The next two weeks were utter chaos for Ruby.

Between finals, Weiss's insistence on 'team study sessions (which, honestly, was probably a good idea), and teaching Jaune how to fight fast opponents, it felt like she barely had a moment to rest. The little rest she did get was when she went to the library with Blake or went into Vale with Jaune—both things becoming strange, bi-weekly rituals for her.

That wasn't even the strangest part. No, that came from her dreams. Some nights she was fine—or having a nightmare like failing Beacon or something—but others…others were really bad.

As the day for the Amora trip drew closer, the nightmares became more frequent. They usually weren't quite as bad as the first one, as they merely woke her up rather than paralyzing her, but the intensity had been replaced with frequency—to the point that at the end of the semester she was having a nightmare every night.

On the day of the trip, you could power a city with her nervous energy.

She'd packed…well, all of her clothes from her closet into a large suitcase. Crescent Rose—as well as her ammo—of course, would have to be sent separately. She was wearing a simple dark-red skirt with black polka dots and a white, sleeveless button-down.

Yang, clad in her normal attire but without her brown jacket, slammed her suitcase shut with a grunt of effort—the giant black thing clearly not designed to fit the sheer amount of clothes Yang had shoved inside. "And done! You ready, ladybug?"

Ruby rolled her eyes at the nickname. She should've figured Yang would call her that the second she put the skirt on. "I've been ready for thirty minutes. Blake and Weiss already left—come on!"

Ruby locked the door behind Yang, the two walking down the mostly empty halls toward Oobleck's classroom. Unlike Yang—who'd put basically everything in her suitcase—Ruby had on her brown backpack. Said pack was filled with things she thought she'd need for the trip, including various chargers, their passports, headphones, and, naturally, her video game console.

Okay, technically it was Yang's, but who's keeping track?

The two rounded the corner to Oobleck's classroom, seeing six familiar faces lined up just outside, leaning against the wall.

Blake was the first in line, clad in a pair of dark jeans and her usual boots. She wore a black, sleeveless button down over a white t-shirt, her hair pulled in a ponytail as her signature bow rested on her head. She gave a faint smile at their approach, one Ruby quickly returned.

Weiss was behind her, currently reading over a book about Amora she'd bought a week prior. Unlike Blake, she was wearing her normal outfit, two suitcases resting in front of her. The very same ones that had nearly caused her and Ruby to be blown off the side of Beacon upon their first meeting, funnily enough.

Jaune was behind them, wearing a bright blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His suitcase actually had his family crest on the front of it, though otherwise was a bright white. Makes it easy to find, at least.

Ren and Nora stood behind him…well, Ren stood, Nora was sitting down. Ren was wearing his normal pants but had on a gray t-shirt that exposed much of his surprisingly muscular arms. Nora, meanwhile, was wearing what Ruby recognized as her pajamas—'BOOP' shirt, black pink shorts—the works. The only thing different was the pair of bright-pink headphones around her neck.

The two rolled their suitcases to the opposite side of the hall from their teammates, Yang walking to Blake as Ruby leaned against her suitcase. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the handle of it, manually slowing her breaths to try and calm herself down. You're just going to Amora, everything will be fine. Everything will be—

"Ruby?"

Her head shot up, eyes meeting Jaune's as he stood a few feet away. He held up his hands, eyes shining in concern as they flicked to her hands. "Are you okay? You seem…" he sighed, "there's no way to say this nicely—you look like a nervous wreck."

Ruby frowned, tapping her index fingers together. "Is it that obvious?"

Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder, the contact at least giving Ruby something else to think about. "Are you thinking about that nightmare again?"

She wrapped her arms around him, sighing as Jaune hugged her back. "I haven't had a decent night's sleep in days. I keep having those weird nightmares where I can't remember anything…hard to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night, you know?"

Jaune nodded, rubbing calming circles on her back as his other hand held a bit tighter. "Well, maybe you'll sleep better on the plane?"

Ruby shrugged.

"Would it help if I sat next to you?"

Ruby frowned, resting her chin on Jaune's chest to look at him. "Aren't we sitting together anyway?"

Jaune blinked twice before his face tinted pink. "Oh, right. Kinda forgot about that, honestly."

Ruby gave a faint chuckle as she nuzzled against his chest, letting her eyes slip shut. For the first time that morning, she let herself relax, sinking deeper into the ocean that was Jaune's comforting presence…or maybe it was just his shirt—she wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it was a blanket of warmth she gladly let herself get lost in, her mind slowly drifting away…

"GROUP HUG!"

