow Ren's gaze to the object of his shock.

His first thought was to dismiss it, to tell himself not to get his hopes up, but there was no mistaking that mop of soft ginger hair carelessly bouncing off exposed rough shoulders as the girl they were currently gawking at bounced on the balls of her feet. Those green eyes that shaped her entire expression, pulsating with electricity and pure, unabashed energy. Even her freckles hit all the right spots.

Behind the counter, Nora Valkyrie sat, single-handedly acting as pure light in the darkness of this world.

Ren's fingers idly poked at Jaune's skin, looking for any response that could tell Ren he wasn't crazy. Jaune nodded, bottom lip wobbling as he spoke. "I'm seeing it too."

Ren didn't think. He was far too desperate and enamoured to consider how selfish his request was, but he couldn't hold it back, not today. "I know it's selfish, but… Can I?" He locked Jaune with a sincere, yet intense gaze. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with 'Nora' for a few minutes, to find a shade of the companionship that Jaune and Ruby got to keep, but ultimately, he knew that Jaune deserved to be there just as much as he did.

"She's all yours, Buddy." He released a breath he never even knew he was holding when Jaune patted him on the back and sent the boy on his way. "Just try not to freak her out, okay?"

Whether Ren heard Jaune's warning or not didn't matter, a second with a destination and Ren was already across the room and out of earshot.

"I didn't believe it at first, thought I might have been seeing things," Ruby spoke up, speaking softly as Jaune heard her pull a cart of merchandise over to the shelf. Jaune still couldn't take his eyes off the last member of his team to be accounted for and how he suddenly missed Nora's bone-crushing hugs and early morning 'singing'. "Didn't take long to be 100% sure."

Finally, Jaune broke his gaze from the scene just as Ren reached the counter, turning his head towards Ruby, now hunched over a rack of ammo boxes. He caught a glimpse of her eyes when she came back up to switch out a box with damaged packaging. He recognised the same sombre regret that he'd found in Ren's eyes not two minutes ago.

They found Pyrrha. They found Nora.

They could never find Weiss. They didn't find Yang. They didn't find Qrow.

"Sorry, Ruby."

He wanted to say more, but Ruby's small smile stopped him at the pass. "Hey, no apologies." She took this moment to release a long concealed sigh. She did not attempt to hide the obvious or wave Jaune off, she just sighed, admitted defeat and drew closer to Jaune. "Nothing wrong with you guys finding your team members." He didn't know who reached for who first, but soon Jaune found his hand in hers, giving it a tight squeeze. This made her smile grow wider, which in turn infected him with a smile of his own. "Besides, Nora is my friend too, remember?"

His lip tightened. He knew that, he wasn't trying to imply otherwise, but he also knew that Ruby's friendship with Nora was not on the same level as the other half of team RWBY. That he and Ren were, in some way at least, lucky while Ruby and Blake were not. "Right, I just-"

One warm look and Jaune knew he didn't need to say anything else. "I know, Jaune. Thanks."

He swore to himself that he was trying not to fall in love with Ruby all over again. Truly.

Ren, however, was facing an entirely different problem as he hovered by the counter, unable to move as the strategic part of his brain was in the midst of a full-on meltdown. He had no delusion of trying to deny the feelings he still held for his possibly fake partner. Even if he wanted to, even if he was told over and over again that it wasn't real, it wouldn't change that, when he was completely convinced it was real, his heart was smitten and that was something that would always stick with him.

However, none of that translated into 'How to talk to a girl you haven't been friends with since you were a child 101'. Which left him to stand back and properly assess the situation. This Nora had never so much as talked to him. This wasn't the same as the Nora he knew. Perhaps I could take a page from Jaune's book… Ren had to ponder on this potentially dangerous thought, glancing back at Jaune and Ruby emanating pure awkward energy back where they were standing. Just be confident, right? This Nora looks just as encourageable as her digital counterpart, maybe she shares the same appreciation for frankness and forwardness.

He could steal worse advice, after all, Jaune still managed to have two redheads way out of his league fall for him. Ren just had to start with a strong, confident lead, and 'go with the flow' as old Nora would put it. Maybe here, he didn't have to fall back on that mask of restraint, just be honest, loosen up and-

"Whoa." Or maybe he could have silently stared directly at her, not even close to out of her viewing range, for several minutes. Start the conversation out strong with the stalker vibes that all romance begins with.

