Ruby Rose had no idea what Pyrrha was saying most of the time.

Sure, she was older now, not exactly a kiddo anymore, but that didn't mean she had suddenly developed an interest in those kinds of relationships.

Yet here Pyrrha was, sitting by the campfire, talking about Jaune. Again.

Tall, beautiful, and one of the strongest soon-to-be Huntresses Ruby had ever met, Pyrrha Nikos was the kind of person that drew attention, even when she wasn't trying. She carried herself with a composure and grace that Ruby admired, wanted to learn, even. But when it came to Pyrrha talking about Jaune, especially in the context of complicated feelings?

It was like a bullet had jammed itself in Ruby's brain.

Pyrrha sighed, leaning back slightly. "I know Jaune's made it painfully clear that he's not interested," she admitted. "But backing down… it just feels wrong."

Ruby frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I like him, Ruby," Pyrrha said, voice tinged with something stubborn. "And Weiss—well, Weiss is just as stubborn as I am."

Ruby's brow twitched. Yeah, I noticed.

Everyone noticed.

They might as well say to the entire world that they were after one guy!

It wasn't strangely odd to Ruby, honestly. She and Yang had different mothers, so the idea of complicated family relationships and dynamics wasn't foreign to her. But this whole thing between Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrha? It made her head spin.

It wasn't just stubbornness. It was something more, something tangled and messy.

Ruby's silver eyes flickered toward the third person sitting with them by the fire.

Autumn.

She sat on the opposite side, poking at the crackling flames with a stick, humming softly under her breath.

"Red like roses fills my dreams
And brings me to the place you rest
White is cold and always yearning
Burdened by a royal test
Black, the beast descends from shadows
Yellow beauty burns gold…"

The tune trailed off as Autumn seemed to notice Ruby watching her.

Autumn raised an eyebrow. "Something up little Rose?"

"Not really, maybe you can advice Pyrrha?" Ruby said.

Pyrrha's attention immediately shifted to her. "Actually, since you're here… do you have any advice?"

Autumn blinked, as if not expecting the question. She leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. "Hah. Not really my area of expertise."

Pyrrha frowned. "Surely you must have some words of wisdom?"

Autumn groaned, running a hand through her hair. " I do have… one thing."

Ruby and Pyrrha exchanged looks, both leaning in slightly. "Really?"

Autumn let out a small, rough laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. But, uh… it's not exactly uplifting."

"How so?" Pyrrha asked.

Autumn hesitated for a long moment, staring into the fire. Then, with a voice quieter than before, she said:

"The person I adored… might have taken my best friend away from me."

Silence.

Ruby and Pyrrha both inhaled sharply, eyes wide.

That was not something they expected.

"What?" Ruby whispered.

Autumn didn't meet their gazes. She simply continued staring at the fire, her expression unreadable. The firelight flickered across her face, illuminating the faintest trace of a sorrow she had long since buried.

"Well," she finally said, exhaling slowly, "I believe he took her away from me."

Ruby blinked, glancing between Pyrrha and Autumn. "Took… who?"

Autumn's gaze remained distant. "The best… purest person I've ever met. And he took her away from me."

Her voice didn't waver, but Ruby could feel the weight behind the words. A deep, festering wound that hadn't healed, no matter how much time had passed.

"But," Autumn continued, softer now, "I understood. I really did. I still do." She clenched her fingers into a fist. "But that doesn't mean I can get rid of the hate I felt for him."

Ruby hesitated. "So… does that mean—?"

Autumn nodded before Ruby could even finish the thought.

"Yeah," she said simply. "It was… to keep something evil away from her. But it didn't change the fact that he took her from me."

She exhaled, shaking her head slightly. "We fought. We blamed each other. For a long time, there was nothing but blame between us. But despite all of that… when this evil cat tried to kill me…" Autumn's lips quirked slightly. "He took the killing blow."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait, he—"

"Don't worry," Autumn reassured her, an almost fond look crossing her face. "He lived. Well… in a way, he was alive."

