"Alright, lets- argh!" Qrow shouted in alarm as Weiss snuck a dirty cheap shot and thwacked him hard on the leg with her makeshift sword. He jumped back and glared at her, nursing his now bruised leg. "Good, but bad!" He growled, and Weiss let out a sound of frustration.

Ruby kicked her legs in amusement, watching from her seat on a pile of strapped crates. Weiss had asked Qrow to spar with her lately, rather than Ruby, for the sake of improvement. Qrow had readily agreed at first. Now it was becoming quite obvious that the two of them just didn't mix well.

"Do you want me to train with you are not?" He asked, and Weiss stubbornly crossed her arms. Qrow threw up his arms, let out a great sigh and stormed over to where Ruby sat. His coat, normally buttoned closed, was open, revealing the thin shirt underneath. He began doing it up as he walked.

"She's insufferable." He said, leaning against the boxes. "I can't pity you enough."

Ruby laughed, looking on at Weiss, who stood leaning on her elbows against the rail, gazing at the clear sky. "She says the same thing about me, you know."

Qrow grunted in amusement at that. "Course she does."

It had been a day and a half since they'd set out, and the air had only grown colder. Ruby was wrapped thickly, and her breath came out in white puffs. Despite the cold, everything was calm and settled, and the waves sloshed gently against the ship's body. Jack said another few days and they'd be landing in southern Remnant, Vale.

Qrow watched Weiss with Ruby for a while before mumbling something about a drink and some food and leaving her. Ruby, more interested in Weiss than food, stayed put.

The feeling Weiss caused her was so confounding that Ruby didn't bother thinking about it or trying to understand what it was. All she knew was that Weiss made her happy and that she was glad Weiss was her partner and friend. Summing it up as such worked easier for her.

Eventually Weiss looked around the deck, found Ruby, and started her way. Ruby smiled at her, and Weiss waved a vague hand. "Hi, Ruby. How's the sightseeing?" She asked, reaching where Ruby sat.

Ruby hummed, absently fingering the pommel of her sword. "Fun, I guess." She giggled. "I like it when you rile him up."

Weiss grinned guiltily. "I shouldn't have done that... He's going to need some convincing to continue sparring with me, I reckon."

Ruby agreed, then held a leather gloved hand out to Weiss. "Coming up?"

Weiss accepted the hand and allowed Ruby to help her climb the five foot pile. She sat with a heavy sigh, and Ruby noticed she was favouring one hip over the other. "What happened?"

Weiss looked at her quizzically before catching on. "Oh. This. Qrow got me good... It's nothing, just a bruise. My aura should heal it fast enough."

"Ah."

"Ruby?"

"Hm?"

"Just what are we doing out here in the cold?"

Ruby screwed her face up, realising she really didn't have a reason to be out here anymore. She could, after all, go downstairs, be warm and still be with Weiss.

And so they ended up in the first mate's cabin, Weiss stretched out on the cot and Ruby hanging in the nets on the ceiling, looking down at Weiss, whom looked back in silence. It was a decidedly odd image, but they were comfortable enough.

They talked about things aimless, though there was a constant shadow on Weiss' face, and her answers were often short and curt.

So the days passed, one, two, and then the third, which, by mid afternoon, signalled the first sighting of land.

Ruby had been watching the crew mates prepare for the landing since morning, growing more and antsier as the hours passed. When the voice up in the crow's nest shouted out for land, Ruby nearly stood on the rail, a hand over her eyes as she strained to catch sight of the forests that belonged only to Vale.

"You're not going to see it from here, Hunter." Jack said, appearing beside her like a ghost. Ruby jumped, nearly losing her balance and toppling over the wooden railing. Only Jack's hand on her shoulder saved her from a chilly venture. "Careful, or you're going to catch something."

"Like a fish?"

"That and some more."

Ruby giggled. "Captain Jack, sir, where's Vale? I don't see it."

"Hidden behind the fog, Hunter. Don't worry, within the next four hours you'll be able to see her." He told her, and Ruby nodded. She'd spent little time with Jack, but after awhile she'd decided that she liked him after all, even if he was rather shrewd.

