Chapter 7: A Friend in Need

Lunch time was one of Ruby's favourite times of the day. It was always great to eat some of her tasty cookies, along with a healthy meal that Weiss had specially made for her. Weiss had really put her through her paces with their training and studying, but it was paying off in spades.

While she ate, she listened to Nora's tale about her latest attempt at roasting a Grimm with Magnhild and lightning Dust, talked to Blake about a fantasy novel she'd just finished, and heard about Jaune's bullying woes.

She also had front row seats to watch Team CRDL surround a Faunus girl. They weren't there to hang out, they were bullying her. She didn't hurt anyone, she didn't do anything wrong, but she was being bullied because she had rabbit ears. Worst of all, nobody was trying – or willing – to help her.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

"Ruby, what's going on?" Weiss said, her expensive nail file hovering above her smooth nails. "You're the one who insisted on eating those cookies, and you're not even going to finish them?"

Watching Cardin pull on the Faunus girl's rabbit ear was the last straw.

Ruby frowned. "I'm not hungry."

She stood up and stomped to Team CRDL. All four of them stared her down, but Ruby glared back with twice the fury. A couple of them flinched, while Cardin stood up, still pinching the Faunus girl's ear.

"Leave her alone, Cardin," Ruby said.

He was really tall, and his gray armour made his bulky figure all the more imposing. Right now, that didn't matter one bit.

"Why should I? Velvet here asked me to pull her ears, and I just couldn't refuse. I had to see if they were real."

"Is that true?"

Velvet shook her head, pale as a ghost. Haunched over, she looked like she was about to collapse.

"She didn't say no," Cardin said, smirking. "Then again, I'm surprised these animals can talk in the first place."

Ruby scowled. "You're the real animal. You think you can bully Velvet just because she's a Faunus? Well, I won't let you."

Cardin frowned, squaring his shoulders. His teammate with the blond mohawk, Russel, shook his head.

"It's not worth it, Cardin," he said, even though he just called Velvet a freak. "Rose isn't going to budge."

Cardin snorted. "Whatever." He let go of Velvet's ear, patting her on the head. "What a tragedy for our poor little bunny. The only person who took pity on you was Killer Rose."

Ugh, that nickname. Somehow, Ruby became known as one of the prime suspects behind Roman Torchwick's death and 'Killer Rose' was the name making the rounds. Cardin calling her that wasn't meant to be insulting, since he outright told her she was pretty cool for killing Torchwick, but it wasn't exactly what she wanted to be remembered by.

"She's not the only one," Blake said, standing at Ruby's side.

"That's right," Ruby said. "Now back off."

Cardin growled underneath his breath, but he backed off. Russel followed him, and their other teammates, Sky and Dove, brought up the rear.

"Thank you," Velvet said. "Both of you."

"You're welcome," Blake said.

Ruby smiled. "What she said. By the way, I'm Ruby, and this is my partner, Blake."

Velvet returned Ruby's smile. It brought some colour back to her cheeks. "My name is Velvet. It's nice to meet you, Ruby." She faced Blake. "And I can finally put a name to your face."

Ruby glanced at her partner, eyebrows raised.

"We share our World History class," Blake said.

"That's great," Ruby said. There were a bunch of students watching them, but not anyone who might have known Velvet. "Where's your team, Velvet?"

"In class. I had a free period, so I thought I'd grab some lunch, but... you saw what happened."

"Good thing we were here," Blake said. Her gaze darkened, like storm clouds rolling into a clear sky.

Velvet straightened out her posture, and at her full height, not only was she tall, her long brown hair and her lithe physique made her stand out.

"Why didn't you try and stop them?" Ruby asked.

Velvet frowned. "I don't like fighting."

"That doesn't mean you can't stand up for yourself! Cardin's not going to leave you alone just because you don't want to fight him."

Blake clicked her tongue. "If Velvet fights back, she won't be a victim defending herself from her bullies. She'll be a rabid Faunus tearing down innocent students."

'So what?' Ruby wanted to say, because that shouldn't have stopped Velvet from defending herself anyway. But she held her tongue after seeing the disgust on Blake's face. Velvet stared at Blake, unblinking.

"Unfortunately, I can't say you're wrong," Velvet said.

