Ruby had forgotten how draining it used to be to use her semblance. No wonder she had been reluctant to use it most of the time, and that it had taken her so long to figure it out properly (thanks Penny!) and evolve it. Well, not this time around. She can't afford to waste any time.

By the time they make it out of the woods, Ruby is more than ready to collapse into bed and pass out. Instead, she forces herself to stay awake and somewhat alert as Ozpin announces the various teams and their members. She doesn't allow herself to relax until he calls team JNPR and then shortly afterwards, team RWBY.

She barely hears Yang's congratulations over the wave of relief that hits her, nodding weakly along with her sister's words of praise. All that matters is that she kept their team arrangements the same as before. She'd been so worried that she'd somehow accidentally managed to change things somehow by accident, especially since so many things had seemed like they were entirely up to chance.

"Ruby?" She doesn't hear her sister calling her until Yang waves her hand in front of her face. "Hey, Ruby?"

"Wha'?" she replies, jolting back to her senses. Shaking her head to clear it, she swallows and tries again. "What's going on?"

"We've got our dorm assignments," Yang tells her, a fond smile on her face. "C'mon, let's hurry over there so we can crash."

She doesn't have to tell Ruby twice. They arrive at their room to find that their bags have already been delivered to their new quarters. Ruby wouldn't care right now if their bags had been somehow lost forever. The only thing she cares about right now is the beautiful invention known as the bed that's right in front of her. She doesn't even bother to change her clothes or get under the covers, just tugs off her boots and collapses on her side before it's lights out.

Of course, even when she's completely exhausted, Ruby still can't escape from the nightmares. She wakes up and sits bolt upright in bed, gasping, feeling like her heart is about to pound out of her chest. At least she didn't wake up screaming this time.

Glancing around the room, Ruby breathes out a sigh of relief when she sees that her teammates are still sleeping soundly. At least she didn't wake them up. Belatedly, she realizes that she's under the covers, and her cloak was removed at some point. She definitely didn't bother with any of that before she fell asleep, so Yang must have tucked her in.

Her sister is always looking out for her, even when Yang herself is exhausted. And now Ruby is going to try to return the favor by letting her sister sleep. She's not planning on going back to bed right now, far too wired from her nightmares to try to sleep again. Even if it's-she glances at her scroll and winces-3:30 in the morning.

Instead, Ruby climbs out of bed and tiptoes across the room, trying not to make any noise. She grabs her bag that she finished packing yesterday morning (wow, that already feels like a lifetime ago) and starts pulling things out and putting them away. She remembers which closet she was assigned last time, and figures it's not a problem if she just claims it for herself.

It's repetitive work that doesn't require a lot of thought, perfect for helping to shake off the remnants of anxiety from her nightmare. As she folds and hangs up her clothes, she practices the meditations that Miss Calavera taught her, clearing her mind and focusing on the things she cares about most. After laying out her uniform to wear to classes later, she's surprised when she checks the time on her scroll to see that it's already been two hours since she woke up.

None of her teammates have so much as stirred, and Ruby is debating getting dressed and heading down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee when her scroll lights up with a text notification. It's from Qrow.


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