Soft sheets of rain tumbled down from on high, gently pattering against Cinder's face as she stared up into the heavens. Despite what some may assume, given her preference for fire, Cinder actually quite liked the rain. Liked the sound it made, the way it felt against her skin, even the way the clouds looked. She could never quite put her finger on why, but there was something soothing about it, something that made her troubles just seem to wash away, for a little while at least. Just standing out in the downpour, as she was now, was a pleasure she indulged in whenever she got the chance.

It was a pleasure that Ruby did not seem to feel the same way about. As soon as those dark clouds began gathering overhead, and it became clear that the night would feature a moderately-sized storm, she'd begun fretting, scrambling to get a tarp strung up between some trees to give them a little shelter. Understandable, of course, even Cinder didn't find the idea of sleeping out in the open rain desirable. Still though, the fact that Ruby had stayed huddled under that tarp ever since she'd finished setting it up meant that she was really missing out on the whole experience.

It'd been some time now since the rain had started, and at this point Cinder was thoroughly soaked through. She was glad for it, though, it'd afforded her some much needed thinking time, time to sort through all the things that had been troubling her lately, all the things she'd been struggling with. Time to consider what she could do about her problems, and even if she hadn't exactly come up with some magical solution for everything it'd definitely eased her burdens at least a little, and given her some ideas. Now though, it was probably past time she got back into shelter.

Actually, now that she thought about it a little more, maybe she could understand Ruby's reluctance. After all, this little habit of Cinder's would be a lot less enjoyable if she didn't have the ability to just instantly dry herself off afterwards. She stepped out of the rain, into the shade of their tarp, and let the comforting embrace of her semblance wash over her. Heat emanated from every inch of her skin, water steaming off of her until she was completely dry.

Ruby, who had still managed to get more than a little wet despite her best efforts, looked at Cinder mournfully. "I'm so jealousssss," she groaned, stretching that last word out for an impressive amount of time. "Why can't my semblance be useful for stuff like that? Unfair."

Cinder smirked. "Well, I guess we can't all be winners," she joked, and then paused, an idea popping into her head. She stepped over to Ruby, and sat down beside her. "You know, I could help dry you off too, if you'd like?" She extended her hand over to the other girl, a small amount of heat radiating off of it already.

Ruby looked at her with surprise, blinking slowly, then shot her hands up between them. "Ah, no, no. Thanks, but I'm okay, don't worry." She punctuated the reply by shuffling over just a little, putting a small bit of distance between her and Cinder.

"Ah, alright." Cinder couldn't help but feel disappointed, though she tried her best not to show it. This had been happening more and more recently, Ruby pulling away from her for reasons she didn't understand. It… hurt.

To be honest, this particular topic had been what consumed most of her time thinking out in the rain. This and several other things, all, embarrassingly, relating to Ruby. Things were just… complicated between them lately, and Cinder had been struggling for a long time to figure out what she should do, what she even could do.

Ruby pulling away like this… scared her, in large part because she simply didn't know why it was happening. The obvious answer seemed to be that it was her fault. That she'd done something to push Ruby away without even realising, just like she'd been so afraid of. And that terrified her; the thought that she'd already managed to ruin what might be the one bright spot in her life.

That wasn't the end of it, either. It was becoming more and more obvious that, beyond just this situation with Cinder, there was a lot troubling Ruby. There was a lot that she was struggling with, that was hurting her, and once again Cinder had no idea what it was at its core, or what she could do about it.

Emotions were… complicated at the best of times, and Cinder didn't exactly have a lot of experience dealing with hers in a healthy way, let alone helping with someone else's. It was that same feeling of helplessness that she'd been struggling with for some time now, wanting so desperately to help the person who had helped her, but being so completely unequipped to do so.

She hated that feeling. Although the circumstances surrounding it were very different, it couldn't help but remind of her past. The times when she'd been a prisoner, when she'd had no power to do anything, no ability to change her own fate.

But maybe… maybe she wasn't as helpless as she felt. Maybe that feeling was at least partially an illusion. This is what she'd spent the last little while out in the rain attempting to convince herself of, that there were things that she could do, that maybe she'd never really been as helpless as she believed herself to be.

This path that she was on right now, it was one that she'd walked with Ruby's support, and she wasn't going to pretend that she would've made it so far without her. But all the same, she hadn't started down that path because Ruby pushed her to, she'd started down it herself. It had been her own decision, her own choice, even if she hadn't been fully conscious of exactly what it would entail at the time. She'd charted her own fate, and she could keep doing it if she just kept sight of that.

She was Cinder Fall, and being helpless didn't suit her. So, as much power as she had over the situation, she was going to do what she could to never feel that way again. She was going to make sure that this bond, this connection with someone she truly cared about didn't just fall apart due to her own inaction.