As the ship drew closer to land, Ruby spent her entire time by the rail, gripped by a sense of finality and beginning. On one side, she was about to leave the last four months of her life behind. On the other, she was about to start a new life. Her hands tightened their grip on the rail on their own accord. She was so close to being a hunter, now.

Then the fog broke and the landmass that was Vale stormed through the veil. Mountains so tall they passed unstoppably into the clouds stood like great giants along the shore, broken sparingly by thick growths of forests. From where Ruby stood, it looked all like one giant, unlikely mass.

Slowly the ship veered from its straight course to one more slanted, and the Fairing Lady slipped in between the central land mass of Vale and a gathering of small, sharp islands. Ruby turned and stared as they passed beneath a long overhang belonging to a cliff, part of some landmark, Ruby was sure, that she couldn't name.

For the next hour they followed the unnamed river, until a large island came into view just off the coast of central Vale. It was a relatively flat piece of land, with a small mountain peeking out from the midst of all the skeletal forests. It was a terribly dreary sight. A small, poor looking village rested on its shore, and multiple fishing boats milled about it. Ruby grinned, breathing deeply the scent of fish, rotting, rotted and fresh alike.

She wished Weiss would come up from below deck to see it, see her own home, but part of her was also glad that she didn't. She didn't really think that it would impress her much at all. The ship sailed past the island, the colors of a merchant ship flying on its mast, and Ruby was suffused with such a sense of longing that she no longer felt compelled to stand outside and watch.

She made her way down to the shared living quarters, stopping to scramble out of the way of four men carrying a wooden crate. They were grunting with exertion as they lugged the great thing up stairs. She found Weiss dozing on the cot, a book closed beside her. Qrow was nowhere to be seen, no doubt with Jack.

"Mm, hey, Ruby." Weiss mumbled, waving a hand at her. Ruby sat down on the edge of the cot and laid back across the thick of Weiss' thighs, who grunted but didn't comment.

"It's gross outside." Ruby grumped. Weiss chuckled, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"That's odd. I thought you loved it out there on the open water, traversing the waves and such."

"I do. But, we're not in the open water anymore." Ruby twisted her lips. "Right?"

Weiss sighed, and Ruby glanced over to see her roll her eyes. "No, we're not on the open water."

Ruby gave her a toothy smile, and they both giggled. "So, tell me about Vale, Ruby. Or, more specifically, the place we're going." Weiss asked of her, puzzling Ruby.

"How would I know anything about it? I've never been there myself."

Weiss was silent, then sighed. "Of course. So, is there anything I don't know about Vale you could possibly tell me, then?"

Ruby thought for a moment. Multiple well known places and folklore jumped into the forefront of her mind, but she banished them. Weiss had likely heard of them all. "What about Mount Glenn? Have you ever heard of that?"

Weiss lolled her head from side to side for a brief moment. "A fallen neighbouring kingdom. It fell during the Great War, and since then any partitions to recapture have been shunned by both rulers and the Hunter's Guild alike. Yes?"

"Yehp. But, there's a lot of stories about it."

Weiss scoffed, and fell softly onto her back. "If I wanted stories I'd read a book." Ruby huffed, annoyed by her response. "Still, if you feel like it." Weiss said, in a softer, kinder tone. Ruby shrugged, having lost the feeling for story telling in favour of indulging her feelings of homesickness.

They stayed in silence, listening to the buzz of noise that was the crew member's voices, the sounds of cranks, pulleys, ropes and heavy footsteps weighted by crates too heavy for any man to carry alone, and the constant roaring of the sea.

"Ruby, tell me, does this crippling feeling ever leave?" Weiss asked quietly.

Ruby rolled over and pulled herself up onto her knees, kneeling at Weiss' feet. "Feeling?" Ruby asked, cocking her head. Weiss sighed and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and hiding her chin in them. She had a sad look to her eyes.

