Jonathan hummed his favourite tune, carrying two large shopping bags as he walked down the dimly lit corridor. It'd been a while since he drove back home. So, he shouldn't be surprised by the sheer amount of produce his family had given him. It was enough to last him for weeks. His mouth watered. Now, he just needed to find a good recipe online.

He stopped when he passed a corner. Someone was gazing at their dorm door with downcast eyes. Someone that Jonathan knew quite well lately.

"…Jaune?"

Jaune snapped his eyes at him. His arms pressed against the sides of his body. Despite the faded hallway lights, Jonathan could see how fidgety he was.

"Oh, hey, Jonathan! Didn't see you there. Ha-ha…"

Jonathan gave him a flat look. He sighed and placed his bags down.

"Okay, what is it this time?"

"What is—Hey! You're making it sound like I whine a lot!"

Jonathan looked at him with a knowing smile.

Jaune groaned. "Okay, you're right! It's just about…everything. About Cardin, about Pyrrha… I'm starting to think I shouldn't have come to this school." He slumped against the wall.

"…I can sympathise with your issues with Cardin. But what's wrong with Pyrrha? I thought she was quite supportive of you." Jonathan sat beside him.

"She is. That's the problem… For all my life, I've always needed help. Studying, training, it doesn't matter. I needed to rely on others to do anything. I thought things would change here, that I can prove to myself I can achieve something with my own hands. But in the end, it's all the same."

A stabbing pain shot through Jonathan's heart. He'd be lying if he said he couldn't relate to Jaune. Perhaps it was why he bonded so well with him. But comparing his issues wouldn't be helpful. He needed to offer him an ear and some encouraging words.

Jonathan said, "We're still only in our first year. We can't avoid making mistakes. But as long as we know what went wrong and learn from them, we'll get better. Besides, let's not forget, the fact you're here means you have what it takes to become a Huntsman."

"…It's not that simple."

"What do you mean?"

"I… It's nothing." Jaune rubbed his eyes and stood. "Thanks. But I need some time to think."

Jonathan reached out his hand but pulled it back at the last moment. This wasn't the right time to use his Semblance. Jaune needed to figure this out himself. A bitter taste appeared in his mouth as he watched Jaune disappear back to his dorm. Jonathan sighed. He bent down to pick up his bags. It was then he noticed the opposite door was ajar. A young girl, wearing a black tank top and spotty white pants, was peeking through the door gap.

"Ruby?"

She flinched. As if being caught stealing something, she slowly opened the door.

"Hey…you."

"Ah." He smiled. "I'm Jonathan. I was in the same year as your sister back in Signal. She talked about you a lot."

"Oh, that's why!"

She stopped saying anything. But she kept darting her eyes at him, shifting her weight constantly. Her hands were hidden behind her back. He wouldn't be surprised if she started whistling.

"…Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Oh, no! Nothing's wrong. I just…heard what you said to Jaune."

"Eavesdropping isn't nice, you know." He chuckled. "But jokes aside, what do you need?"

She scratched her cheek. A light blush touched her cheeks. She opened and closed her mouth in quick succession.

"DoyouthinkIamagoodleader?"

"…What?"

"I'm sorry! Forget it. I don't know what I'm talking about."

He panicked. "No, it's fine! I just didn't hear what you said."

She slowed her breathing and gazed at him. All of a sudden, she seemed a lot smaller.

"Do you think I'm a good leader?"

"Uh…"

Now, it was his turn to squirm uncomfortably. From what Weiss had told him, there had been…disagreements. Still, it wouldn't be right or fair to leave this until tomorrow; not after what happened with Jaune just then. But it'd also be incredibly awkward if they kept talking in the corridor.

"Ruby, why don't we have a chat somewhere else? I'll put away my bags first. But I think the garden should be a good place."

She gave him a sideways look. After a brief silence, she nodded.

"Okay, I'll go get my cloak."

She softly closed the door behind her. Jonathan bent down again. Then, a blow of hot air touched his ear, followed by a whisper.

"Getting along with my sister, are we?"

Jonathan covered his ear and jumped away. "Yang, don't do that!"

