"We do this every night, Ruby." She watched her friend lazily open one eye and smile at her, what features that weren't obscured by her folded arms as her head rested on top of them illuminated by the light from her own phone in her darkened room.
"I know. I like video messaging until one of us falls asleep." A wink, unintentional perhaps due to Ruby's closed eye remaining so as her arm kept it pressed shut, but she found it a bit charming nonetheless even if it was unintentional.
"Until I fall asleep you mean," she returned with a smile of her own and a playful eye roll. She could already feel the pull towards sleep that taking her nightly medication resulted in. She had, at most, a half an hour before she was out. It was largely a welcome draw, the most maddening of times she endured being the ones where sleep was elusive for days upon days. She didn't miss that in the least, but sometimes she did miss staying up past nine-thirty. This was nice, though, talking to Ruby nightly for the past week before she fell into that abyssal slumber, even if they had spent their evenings together. Spending the afternoon at the park picking albums at random on Spotify to explore. Losing hours at Vytal Records, a hidden gem Ruby introduced her to, going through nearly all of the CDs. Taking Ruby to see A Rocky Horror Picture Show for the first time at the dollar theatre. They would say goodbye at the end of it all, only to video message each other once they'd gotten home to talk a little more before they said goodnight. They'd grown.. closer over this shared span of time. She imagined her bold gesture the evening of her release aided in whatever was flourishing now between them. The intention, honest. She had come to care for Ruby immensely, and she tried as best she could to convey that as often as her fluctuating courage would allow. At times she would find herself oddly shy in Ruby's presence. An accidental brush of their hands over a row of CDs that left her bashful in her desire to take it in her own as she left said desire unfulfilled. A tentativeness in a few hugs goodbye. Oddly shy at times, and yet Ruby would nonchalantly bridge the gap by taking her hand briefly and giving it a firm squeeze or pulling her into one the most solid of hugs she could ever receive. The moments they've been sharing have endeared her to her friend more than she initially imagined she ever would be to this 'neighborhood stranger'. It was this intense caring she had for her friend that drew her attention to certain subtleties in Ruby's behavior the past few days that struck her as ever so slightly off. The dips in talkativeness at times and the distant stares she caught her friend in occasionally sparked a bit of concern in her. Like the distant stare she caught Ruby in now. "What's on your mind, Ruby?"
"Hm?" Ruby seemed to blink herself back to the present moment, raising her head a bit to look toward her.
"You've been a bit quiet the past few days. I could go as far to say I miss being lulled to sleep by your chatter."
"I guess I have, huh?" The smile that followed the admission was a little.. sad, lacking in most of her characteristic jubilance, but it wasn't entirely. Ruby stared into the distance again briefly before staring into her phone's camera, through to her. "July is a weird month for me.. I've been a little in my head I guess."
"My question still stands if you want to talk." Her eyes batted slowly, the pull nearly in full force as Ruby seemed to ponder her offer genuinely.
"Maybe sometime when the sun's up," she giggled. "You seem like any blink could be your last."
"There's a good chance you're not wrong." She brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes in mild frustration, the attempt futile in staving off such inevitable sleep. "I'm sorry. I want to be more awake." This was one of the few times on her medication she wished she could will herself to stay awake.
"You're fine, Weiss. No skin," Ruby assuaged.
"Still, I feel like a toddler.." Ruby laughed. "Oh, hush.." She was falling fast, voice lethargic and the lids of her eyes becoming lower with each slow blink. She'd be out like a light soon. "Are you alright, though?"
"I am. Even better now that sleepy Weiss is in the building. You say funny things when you're falling asleep."
"I do not," she rebutted a little indignantly. She attempted to scowl which only served in making Ruby laugh again. "You're a dolt.."
"I don't even know what that is," Ruby laughed.
"It means.. you're special.."
"I'll take it!"
"There's a double meaning to that.."
"I'll take two then, please."
"You're funny," she breathed, lids weighted closed as she wrapped herself around a pillow to face her propped phone. "Goodnight, Ruby. Tomorrow I'm coming to see you.." Her consciousness stopped there for the night as she was enveloped in a dark, blank slumber. Often times she could vaguely recall herself having a dream of sorts that left her feeling strangely uneasy upon waking. She would never remember the content, if there was any content. Only a feeling, or several feelings of unease that were flattened by the exhaustion she slogged her way through each morning to wake up. Sometimes she felt as though each 'dream' might have been of a recurring nature based solely on the familiarity that would twinge in her each morning, but there was never enough there for her to falsify her internal claims. A time or two she wondered if these dreams were a manifestation of her pointedly avoiding the two mountains looming over her. Whitley had been around fairly often the past week, once or twice for lunch with Winter and another couple of times for their book club. Conveniently Ruby was more than happy to be in her company whenever Winter mentioned that Whitley was coming over. And her father. That was a mountain that loomed silently. Winter's mention of him asking about her was the only time the subject had been brought to the foreground, but the reality that hung about was that her father wasn't asking again and she was definitely not making the call. It was a characteristically Schnee stalemate.