"Huh?" He couldn't offer up anything else. Now that her eyes had locked onto him and her full attention blocked all exits, his body found itself losing all motor function, fear gripping his heart like a prey facing down their natural predator. Should he run? Could he run? Was it going for the kill? Was it distracted? Was Ren feeling like a stack of pancakes drowning in Nora's favourite syrup?

"Nothing, just not used to be stared at by cute boys." It took a moment for it to set in that there wasn't an ounce of offence or caution to be found on the girl. In fact, she looked quite pleased with herself. She'd propped up her elbows on the counter, leaning closer with a curious smile as if she were trying to get a closer look at a zoo animal doing something she couldn't understand. A cute zoo animal, Ren hoped. "I don't bite, you know; my Uncle has rules against biting in the workplace."

Such a small, joking comment, and yet it hit him right in the soft spot. He could see Nora back when the two could barely reach a person's knees, lunging at a boy who'd thrown a stone directly at Ren's head and sinking her teeth into the boy's arm until he cried. That had been the day Ren introduced Nora to pancakes too. One bite was all it took to make her tear up, he never thought about how that might have been the most flavourful thing the homeless orphan had ever tasted, he only thought about how that was the day he realized how precious Nora's smile was.

"Y-You're lucky this is so good. I was getting a taste for human flesh after biting that jerk!" He remembered her voice so clearly, even though her mouth was full at the time.

"Then I'll have to learn how to make 'em." Naturally, Little Ren didn't want Little Nora to become a cannibal and try to take a bite out of him.

"Oh, I can imagine." Back to the present, back to the regrettable reality where he'd never made her pancakes once, he gave the expected response to Nora's teasing. Acting like he couldn't see her chomping on people. Oh, she must be joking.

He felt a pang of pride for himself when he noticed those scrutinizing eyes sweeping over his figure, that curious expression suddenly supercharged and breaking into an electric smile. "Hey, you're the guy who came in with Ruby, right?"

So, Ruby told her about me. Ren's body froze once more. Oh god, Ruby told her about me. Ren trusted Ruby with his life, he'd follow her off the edge of a cliff, but, by god, he did not hold the same trust towards whatever came out of her mouth. He could feel his right eye begin to twitch as the possibilities washed over him. What did she say? Did she express how close they should be? Did she tell Nora about his occupation? About their situation? Did Ruby try to play wingman? What did she even call him? Did she say his name?

His name.

What was his name?

He hadn't realized how tough a question it was until he ran headfirst into it. He should tell Nora his name, but what would he tell her? The obvious thought was to use his 'real' name, the name printed in bold letters on his id and bound him to the SDC's shady business deals. A name he never knew and yet weighed so heavily with baggage. It was the name he was born with, the name he made his life with, the name he lived with, the name that made him a part of this world.

But it wasn't his name. Not anymore.

"Ren. Lie Ren." Any doubt left him the moment he realized how comforting, how good and natural it felt to say that name. It was different from when the team called him it, it wasn't just a matter of convenience because they weren't used to their 'real' names. It was saying, with utter totality, that this was who he wanted to be. It was his life as Lie Ren that connected him to his friends, it was Lie Ren that made meeting this Nora matter, it was Lie Ren who was supposedly the man Kuriyuri wanted to be.

He remembered what Ruby told them when they first left the simulation building, as if she were by his side right now, cheering him on. Real or not, Lie Ren was the man he was going to be, in every way he could. His story did not end in the wreckage of 'The Dwarf'.

He smiled. Nothing big, nothing hidden, just a smile that felt right.

"Short and sweet, I like it." She matched his enthusiasm, her lips pursing in an effort to phonetically sound out his name before introducing herself. "I'm N-"

"Nora." He'd never stated something with such confidence. This was Nora, he knew this was Nora; not just a facsimile, not a reflection, it was her through and through. He offered her his hand and immediately felt she still had her titanic grip, he looked into her eyes and saw the adventurous spirit of the woman he spent all those years with, he watched her lips twitch back and forth with an eager edge and could hear a younger him joking that Nora was too excited to close her mouth. "Ruby told me. I hear you and she are getting along well."

The two turned their gazes behind Ren, finding that Ruby was in the middle of scaling Jaune's shoulder, overwhelming panic was written all over both of their faces as she desperately reached out to a large box that had somehow been launched over Jaune's head.

