Cinder felt awkward, to say the least. She'd never really been through an experience like this before, and so she was just kinda left sitting around unsure of what she should do. It seemed to be going okay? Maybe? Well, it probably hadn't been anywhere near enough time to tell, but she was trying to make herself feel better about it all.

Ruby's father had ushered them into the house quickly, as soon as he got over the shock of seeing his wayward daughter, sparing Cinder only the most cursory of glances before directing them both to take a seat and then disappearing away into the kitchen with a promise to get some drinks. So, the two girls had sat down side by side on a rather comfortable couch, and waited. Scarcely a minute had passed since then, and the only notable thing that had happened was a dog bounding into the room before Ruby quickly wrapped it up into a tight hug.

That did make Ruby start crying again, tears that had dried up after initially meeting her father starting to fall once more, and that sight in turn made an ache well up deep in Cinder's heart. She wanted nothing more than to move closer, to wipe those tears away, to be the one Ruby was hugging instead of the dog, to make her feel better. But, of course, she had to restrain herself. She already wasn't sure exactly how Ruby's father was going to react to her presence, and as badly as she wanted to, doing something like that felt like a bad move. Better to just sit here and seem… nonthreatening.

It was a little funny that just a little earlier she'd said that he could think whatever he wanted about her, and now here she was worrying over exactly that. It hadn't been a lie, he could and she would just have to live with that, but at the same time a part of her was desperate to be accepted. Partly just for her own validation, she wanted to believe that her life really was changing, that she really was changing, and something like this feels like it could prove that it was all true. But also, she just… hated the idea of someone Ruby so clearly loved rejecting her.

The negative voices that were so fond of crowding her head jeered at her, told her that of course he would reject her, that of course Ruby would side with her family over Cinder, and would cast her aside so easily. It was ridiculous: of course she knew that Ruby would never do that, would never side with either one of them over the other, no matter what. But knowing that didn't really seem to help, didn't stop her doubts and anxieties from doing their best to worm their way into her head.

Subtly as she could, she slowly drew her hand into a fist, dug her fingernails into her palm. Just focus on those four little pinpricks of pain, let them blot everything else out, overwhelm all her thoughts. Little by little, she got her mind back under control, an effective method even if it was one she assumed Ruby wouldn't approve of.

Still, even when she was able to drown all those thoughts out, to focus on anything else, it didn't change the fact that she was… just sitting here. Stewing in her own awkwardness.

Thankfully, Ruby's father did return eventually. That at the very least gave Cinder something to focus on, even if it did make her anxieties flare up just a little brighter. She adjusted how she was sitting a little, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically self conscious, and then jumped when she realised that he was holding a mug full of steaming coffee out to her expectantly. "Oh! Uh, thank you…" she forced out, internally cursing herself for not noticing more quickly, and then trailing off when she realised that she wasn't actually sure what the man was called. "Um… Mr. Rose?"

That had felt like a safe bet, but it became clear pretty quickly that it had been the wrong choice when something akin to a grimace flashed across his features. "Taiyang Xiao-Long," he corrected after a beat, "But you can just call me Tai." He picked up one of the other mugs he'd brought in from the kitchen and passed it to Ruby, who accepted it before glancing over to Cinder and mouthing a quick sorry.

Her negative voices jeered a little louder after that slip up, but she did her best to drown them out by forcefully reminding herself that there was no way she could possibly have known. She focused back in on the present moment, just in time to see Taiyang taking a seat of his own, then addressing Ruby.

"It's such a relief to have you back," he began, his smile warm, "I haven't known what to think, especially after that CCT announcement you made, hearing what was happening in Atlas, and it being cut off right at the end."

"Yeah," Ruby replied quietly, staring down in her mug without drinking, steam drifting off of it up into her face. "A lot's happened, both leading up to that and after it. I'm sorry for making you worry."

"But you don't regret it?"

"No," Ruby looked up, meeting Taiyang's eyes. "I did what I had to."

He chuckled lightly. "That's my girl. I won't lie, it hurt when you left. And it's hurt a whole lot more as time has gone on. I've had to keep wondering if I'd ever even see you again. But, I understand, and… I'm proud of you, Ruby."

A small smile grew on Ruby's face. "Thanks, Dad."

"Well, I'm sure you have a lot you want to fill me in on, but first," Taiyang turned his attention to Cinder for the first time since he sat down, "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Ah, yeah." Ruby paused, looking over to Cinder with a clear question on her face. Who should do the introduction?