This bout of self confidence didn't exactly make everything easy, however. She was still worried, still scared. The fear that she was going to screw everything up was ever present, that in trying to fix things she'd only make it worse. But, damnit, things were already going poorly, she was already being pushed away, and if she just held the course that would inevitably continue. So she was going to do something. Would it be the best something, would it fix everything and make it so she had no more problems? Of course not, but it would be better than just sitting here wallowing in her feelings forever, not knowing what was actually going on, and hoping that it would work out on its own.

She might not be great at things like this, but… well, she knew how Ruby had helped her. She could emulate that, if nothing else. That was a start.

Now having reaffirmed her course, Cinder looked over at Ruby, cleared her throat, and spoke. "Ruby. Are you… okay?"

It seemed that Ruby was lost in thoughts of her own, and was startled by Cinder's question. "Hm? Me?" She looked over to Cinder, giving a laugh that was rather transparently forced. "Yeah, I'm totally fine, why wouldn't I be?"

Cinder looked down at the ground. Well, she hadn't exactly expected it to be easy. Still, she wasn't just going to give in. She looked back up, meeting Ruby's eyes with her own. "You don't seem fine." She paused, searching for the right words as she took in the surprise in Ruby's expression. "I don't mean to pry, it's just… I've noticed that you seem to be struggling with a lot, recently. You're more tense, more worried, more distant. So… I want to help you."

"Cinder, I…" Ruby seemed troubled, her expression falling in a way that was so rare. "I'm sorry if I made you worried, but really, it's okay." She looked away, gazing off into the sheet of rain that was falling around their little shelter. "I've got some… things that I'm dealing with, but I can handle them on my own, you don't need to waste time worrying over me." She turned back to Cinder, a gentle smile now masking her feelings. "I'll be fine."

Ever so slowly and carefully, Cinder shuffled over, closing the small distance between the two, and then gently took Ruby's hand into her own. "I… know I'm not exactly the most stable person, and… I know that you're strong in a way that I'm not. But I'm not wasting time worrying about you." A lump seemed to have formed in Cinder's throat, this was all a lot harder than she'd expected, but she was determined to see it through. "I'm worrying about you because… because I care about you. Just because you can handle this alone, doesn't mean that you have to. I'm here for you."

Ruby was taken aback, a multitude of emotions running across her face, a hint of red on her cheeks. She opened and closed her mouth several times as she struggled to speak. Eventually, she sighed, took a deep breath, and forced the words out. "Thank you for this Cinder. I… I care about you too. More than I can say. And that's exactly why I don't think I can talk to you about all of this."

Cinder felt her shoulders sag, despite her best efforts to keep up a strong front. "But why not? I… I'm not going to force you, it's just… I don't understand. Why can't you?"

"Because…" Once again, Ruby was struggling, and at this point was no longer meeting Cinder's eye, instead focusing on their joined hands. "It would hurt you in a way that I'd never want to do. You deserve better than that."

"Ah." Cinder shrank in on herself just a touch. So it was because of her, in some way at least. Either she was the cause of it, or she was just too weak to actually help. Or maybe both. Regardless, that was that.

"I'm sorry Cinder, it's just… it's complicated. Really, really complicated."

However, Cinder may be many things, but she wasn't a quitter. Most of the time, at least. Anyway, she wasn't going to give up on this just yet. "Ruby." Her voice was clear, strong, and firmly grabbed hold of Ruby's attention, her gaze flicking back up to meet Cinder's. "You've told me before that you think I'm strong. I'll admit that… it's hard for me to believe that a lot of the time. But I want to believe it, I want to prove you right. During our time together, you've helped me so much, even when all of your own problems are bearing down on you. So let me start helping you. Let me be strong for you in the same way you've been strong for me. Whatever it is, I can handle it, you can trust me to." She forced as much determination as she could muster into those words, shoving away whatever doubts or apprehension still lingered in her head, willing them to work.

"Cinder, it's… it's not…" Once again, Ruby struggled for words, her expression slowly morphing until what could only be described as anguish was painted across her face, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "I do trust you. I trust you so much, and I… I want to tell you so badly. I really, really do. But I just can't. It's not your fault, you haven't done anything wrong, but there's things that I just can't tell you."

Regret filled Cinder at the sight of Ruby's reaction, her heart crying out at the thought of being the cause of those tears. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't… Didn't mean to push too hard. If you really can't, I understand." Still, she wouldn't be completely deterred, wouldn't just back down when it was more clear than ever that Ruby needed help. "But, even if you can't talk about it, I still want to help. There are still ways that I can support you, and I want to however I can. you can lean on me when you need it. You don't have to carry that weight all by yourself."