"Sorry, not sorry." She grinned.

The door opened again. When Ruby saw Yang, an excited gleam appeared in her eyes.

"You're back!" She dashed and threw her a hug.

Yang caressed her sister's hair. "Of course. Can't leave my baby sister for too long, can I?"

"You went out as well?" Jonathan asked.

"Uh-hum. There's a new club in town. They're offering discounts to everyone."

Ruby pouted. "But you go every day! You don't even bring me with you."

"Sorry, Rubes. Maybe next time." She let go of her and glanced at her cloak. "Are you going somewhere?"

Jonathan replied, "We're just going to the garden for a moment. I promise she'll be back in one piece."

"Well, I wasn't worried until you said the last part." Yang leaned closer and smirked. "You're not planning something, right?"

He laughed. "Don't worry, Bro Code still stands."

Yang chortled and gave him a fist bump. When the door closed again, that warm fuzzy feeling remained. He turned around and found Ruby staring at him with her arms crossed. It was pretty curious; she seemed a bit annoyed.

She said, "You two are close."

"That's what happens when you know someone for four years." Jonathan let out an amused sigh.

As expected, the school garden was empty at this time of the night. The shattered moon hung high above the sky while the chilly breeze pierced his body, forcing him to hug his body. They found a bench under a lonesome lamp. Ruby sat next to him and stared at her combat boots. Only the buzzing sound of bugs circling the light filled the silence. It was tempting to start the conversation. But he figured he shouldn't force her and gave her plenty of space.

"Thanks for talking to Weiss, by the way," she said.

He nodded. "No problem. Though, I was hoping you two have made up."

She sighed and looked at the moon above.

"…She still doesn't think I should be the leader. She thinks I'm too young and inexperienced to be a Huntress." She hugged her legs and muttered. "Maybe she's right."

Jonathan sighed softly. Countering her thoughts directly wouldn't change anything. It might even seem like he was dismissing her concerns. He'd have to get the full picture and offer her a different perspective.

He said, "I can see it's quite difficult for you. What about the others? What do Blake and Yang think?"

She chuckled weakly. "I don't know what Blake is thinking most of the time. Yang is, well, Yang. But whenever I try to make a decision, she always makes it for me, saying 'she knows best'."

"…You think she doesn't trust you."

She nodded. Jonathan caught himself from saying anything. That'd explain Yang's behaviour before the Initiation. But putting it aside, he needed to focus on what was in front of him.

"…Have you told them about how you feel?"

"No, I don't think I should."

"It's not easy," he admitted. "But it's possible they don't know how you're feeling. It's better to get everyone on the same page and work from there. If you need someone to be a mediator, I'm more than happy to do that."

A faint smile appeared. But it disappeared just as quickly on her face.

"But…I'm a leader. I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to put my teammates first."

"Ruby, leader or not, no one is invincible. You can't help others if you're in a bad spot yourself. That's what a team is for. We support each other, including our leaders."

She let out a long sigh. It'd take time to change her mindset. But at least he'd planted a seed in her mind tonight. After another round of silence, she rose to her feet. The optimistic side of him could see the hopeful spark in her eyes.

She said, "Thank you."

"No problem." He got up from the bench. "Oh, and you can try learning from our classmates. I'm sure they'll happily show you what they know."

"Like…Grayson?"

He grimaced. "Probably not. He's different."

"Different?" She frowned.

"I…can't explain it. But take my word for it."

Ruby gazed at him. Her face told him she wanted to ask him more. But luckily, she eventually hummed and gave him a nod.

He smiled. "Thanks. Anyway, we should probably head back. We still have a field trip tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm not worried." She grinned and struck a pose on the bench. "Not when we can finally drink coffee!"

"…Good for you."

Author's Notes:

One thing I dislike about the early RWBY is how easily they resolve conflicts. They have volumes, and they make everything okay in a single episode. That's why I'll now prolong their suffering.

Am I making Ruby too incompetent? Not really. She's two years ahead with little to no knowledge or experience in leading a team. I think a few setbacks are reasonable and expected.

See you next week.