Cinder already knew the answer. This might be a small matter, really, but she wanted to be the one who did it, didn't want to feel like she was just hiding behind Ruby. What happens, happens, she reminded herself. You're committed to changing your life, to walking beside Ruby, and whatever reaction he or anyone else has won't change that in the slightest. She summoned up her confidence, let it wash away her nerves, and then looked over to Taiyang. "My name is Cinder Fall. We've never met, though Ruby tells me that you may already be familiar with some of my work from back at Beacon."

She could practically see the thoughts passing through his head. First a split second of confusion closely followed by recognition, then back straightening and muscles tensing as he readied himself to spring forward and attack her at the slightest provocation. Cinder could tell just from that that he was, while perhaps slightly out of practice, a huntsman through and through, and a skilled one at that. She would win, but he wouldn't go down easily. Thankfully he didn't immediately spring into action, instead taking a second to look over to Ruby, clearly demanding an explanation even without saying a word.

Ruby held up her hands placatingly. "It's okay, stay calm. Cinder's on our side now, and… she's the only reason I made it here, the only reason I'm still alive now."

Some of the tension left Taiyang, but he was still clearly troubled, his brow furrowed deeply. "Just to make sure I'm not getting mixed up, this is the same Cinder who was behind the fall of Beacon? The one who killed your friend in front of you?"

"She is," Ruby confirmed, "But things have changed. We've been through a lot since then."

Taiyang's eyes flicked over to Cinder and hung there for a few moments, before slowly returning to Ruby. "Alright," he said finally, sitting back a little, "But, you're gonna have to tell me exactly what's gone on."

"Of course," Ruby's small smile returned as she spoke, "Well, I guess the best place to start would be in Atlas. Just a little while after that CCT message, while we were trying to evacuate everyone in the kingdom, I got captured by Salem…"


"... After that, we made it to Patch, walked here and that's that, I guess."

Cinder zoned back in as soon as she realised that Ruby had finished talking. She'd tried to pay attention, really, but had pretty quickly lost interest. It was all stuff she knew already, though, so no harm done.

She looked over, doing her best to gauge Taiyang's reaction. So far, she would probably characterise the situation as 'could be going a lot worse' even if at the same time it could also be better. Right now, he seemed to be deep in thought, considering some aspect of Ruby's story perhaps, though Cinder couldn't be sure what. Eventually, he looked at her again, and seemed to be right on the verge of saying something, asking something.

Cinder felt her nervousness returning as she sat under that gaze. Her earlier bout of confidence had largely worn off, and those fears about how he might react, what Ruby might do as a result, were starting to creep their way back in.

Finally, though, he looked away, leaving whatever question he had unasked. "I hope you know why I'm a little… apprehensive," he addressed Ruby once more, "When Beacon fell, I was just… sitting here, glued to the news, hoping, praying that you and Yang would be okay. And then," his gaze fell to the floor, the words a struggle to force out, "Seeing Qrow carrying you back, limp in his arms… seeing how badly Yang got hurt… it was the most terrified I'd been in my entire life. It's hard for me to forget something like that. I don't know if I ever can. But, regardless, it's your choice, and I'm not going to question that when you're the one actually living it."

"Thanks, Dad," Ruby smiled a little wider, "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't really believe in it." She paused, then carefully reached over and gave Cinder's hand a gentle squeeze. "If I didn't really believe in her."

That made Cinder's heart skip more than a few beats, and as she scrambled to form a coherent thought Taiyang spoke again. "So, you mentioned that the two of you were headed to Vacuo. I guess that means you won't be staying long?"

"Well, we do need to go, but… I also need to make a new weapon, so we kinda can't leave just yet. I was thinking a week might be long enough, so long as that's okay?"

At that, Taiyang perked up noticeably. Clearly he'd been dreading having to be separated from his daughter yet again. He seemed like a nice person, Cinder decided. Part of her felt a bit jealous, wished she could have had someone like this in her life, though she did her best to ignore those feelings.

She understood full well why he couldn't just forgive and forget with her, but even so the fact that he seemed to be willing to give her a chance… it felt really, really good. Her time with Ruby had already challenged, and in most cases outright shattered, so many of her beliefs about herself, about the world, about people, and with this that pattern continued.

"Well," Taiyang spoke again, pushing himself up to his feet, "Your room is still just how you left it, Ruby, but I guess I should also get the guest room ready. Been a while since we've had anyone stay over."