Ruby suddenly felt queasy. She was so ashamed. "Sorry. I didn't mean –"

Velvet raised a hand. "It's fine, Ruby. I can't blame you for the advice you gave."

Blake's frown was a surly one. "It's not your fault."

She was still insensitive, but at least they didn't blame her. For all the trouble she had with these rumours, Ruby was never bullied or belittled because of who she was.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this," Ruby said. "It isn't fair."

Velvet smiled, wanly. "Oh, it is, but I have my team and my parents, and Beacon has been great to me. So if all I have to deal with are some bullies, I can't complain."

"You should complain," Blake said. "People like Cardin don't deserve a second thought, but that doesn't mean you have to let him walk all over you. What happens if nobody's around to help?"

She shrunk, biting her lip. "I can handle it. Violence never helps."

"You can always talk to Professor Ozpin," Ruby said. "He's a really good listener."

Velvet sighed. "I'd rather not make any trouble."

"But that's what he's here for. You know, when he's not making speeches."

His counselling really helped her deals with those rumours, because her thoughts and opinions were valued and respected by someone who'd seen so much. She still wasn't sure if she made the right move, but she knew that a decent number of people respected what she did, even if they didn't know exactly what happened.

As for the ones who didn't, Ruby tried not to let it bother her. She nearly let her fear of Blake's rejection ruin their bond, and she was glad that admitting the truth only made their relationship stronger. If Blake still accepted ever even if she didn't condone what she did, some stranger's opinion couldn't hurt her nearly as much.

Let them say that wanted. She could take it.

"I'll... consider it," Velvet said, sighing.

"Stand tall, Velvet," Blake said. "Don't let these people believe you're a victim. You're more than that."

Velvet smiled. "I'll try." She extended her rabbit ears, and nodded to herself. "Well, I don't want to interrupt the rest of your lunch break."

Ruby smiled. "You can always sit with us."

She laughed with an easy grace. "Another time, perhaps, but I appreciate the offer. Thanks again for your help, Ruby, Blake. It was very kind of you."

Velvet walked away with confident strides. Before she could return to her meal, Ruby caught Blake staring at her with unflinching focus.

"Is everything all right?" Ruby asked.

Blake blinked, before smiling. "Yeah, don't worry."

When they returned to their seats, everyone at the table was staring at them.

"Way to go, Ruby!" Yang said.

Ruby grinned. "Thanks, Yang."

"Not that what you did wasn't worthwhile, but why did you defend that girl?" Weiss asked. "She clearly wasn't interested in defending herself."

"Velvet needed help," Blake said. "And Ruby was brave enough to stand up for her."

Weiss scoffed. "I didn't ask you."

Blake scowled. "I don't need your permission to speak my mind, Weiss."

Ruby caught Weiss rolling her eyes.

"I know you don't, but I'd prefer you 'speak your mind' to someone who's actually interested."

"Personally," Pyrrha interjected, "I think Ruby set an example that everyone can follow."

Ruby blinked. "Really? Thanks, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled, before she glanced at Jaune, who was staring into his half-eaten plate of food, not bothering to look at anyone. It was clear that he was listening, though.

"She's speaking the truth," Yang said. "Don't you agree, Weiss?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Hopefully, Ruby won't have to do this a second time."

Hopefully, Cardin and his teammates got the message, but if they didn't, she wouldn't mind helping out Velvet a second, third or even tenth time if that's what it took.

Ruby knew from experience that the best way to stop a bully was to stand up to them, make them think twice about being mean. It was also good to pick and choose the times to take that stand.

"Personally, I think Ruby should have broken his legs!" Nora said.

Ruby chuckled, half-heartedly. "Maybe?"

"Why not go for the arms?" Yang asked.

"It has to be the legs! Tell them, Ren!"

Ren chuckled. "I don't have a problem with targeting the arms."

Yang grinned. "See?"

Ruby returned to eating her cookies, making a little kingdom out of the half-eaten pieces. Blake was chowing down on some grilled fish and a salad, glued to her book as she completely ignored Yang and Nora's debate. When Blake closed herself off like this, she was just going to let her anger stew and boil.

It wasn't something that bothered her most of the time, but right now, Ruby wanted nothing more than to peek behind Blake's walls and see exactly what she was hiding from the rest of the world.