"Weiss." A voice seemed to call to her from above water. "Weiss, wake up. It's morning." How could she possibly be expected to wake when she was so terribly exhausted.
"Leave me alone.."
"I never do. Come on, you'll apologize and thank me later." How annoying.
"Go away," she snapped, though it came out as more of a groan than she willed it.
"I will not." The world grew brighter even through her closed eyes as her curtains were mercilessly pulled open. Nearly enraging.
"For the love of God.." Rolling over, she pried her eyes open as best she could to face the person accosting her. "Winter—"
"Weiss." Her sister's tone was still gentle, but had the edge of a command to it long mastered from her time in the military.
"Fine." Pulling from under the covers, she rose to sit legs crossed on her bed, bringing her head to rest in her hands and she fought her way to consciousness. The degree of tiredness she felt at present was almost tortuous.
"It's eight forty-five. I made breakfast and there's coffee waiting as well." Winter's words reached her slowly and still seemed to come to her from above water.
"Thank you," she finally replied after giving herself a moment to wake more and calm herself. She must have had another vague dream. "And sorry.. I haven't been much of a morning person lately, have I?"
"Weiss, I'm not sure you've ever been much of a morning person." She slid her hands down her face and looked up to see Winter exiting her room, her shoulders shaking slightly from silent laughter. Heaving a sigh, she gave herself a few more moments to allow herself to catch up to her waking state. This overbearing exhaustion upon waking was without a doubt the only true downside of her nightly medication. She hated to think of this particular side effect being a long term occurrence if it never resolved itself. She already made a mental note not to schedule any classes at eight in the morning this fall. Heaving another sigh, she stood from her bed and started towards the kitchen. Winter was already seated at the island when she arrived, a plate and a mug of coffee sitting out for her as well. Sliding across from her, Winter glanced up and she was met with an amused expression. "Good morning, Weiss."
"You seem cheerful this morning," she drawled
"Not particularly," Winter smiled.
"I'm sure.." Her first priority was caffeine. She reached for the mug, taking a sip and allowing it to warm her. "Good morning to you, as well." Winter offered her a simple hum in reply before returning to the book she had open. A little more awake now, she turned her focus to the omelet on the plate in front of her. Winter had always made a particularly good omelet and she enjoyed whenever her sister decided to do so. She finished it in silence, the only peak in the room the occasional turn of a page. Rising slowly, she trudged her way to the sink to deposit her plate before reaching for her medication in the cabinet.
"Whitley is coming over for lunch today. If you don't have plans, you should join us." She paused briefly before placing her organizer on the counter.
"Ruby and I made plans already," she half-lied as she dumped most of Monday's contents into her hand.
"Weiss—"
"Winter," she countered as she rounded the island.
"He's trying to see you, Weiss."
"No, he's not. He's coming to see you. If he were trying to see me, maybe his endeavor would involve informing me." A head tilt, and her morning routine was completed as she knocked her medication back with a mouthful of coffee.
"I'm not entirely sure why, but it goes without saying that it's not that easy, doesn't it?" It did, and she knew that Winter knew that she wasn't wrong.
"Winter, just leave it be."
"I can't, Weiss, and I hope you can understand why I can't just leave it be."
"Winter—" Her reply was interrupted by the shattering of her coffee mug and she jumped slightly because of it. She had meant to place it back on the island, but her reach came up shy due to the lack of accurate depth perception her mismatched vision cursed her with. "I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. She suddenly remembered all the times in recent past that an object had been shattered in their home. Their conversation was growing tense, but this wasn't like before and she apologized suddenly in an attempt at forgiveness. This wasn't like before.
"Are you alright?" Winter rounded the island and was at her side near instantly.
"I am. The coffee was cool.. I'm sorry. I didn't reach out far enough.."
"You're fine. Watch your step and grab some towels while I get the broom and dustpan."
"Alright.." She did as she was told and returned to sop up the coffee as Winter corralled the fragments of the broken mug. Her mood turned and she was suddenly self-conscious, mind returning to memories from her times untreated. She didn't know why, but the trip filled her with a sadness. "I'm sorry," she said again.
"It's alright, Weiss," Winter said as she looked on her with a mixture of concern and confusion. She could feel that concern emanating from her sister as she deposited the used towels into the bin. It only served in magnifying the sadness she felt. She returned to her seat at the island and put her head in her hands. "Weiss," Winter started as she rose to her side. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she sighed. "I'm just experiencing a spike in human emotion."
"How mortal." She snorted a laugh into her hands, marveling slightly at how her Winter's responses always complimented her particular brand of humor. "I'm here to listen, if you want."