"Oh, uh, actually," Ruby interjected, a light flush dusting her cheeks, "We won't need a guest room, just mine is fine."


Days passed by slowly in the Rose-Xiao Long house. Ruby was pretty heavily occupied with designing her new weapon, as well as catching up with her Dad, which in turn left Cinder with quite a bit of free time to fill.

The solution that she'd reached, for the first few days at least, was to try and catch up with everything that had been happening in the kingdom since she'd last been here. To that end, she'd borrowed an old spare scroll from Taiyang. Global communications might still be down, but at the very least she could still access the local network, and through that all the Vale-based news networks.

Mostly, it was what she expected. Following the fall, huntresses from the surrounding regions had been recalled to assist in quelling the grimm threat. Together with the aid of teachers and students from Beacon, they'd reclaimed most of the city, although the academy itself and its surrounding areas remained a hotspot with more and more grimm making their way there faster than they could be killed. Apparently in the last month or so, two teams of huntsmen had attempted to fight their way through to the tower itself, hoping that if they could make it and destroy the petrified wyvern the rest of the grimm would disperse. Judging by the fact that the wyvern was still visibly up there, though, Cinder could only assume that they'd failed.

Of course, the other major issue getting talked about all over the place was Ruby's CCT broadcast. Lots of arguments popping up everywhere, with some people believing every word, and others insisting that it was all a bad joke. Also a vocal contingent of conspiracy theorists insisting that the Salem story was all a cover for an incoming Atlesian invasion that the fall of Beacon had been the start of. She hoped all those people would feel relieved when they learnt that Atlas had been reduced to rubble.

It was something to keep in mind, though; once they were in Vale, and later Vacuo, more or less everyone would recognise Ruby on sight. They'd been lucky so far, most of the remote villages in Anima that they'd passed through hadn't gotten much in the way of CCT signal even back before Beacon tower went down, and so during Amity's brief broadcast hadn't been receiving the kind of clear video that the major settlements would have. That let Ruby stay relatively unnoticed for the duration of their journey so far, but from now on it didn't seem that they'd have that luxury.

Apart from the grimm situation and Ruby's speech, nothing of much interest seemed to be going on. Lots of talk about efforts to reestablish communications and trade with the other kingdoms, political jockeying, apparently there'd been a council election not too long ago and as per usual she hated everyone involved on principle. Nothing really of substance on any of those topics, though.

One random article that caught her eye suggested that a documentary was being made about the fall and the events leading up to it. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd feature at all. Probably not prominently seeing as her involvement wasn't exactly common knowledge, but at the bare minimum she expected they'd play the audio of the speech she gave when it all kicked off. She liked that speech, it had been a good one.

In any case, by the third day of their stay Cinder was scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to things to read, and so decided that maybe she could find a little project to work on. Ruby had, at this stage, finished the plans for her weapon, and so was spending the day locked up in the dusty little workshop/shack that sat just a little apart from the main house. Meanwhile, Cinder joined her, sitting on a couch stuffed into the back of the room and scrolling through a selection of old articles she'd found on Vacuan fashion.

The sound of Ruby humming, hammering, and welding away was actually surprisingly soothing. Cinder let it wash over her as she read her articles and took notes on the particular styles and materials that the people of the desert used to both look good and manage their temperature amidst the scorching days and freezing nights. It was an interesting little exercise, something she'd never taken the time to plan out quite like this. As a plus, it did a great job of distracting her from the family dog (Zwei, she'd learnt over the past few days), who had made a habit of following her around and just generally acting weird.

Like, take right now; he was sitting right beside the couch, staring up at her with big, questioning eyes. It was like he wanted something from her, but she couldn't understand what. Her best guess was that he was suspicious of her, still blamed her for hurting his owners. She could accept that, but… well he didn't have to be so annoying about it. Seriously, he'd barely left her alone since she'd arrived.

She could deal with it for a while, but as hours ticked by, eventually something had to give. She looked over to Ruby, who seemed to be staring at something or other while deep in thought, and called out. "Ruby," her voice was practically a whine, "What does he want?"

Ruby seemed startled by the interruption, taking a second to process what had been said before looking back to where Cinder sat. She didn't quite manage to stifle the laugh that burst out of her when she saw exactly what was happening, instead having to cover her mouth with both hands and struggle to get herself under control. "Cinder," she said eventually, standing up, taking a second to stretch, and then walking over and crouching down beside Zwei, "He wants you to pat him. See?"

