As the day came closer to its end, Ruby found herself back at Shade Academy with her partner, the two separating from the rest of the team as Ruby wanted to do what felt right and that was talking to her dad. It seemed only fair after Yang had confronted Raven, after all the events on today the downs and ups, she looked over to Weiss who gave her a supportive smile along with a nod. Ruby knew she could be as brave as Yang but she also knew that much like her sister, she would need her partner beside her. Ruby had messaged uncle Qrow to take Tai to an empty classroom and send her the room number to her scroll.

The door was as far as she had gotten, she continued to look at her partner unsure if she wanted Weiss to pull her away or to push her through, as if sensing her inner turmoil, Weiss squeezed Ruby's hand as she spoke.

"I'm with you Ruby."

Weiss' voice caused a warmth to spread from Ruby's heart and she nodded in response as she smiled herself. Ruby reached out for the door handle and paused before she twisted the handle, Ruby sucked in a breath as she took the moment to squeeze Weiss' hand back.

One.

Two.

Three.

Ruby counted in her head to try and steady herself, she attempted to let out the breath she was holding but her lungs had other ideas, she only hoped Weiss didn't notice the way her breath stuttered out unevenly, trying to hide how nervous she was from Weiss, Ruby opted to just jump into the deep end after all Weiss believed in her, that she wouldn't drown and while she didn't believe it herself, she believed in her.

Ruby twisted the handle and pushed the door open. She was greeted with the view of her dad talking to Qrow, he seemed annoyed that Qrow wasn't letting him leave and for that she understood, they had promised to be here a bit earlier but Ruby dragged out the time by walking slower, savouring the time where it was just her and Weiss.

"Qrow, I have things to do-"

"-Dad." Ruby cut off her dad drawing both of their attention's back to her.

"Ruby? Qrow said you wanted to talk? I'll be honest, you had me worried for a moment."

Tai spoke the last bit sarcastically evidently trying to lighten the mood but the expression of worry that appeared on him in reaction to the guilty expression Ruby couldn't help but show seemed to make how she was feeling worse.

"…Ruby?" Tai's voice gave way to concern and Ruby understood why, her dad almost always could tell when something was wrong but he only ever let it show rarely as much like Yang he tried to cheer everyone up. Ruby shook her head and offered a weak smile.

"No, it's nothing bad-"

"Ruby!"

Ruby's attempt to alleviate her dad's concerns were cut off by her partner's voice, Weiss spoke sternly at first before some steps closer to Ruby and speaking under her breath.

"It wasn't nothing."

"I- I know." Ruby admitted quietly, she turned her eyes back to her dad and Qrow. "Umm, could you two sit please?" Ruby gestured to a rectangular table as she led herself and Weiss over to it and thankfully her dad and Qrow followed in response.

"What's this about? Is everything okay?" Tai asked and Ruby was quick to answer.

"Yes yes…" Ruby paused as she looked to Weiss and smiled. "Everything is good right now but you all thought we had died, for us it was only a couple of days." Ruby looked over to Qrow. "I don't know how much Yang has said, I know she spoke to Raven."

"I only got the cliff notes with Raven kiddo." Qrow answered and that surprised Ruby, she felt confident perhaps she hoped because Yang has reserved it for Ruby to tell, when she was ready.

"Is it alright then, if I start from the beginning?" Ruby chided herself at the way her voiced seemed to tremor as she asked the question, Weiss acted quickly to reassure her and planted her hand on top of Ruby's, Ruby closed her eyes and just felt the way how Weiss' hand, even though her hand was slightly colder than her own Ruby felt how it rested on hers as she breathed in slowly.

Tai answered. "Whatever is easier."

Frowning slightly she thought it was easier to just not tell anyone, to bottle it all up again and pretend that what happened in the Ever After could just stay there. Ruby scolded herself, that was part of the problem and besides if she couldn't even start with those who mattered the most to her, how could she help them if she didn't let them help her.