When he turned back, he only found Nora enjoying the show with that mischievous laugh of hers. Ren got the feeling that she was usually the one in Ruby's position. "She's pretty awesome, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is." In that moment, he couldn't stop himself from getting such an uncharacteristically goofy grin on his lips. He couldn't succinctly describe how awesome Ruby was, how awesome all of his friends were. In the simulation, in reality, they made it all bearable, they pushed him forward and made everything they did, in both victory and defeat, worth it. He just wished he could do as much to help them as they'd done for him.

When he came out of his thoughts, he noted his hand was still clasping Nora's. It should have been awkward, but she didn't seem to mind. "She's had a tough time, so I appreciate you helping her first day going smoothly."

Nora scoffed at this, using her free arm to knock her elbow against the side of the till. "Heh, she didn't need my help." Their hands broke apart so she could double the emphasis of pointing at Ruby. "I tell ya, that girl was made to sell." She leaned forward, eyes wondering, and palm cupped over her cheek like she was beckoning Ren forward to whisper a secret. "A dude wondered in from the wrong store looking for shoes, and somehow he walked out with high-tech hard light shield and cookies." A dramatic pause so Nora could waggle her eyebrows. "We don't even sell cookies!"

She fell back with a gaggle of giggles as Ren offered a simple shrug. That story would have sounded odd to him if it were anyone else. "That's our Ruby. A storm of personality even when she's scared stiff."

"You know," Suddenly, Nora got that look in her eyes, face scrunching up as if she were about to accuse someone of a crime. A look that immediately made Ren's stomach tighten and cheeks redden. "if you keep looking at me like that, I'm gonna start getting ideas."

She noticed the looks. She noticed the grin. Ren had completely dropped his composure and now he felt more exposed than ever. Immediately, his heart urged him to backtrack, striking him with an impending sense of doom. It was as if he just gotten caught in the middle of something deeply offensive and shameful, leaving him to scramble back to his default state to contain the flurry of emotions trying to burst out of him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." He was quick to cover his eyes, those were the open windows into one's heart, after all, his entire body language going into immediate lockdown. "It's been a long day, and… I really needed a friendly face right now."

Silence fell between them, and this time the awkward feeling wasn't a one-sided affair. Peeking through the slim gap between his fingers, he could just make out Nora's narrowed gaze contemplating his response. She looked like she was stuck between laughing at his reaction or being worried that she took her teasing too far.

"Well, I'm the friendliest face you'll find around here." Once more, she barrelled her way through his barriers, reaching forward and taking his hand once again. She smiled. And that was enough. "Though, you're gonna have to buy something for this to count as a service."

He let out a strangled cough at the sudden shift to business. "Is this how you get tips?"

She silently glanced past him, now her turn to let an awkward chuckle escape. "…Is it working?"

Nevertheless, Ren rolled his eyes with an amused grin. He had to respect the hustle. "I'll take one of those," His gaze swept over the counter, looking for any cheap trinket he could use as an excuse to continue talking to her. An overpriced chocolate bar. A Grimm-themed pen. Dust-flavoured gum? Shaking his head, he jabbed his finger at a small plastic mermaid that bore a striking resemblance to Nora. "hula fish girls?"

"Oh, that's an excellent choice!" Nora went full in on the salesman act, her words practically dripping with snake oil as she grasped the small hula girl, hefting it up onto the counter with the grace and caution of someone hauling a priceless artefact. Unlike Ruby, Nora didn't have the uniform to break the act. "It can brighten up your room…" She paused, face falling into confusion. "Or something."

Now it was Ren's turn to look smug, leaning forward to flick the hula girl's head, sending it bobbling along. "Pretty sure you put them in your car."

She scoffed. "I knew that." Unfortunately, her uncontrollable energy had her attempting a sweeping gesture, trying to snatch the hula girl away, only to end up dropping the merchandise off the side of her counter. "Oops, let me get that." Oh, that blushing of embarrassment looked good on her.

She turned on the spot, pulling herself past the counter in an adorable mini panic. "No, no, it's… Fine…"

Ren's words died suddenly on his tongue, silence darting from out of nowhere and lunging for his throat. It was the noise that stumped him first, the squeak of metal against wooden panels that he'd never paid any attention to until she realized it was coming from her. The first thing he saw of her lower half was not her legs, it was her wheels struggling into view, carrying a cheap-looking leather chair. Between the two wheels, he could just make out her legs, both coloured with a painful red hue and bound to the chair by straps.