"That feeling of loss. I can't describe it as anything else, but I miss Coldfort so much that just the mention of it makes my chest tighten in painful ways." Weiss said, and Ruby felt a pang of pity and understanding. Alas, she knew it too well.

She felt like answering that yes, it did eventually go away, but she abandoned the thought. It wouldn't exactly be true. At least, it wasn't in her case. So she sighed and sidled closer, placing a comforting hand on Weiss' kneecap. "No, it really doesn't. You're going to miss it until you go back, and then you'll probably miss it once you leave again."

Weiss nodded silently.

"That doesn't mean you can't ignore it, though. There's a lot in life to distract yourself with, and I think that's the strategy. To distract yourself, and try not to recognize all the bad stuff." She squeezed Weiss' knee, and the princess smiled appreciatively.

"I miss the cold, believe it or not."

Ruby snorted in disbelief. "Because it's not cold enough out here?"

"The dry cold," Weiss specified, and at that Ruby had to give an agreeing nod. She hadn't been dry since she'd boarded the ship. Of course, that was mostly her fault.

"Well, you know. Vale is pretty dry, and much warmer, too." Ruby told her, and Weiss hummed sadly. At least, thought Ruby, I'm not alone. The knowledge was both heartening and saddening.

Ruby removed her hand from Weiss' knee and rubbed it through her glove. She was eager to get going, to start doing things again. There had been quite a knot of energy burning within her ever sense they'd stopped in Travesty. She looked over at Weiss to see her staring unseeingly at the empty ink jar sitting opened on the bed stool and frowned. "Weiss, you should come up with me. There's still a lot of Vale to see from here."

Weiss looked up, interest caught. "Let's," She said, motioning for Ruby to take the lead. With a thin grin, Ruby hopped off the bed and managed her way through the orderly work lines, Weiss staying nimbly behind her. When they reached the deck, Ruby couldn't help but grin. All around her were the lush green forests she was familiar with, if not a tad frost bitten. The forestry clothed all of Vale so thickly that in some places the trees were taller than the smaller mountains that dotted up in seemingly no order. From here, she had to look up in order to see anything, but if she looked in the direction the ship was facing, she could see the Half Crescent, a mountain that appeared to have been carved skilfully into the likeness of a lying crescent moon. It was a mystery, but a beauty. The sun was just peaking over its right jag, which meant morning had ended.

Jack and Qrow stood side by side at the prow, leaning towards each other and speaking in hushed voices. Weiss tugged on her cape, and Ruby turned to look at her questioningly. Weiss pointed to the east, and Ruby looked. "Oh!" She exclaimed happily, grinning from ear to ear. "That's Mount Glenn! It's pretty, isn't it?" She asked, admiring the broken spires and wide, circular domelike roofs she could make out from her position. It was, in all honesty, a gorgeous fallen kingdom.

"Tragically so, I suppose." Weiss agreed, appearing transfixed. Ruby left her to stare at it, content to watch the sun's slow journey above Half Crescent until they broke out into a wide body of water. Half Crescent vanished from view, and suddenly Sanctuary appeared.

"We're here!" Ruby squealed, and Weiss' started looking around at everything with such a frenzy Ruby feared for her neck. "Weiss, Weiss, calm down!" Ruby giggled, and Weiss snapped her attention to Ruby.

"I'm... I'm sorry." She said with a sigh, and Ruby giggled again. It amused her to see Weiss so flustered.

"Come on." She said, grabbing Weiss by the wrist and tugging her towards Qrow.

"It's a pretty place, if I'm being perfectly honest." Jack was saying. "Not much can beat a Vale woman." Both men chuckled at that.

"That's gross." Ruby said, announcing hers and Weiss' arrival. Qrow immediately put a hand on Weiss' shoulder, who shied at the contact for but a brief moment.

"This, Weiss, is Vale. Sanctuary, to be exact. It's our stop." He told her, and she nodded. "From here we'll be staying two days, long enough for me to get reacquainted with the goings-on, and then we travel for Beacon, hunter school." He seemed to have a new breath of life, and like Ruby, appeared excited.