As Cinder watched, slightly baffled that she hadn't made the connection (In her defence, she'd never had a pet), Ruby began scratching behind Zwei's ears. The dog let out happy little whimpers at the contact, and began tilting his head into her hand, which made Ruby snicker a little more. "What's so funny?" Cinder asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh, uh," Ruby looked up to her, smiling toothily, "he just reminded me of someone. Hope you're not too bored out here, by the way. I know there's not a lot for you to do."

Cinder took a moment to mull it over, shifting a little in her seat. "I always find it hard to just sit around and not do anything. Need to keep myself occupied, which has been a little difficult. But it's also peaceful, which is…" she tilted her head side to side, as if searching for the right word, "Nice. Feels like the kind of place where you can really just forget about everything else that's going on out in the world."

Ruby hummed in agreement. "And how have you been keeping yourself occupied? I've seen you reading a lot, anything good?"

"I've been looking at how people dress over in Vacuo, most recently," Cinder tilted her scroll towards Ruby, letting her see the images on display, while psyching herself up to actually vocalise the idea that she'd been wanting to ask Ruby about all day, "And I was thinking… a while back we fixed your cape together, if you remember, and you said something about me making an outfit for you? Well, if we're going to Vacuo we could both do with some new clothes, so, now might be a good time? If that's okay?"

Ruby seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly grinned wide, "Oh, wow, I'd love that! If you need my help with any sewing, just let me know. To be honest I could do with a little break from all this." She pointed back at the workbench with her thumb.

"I probably will, though I'll need to spend a while longer figuring out exactly what I'm going to be making first."

"Well, I'm sure I'll love whatever you come up with." Ruby paused, then a devious expression flicked across her features as she reached out and gave Cinder a light pat on the head. "It's really sweet of you to do this, thanks so much," her voice was bright, even as she struggled to contain some soft giggles.

Cinder couldn't quite manage a response, preoccupied as she was with fighting down the heat that began to rise in her cheeks.


Two days later, and Ruby had made good progress. A lot of the production for her weapon was complete, the whole process being sped up significantly once she realised that Cinder could weld and shape any metal components for her with relative ease. Now, it was on to fine tuning and tweaking every little aspect of it until it was completely perfect. Easy.

On this particular afternoon, she was testing out her new twin swords, a sleek little pair of blades that shone as they danced through the golden light. Testing, in this case, meant running through a series of intensive drills and fights against imaginary opponents, feeling out exactly how the blades moved through the air, how well they were balanced, and what improvements could be made to their design.

Cinder, for her part, was sitting nearby on the house's porch. She'd been meaning to get some work of her own done, having initially come out here while in the midst of sketching out some design ideas to pick from, but quickly had her attention stolen away by the sight of Ruby.

The way she moved, the twirls and flourishes she incorporated into her attacks, the ripple of her muscles (left gloriously on display thanks to her decision to dress more casually, only a tank top rather than her usual outfit) as she shifted about, Cinder took it all in. She'd learnt well in the time they'd spent together, still raw and unpolished in so many ways, but with greatness shining through all the same. And… something about her just made it impossible for Cinder to look away, made her throat run dry, her heart thump louder and louder.

"You okay?"

Cinder blinked, the sudden question snapping her out of whatever reverie she'd been stuck in. She looked over, and saw that Taiyang had come outside, standing right beside her. "Yes," she answered quickly, even if she wasn't entirely sure that was true, "I'm fine, why?"

"Oh, well, you were just kinda," Taiyang gestured vaguely at the air above her, "Steaming, I guess."

Cinder blinked again. Steaming? Had she been using her semblance without realising? Strange. She tried to come up with something to say, but couldn't really think of any reasonable explanation.

Luckily, Taiyang seemed unbothered. In fact he was so unbothered that he proceeded to take a seat beside her, looking over at Ruby in the midst of her training, an act which caught Cinder rather off-guard. Actually, ever since she and Ruby had arrived, he'd been more or less avoiding her, this was probably the first time the two of them had really spoken since he learnt who she was. She understood, of course, why he would want to keep his distance, but it just made this all the more perplexing. Seeming to sense her confusion, he spoke up after a short moment. "I'll get out of your hair in a minute, but… I wanted to ask you a question real quick."

"Oh… okay?" She sat up a little straighter, still not entirely sure what to make of all this.

Taiyang didn't speak immediately, still just watching Ruby practice silently. After a few moments that felt like an eternity, he spoke up, "It's about when Ruby was captured, when you saved her."