Pyrrha and Ruby exchanged glances, but neither interrupted.

Autumn continued, her voice taking on a softer, almost wistful tone. "Something happened. And I met him again. But we weren't the same anymore."

Her eyes darkened slightly. "Both of us were changed. We were broken… and all alone in a place that no one else would understand."

Autumn laughed lightly, but there was no humor in it. "And when you're broken and alone… it's not hard to fall in love."

Silence.

Ruby swallowed, hesitant. "Was?"

Autumn's smile didn't fade, but something about it was… sad.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Was."

Pyrrha inhaled sharply. "Then… then does that mean—?"

"Yes." Autumn turned to her fully now, eyes meeting Ruby's. "He's exactly who you think."

Pyrrha mouthed an 'o'.

Autumn's smirk returned, though it was gentler now. "Of course, I prefer the Rusty one over the Squire, so no need to worry."

Ruby frowned. "What does that even mean?"

Before Autumn could answer, Pyrrha quickly interjected.

"It's nothing," Pyrrha said smoothly, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Just… something from the past."

Autumn's gaze remained distant, thoughtful, as if she had already wandered back to another time, another place. She seemed nostalgic but also… resigned.

Ruby frowned. "You're not making sense."

Pyrrha cleared her throat, shooting Autumn a subtle look. "That's enough," she said carefully.

Autumn glanced at her, amused. "Oh?"

Pyrrha's hand tensed at her side. "There's no point in digging too deep into things that don't change what's in front of us."

Autumn chuckled, leaning back slightly. "You say that, but you are curious, aren't you?"

Ruby's frustration only grew. "Okay, seriously! What does that mean?"

Autumn tilted her head. "What do you think it means?"

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it… hesitant. "…Did you love him?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, suspended between them like a blade on a string.

Autumn didn't answer right away.

Instead, she let out a slow breath, her fingers tracing idle patterns on the wooden table beside her. "I think," she murmured, "that love is a funny thing."

Pyrrha watched her carefully, but said nothing.

Autumn continued, voice softer than before. "Sometimes, love is built on years of companionship. Other times, it's forged in hardship, in pain, in shared loss." Her lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile. "And sometimes… it's just two broken people finding comfort in each other in a very strange world."

Pyrrha's heart clenched.

Autumn finally met her gaze. "So yes. I the end... I loved him...but sometimes... we end up to walk another path"

Silence.

Ruby wasn't sure what to say.

Autumn chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't look so heartbroken, Rose. It's just how things are sometimes."

Before Ruby could think of what to say next, Pyrrha spoke up.

"We should focus on the present," Pyrrha said gently, steering the conversation away.

Autumn exhaled, nodding. "Yeah. You're right."

The fire had burned down to embers, its glow casting long shadows across the campsite. Ruby's slow, even breathing and the gentle crackling of the coals were the only sounds as she slept soundly under her blanket. The night was still, the sky vast and endless above them, speckled with stars that shimmered like distant memories.

Pyrrha sat near the fire, arms wrapped around her knees, her gaze distant. Her thoughts were tangled, emotions weaving together in a way she couldn't quite unravel. Across from her, Autumn sat casually, leaning back against a fallen log, silver eyes reflecting the dim light like mirrors to a past that had yet to fade.

After a moment of silence, Pyrrha finally spoke.

"…Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

Autumn blinked, turning to her. "Hmm?"

"Jaune's master," Pyrrha clarified. "Do you think he'll wake up?"

Autumn let out a slow breath, tilting her head back to look at the sky. "I don't know," she admitted. "He was… really exhausted and wanted to sleep for a long time."

Pyrrha didn't answer right away. She wasn't sure she had an answer.

Autumn's gaze softened as she looked at Pyrrha. "And before you ask, it's useless to ask me about what him." A small smirk played on her lips. "I don't have any advice."

Pyrrha sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I understand."

