A week passed without incident.
Which, of course, meant that there had to be something.
So on a slightly cold morning, Ruby Rose ran straight into a wall.
Not in the way one might normally run into a wall, say wearing a blindfold or being distracted by cute kitty ears. Instead, after dropping out of bed, she took a single step and found herself clutching at a bloodied nose on the other side of the room.
If that wasn't bad enough, she was utterly alone.
Blake was nowhere to be found, which meant she woke up to an empty bed. Weiss was usually out first, so nothing new there, but Yang had mysteriously vanished as well. So, she just sat alone, nursing her bleeding nose and aching head.
And, to be honest, she really felt like crying right now.
She had been out of combat classes for a week already, and her failing aura meant she'd be out of them for even longer still. If there's any chance of it being permanent...she wouldn't be a huntress. Not for long, anyway.
On top of that, Weiss didn't talk to her anymore. Not really. Stiff responses and awkward silences, like they hadn't spent two years side-by-side. It hurt. More than she could say. Weiss was her best friend, someone who knew things nobody else did. Heck, Weiss had saved her when she was just a dumb, drunk, scared little girl- and now they barely saw each other.
Ruby sighed. The dried blood on her face was going to start itching soon.
Things were weird with Blake, too. The faunas said she didn't regret their night together, but...well, she hadn't even gotten tongue since, let alone anything further. Ugh, no wonder Yang kept calling her a horny teenager. Of course she didn't actually want to tell her girlfriend that, their relationship was still new and awkward and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she...guilt Blake for sex.
She really was crying, now. Being an adult sucked. And her cloak was just a hood now, which didn't make for much in the way of comfort.
Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her tears while focusing on taking deep breaths. Funny, so much time spent trying to be more mature and she missed being a kid more than anything. It was necessary, goodness knows she barely got respect on a good day, but she had no idea how tiring it'd be.
And now she had to go to the infirmary. Great.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Well Ms. Rose, there is good news and bad news."
A sigh. "Bad news first, please."
"Your semblance will no longer function as you know it."
Ruby's heart dropped. "...And there's good news?"
The doctor smiled. "You are going through what many people would call, well, auric puberty. A rare condition, but well documented. Up to this point your semblance would be described as speed, correct?"
"Er, yeah."
"Well, something about it is changing significantly enough that your aura cannot operate at full capacity. Not until it's done, that is."
"I...o-okay. How long is that?"
A thoughtful hum. "It depends, really. Did you face any similar symptoms when your semblance originally developed?"
"I ran into stuff a lot."
"And how long would you say it took for you to gain control?"
"Maybe...two weeks? 'Till I stopped doing it by accident, that is."
"Then I'd expect anywhere between one and four weeks. Of course, you should come back here if anything worrying occurs."
"So...that's it? I'm all wonky for a bit then I get a new semblance?"
The doctor laughed, her soft giggle warming the room. "Not quite, no. It is not a different semblance, so much as it is an evolved semblance. A modification on what already exists."
"What, like, I could be super fast and fly?"
A shrug. "I don't see why not."
...Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"Now, looking through your file I noticed something odd. You've signed in here six times over two years, correct?"
Ruby blushed a bit. "Yeah..."
"And the first time you were here, you should have been asked to choose a team member that would act as your immediate emergency contact."
She wracked her brain, but Ruby really couldn't remember setting that up. Her team did, so what came up that kept her from it? And setting that aside, who was she supposed to choose? Yang came to her mind first, being her big sister and all, but that felt almost...childish. No offense to the blonde's caretaking abilities, of course. Blake was her girlfriend, but it was probably way too soon for medical reliability. Weiss...
"Can you tell me who my teammates picked?"
Opening a drawer, the doctor quickly skimmed through the R section and pulled out a manilla folder marked RWBY and handed it to the young huntress.
"Health and safety is considered a responsibility of the team leader, and as such you are permitted to view information that would noramlly be confidential. Keep in mind, some of this isn't even open to the headmaster, and is not to be taken lightly."
Ruby felt a lump forming in her throat.
"So I can just see all their...stuff?"
"Medically speaking, yes. If you are in need of something else, I would suggest consulting Ms. Goodwitch."
Silver eyes peered down at the folder. It was fairly thin, would take just a minute or two to read...
She opened it.
There was really no way to know what she would find, reading the things her team would probably never tell her.
Things they wouldn't want her to know.
How, when Yang pushes her semblance during the day, it will be weak when she sleeps. Weiss broke a bed by using her as a projectile.
Bruising, fractured rib.
What happened while Ruby and Blake were in Lyreholm, leaving their teammates to work out their issues.
Xiao-Long experienced two panic attacks during this time, one serious and another minor.
Emergency contact is Blake Belladonna. Contact chosen during first semester, first year.
Why when Weiss offered earplugs on a long airship flight, having heard many faunas students complaining about the noise, Blake just looked confused.
Belladonna experiences minor hearing failure in her faunas traits, cause uncertain.
Emergency contact is Yang Xiao-Long. Contact chosen during first semester, second year.
Like why some days, Weiss glared at the mirror.
Scarring over left eye has not healed properly, most likely due to attached emotional trauma.
Emergency contact Ruby Rose. Contact chosen during second semester, first year.
Letting out a shaky breath, Ruby closed the folder