Ruby didn't know where to start so she went back to the original plan to save Penny and to save the people of Atlas and Mantle. She spoke of how carefully they worded their request to the being in the relic, how Penny was human, how everyone was renewed with hope at their success. She noticed Weiss tense up when she started talking about how they confronted Ambrosius with the plan for Mantle and Atlas, she felt it was her turn and turned her hand over so they were now holding hands, she intertwined her fingers with Weiss' own and felt relief when Weiss gave them a grateful squeeze. Ruby continued as she spoke of how people started to make their way across into Vacuo, how Cinder appeared with Neo and things took a turn for the worse.

She struggled to talk about how Yang took a hit that was meant for her, how she watched helplessly as Yang fell to what they assumed was her death, how her body turned to what seemed to look like stardust, how much like her own mother there would be nothing to bury. She looked at her dad and Qrow gratefully as they let her talk at her own speed and didn't interrupt, Ruby described how she felt when she herself fell holding onto Neo, the two falling through the sky and fighting in the air until they separated.

The damn beach, describing the isolation and seclusion she felt as the ocean washed her ashore and the sand sunk in between her fingers. Meeting Little, her ward guide and small light as she collapsed pulled her knees closer to herself letting her tears fall but they soon appeared. She smiled as she introduced them and the mixture of emotions she felt when they led her to their village and half her team were there, the relief and how grateful to no longer be a lone stranger but how that meant they had fallen as well.

Ruby was relieved to find Yang and laughed as she talked about how nonchalant her sister seemed to be about losing her arm but that was tempered by Weiss telling them that they had failed and Salem now had two relics. She felt Weiss tighten her hold on Ruby's hand as she talked about finding Penny's sword and how she used it to try and gain favour with the Red Prince but only after Yang almost got them arrest, she smiled as Tai chuckled as he commented that of course Yang was so quick to but heads with someone and Weiss chimed in her sister's defence that she was merely reclaiming her arm.

She explained how the Prince was disrespectful and discarded Penny's weapon into the wild and how he cheated at chess, meeting a Curious Cat while the rest of her team were shrunken people and a Herbalist who gave them some visions of themselves. Ruby paused as she remembered the word's her illusion said.

Are you a Huntress?

She told them about all the self-doubt she had, Mum had failed and they were the best of them all so how could she a kid overcome where the adults had failed. She explained how they made their way to a village to make Growgurt and they left it in ashes, she pulled Weiss closer to herself as she spoke those words and Weiss wrapped her arm around Ruby's back.

Meeting the Rusted Knight and their true identity, how she felt Jaune had become her opposite, she was surrounded by those close to her but she felt alone meanwhile he had no one but was ready to open up, how they couldn't keep the Paper Pleasers safe, how alien Crescent Rose felt in her hands, the familiar cold metal providing no comfort and only pain.

Ruby's voice dropped into shame as she talked about how she finally let her box of emotions fall apart and the bottle explode, how she threw her partner's words back at her, berated her sister and teammate for finding the time for themselves as she felt she had no time, she heard Weiss sniffle back tears but she didn't dare look at knowing she would start to cry but she rested her head on Weiss' shoulder.

The Part she hated most, running from her team and into the that forsaken house, she watched her father's arms tense as she described what Neo did and how she felt like it was what she deserved. After all she had failed everyone else, even Little, and so of course she would fail on herself. Spicy and sweet, warm, and sour, Ruby tried to describe the taste of the tea but truth be told it was simultaneously alien and familiar, strange but nostalgic. She hoped she didn't sound crazy when she described an almost god like Afteran, the blacksmith. The irony that she couldn't open to those closest to her but how this stranger seemingly lent her all the patience in the world and waited no matter how long it took for Ruby to find the words she wanted, how she was seemingly haunted by her mother's weapon throughout the Ever After and here it was again. Summer, she tried to explain how but truth be told she didn't know, she saw Summer and Raven leave and her mother lie about why to her dad.