Autumn's expression didn't change, but there was something knowing in her eyes. "Do you?"

Pyrrha exhaled, lowering her head slightly. "…No. Not really."

Autumn chuckled. "Yeah. Figured."

For a while, the two sat in silence, the cool night air wrapping around them.

Then, Autumn shifted slightly, her silver eyes gleaming in the dim light. "I'm guessing you might have an idea of who I am."

Pyrrha lifted her head, meeting her gaze.

She did have an idea.

But she wasn't certain. Not yet.

"…I think so," Pyrrha admitted, voice quiet. "But I'm still not sure."

"Let's just say," Autumn's smile grew faint. "I'm the 'ideal' that I want myself to be."

Pyrrha blinked. "The ideal?"

Autumn nodded, looking away again, watching the stars. "That's what I was supposed to be. What I thought I was." She let out a small breath, her tone softer. "But sometimes, no matter how much of an ideal you strive to be… it can never quite match reality."

Pyrrha's throat tightened.

Autumn continued, voice steady, yet laced with something Pyrrha couldn't quite name. "I'm only strong because I've gone through a string of failures that turned me into what I am now." She let out a quiet laugh, almost amused at the irony. "So, if you're looking for a way through Kiddo Jaune's heart… I'm really not the one to ask. I don't have the true wisdom to tell you what might and wrong."

Pyrrha closed her eyes briefly, taking it in.

"…This is all too complicated," she muttered.

Autumn laughed, the sound light and almost nostalgic. "Welcome to our world," she said. Then, after a moment, she added, "But you're not kids anymore. You're young adults now. You can do what you want to." She shrugged. "That's what being an adult is."

Pyrrha looked at her again, studying her carefully.

Autumn's expression softened once more. "Still," she murmured, "it's a pleasure, seeing you grow into such a wonderful woman."

Pyrrha felt warmth spread in her chest at the words, and after a moment, she nodded. "Thank you."

A silence stretched between them, not uncomfortable but weighted. Pyrrha finally spoke again.

"You talk about failure like it shaped you." She turned her gaze to Autumn, thoughtful. "But I think it's more than that."

Autumn exhaled, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Oh?"

Pyrrha hesitated before continuing. "You chose to become who you are now."

Autumn tilted her head. "And?"

Pyrrha searched her expression. "And… that means you did have a choice."

Autumn chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You're a sharp one, aren't you?"

Pyrrha didn't smile. "Am I wrong?"

Autumn sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "You're not wrong," she admitted. "But you're not entirely right, either."

Pyrrha furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

Autumn's gaze drifted toward the stars, something distant in her expression. "Life is full of choices, Pyrrha Nikos. But sometimes, it feels like no matter what you choose, you'll end up in the same place, anyway."

Pyrrha frowned. "That sounds… hopeless."

Autumn let out a quiet laugh. "Maybe." She leaned forward slightly, watching Pyrrha closely. "Or maybe it just means that instead of running from who we become… we should learn to accept it."

Pyrrha inhaled slowly, absorbing the words.

Autumn studied her for a moment before smirking again. "You're thinking too much, Nikos."

Pyrrha let out a small breath, shaking her head. "It's hard not to."

Autumn chuckled. "Yeah. I get that."

Another silence stretched between them, though this one felt… lighter.

Autumn stretched, rolling her shoulders before leaning back again. "Well, whatever happens, just remember, none of this has to be as complicated as you make it."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "That's easy for you to say."

Autumn smirked. "Is it?"

Pyrrha sighed. "I feel like I should be getting wisdom from you, not vague riddles."

Autumn grinned. "That was wisdom."

Pyrrha shook her head with an exasperated smile. "Right."

Autumn's expression softened once more. "You'll be fine, Nikos." She leaned her head back against the log, closing her eyes. "You're already more than you think you are... sometimes… you just have to trust love. It's all I can tell you..."

Pyrrha watched her for a long moment before nodding.