"Y-Your legs…" His mind worked overtime to conjure up a surplus of horrible images, every dreadful explanation he could imagine from every juicy perspective. All that electric, boundless energy, that tough-as-iron adventurous spirit, bound to a wheelchair. Nora was put in a goddamn wheelchair, and he wasn't there. He could only force himself to tighten his lip and watch the love of his life struggle to lean over and grab the hula girl without accidentally pushing back her chair.

Their eyes met and, try as she may with a small smile and a jovial laugh, her eyes betrayed that lingering pain and bitterness. "Oh, that? Don't worry, it looks worse than it actually is!" Still, she attempted to wave it off, voice quickly growing breathless as she sped through her explanation. "Just got into a bit of an accident a few months back. Didn't know how heavy some of those boxes were until I accidentally knocked the shelf over and… Well, they broke my legs."

Nora was a terrible liar, but Ren wasn't willing to call her on it. He shook his head, kneeling beside her to pick up the hula girl himself. He couldn't bare to look back at her as he asked the question. "Is it permanent?"

She sighed. "The Doctor says they could heal eventually, but I'm starting to think we're wasting more money on keeping this wheelchair than we'd spend on getting, you know, replacements." He felt her fingers sharply tug on his collar and he finally looked up at her. Already, she looked exhausted, but she pushed through with a smile that just radiated warmth. Somehow, it just instantly eased the uncomfortable air. "Honestly, who wants normal knees, right?" Suddenly, Nora rolled her chair back behind the counter, pulling out an action figure Ren immediately recognised as a small version of Penny. "I could be like a super cool cyborg with metal legs! Those shelves won't stand a chance."

He wanted to push. He wanted to ask all the questions that tugged at his heart, longing to have her confide in him once more. But he knew that it was not his place, that it was her business. Above all, he wanted to comfort her and keep her smiling, so he let the questions rest and rose to his feet, letting her lead the conversation once more.

In a way, Ruby had found herself in a similar position to Ren. Her fingertips dug into the bridge of her nose, desperately scrubbing out the excess grimacing she could feel her face contorting to like a newfound twitch.

"Of course, Cinder's the headmistress." She could barely come to grips with the idea of tolerating Cinder for five minutes, but Jaune had to work under that she-devil every day? Whatever they paid him, it would never be enough. "I was really hoping we'd find out she was a really annoying sewage worker or something."

Jaune's sigh drew Ruby's eye back to his deflated form sinking to the foot of the wall. "I was hoping I'd just never have to see her again." She dropped a 'limited edition' whatsit on the shelf and made an awkward shuffle over to him.

It wasn't anger on his face. None of his facial muscles were tightened, nor his teeth gritted, it was just a uniform slump. What did you say to a face like that? "Is she any better here?" Well, Ruby always found that if you were at a loss for words, aimless idle chit-chat did wonders for tip-toeing around an issue.

He chuckled. It wasn't a 'ha-ha' kind of chuckle though, more of a guttural choking last-breath sort of chuckle. "No, she's about exactly the same," She watched him raise his hand, tighten his fingers into a fist, only to then land softly against the wall as an open palm. "only it's against the rules for me hit her."

"Are you alright?"

Stupid question. Ruby thought to herself, Jaune hadn't been alright since they got here, and she didn't just mean in his usual adorable nervous ticks. Cinder was a hot-button issue, even for those of them who had never had the displeasure of meeting her face-to-face. She had been such a minuscule part of their lives in comparison to how long they'd lived, and yet in that short time she had ensured her presence was felt in everything they did. Every step they took, every goal they reached, every stride they made in training; she and everything she burned down was looming in the back of their minds.

Salem was a fearsome idea, but an idea all the same, they knew that she existed and how much of a threat she was, but without facing her down in person she still felt like a distant fantasy. Cinder was there, up close and personal, to drive in the knife when she ruined their days. Cinder felt real. Ruby supposed, in retrospect, that now made more sense than ever. Cinder was the real-life threat, Jaune's terrible boss who felt like she had a finger on his pulse. Salem was the fictional apocalyptic threat made up for the game.