Between training, classes, homework and tests, Beacon tested Ruby in many ways... until she got used to its rhythm. Unfortunately, that routine brought some dull times with it, which was exactly why she was looking forward to their field trip to Forever Fall, a big forest they'd be going to in a couple of days.

It was always autumn in Forever Fall, where the trees on its leaves were permanently red, orange, yellow and all the shades in between. Apparently, a fair maiden had given life to the trees, and not only did those trees never die, they gave off a special kind of sap that they were going to collect on their trip. The forest was also infested with Grimm, but that wasn't a surprise. There were probably Grimm hiding on the moon.

After classes ended for the day, Ruby decided to go back to her dorm, alone. Yang was off sightseeing with Weiss – again – and Blake was doing some extra reading at the library for a class they didn't share. Fortunately, Blake had cooled off since they defended Velvet, but she was taking things hard.

"You sure you're okay?" Ruby had asked, before Blake went to the library.

"I'm not," Blake replied. "I need some space, if you don't mind. Get my head straight."

"Sure! Just don't be a stranger, okay?"

Blake smiled, then, small but genuine. "I won't. Thanks, Ruby."

True to her word, Blake didn't isolate herself, but more than a couple of days passed without any signs of improvement. Ever since their talk about Torchwick, Ruby felt a lot more comfortable around Blake, and after all the effort Blake took to reach out and be a good friend, she knew her partner felt the same way.

However, there were times when Blake would go off on her own without saying anything to anyone, and she was being pretty tight-lipped on what was bothering her. She wasn't angry at Weiss – at least, any more than she usually was – and she wasn't struggling with classes. Blake might've been taking Velvet's bullying pretty hard, but unfortunately, Velvet's case wasn't unique.

What really hurt that she wasn't able to help Blake solve a problem that was clearly eating away at her. They'd been partners for nearly two months, yet Ruby still felt like there was a barrier separating them. There was a lot she didn't know about Blake, and seeing her get so angry on Velvet's behalf made that blindingly clear.

The only reason why she didn't ask was because she respected Blake too much to pry. Secrets were really important, and since Blake gave Ruby the space and time to reveal her own secret, Ruby was more than happy to do the same for her.

She just wanted Blake to know, really, truly know that she could rely on her, too.

As she reached her room, she saw Jaune pacing outside his door, sneaking glances at his open scroll.

"Locked yourself out again?" Ruby asked.

Jaune staggered back, fumbling with his scroll, but he caught it before it fell.

"Ruby, hey. Uh, no, I'm not locked out."

"Then what's going on?"

He looked at his scroll again, before sighing like a sad puppy dog. "I don't know. I really don't. Cardin learned something about me that he shouldn't have, and now he's got me on a leash."

Ruby winced. That didn't sound good at all. She thought about telling Jaune to beat Cardin in a duel, but that wouldn't help because Jaune was not good at fighting. At all. He wasn't hopeless, but right now, Cardin would wipe the floor with him for the fifteenth time in a row.

"Does anybody else know about this?"

"Pyrrha. It's why she won't talk to me."

Hearing that made Ruby frown. "Why?"

He sighed. "It doesn't matter. Pyrrha's not the problem. I am." He frowned, deeply. "I shouldn't have ever come to this school."

Now that was crazy talk.

"Nope!" Ruby said.

"Come again?"

She decided to stand next to her hapless friend. He needed it.

"You're here now, Jaune. That means you have to make the most of this opportunity. Don't let anything hold you back, or else you'll regret it."

Jaune chuckled, and it perked him up a little bit. "I really am trying. Like in today's World History class, I knew that Faunus had great senses because it was in the textbook last night, and I could answer the questions about the battle at Fort Castle – "

"Fort Castle?" Ruby stifled her giggles. "That's a weird name, isn't it? It's like calling a mountain Mt. Hill or a lake Lake Ocean."

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, that's what it's called. Anyway, I'm not slacking off. I'm doing everything that's asked of me and so much more, but even then, I can just barely keep up with my team."

Ruby smiled. "Don't worry, Jaune, you're doing great. I bet all your hard work is inspiring your teammates to do even better. That's what a leader does: be the pillar that their team can rely on."

Jaune cracked a smile. "Whoever said that must be a man among men."

"He can be, he just has to realize that he doesn't have to do everything alone."