Ruby was quiet for a moment, looking back down to the ground before rubbing frustratedly at her eyes, making an effort to get rid of the tears that were starting to fall from them. "Thank you, Cinder," she said eventually. "I… can you just… hold me, for a bit." There was an edge of guilt in Ruby's voice that Cinder assumed came from Ruby feeling bad about having to rely on Cinder this way, still feeling like she had to stay strong for the both of them. Cinder would just have to show her that she didn't, then.

"Of course," Cinder breathed out, pressing in that last little bit of distance between them, and wrapping her arm around Ruby's back. She pulled Ruby closer, and was met with acceptance, Ruby pressing against her, burying her face against Cinder's neck. It was a slightly strange feeling on Cinder's end. The two of them had hugged before, of course, but that was always Cinder pressing into Ruby, seeking comfort and support. This was the first time that the positions had been reversed. Cinder liked it.

Ruby seemed to like it too, releasing a shaky exhale as she moved closer still, practically in Cinder's lap at this point. She gradually relaxed into the embrace, the tension draining out of her body little by little, the sound of her breath mingling with the music of the rainfall all around them as it slowly evened out. "I'm sorry," she whispered eventually.

"You don't have to be," Cinder replied, "I just… I want to help you." Even though Ruby's voice seemed calm, Cinder could feel the small wet spots where tears were still falling from silver eyes and soaking into her collar. A little hesitantly at first, Cinder slowly began to stroke her hand up and down Ruby's back, attempting to soothe her however she could. After a few moments of that, she also had the idea to activate her semblance, emitting a gentle heat to keep the chill of the rainy night at bay.

"You are. You really, really, are." Ruby curled closer, clearly enjoying the warmth. "It's just…"

"Complicated," Cinder finished for her, "I know." She slowly trailed her hand up Ruby's back, until it was just barely brushing against the tips of her messy hair. "But if this does help, I can do it whenever you need. I don't mean to be pushy but, I want to make you feel better when you're hurting, or stressed, or whatever else." A not insignificant amount of heat was rising in Cinder's cheeks as she spoke, but she brushed it off as just being a side effect of her semblance, even if it felt rather different.

"You… can be a bit pushy, if you want." Ruby shifted slightly, her arms wrapping tight around Cinder's midsection. "It's… I guess I kinda find it hard to ask for help, sometimes. Don't wanna be a burden on other people. Just convince myself that I can handle it alone." A small laugh drifted from her lips, "Guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite, huh? Always expecting people to let me help them, but not wanting to be helped back."

"You're selfless, but it's important to take care of yourself too," Cinder swallowed hard, trying her best to ignore the irritating lump in her throat, and the constant pounding of her heart, "If you need me to be pushy to get you to, then I promise that I will."

"Thank you," was Ruby's simple response, delivered just above a whisper. Cinder felt it more than heard it, Ruby's breath brushing ever so gently against her with every word, and she couldn't help a small smile from curling her lips.

Time dragged on as the pair settled into a comfortable silence. Cinder continued to run her hand up and down Ruby's back, stroking her soothingly, even as the rain around them gradually began to ease. The hour was late at this point, and little by little she felt her eyelids begin to grow heavy. Some distant part of her mind idly wondered if it'd be a good idea to actually lay down, spare herself the probable back pain tomorrow morning, but the resounding answer was that it would be unthinkable to extricate herself from Ruby right now. Better to stay like this, and hey, she'd finally have some payback for the embarrassment she felt waking up in Ruby's arms after the night she shared her past.

She was right on the verge of fully falling asleep, her mind growing increasingly sluggish and dull, when a sudden soft voice dragged her back into awareness. "Cinder, are you still awake?"

It was a surprise to be sure, Cinder had assumed Ruby had fallen asleep a while back, and she felt a brief stab of fear as her sleep-addled mind struggled to determine the source of the sound, before realising that it was indeed her companion. "Yeah, is everything okay?" she replied, struggling to force her sluggish tongue to cooperate, tired as she was.

"It's just," carefully, Ruby pulled herself away from Cinder's embrace, sitting back down beside her, "I was thinking and… there is one thing that I think I'd like to talk about, if that's okay."

Cinder couldn't hide the disappointment she felt at the loss of contact, but hoped that the low light would at least serve to mask it a little from Ruby's eyes. "Of course, what is it?"

Ruby was quiet for a moment, turning to look off into the distance, her eyes glinting beautifully in the moonlight. "It's… something I've been struggling with a lot recently. You remember I told you a little about my Mum?"

"Yeah," Cinder gave a hesitant nod, "She died on a mission while you were young, right?" And it was clearly still something that haunted Ruby, the way she'd spoken about it back when they were playing their little questions game was still seared into Cinder's memories.

"I thought so, but now… I'm not so sure." Ruby lapsed into silence for a few moments after that, before continuing slowly. "When we were in Atlas, during Salem's attack, there was this grimm. A strange one. It was strong, driven, and smart in a way I'd never seen before."

"What did it look like?" Cinder interrupted, a half-forgotten memory suddenly flickering into her mind.