"I thought Ruby already told you about that."

"She did, but I'd like to hear your version. Specifically, I was wondering why you chose to save her." With those last words, Taiyang looked away from Ruby, his gaze falling heavily on Cinder.

Emotion that Cinder couldn't quite identify swirled in those eyes, and made her uncomfortable. She looked away, focusing on an unassuming patch of dirt a short distance in front of her. It was a good question, one that she'd asked herself a number of times over the course of their little journey. "If you're hoping that I did it for the right reasons, that I wanted to do something good, or repent, then you're going to be disappointed."

She waited for a little bit, in case Taiyang had anything to say to that, but instead he just silently waited for her to continue, and so she did:

"When I was young… people hurt me, badly and often. And, while they did, there were others who saw it happen, who knew, who just ignored it and went about their lives, who did nothing." She didn't exactly feel comfortable telling him all the details of her past, but an abridged version she could handle. "And when I saw Salem hurting Ruby, I saw myself. I realised that I was the exact kind of person who hurt me back then. And it's funny, right? Because I think I always knew, but I just didn't care. I'd disconnected myself from the other side of it, forced myself to never think about how it felt. But then, in that moment, it all came rushing back, I couldn't ignore it anymore." A part of her was feeling pretty self conscious at how much she was revealing now, but once the words began flowing out she found she just couldn't hold them back. She hadn't even told Ruby all of this, not in its entirety. Maybe she'd just been waiting for a chance to let it out. "So… I guess you could say my reasons for helping Ruby were selfish. I didn't want to change my life, or switch sides, or any of that. I wasn't thinking about the future at all, and even if I was I would've thought that all of that was impossible. And I definitely didn't want to save Ruby, specifically. I still hated her. I only wanted to prove that I was maybe just a little better than the people who hurt me. And I guess also prove that all those people who just watched could've done something, that I could've been saved, and through that justify how much I hated them all. And that's it, I think. That's why I did it."

When Cinder looked back to Taiyang, he was simply regarding her, perhaps processing everything that she just told him. "So," he replied eventually, "What changed since then?"

Cinder was a little taken aback by the simple response. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you said you didn't want to change your life, or help Ruby, back then. But now, it seems like you're doing both of those. So, what changed?"

The answer was obvious, of course. Cinder looked over to where Ruby stood, her heart picking up its pace noticeably. "It was because of her. My childhood shaped how I saw the world, saw other people, and myself. I didn't think anyone would ever really care about me, support me. I didn't think those were even real things… thought they were just lies people told each other to make themselves feel better. But she proved me wrong, in so many ways. She showed me that my life could be different, and that I could be different."

Beside her, Taiyang chuckled. "She's really something special, isn't she?"

Cinder glanced back over to him, and replied softly, "Yeah, she is."

"I don't want her to get hurt, but… I trust her, and if she trusts you, I guess that'll have to be good enough for me. And having heard all that, I'm glad you two found each other." Taiyang smiled bright, but before he could continue Ruby interrupted.

"Dad!" she called out, annoyance clear in her voice as she walked over to them, "Are you interrogating my guest?"

Taiyang held his hands up placatingly, and Cinder couldn't stop a small smile from slipping onto her face. "Just chatting, nothing to see here."

"Riiiight," Ruby said with an exaggerated roll of the eyes. "Well, if you're finished, I'm done practising and I was planning on taking Cinder out to see something while it's still light. As long as that's okay?" she directed that last question towards Cinder, matching her small smile.

Cinder nodded eagerly, while Tai hopped up to his feet. "In that case," he started making his way back inside, waving them both off casually, "I'll go get some dinner ready for when you're both back. Don't stay out too long now."


Just as they had so many times before, Ruby and Cinder found themselves strolling together along a path through the woods. It was late in the afternoon now, the golden sun trickling down through the canopy above them, bathing the pair in its glow. They'd been sharing a comfortable silence since setting out, until Ruby spoke up as they neared their destination.

"Sorry, by the way, I've really been meaning to show you more of the island, but it's been hard to find the time."

Cinder looked over, forcing herself to not be too entranced by the way Ruby's hair looked in this light. "It's fine, I can't imagine there's all that much to be excited by out here."

"Well, that's true," Ruby snorted, pulling her cloak (which she'd insisted on grabbing before they left) a little tighter around her, "Still there's… nice beaches? We could've gone for a swim."

"Never been much of a swimmer," Cinder deadpanned back, ignoring the part of her that for some reason really wanted to see Ruby in a swimsuit.