He dropped his hand from his neck to his side. Then he looked at her for a couple of seconds, deep in thought.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Ruby shrugged. "Sure."

He slipped into a nervous slouch. "What was up with that name Cardin called you? You know, Killer Rose?"

Ruby frowned. "You know those rumours going around about Roman Torchwick's killer?" He nodded. "They're about me."

Jaune's eyes lit up, as if he'd been hit with sudden realization. "Oh."

"You really didn't know?"

They rest of his team knew and they accepted her anyway. Well, Nora and Ren did. Pyrrha was only starting to come around.

"I thought that stuff was about Blake."

Ruby did a double-take. "Seriously?"

Jaune let out a nervous laugh. "She's just so mysterious, you know? And when she's fighting, she's all laser-focused and efficient. I just get that vibe from her, I guess."

"Wow."

Blake was a suspect in the rumour mill, but she never thought anyone took that seriously. Even Weiss didn't needle her about it, and Weiss found any opportunity she could to bicker with Blake.

"You're probably the last person I would've guessed."

"Really?"

He gave her a tentative smile. "Yeah. Honestly, you're way too nice to be some serial killer or a human Grimm."

"I'm neither of those things," Ruby said. "But I did kill Torchwick."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You must have had a good reason for doing it. And even if you didn't, what am I gonna do, stop being your friend?"

Ruby looked up at Jaune's eyes, and he immediately raised his hands in defense. "I'm not gonna do that."

"I know." Ruby twirled her ankle, smiling. "If you need any help with Cardin, I'll set him straight for you."

Jaune blanched, grimacing. "Thanks, but... I know you mean well, but this is something I have to do on my own."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks, exhaling roughly. "Okay, Jaune. You can always tell Professor Ozpin about Cardin. I mean, he let me attend Beacon, and it's not like you could've done anything worse than I did, right?"

He gulped, loud. "Even forging some transcripts?"

"Even that."

He stared into the distance. Maybe she'd actually gotten through to him.

"I'll think about it. Thanks again, Ruby."

Ruby smiled. "No problem." She got on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Jaune. For being such a good friend."

Jaune blushed a radiant shade of red. "That's just how I roll."

He breathed in deep and squared his shoulders. In that moment, he looked like the stalwart leader of a strong team, ready to head the charge into a horde of strong Grimm. Jaune turned the knob on his door and went in.

It felt right, being affectionate with him. They were friends, good friends, and she was real glad that Jaune accepted her so easily.

The door to her own room was slightly ajar, and when she opened it, Ruby saw Yang on the other side.

"Yang? When did you get here?"

Yang grinned. "Before you did."

Ruby cocked her head sideways. "Weren't you sightseeing with Weiss?"

Yang's grin evaporated. "I was, but today's laundry day for Weiss, and unlike us normal people, she hired a specialist to shine all her shoes and dry-clean all her clothes."

"But Beacon has a great laundry! Wait, let me guess, Weiss has 'standards', right?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, high standards."

"Figures."

"I tried asking if she could get her cleaner to clean my clothes, and she said no! Apparently, I have to pay for something I can't afford."

Ruby gasped.

"Weiss said the same thing when I asked her to cut a deal with this weapons manufacturer she knows. I thought she'd help, since she gets her cook to make meals for me, but noooo, taking care of Crescent Rose is too expensive! Excuse me for not being heir to a major Dust company!"

"Exactly! Normally, I wouldn't mind, since it's not my money, but she got real feisty today, and when she gets mad, she gets really mean."

"Well, that's Weiss for you."

Weiss was rich in a way that was really hard to grasp. She could make a couple of calls and get everything she needed to fix Myrtenaster all at the low cost of five times Crescent Rose's monthly maintenance budget.

It wasn't like Weiss was completely bad, but there were some parts of her that she wouldn't change for anyone, for better or worse.

"But don't worry about it, Yang: you guys argue all the time, and you're still good partners."

Yang frowned. "We actually have a lot of common ground. It's just that when you put us together, sparks fly."

"More like explosions."

Her sister thrust a fist out. "The bigger, the better." She smiled. "You're right, though."

"I hope so."

Since it was hanging, Ruby bumped Yang's fist, and they parted with a bang.

"So, where's Blake?" Yang asked.

Ruby frowned. "At the library. I don't know when she'll come back."

Concern immediately filled Yang's eyes.