Sanctuary was sprawled out thinly along the cliff side of the massive cove, which dipped down on both sides to eventually submerge smoothly into the water. There was a harbour on both sides, sporting work boats, trade ships, the ships of lords, and other smaller, less important vessels. The buildings were eccentric, shaped to fit the odd landscape. Their walls were mostly made of wood, and sported thatched red clay roofs. In the cliff's face, one could spot wooden shutters, little windows for defending archers to fire. Highest up on that wall, thick, long black cannons jutted out like sores from large, circular portholes, ready to fire no doubt on a moment's notice. The Fairing Lady was spotted and then hailed.

An hour later, they were fully docked.

Ruby stepped out onto the wooden pier and felt a minor sense of vertigo. It still felt like the world should be rocking from side to side. Weiss appeared to be in a similar state, holding onto Ruby's upper arm for support, but the rest of the men around them seemed fine. Deckhands rushed onto the deck to help with the unloading.

"Very well, then." Jack said, smiling at the party of three. His eyes sparkled like fiery jewels beneath his wide brimmed hat, which shadowed the rest of his face. "I do believe I'll be missing your company, Qrow."

"Likewise," Qrow said with a small bow. Jack nodded and turned to Weiss.

"As for you, keep that brooch of yours tucked away. Of all the places to accidently show it, you don't want to do it in Vale." With that warning he stepped through and past them, his thigh boots clicking on the wet wood of the pier.

Weiss, staring intensely at Jack's departing back, said, "Come on, then. Let's not dilly dally and get out of the open. I'd feel much better with a room, a hot bath and some soap." Ruby echoed her agreement, and Qrow shrugged.

"Fine. You two, find whatever you can. We leave tonight, so it doesn't matter much."

Ruby shifted to her other foot even as Weiss leaned against her, another wave of vertigo apparently striking. "I thought we were staying for two days?" Ruby asked.

Qrow grunted as a shadow fell across his face, turning his piercing gaze to Jack's back. "I don't trust him." He stated, and that was enough for both Ruby and Weiss. If Qrow didn't trust something, both were certain it was safe to go with his feelings.

"Alright. Come on, Weiss, before you throw up..." Ruby slipped under Weiss' arm and threw it around her shoulder, and Weiss groaned a protest but didn't make a move to separate. Apparently, the still land was too much for her. Ruby grinned at Qrow, who reached over and tousled her hair.

"Don't get yourself hurt." He said, and then he was simply gone. Ruby looked up, scanning the area, and eventually spotted the crow. She smiled, and hoped that no one had noticed.

It didn't take too long to find an establishment that would be good for two young ladies such as themselves. It was located halfway up the climb of their rise, propped up on one end by two thick poles. Music and laughter rung out from its open windows, and the smell of food made Ruby's stomach grumble.

The inn was called The Mid Tide, and Ruby hoped it wasn't too expensive. Before entering, Weiss pulled herself off Ruby and entered independently of her support. The room was well lit by the sunlight outside, revealing a messy, if not still charming interior. A man with a fiddle stood in a corner, playing a happy tune. Some people nodded their heads in accord to the tempo, but most were busy talking between one another. Ruby approached the man behind the counter, who looked most likely to be in charge. He had a thick red beard, though his head had no hair on top of it. His eyes were steely grey, but he had a kind, laughing face. Ruby noticed immediately that he had two ears above his human set of ears that, from what she could tell, resembled deer ears.

"Hey there, young miss. Can I help you?" He asked at their approach, rubbing down a mug with a stained white cloth.

"Hi!" Ruby greeted happily. "I'm uh, looking for a room. And a bath." She added on the last part, unsure if this place would also feature prepared baths or not. The man raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're going to be waiting on the bath, but I can do you a room easily enough." He said, grunting. "Most the rooms are empty." He explained, setting the mug down. "Come, we'll go find you one." He said, stepping out from behind the counter. Ruby smiled and followed, Weiss right behind her.