"Aww, that's a shame." Ruby fell quiet again after that, her expression gradually turning contemplative.

Part of Cinder wondered if she should try to continue the conversation, but before she could really come up with any good way to do so she realised that they had reached what must be their destination. Ruby had refrained from telling her what exactly they were going to see, but as they stepped out into a small clearing, their path ended at the edge of a cliff, a small stone plaque set into the ground.

It didn't exactly explain what it was, but she sensed that this wasn't the right time to ask, as Ruby for her part was remaining silent. Her unspoken question was answered when together they walked closer, close enough for her to read the inscription on that lonely stone.

Summer Rose
Thus kindly I scatter

Cinder's eye flicked over to Ruby who stared down at the grave blankly. Worries began to bubble up inside her. Should she be here right now? Did Ruby want to be left alone?

Right as she was on the verge of backing away Ruby seemed to sense her thoughts. "Stay, please," she grasped Cinder's hand, tight at first but then suddenly slackening. "I… If that's okay. I'd like you to be here."

"Of course," Cinder answered without hesitation, giving Ruby's hand a comforting squeeze in return.

They stood in silence for perhaps a minute after that, no words, just that gentle contact to keep them both company. A few times, Ruby opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. Eventually though, a soft sigh drifted from her lips, mournful and pained in equal measure.

"I used to come out here all the time and talk to her. I'm sorry I… I thought it would be the same this time, I wanted to introduce you to her but…" as Ruby's voice trailed off, she slowly knelt down and pressed her free hand up against the cool rock. "I guess it's a lot harder to pretend the grave isn't empty now."

Cinder wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't sure there even was anything that she could say. It was a pain that she couldn't relate to in the slightest, and yet she could easily see just how badly it hurt. And so, she simply knelt down beside Ruby, never letting go of her hand.

"Do you think…" Ruby spoke again, after a short silence, "I should've told Dad about the hound, about what might have happened to her?"

Huh. Cinder cursed herself internally for not paying attention back when Ruby had been telling her story to Taiyang, and hoped that she didn't notice that slightly awkward moment of realisation she just went through. "It would've hurt him," she offered, though truly she wasn't sure whether that was enough of a justification.

"Yeah." Ruby slowly trailed her hand down the gravestone, letting her fingers brush across the name carved into it. "It's strange," She continued eventually, her voice struggling to stay steady, faltering just a touch every now and again, "I miss her so much, but I never even really knew her. And she never really knew me. I mean, she never even knew that I was a girl. I feel like I've got this idealised version of her in my head, a perfect hero who would support me no matter what, who would always love me. But that could just so easily be wrong, maybe she'd hate me, maybe she'd never accept me for who I am, think I'm some kind of freak. I can't count the amount of times I've cried over this woman that I don't even know, and now chances are good that I'm going to have to kill her and I'll still never really know what she was actually like."

Once again, Cinder struggled to find the right words. She really needed more practice comforting people. All the same though, she knew that Ruby needed her right now, and so forced herself to speak. If the right words wouldn't come to her, then she would just speak from her heart and hope that would be enough. "I can't pretend to know anything about her either, but you know," as she spoke, Ruby turned to meet her gaze, revealing the tears welling up in her eyes, "If she didn't love you, and see you for who you are, she'd have to be an idiot. And even if she really didn't, it wouldn't matter. You don't need her approval. You're a beautiful girl, Ruby, kind, sweet, and strong, and no opinion will change that." Cinder paused, forcing herself to swallow past the lump in her throat. "As for what she might be now… we don't know what will happen, but no matter what, I swear I'll be right there beside you. I'll bear as much of the burden as you need."

A soft smile broke out on Ruby's face, even as those tears began to cascade down her cheeks. "Thanks, Cinder," she just barely managed to get those words out, before a massive sob wracked her body. After that, more and more sobs followed, and with her composure now well and truly broken she pressed herself forward into Cinder's body, burying her face into her partner's chest.

Cinder was surprised at first, but to her credit recovered quickly, wrapping her arm around Ruby's back and holding her close. She could feel Ruby's tears soaking through the fabric of her top, feel every sob shaking their joined bodies, and all she could do was hug Ruby a little tighter, make sure that she knew that she was not, and was never, alone.

They stayed together like that until Ruby's tears finally stopped, and then a little longer still. Only when the sun had at last set, and the pair were firmly bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, did they rise to their feet and return the way they had come. Together, as always.