Ruby's eyes shot open as she was lifted a good foot in the air. Her head snapped to the side, just in time to see Nora's smiling face before she was promptly squished into Jaune's chest again. She let out a little whimper, eyes shutting involuntarily as Nora squeezed tighter—the breath fleeing from her lungs.

Thankfully, Jaune noticed Ruby's distress in time. "Nora, back up a bit. You're squishing her."

Ruby gasped for air as Nora stepped back.

"Whoops. My bad, cookie dust!"

Ruby turned around, letting herself lean against Jaune as she recovered from the sudden squishing. "It's okay! Just, uh…try not to hug me like that next time."

Nora frowned, tilting her head as one hand rested on her hip. "How should I hug you, then?"

This time Ruby walked to her, gently wrapping her arms around the shorter girl. Her hug was reciprocated instantly, dragging a smile from the still tense girl. "Like this! Firm enough to be comforting, but not enough to be suffocating, okay?"

Nora didn't respond for a moment, her hands finding their place on Ruby's back before she gave a bright smile. "Hold you like you're a tiny, fluffy puppy—got it!"

Ruby gave her a quizzical look. "Um…sure—whatever helps you remember, I guess."

Jaune placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving her a comforting smile. "Feel better, or just as nervous as a few minutes ago?"

"A bit better, thanks."

Nora smirked at Jaune. "I told you hugs were the key to infinite happiness!"

Jaune held up his hands. "I never said they weren't."

Before Nora could respond with some (likely insane) offhand comment, the door to Oobleck's classroom flung open—causing Blake to leap back. The group saw Oobleck march out into the hall, clad in a red shirt covered in a white flower pattern, and a pair of khaki shorts, with a suitcase behind him and his trustworthy thermos in hand.

He sipped from said thermos before smiling at the group. "Ah, Amora Adventurers! Excellent to see you all packed and ready! First off: A quick headcount!"

"RoseSchneeBelladonnaXiaoLong—"

He spoke so quickly even Ruby couldn't understand what he was saying, his finger a blur as he pointed at people.

He stopped after a moment, looking down the hall before turning around. "That's strange, we're short! Where are—"

"Yo! We're here!"

The group turned to see two girls sprinting down the hall, skidding to a halt just in front of Oobleck. One was clad in a brown tank top and pair of distressed jeans, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses and the top of her head hidden by a beret. In one hand she rolled a suitcase about the same size as Yang's, the other holding a to-go cup from the school cafeteria.

The other was wearing a long, brown sundress that stretched almost all the way down to her ankles, her feet hidden by black slip-on sandals. Her eyes were wide and as brown as her hair, as well as the two large rabbit ears sticking up above that. Unlike the first, she wheeled two suitcases—one small and one large—along with what looked like a laptop bag over her shoulders.

Oobleck smiled at the two. "Ah! Miss Adel, Miss Scarlatina! Perfect timing, now we can depart for the airport. Everyone, follow me!"

Oobleck speed walked forward, everyone scrambling to keep pace with him.

He guided them through Beacon's halls at a breakneck pace, only stopping when he reached an airship a ways away from the others currently loaded down with students leaving for summer break.

He spun on his heel, holding up a hand as everyone slammed to a stop—several people (notably Ruby and Yang) bumping into the people in front of them as he did so. "Alright, everyone, ensure you have everything! This will be the last time we see Beacon for the next two months!"

Other than Weiss and Coco—the two most used to traveling (legally, at least)—everyone checked inside their suitcases. Everyone checked on a scale from a simple glance (Nora) to going through basically their entire suitcase to ensure they didn't leave something behind (Jaune). Ruby was somewhere in the middle of that, unzipping her suitcase and ensuring she had the key items—i.e. her clothes and video games, given her headphones were in her backpack.

With everyone nodding at Oobleck, he guided the group of ten onto the airship.

Ruby's eyes flicked to Jaune as she sat on his left. "You took motion sickness pills before this, right? Feel okay?"

Jaune nodded with a—it has to be said—very forced smile. "Yeah…yeah, I'm good. Don't worry, I won't be throwing up this time."

Despite this, Ruby still pulled her feet up onto her chair.

The ride wasn't long, but it was long enough for Ruby's dread to come hurtling back to her. Her heart was beating like she was sprinting away from a pack of hungry beowolves as they stood in line for airport security, half of her mind tempted to sneak something metal onto her or fake an illness so she couldn't leave.