Soon enough they were in a small, if not cosy room above the central floor, where the sounds still reached them. There was a bed, a small dresser and a stool. Ruby and Weiss had undressed down to their thin clothes, glad to be out of the leathers. Weiss was still dizzy, so she stayed self confined to the mattress. Ruby was happy to simply stretch out and use Weiss' leg as a pillow.

"Vale seems... Untamed." Weiss said to her as she picked at her nails.

"Um. Like, not settled?"

"Exactly."

"Nah, it's really settled. This is the northern part of Vale, so it's only just recently been doing good. Near Beacon and Central Vale, it's really, really nice. You'll see." Ruby assured her, and Weiss nodded.

"Have you been there before?"

"Once, I went to Central Vale, with my dad and my... Sister." Ruby's pause gave Weiss the incentive to look down at her, but Ruby smiled and didn't look away. Weiss shrugged and went back to her nails, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What was it like?" She asked after a length.

"Oh! Um. I guess the best way to describe would be pretty. You'd say it was probably well accented, or something." Ruby said, smarting. She'd almost mentioned her mother.

"Is it all so forested?" Asked Weiss.

"Yeah. It's nice, really. There's Forever Fall forest, near Beacon, and that one's red." She explained, but Weiss was already nodding.

"Yes, so I've heard. It seems to me that Vale has quite a lot of intriguing marvels." Weiss admitted, and Ruby beamed with pride.

Just then came a knock on the door, and both Ruby and Weiss looked up with sighs of relief. "Bath." They both murmured. Ruby got up to open the door and, sure enough, two men with a steaming, wooden tub stood outside the door. Ruby stepped aside and let them in, where they deposited it in the middle of the room, where the water sloshed harmlessly. They left, leaving behind a big block of yellow soap and a scrubbing brush with it.

This time Ruby got first dibs, and like before, had Weiss wash her back. She tried not to shiver, but the water, hot as it was, could only do so much between the already cool air and Weiss' cold fingers on her back. When Weiss started tracing her long scar, Ruby had to bite her tongue, reminding herself that Weiss was only being curious. It couldn't really hurt simply to have Weiss admire it, even if Ruby detested the blemish.

When Ruby was well cleaned and feeling looser, she helped Weiss with her own back, and couldn't help but wonder if she was scrubbing too hard or too lightly as she did her job in helping. Weiss never complained, only hummed gently to herself a tune that Ruby thought was pretty enough.

Washed, modest, and dressed, both girls sat shoulder to shoulder on the bed, back's against the wall as they waited. Ruby was hungry, but they had limited coin, as most was with Qrow who was no doubt securing their wagon and horses from the Fairing Lady right now.

"Or he's off courting some poor woman." Weiss said with a faint smile when Ruby had brought it up, and Ruby had to grin. Even she could tell that her uncle was promiscuous.

Eventually they dozed in a half dream half waking state, and the day passed them by in a lazy yet comfortable fashion. Ruby was reminded, somewhat, of the days they spent together back in Coldfort, and she found herself missing those moments where they'd sit together in silence and think, or talk.

It didn't take much longer until both of them were softly snoring, slumped against one another and wondering about the fact that princess and commoner daughter were sharing the same room in a tavern.

Weiss found herself sitting, once again, on the bench of their wagon. It's not that she hated the damn thing; she just hated the damn thing a lot. She would be happy once they were done with this traveling business, as charming as it was.

Beside her Qrow was quiet, his red eyes unusually bright and aware. She figured it must have something to do with his semblance but didn't ask. Ruby was on the other side of her, a bow resting on her lap and a quiver lying by her feet.

The night was perfectly still, save for the clipping and clopping of the team of horses. Summer let out an occasional sound, low and unsettled, and Ruby would make a soothing sound at her. They'd left Travesty a few hours ago, and the moon was high in the sky, full and bright, shading the trees ominously.

Weiss wanted to talk, just to end the silence, but she was reluctant to do so, as if it would be the wrong thing to do. She stole a glance at Ruby, who was endlessly scanning the surrounding area. She had an eased smile on her face.

Weiss sighed, relaxed, and said nothing.