"Its just, I'm remembering all the times I've broken something in this house.." Winter hummed in reply. "I guess I got ahead of myself and felt the need to apologize to let you know it wasn't because I wan angry or.. ill." She brought her hands down her face in attempt to wipe away some of her tiredness, but it was largely a futile endeavor.
"I know, Weiss," Winter reassured her before planting a kiss on her temple. "Is it something similar that's keeping you from Whitley?" Winter was keen.
"No.. yes. It's complicated."
"Be that as it may, I still want to assure you that Whitley does want to see you, to see how you're doing for himself."
"Can you assure that?" She wasn't doubting her sister entirely, but she felt as though there was something she wasn't telling her.
"I can."
"How?"
"Because he has told me himself, asked about you every time he's come over and you were out. I don't know what happened between you two, but I think he feels as though he can't approach you first." Another characteristically Schnee stalemate. Somewhat. Unlike with her father, apparently Whitley has repeated his gesture. Just not to her.
"I'm.. I'll think about it Winter. Just, not today." With that she rose from the counter and made toward her room, the feeling of concerned eyes on her back as she walked down the hall. Collapsing on her bed, she curled herself around her pillow and pulled out her phone to message Ruby.
'Good morning. Are you working today? Either way I want to come and see you. I have two thousand blinks left for the day, so I'll be wide awake if you still want to talk.'
She relinquished her phone to the bed and closed her eyes as she waited for Ruby's reply. She was still fairly lethargic despite the strong coffee blend she had with her breakfast, but that seemed to be turning into an ongoing case. She felt the anxious weight that the Whitley sized mountain put on her and she was even more inclined to avoid addressing it after Winter's latest divulgence. A large part of her was afraid to, and an equally large part didn't know how to. The last time she saw Whitley was weeks ago, and that was a less than pleasant encounter where she was ultimately the villain, ultimately the one who pushed him away. Again. She dozed restlessly, her thoughts preoccupied and small wave of nausea rocking her sever so slightly, not the exception, but not quite the rule either. This was only the second time since her release that she felt nauseous since her release, but perhaps it was often enough to raise as a problem to Ozpin tomorrow. it wasn't until around eleven that she received a reply from Ruby.
'Good morning. No, not working today.' The reply she received seemed a little.. off. She couldn't pinpoint why, maybe the reply was a bit short or maybe she was just imagining it, but she felt so nonetheless. She would attempt to draw Ruby out, and knew exactly how to do so.
'How has my best friend been this morning?'
'Best friend? :3' A near instant reply, and there she was.
'Yes, best friend. I can't think of anyone else that would apply to.'
'I'm good! I've had a lazy morning, slept in later than usual. I didn't fall asleep until waaaaay late last night.'
'Video games?'
'No.. just thinking a lot, I guess..'
'About what?'
'July things.' Another reply that seemed slightly off to her. Ruby said July was a weird month for her, and she didn't want to pry if it wasn't something she wanted to talk about, but she also wanted to be there for her if something was bothering her.
'My offer still stands if you want to talk. You've seemed a little sad at times this past week. Just know I'm here to listen if you want.' It saddened her, knowing that Ruby may be feeling less than her best. She cared for her and wanted to do what she could to help lift her dear fiend's spirits in any way she could.
'Thanks Weiss. That means a lot. Yang is dragging me around with her today, so I probably won't be able to get out, but can we hang out tomorrow?'
'Of course. I'm seeing Ozpin tomorrow, but will be done by early afternoon.'
'Cool cool. Thanks again Weiss. I probably won't be able to message much, but I'll talk to you when I can.'
'Alright. Have good day and talk to you soon.'
Relinquishing her phone to the bed again, she pulled her sheet over her and settled in. Between the dilemma at breakfast, the talk of her brother, and her still lingering concern for Ruby and her small, sad smiles and distant stares, she strangely felt stretched thin. She wasn't sure if her morning was particularly taxing or if her persistent tiredness was wearing away at some of her resilience. She imagined she should be feeling better than this, but as her lids grew heavy again, she relented with a sigh and gave herself to another abyssal slumber. She'd sleep through lunch today, another successful avoidance, and hopefully wake to a new message from Ruby. That girl was tugging at her heart in a way she never thought anyone would, and she wanted to follow that pull to wherever it was leading.
….
Author's Note:
Hey hey, oh.. hey, hey!
It's been about a month, but time means nothing to me for the most part. I got a little preoccupied with life stuff, and work stuff, and video game stuff (No Man's Sky, Horizon Zero Dawn). But! I am glad to return with a new chapter. We're now getting into a portion of the story where we'll be discovering Ruby a little more and doing some relationship building. I wonder what Weiss will think of Blake and Yang? We'll find out soon enough! Of course I'll draw some of the usual team RWBY parallels, but what is a Weiss without all of her teammates? As always, thank you for reading, please look forward to more, and all fireflies received are honoured.
Take care,
Ivel