At least their latest problem is one that's relatively easy to solve.
When the lights had gone out, they'd all been caught off guard, the sudden overwhelming darkness making them all jumpy. Ruby had been ready to tear her hair at having yet another problem to solve and another interruption to helping Penny, when Weiss' mom had quietly chimed in and mentioned the backup generator. Because of course the Schnees had a backup generator in their sprawling palace of a house.
Actually, it had been interesting to see Weiss interact with her mother. Ruby had only heard Weiss mention her mom once, back in Haven, when she'd been eavesdropping on her partner's conversation with Yang. She'd gotten the impression that the two of them weren't close, but Weiss hadn't had the same anger when talking about her as she did when she talked about her father.
Weiss hadn't seemed relieved when her mother had emerged from the shadows of the house, quiet as a ghost, or when she had suggested the generator as a potential solution. She hadn't seemed angry or happy throughout their conversation, keeping her face carefully neutral. And her mom had behaved similarly, as if she was speaking to a stranger rather than her own daughter.
She's a bit more tense about the situation than Weiss is, Ruby notices. Although she'd cracked a joke about not wanting to drink in the dark, her hands are noticeably trembling, even in the dim light from their scrolls. Ruby can't blame her. She's anxious about what's going on, and she's a trained huntress.
Although they're wary of splitting up further, it becomes clear that part of their group needs to go find and turn on the spare generator, while the rest of them stay and keep watch over the injured, just in case. They can't be sure if there isn't something out there, lurking in the dark.
Tired of just sitting around and waiting for something to do, Ruby volunteers to head out and try to find the generator. Blake offers to go as well. Ruby isn't surprised. Blake has always been the type to take action if she can. They're very similar, in that respect.
The two of them cautiously make their way out of Weiss' room and down the hallway towards the stairs. Blake might have the advantage of night vision because of her cats' eyes, but Ruby isn't so lucky. She does her best to navigate the unfamiliar house by the light of her scroll, but after the third time she stumbles over something in the dark, she feels Blake take her hand, jumping a bit at the sudden contact.
"It's just me," Blake says quietly. Ruby can hear the smile in her voice. "You can go ahead and follow my lead. I won't lead you into any walls, I swear."
"Promise?" Ruby jokes weakly, feeling herself flush even though there's no one around to see her stumbling in the dark.
"No," Blake says sweetly. They both giggle a bit. "You know, Ruby," Blake continues after a brief pause. "It's okay to ask for help when you need it. You don't have to do everything on your own."
"I—I know," Ruby stammers in reply. What brought this on?
"I mean it, you know. I know that you always try to be strong for the rest of us because you're the leader and you want us to be able to rely on you, but it's okay if you don't always have all the answers, or if you can't do everything all the time."
"Uh—" Ruby has absolutely no idea what to say to that.
"You know, it's funny, even though you're younger than the rest of us, I've always looked up to you, ever since we first met, Ruby. You have the most heart out of any of us, and you care so much about what you do. I really admire that about you. Just, don't forget to take care of yourself, too, okay?"
At a loss for words, Ruby is pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to react if Salem herself appeared in front of them right now. After clearing her throat a couple times, she finally manages to eke out a response without her voice breaking on the first word. "Um, uh—yeah. Okay. I promise I'll try."
"That's all I can ask for." Blake flashes her a smile, the glint of her teeth visible even though the grounds of the Schnee manor are shrouded in darkness.
"I think we're in the right place," Ruby says, desperate to change the conversation away from words of praise that she has no idea what to do with.
"Then let's get to work."