An hour later, a terrible sound of cracking wood erupted all around them. The horses, startled, let out whinnies and the wagon sped up, Qrow shouting and growling as he worked to control them. Ruby already had an arrow trained and ready to let loose. Birds screeched indignantly, taking flight and blotching the moon.

The night rustled, and then silence fell again. Qrow cursed as the horses unwillingly fell back into a careful canter. "Unpleasant." He mumbled. Ruby released the tension on her bowstring and let out a sigh.

"What was that?" Weiss asked, surprised by how high her voice was. Both her hands would have been shaking if she hadn't grabbed the hilt of Myrtenaster so tightly.

"I think," said Qrow, "It was Grimm. Can't be sure, but it sure as hell sounded like them."

Weiss shifted uncomfortably, and was thankful that the little light had hid her reactions from the other two. "Are they going to attack us?"

They came across a fork in the road, and Qrow turned west. "Maybe. Maybe not. Grimm are predictable in that they're unpredictable." He said, and Weiss said nothing after.

Ruby stayed abnormally quiet, her mouth set in a thin line.

It wasn't until the sky had begun to pale that Weiss completely relaxed her muscles. Ruby and Qrow seemed relaxed as well, though the horses were still antsy. All save for Summer, of course. The path they were on lead out of and eventually back into a forest with trees so tall Weiss thought it would take at least forty minutes to climb their lengths. Their foliage diminished the incoming light by a large margin, but they could still see the difference.

As they traveled, Qrow told them about the Hunter's Guild, and explained the desperate need for Weiss' powers. She looked sideways at Ruby with a trace of guilt, pity and curiosity. Ruby didn't comment during any of Qrow's teachings.

Apparently, as the war with the White Fang and Grimm had started to progress, hunters everywhere had either died, gone missing, or even become turncoats. It was a very brutal war, full of loss and suffering, and it made Weiss uncomfortable to think about it.

The day passed and they found themselves still on the road, surrounded on all sides by the thick forest. "Go get comfortable in the back," Qrow suggested to them. "We'll be stopping soon." Both girls got up and retired without any words. Ruby made sure to give Qrow a quick hug, though.

By the time Qrow had stopped the wagon, neither of them had been able to fall asleep. Curled up in the nook they'd made during the re-packing, Ruby and Weiss listened to the oppressive silence all around them, and Weiss shivered against the chill feelings that ran down her spine, as if they were frozen to her.

"Are you still cold?" Ruby asked her after awhile, even as she shifted to make sure Weiss was wrapped more than before in both Ruby's cloak and the blankets.

"No, I'm f-fine, really." Weiss assured her, though her body betrayed her as her teeth clacked together. "I'm not lying." She muttered. Ruby's gestures were nice, but she didn't need the entirety of the covers, which was what Ruby was aiming to do for her.

"Right. I'm not even going to be able to sleep if you don't stop shivering." Said Ruby, and Weiss didn't have anything to say to that. So she let Ruby surrender most of the covers and pile them on top of her. It was a heavy weight.

Then Ruby settled back down, back pressed closer to Weiss than before for the sack of keeping the both warm, and they tried to sleep. Weiss' shivers didn't abate all together, but they began to diminish. Tired as she was, Weiss was still concerned for Ruby's own warmth. "You're not cold, are you?" She asked, feeling foolish. Usually the excessive badgering was Ruby's job.

Ruby made a sound, grunted, then said, "Nah, s'okay, Weiss." Slurring her words. She sounded almost amused to Weiss' ears, and she wondered if she'd been imagining it or not. Despite Ruby's assurance that the chill wasn't getting to her, Weiss still felt compelled to do something. So, her answer was to dig her arms out from the jungle of folds that were the blankets and wrap them around Ruby. The younger girl stiffened at first, then hummed appreciatively.

Minutes later, both were asleep.

Hey, guys! Sorry for the lateness; I got caught up in a twoshot. My apologies for the sidetrack! This chapter was pretty boring, yeah? Yeah. the traveling business should be done soon enough, no worries! Thanks for reading and supporting!