"Did she try something?"

"No! I just don't know what to do."

Yang's brow furrowed. "What happened?"

Good, Yang wasn't going to blow her top. She wasn't happy when she heard about Blake going to Professor Ozpin about her concerns, but she only backed off once Ruby told her that she didn't want her out of Beacon.

"Blake's been struggling and I want to help her, but she just keeps on saying that she needs some space. But who needs that much space?"

"Maybe she's just the type of girl who likes to keep things private. It's not your fault, so don't – "

Yang was cut off by the hard bang of a door slamming. Ruby shared a concerned look with her sister and made for the door, catching Pyrrha storming down the hallway.

"You think she got into a fight with Jaune?" Yang asked.

Ruby frowned. "I know she did."

"Wasn't she ignoring him?"

"Well, yeah, but you heard me talk to Jaune, didn't you?"

She smiled, sheepishly. "Why don't we go see how Pyrrha's doing?"

While she wasn't as close to Pyrrha as she was the rest of Team JNPR, Pyrrha didn't hate her. That didn't mean Ruby wanted to stick her nose in Pyrrha's business, especially if she wasn't in a good mood. Still, she couldn't let this go. Even though Jaune could be really stubborn, he wasn't a bad guy.

Hopefully, she'd be willing to talk, but if she didn't, Ruby would leave her alone.

"Let's go."

They caught up with Pyrrha before she could leave the dorms. She was wound up tighter than a spring, but she still smiled at them.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Yang said, immediately taking the lead. "How's it hanging?"

Pyrrha's smile widened, like stretching plastic. "Hello, Yang, I'm doing well. Personally, I have nothing to complain about."

"How about the team?"

Her green-eyed stare hardened. "Everything's fine. Whatever problems exist are on our leader to solve."

The way she stressed the word 'leader' got on Ruby's nerves. Yang, on the other hand, still had an easy-going smile on her face.

"How is Jaune doing? I haven't seen much of him lately."

She huffed. "You'll have to ask him yourself, but don't expect much. After all, leaders can't show weakness."

"Don't you see that Jaune needs your help!" Ruby blurted out.

Pyrrha flinched. Her smile fell apart. "I... I know he does. Unfortunately, he refuses to ask for anyone's help, even as he's made some rather detrimental and infuriating decisions."

"Then why are you ignoring him?"

"Believe me, I'd want nothing more than to solve all of Jaune's problems, but I can't force him to accept my help. All I can do is watch him fall apart."

Those words slapped Ruby awake, making her frown from guilt. It was just like Jaune said: Pyrrha wasn't the problem. Not entirely, anyway.

"It's gotta be pretty hard to feel so helpless."

Pyrrha nodded. "It hasn't been remotely pleasant."

Now that they had common ground, Ruby began to ease up. Not completely, though. "Jaune's struggling, too. He just needs to know that asking for help doesn't make him weak."

A frustrated sigh blew out Pyrrha's lips. "What do you suggest I do?"

"He'll come around," Yang said. "But when he does, you have to tell him exactly how you feel. Until that happens, just make sure that he knows you'll support him no matter what, even if you're angry with him right now. That way, he'll know he can trust you to help him whenever he's struggling."

Yang glanced at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. She didn't have to worry one bit: Ruby got the message. Judging from the pensive frown that appeared on Pyrrha's face, it seemed like she got it, too. Eventually, Pyrrha took on an expression of serene focus.

"That, I can do," she said.

Ruby smiled. "Good luck, Pyrrha."

Yang smiled. "Hope it works out for you guys."

"It will. I'll make sure of it." Pyrrha smiled at them both, and it was warm and real. "Thank you very much."

Ruby decided to speak to Blake after their field trip to Forever Fall's forest. The forest was even more beautiful in person, the sap they collected would be put to good use in their fight against the Grimm, and best of all, their trip went off without a hitch. Blake seemed to be in good spirits, too, as she lurked in the courtyard close to the academy's entrance. No one else was around, which suited Ruby just fine.

"Heading back?" Blake asked. A slight frown lined her clouded face.

"Not yet," Ruby said.

It was time to make her move. So Ruby gathered her courage and looked straight at her partner's cloudy golden eyes.