Looking at the way Jaune's eyes trembled like they couldn't decide whether to widen in rage or narrow in despair, Ruby wondered how the immortal witch was starting to feel like the more bearable problem.

"I'm better than I thought." Jaune's eyes finally settled on just shutting altogether. Despite how morbid a thought it was, there was a sense of relief that sprouted in Ruby's stomach at how easily Jaune opened to her. She hadn't lost his trust, she knew that now; and she would fight tooth and nail to show him she was worthy of it. "It's just… Being there, right next to her, it was like…" His hands came out in front of him, fingers curling together to wiggle back and forth, his mind failing to find an appropriate gesture to represent his thoughts.

"Like I was trapped in a boiler room." As if on reflex, he suddenly pulled a finger back to his forehead to wipe off a bead of sweat that wasn't there. When he realized he was only met with his own cold flesh, the finger rose to comb through his hair, pushing his head back to stare at the ceiling. He attempted to continue, his jaw moving back and forth a few times, but nothing came out. There were sensations, and there were thoughts, but nothing to give them words. His eyes went back to Ruby. "No matter how much I tell myself that my memories aren't real, the flashes, the scars… They still feel so real, so raw."

When he felt Ruby's body drop down beside him, suddenly the words just came out like his mouth was dripping soap. "And the way she talks? God, it's like I can always feel her breathing on me. I felt so… Like… Well…" He couldn't connect that sensation to a word. He wanted to say vulnerable, but that honestly sounded too much of an understatement. That feeling, it wasn't like when Pyrrha died, it wasn't like when Weiss almost died. It wasn't the fear of loss or anger at being hurt.

When that feeling hit him, he could imagine Cinder, just Cinder as she was, no exaggeration or nothing, leering over him. She didn't even look that frightening. In fact, in his imagination, he looked bigger, more threatening than her. And yet, he'd see her, in his mind's eye, pushing her finger into his chest, watching him sweat and shudder like she was watching her favourite show. Her nail would break the skin, a small slit that trickled blood, a small chink in his armour. And she wouldn't stop pushing. The slit gets wider, and her finger just keeps pushing in. And he just keeps taking it. She could do anything, and he would just take it. He could have all the power in the world, and he'd just take it.

Ruby's finger squeezed his shoulders. Gentle, comforting, warm. He released the tension with a sigh. "I just wanted to shower for hours when I got out."

Ruby Rose could have charged right over to Cinder's stupid castle, fight her way through the gates and stick Crescent Rose halfway down Cinder's wretched throat. Maybe burn Cinder's eyes with a flash of silver rage. Maybe grab that heartless ghoul and super-speed her around the block until she vomited. Ruby Rose could have at least kissed her boyfriend and told him she'd be here for him in ways that just weren't as effective as a normal friend.

What could Audry Averg do but watch the boy she loved fail to stop shaking?

She looked down at her uniform, puffed out her cheeks and offered Jaune a hand to pull him to his feet. His brows furrowed in confusion, but he went along with it, not even noticing that they were holding hands as she led him over to an empty table on the 'café' side of the shop.

What could she do? She could get Jaune something that could numb the pain and sweeten his tooth.

After the time spent working her way through the next pile of shelf stockers and dust orders, she returned to find Jaune looking in a better state. The pale tinge to his cheek had faded away as he curled up with his new chocolate beverage that Ruby had stacked with every extra topping she could add with a hundred yen bill.

With her list complete, the caring, desperate-to-please side of Ruby easily convinced her defenceless logical side that she could afford a sudo break and return to sit down with Jaune as he got cream stuck to his moustache. "You don't have to work there, you know." It was the only solution on her mind after she left him alone. He shouldn't work at a job he hates under a woman he despises when he didn't need to. She could keep him afloat, keep him happy; this was the only way Audry Averg could save him. "I have a paying job now, we can survive you waiting to get another one."

Cheap jean fabric rubbed against the leather seat in an awkward shuffle as Jaune paused mid-sip to consider her offer. It sounded nice, and the back of his head was screaming for any excuse to stay far away from Cinder, but the other half holding all his insecurities screamed in pain at the idea of being a jobless moocher living off his friend's checks. He was already a burden in the virtual world, he refused to be one in the real world. "No, no, it's fine."