She was so on edge that she nearly yelped when Jaune tapped her wrist.

She looked over, feeling his hand wrap around hers, his eyes flicking over her as he frowned. "You okay? You're being quieter than Ren—and that's saying something."

Ruby nodded, giving a nervous chuckle as they waited on the others past the metal detectors. "I'm…I'm fine! Just uh…just kinda nervous, is all. I mean it's my first time going so far from home, first time on an inter-continental flight, first time…just a lot of firsts, I guess."

She yawned, rubbing her eyes with one hand as the other held fast to Jaune's hand.

Jaune didn't let go, guiding her with Oobleck toward their gate and respective waiting area. "Ruby, if you're getting that worked up about this, maybe you shouldn't—"

"I'll be fine. Just…gotta get over the pre-flight jitters, is all."

She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince with that one.

The group made their way to gate 2B, Oobleck turning to address the crowd. "Alright, everyone! Our flight leaves in approximately one hour and thirteen minutes, so be back here before then! In the meantime, feel free to have a seat, nap, wander around the airport—etc., etc. I'll remain here, so if you don't want to lug around your carry-ons, feel free to leave them nearby!"

Most everyone—barring Coco and Weiss whose carry-ons were just their purses—set their bags down near Oobleck. Most were backpacks, with the exception of Nora's which looked more like a bright pink duffle bag with the words 'Boop Patrol' written on the side in big, white font.

Jaune, meanwhile, turned to Ruby, a concerned frown still dominating his features. "Hey, would you like to get something to eat? Maybe that'll calm your nerves a little."

Ruby slowly nodded, letting out a small sigh. "Yeah, that…that's probably not a bad idea. Haven't had breakfast yet anyway."

Jaune nodded, guiding the two away from the group and to one of the many snack stands nearby. Unbeknownst to the two, a certain dark-haired cat faunus dogged (heh) their steps. Her eyes flicked between the two, slowly resting on their enjoined hands.

"Hey, Ruby?"

Ruby turned, smiling as she saw Blake walk up to her right, joining in step with the two. "Hey, Blake! We're heading to get breakfast, wanna come?"

Blake's eyes flicked between them before she nodded, taking Ruby's other hand with a faint smile. "Lead the way."

Ruby looked between them, her face tinting pink as she realized she was walking flush against Jaune's stomach one one side and Blake's chest on the other. Her hands were pulled a bit forward thanks to the two's longer steps, her eyes flicking between them. I mean…it is nice. Like being hugged while we walk. Still kinda weird, though…

Blake looked up at Jaune, tilting her head slightly. "Is it really a good idea for you to have breakfast before getting on a plane? You aren't exactly known for your strong stomach."

Jaune shook his head, waving his other hand in a dismissive motion. "Oh, no, I'm not having breakfast. Ruby is. I figured it would help her get over her nerves."

Blake looked down. "Nerves? Scared of flying all of a sudden?"

Ruby shook her head, eyes flicking to the ground as she felt the familiar embarrassment come back. "No, it's just that I've never gone so far from home before. Not to mention I've been having nightmares for weeks because of this trip. It's been stressing me out."

Blake slowly nodded, a concerned frown similar to Jaune's forming on her face. She let go of her hand, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "You think you'll be okay for the trip?"

"Yeah, I'll…I'm fine." she paused for a moment. "I'm fine."

Blake didn't let go, clearly unconvinced.

Her eyes flicked to Jaune, narrowing into a lethal glare. "Jaune, you will say nothing about what happens next, got it?"

Jaune gulped, slowly nodding.

Blake pulled Ruby to her chest, a familiar vibration running against her head as Blake began to purr. Jaune's eyes widened much the same way Ruby's had when she first learned Blake's second faunus secret, but he kept to his word and didn't speak up.

When they reached the breakfast place—a small place really only serving pastries—Ruby was smiling and content in Blake's half-hug. The warmth from her and Jaune alike, plus the comforting vibrations from Blake's purring, put her in a state of near bliss. While she was still worried, she could appreciate the distraction.

The three (well, two) placed their orders before having a seat, Ruby pulling Blake and Jaune to a booth so she could still sit between them. She let out a little sigh as she leaned against Blake's shoulder, smiling as Jaune began rubbing calming circles on her back. "Thanks, guys. You're—" she yawned. "The best…"

Blake smiled, patting Ruby's shoulder as she purred just a bit louder.

Ruby let her eyes slip shut, falling into the most peaceful sleep she'd had that week.