Ruby thought for a moment. "Like a dog, I guess?"

"Ah, I think I know the one you're talking about." The… Hound, Salem had called it. Cinder didn't ever see it in action, but there'd been something tremendously off-putting about the creature that she'd never been able to put her finger on. "Sorry, go on."

"Right," Ruby sighed quietly, "We fought it, and things… well, I ended up using my eyes to try to stop it. It burned the grimm away, partially, enough to see what was underneath." Once again she fell into silence, eyes seeming to grow clouded, expression drawn tight.

Cinder waited at first, until it seemed like Ruby had fallen into her own thoughts and might not continue any time soon. "What was underneath?" she prompted.

Ruby startled, clearly being as lost in her own mind as Cinder had assumed she was. After taking another moment to gather herself, she continued. "It was… a person. I'd never seen him before, but when I looked into his eyes… they were silver, just like mine. Just like Mum's."

Cinder blinked slowly, surprise consuming her. In all her time with Salem, she'd never seen anything like that. A person fused with a grimm. Well, except… her arm. A shudder ran through her at the thought. Had that been the fate awaiting her, if she'd stayed for long enough? In any case, she did her best to banish those thoughts, now was the time to focus on Ruby.

"We never knew what happened to her. Not really. Always just assumed. But if Salem can do that, who's to say she isn't still out there, just turned into a monster?" Ruby continued on, her voice cracking despite her obvious attempts to keep it steady, tears once again beginning to flow down her cheeks. "What happens if I have to fight her? Have to see her face staring at me from inside some horror? Have to kill her?"

"Oh, Ruby," Cinder fumbled for words, unsure of how to help ease this pain, "I… I don't know what to say."

"Or what if I get taken, get turned into something just like that, and my friends, my family, have no choice but to kill me?" Ruby rubbed her tears away, even as more stubbornly continued to fall, then let out a long, mournful sigh, "When I was captured… I was so terrified. Because I knew what was waiting for me."

"I had no idea." It was the truth, although a part of Cinder wondered if she would've acted any differently, had she known. Before she'd had all those realisations about herself, before she'd started down the path of change.

"I know, I don't blame you for it, and you were the only reason I was able to get away in the end." Slowly, Ruby pulled her knees up to her chest, curling in on herself. "Still, it was scary. I don't want to ever have to go through that again."

"Well," Cinder reached out, taking Ruby's hand back into her own, "You've got me watching your back now. We'll both make sure that she never gets her hands on either of us, ever again."

Ruby smiled at that; just a little, but all the same. "Yeah, we will." She fell back into silence again after that, thinking some more, and this time Cinder decided it would be best to let her. Eventually, she did speak again, her voice slow and hesitant. "Cinder… back when you were with Salem… did you ever see my Mum? Or… something that might've been her?"

The question caught Cinder off guard, but she understood it all the same. "No, I don't think so. I never saw anything else like that hound, and when I asked Salem about it she said it was an experiment. Still… there was a lot she did that I never knew about."

"Right." Ruby nodded slowly, then looked up to the sky, where the rains had finally ceased. "I think that's all I really had to say. Thank you, for listening to me, and for pushing me to actually talk about it." She finished with a small laugh that appeared at least partly genuine. "I probably never would've if you didn't."

"It's okay. Like I said, you've already helped me so much, I want to be able to return the favour when I can." Cinder took a second to beat down a flash of heat in her cheeks. "Did you want to…?" She opened her arm wide, leaving herself open for another hug.

Ruby looked back to her, cheeks lighting up with a small blush when she realised what Cinder was offering. "Oh, no, I shouldn't. I mean, I'm fine, don't worry." She smiled gently, the only trace of her earlier pain being her red puffy eyes. "You should sleep though, I'll stay up and keep watch."

"Ah, right." Cinder ignored the shot of disappointment that ran through her. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather I keep watch? You might need the sleep more."

"No, I'm fine, I think I'd rather have a little bit of time to think anyway." Ruby stood, pulling her hand away from Cinder's, and stretched exaggeratedly. "You rest up. Oh and, thanks a lot Cinder, I'm glad I have you watching out for me." Ruby smiled at her, then paced away a short distance, getting ready to spend the rest of the night awake.

"It's okay." Cinder responded quietly, though she wasn't sure if Ruby actually heard given the distance now between them. It seemed that was that, then. For real this time. It hadn't gone quite as she'd hoped, but… it was something. She'd just have to be satisfied with this for now. Just have to hope she really was helping, and that Ruby was just sparing her feelings. She lay back, closed her eyes, and did her best to let sleep take her quickly. All the while, an undeniable sense of cold seemed to emanate from all the places where Ruby had been pressed up against her just before. It stubbornly refused to fade, that sense of… something being missing, right up until she was finally able to drift off into the comforting embrace of slumber.