She couldn't argue with him. She knew she wanted to, she knew why he was denying her offer, but she also knew that look in Jaune's eye that told her he was going to be particularly stubborn about whatever issue today and she'd need to wait for a better time to ask. Instead, she cast her forlorn gaze away from him, trying to keep herself composed, before turning back with a soft smile. "Alright, but you know I'm here for you, right?"

At that, Jaune smiled and that was all it took for the age-old butterfly indigestion to get started up again. Sometimes, Jaune had that look of a puppy just trying to sleep. You know you want to just hug them, but you also know they'll start grumbling and trying to pull away the moment you try. Ruby found it increasingly hard to express affection and support for the boy without going overboard after having grown so used to their relationship dynamic. Talking to Jaune was so much simpler when I didn't know I liked cute blond dummies! There was no shame in wanting to help Jaune, right? So why did she need to keep holding back? Why couldn't she just stand tall, look him in the eye and decree- "And if that creep lays a single finger on you, you just say the word and I'll come running! Because simulation or not, nobody messes with my Jaune."

Naturally, it took all of two seconds for both parties' cheeks to darken and all of Ruby's gusto, confidence and aggression to fizzle out.

Ruby led with the fakest cough imaginable. "'My Jaune', of course, meaning as in 'my friend'."

Jaune couldn't even look at her directly. "Oh yes, obviously." It was just so awkward for the already socially awkward dynamic duo.

"Not anything else."

"I got it."

"Because we are friends." She said to the boy she just wanted to curl up with on a cold morning.

"The best of friends." He said to the girl he knew he'd still find cute if she were wearing a rubbish bin.

"And nothing else."

It was as slow and painful a silence as removing a tooth before Jaune conjured up a smile. "And… Nothing else." Once more, the two looked away from one another, desperate to hide their blushing, Still, Jaune didn't let that get in the way of how much her words touched his heart. There was a lot of weight to throw around when you stand this tall, so he counted himself lucky that he had Ruby to always help balance him out, friend or not. "Thanks Ruby, I worry about you too."

Her bottom lip trembled, face frozen, momentarily taken aback by the praise. However, she was able to smoothly play it off by whipping her head back to face him and letting that inhumanly wide Ruby-Rose-Grin light up the room.

It was a gift, she really thought it was, every moment she saw Jaune's face light up. But she knew that her work wasn't done until she had an excuse, any excuse to wrap her arms around him and squeeze the bad vibes right out. So, she gambled. She opened her arms to the man. "Completely plutonic hug?"

She was not ready for his body to shoot off like a rocket and have her face melting against his chest before she could even make a dramatic pause. She expected him to at least hesitate, but he picked her up like he had been holding back a rejected hug the whole day. "Yes! Thank you."

Not like she was complaining or anything.

It felt like forever since they'd last embraced one another, and it felt like forever since they started this embrace. Their minds cast out all those distractions like the perception of time and perception of their less-than-optimistic situation. All logic left in their brains was geared towards overanalysing every detail of the body against their own. The firm frame of Jaune's arms tightly securing Ruby against him like a comfy safety belt. The instant wave of fireplace-tier warmth dispersed from Ruby's smaller body, like Jaune was huddling around a human-sized candle in the midst of a snowstorm. The way their bodies just clicked together, as if his curvature was made specifically to slot her in.

Enough time had passed for them that, by the time they pulled apart, they spotted Ren's slumped-over form stumbling past them and to the shop's front doors. The two shared a curious look, both turned back towards Nora who seemed to have a big grin plastered on her face and then each gave a mutual non-conforming shrug.

Ruby was the first to pop her head through the door, spotting Ren hunched over the nearest rubbish bin. "You okay there, Ren?" There was a pause. Ruby looked back to Jaune. "Jaune," A loud retching sound followed from outside. "he's stealing your bit."

Jaune gave Ruby his most unimpressed look. I vomit on an airship ONCE and everybody acts like I'm defined by it. "Seriously!?" He pushed through the doors, surprised to see that there was no mistake, Ren had just pulled a Vomit Boy. Quickly, Jaune closed the distance and moved in to pull back any of Ren's locks that were just barely long enough to be under threat. "Geez, how bad did it go with Nora?"

Ren's breath was heavy and slow, and quite quickly Jaune recognised not disgust on Ren's face, but complete and utter anxiety. "…She gave me her number."