Now she understood, her mum wasn't an end point, wasn't some goal to achieve nor some person who had all the answers, she was alongside her dad a starting point, how she loved her exactly how she was and she could honour her mother by being herself not some ideal imitation. How she reached for herself and fought reunited with her team not a Cat most Curious but a Cat most Callous, how they all met the Blacksmith through the portal and the things they had learned.

Ruby turned to Weiss and pulled her closer. "I thought I had to focus on the mission until the end, that as leader it wasn't right for me to lose focus until it was over. Recently I've been reminded that it is okay sometimes to choose me. I'm not very good at that but thankfully I've got great people around me that push me when I need it."

Ruby used her free arm to embrace Weiss, she could hide behind her and take sanctuary in Weiss' hair, scared that her dad or Qrow would be disappointed in her. She tensed up slightly as a chair scraped across the floor, she heard some footsteps and a soft tapping on her shoulder. She tightened her hold on Weiss unwilling to let go until she finally relented and freed herself and her partner, spin on the chair she turned around to her dad, he was crouching to be the same height, the eyes that stared back at her were sad and tired. He didn't however look at her with disappointment and Ruby didn't know if this was worse, she could deal with disappointment it was predictable after all but this was different.

"Come here." Tai said as he raised his arms up and Ruby almost jumped at him, she was prepared for a talking to or questions like why or how and she didn't want to answer those but instead it was the offer of a hug which she leapt at. "My favourite scythe wielder." He added and Ruby laughed into his shoulder as she heard Qrow grumble something. "Never apologise for losing your way, what matters is finding it again."

"You're not disappointed or angry?"

Ruby couldn't hide the hope in her voice. Tai ran his hand through his daughter's hair.

"Of course not, I'm sorry. As a parent it's my responsibility to help give you the means to grow and I failed to do so. Besides I know I lost my way when you were a kid, hell Yang was more of a parent to you at times… so I guess what I'm saying is you think you're to blame but you are incredible, even after all you've been through you still carried on until the weight became unbearable. So many would've crumbled sooner Ruby, don't think for a second that it is shameful to ask for help."

Ruby tried to wipe the tears she could feel building in her eyes with her arm, she pulled herself free from her dad's hug and looked between the supportive smile of her uncle and the strength of her dad. "I think I need help."

Tai gave her a big grin. "You name it and you've got it…"

Ruby nodded as she spoke. "Thanks dad."

Tai raised an eyebrow and leaned forward conspiratorially. "If it makes you feel better, I know of a source for pink hair dye, we can add it to Yang's shampoo, I bet we could even blame it on Raven."

Qrow's gruff voice cut between them. "Let's not tempt fate."

"This family is crazy." Exasperated Weiss and Ruby turned herself back to Weiss but before she could talk her dad beat her to it.

"You only just realized now? Too late to back out now Snowflake."

Ruby felt her own eyes widen as Weiss' did as well.

"You know?" asked Ruby and both Qrow and Tai laughed.

Tai spoke first. "Ruby I love you but you didn't do a good job of hiding it right now and besides even if I was blind, Qrow told me when he got me."

"What can I say." Qrow added. "Any excuse to embarrass my nieces and Yang already dropped hers on Tai, so you got the short straw."

Tai smiled towards Weiss, pulling Ruby back into a hug he outstretched his other arm towards Weiss. Weiss stepped stood up and stepped forward but before she could join the embrace of her own accord, Tai took hold of her arm and pulled her closer, she quickly cushioned her impact by wrapping an arm around Ruby who could only laugh at Weiss' discomfort towards her dad's antics.

"I have to admit, you get a lot from Summer and one of those things is definitely great taste in partners."

"Ugh, dad." Ruby rebuked.

"What? I've got a lot of embarrassing to make up for, lost time and the like."

Tai pulled the two with his arms and looked between them, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

"I would've paid to see a tiny Yang… did you take pictures?"

"We had more pressing issues and believe me, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be." Answered Weiss.