"There's something I have to tell you," Blake said. She took in a short breath. "I shouldn't have avoided you, but I didn't want to force you to deal with my personal issues. Unfortunately, all that did was hurt you. That wasn't right. You did nothing wrong, Ruby, nothing at all."

Of all the things she thought Blake would say, this was probably the last on a long list. That didn't mean she was going to let it go unheard.

"You were trying to protect me," Ruby said.

"That's what partners do, right?"

Blake couldn't hide her self-loathing, but Ruby couldn't hold that against her.

"Partners help each other, Blake. Your issues are my issues. If you need anything from me, anything at all, I'll be there. I promise that I'll be the best partner you can ask for and someone you can trust."

Ruby was very relieved that she'd said everything without stumbling over her words. A storm of emotions enveloped Blake, but the smile that bloomed on her face cleared them away.

"You've already done a lot, Ruby. More than you can imagine." Her smile quickly faded. "But when I saw you defend Velvet, I started thinking about a lot of things." Blake stared at her feet. "You didn't care that Velvet was a Faunus, you defended her without a second thought. I should have been driving away Cardin and his team from the outset, but I didn't. I shouldn't have needed to leech off your courage."

Ruby's heart skipped a beat, startled from the bitter tone threading Blake's words.

"You still helped Velvet."

"Only because you stepped up. I would have watched Cardin bully Velvet because I was too afraid of standing out. Pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

Ruby frowned. "It isn't pathetic. You'll do better next time."

"I won't," she said, with ice-cold resolve. "That doesn't change what I did. Or rather, what I didn't do."

Ruby curled her fists. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone gets afraid, but you didn't let that stop you. Next time, you won't need anyone's help."

Blake faced Ruby once again, less guarded than she was before. "I hope you're right."

This was going really well, better than she imagined. Maybe this could actually work out.

"You know, there's one thing that's been bothering me. When we were talking with Velvet, you looked like you understood everything she was going through. And you've been taking this really hard, too. Are you..."

Ruby trailed off. What she wanted to say next was kind of out there, and if she got it wrong...

"Yes," Blake said. "I'm a Faunus."

Ruby froze. She wasn't wrong. Maybe Blake could have been a Faunus rights activist, but from her incredible senses to how personally she took Velvet's ordeal, the fact that Blake actually was a Faunus just felt right.

"You really are," Ruby said. "But that's okay. Thanks so much for telling me."

A sincere smile tugged Blake's mouth wide. "I should be thanking you. You trusted me with your secret, and after seeing everything you've done, I knew I could trust you with mine."

Ruby's own smile blossomed like a sunflower. "Your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone about this, I promise."

"I'm glad to hear that."

She basked in the glow of Blake's show of trust. It meant so much, more than she could express. The moment began to fade, and curiosity overtook her.

"Why keep it a secret?" Ruby asked. She raised her hands, reflexively. "I mean, it's your right, but, um, can you please tell me why? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Her smile turned wan. "Being a Faunus makes people notice. If I kept a low profile, I could learn to be a huntress and leave my past behind. I let myself think that Beacon would be different just because Faunus were given the same opportunities humans enjoyed and no one knew who I was."

Blake frowned, utterly dejected. "I was wrong."

Ruby pursed her lips. Then she smiled. "Nope!"

"What did you say?" Blake snarled.

She didn't, couldn't let that sudden twist in her mood get to her, even as it stirred up her old friend panic and its partner anxiety.

"Just because you were proven wrong doesn't mean you still can't change. Nobody can stop you from becoming the best version of yourself that you can be."

She smiled, wryly. "Of course you'd say that. You dealt with all these garbage rumours and you didn't let them compromise your morals. You didn't shy away from doing what's right, either. I wish I had a tenth of your bravery."

Her cheeks grew warm. "You really mean that?"

"I do. I'm really lucky to have you as a partner, Ruby."

Ruby beamed. "Me too." Her radiant smile dimmed into a determined grin. "I know it wasn't easy, but I'm really happy that you opened up to me."

Blake set her lips in a flat line. "I won't leave you in the dark, Ruby."

"You won't regret it."

Ruby knew from experience that it took time for habits to become habits, which was why it wouldn't be fair to expect Blake to change overnight. She was still learning how to talk about her problems instead of bottling them up, after all, so as long as they started somewhere and learned from their mistakes, she truly believed everything would work out.

She'd make sure that it would.