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Cradling the steaming hot teacup in her palms like a lifeline, Blake senses a dreadful wrongness in the air.
She can’t bring herself to leave Ruby’s side. Before she would’ve run. She would’ve run from the thought of exercising any slight amount of comfort to another person. She would’ve run, knowing that comforting someone would expose a flaw in the rough exterior she’s had to protect herself with. But now parting with the people she loves is unthinkable.
She thinks maybe part of it comes from the effect that Ruby Rose has on others. As an embodiment of purity, her presence lights up a room. Her naive ideals of hope, and wanting to be the hero who guides the world on to the path of peace and unity are naive, and completely unachievable entirely. But she’s the kind of inspiring hero that will fight for those ideals to the end. It’s so inspiring that others will join her.
Even Blake did.
She was a young faunus girl thrust into the midst of the faunus revolution, and her experiences showed her that the world would never change. She knew that the world would always be destructive and full of hate, that there would always be disagreement and segregation. War. Bloodshed.
But Blake has seen people change. She’s seen the worst in people be changed for the better. Weiss… Ilia. Both of them have a reason to hate… to belittle, to trample, and both of them have. But against all odds they were changed.
So Blake started to believe that unity was possible. That this time the faunus can stop the bloodshed, and make the world a better place.
“Unfortunately, the real world isn’t the same as a fairytale.” She can hear her younger self saying.
“Well, that’s why we’re here,” Ruby's naive, stubbornly chipper voice says back . “To make it better.”
Blake thinks back to that day a lot. Seeing Ruby so shattered and heartbroken, it’s hard for her to believe that the girl back then is the same one she can feel curled up against her side. The same girl who has seen the death of a family or friend three times too many… who moments ago cried herself asleep from overwhelming grief.
Even the most brilliant lights can flicker and die. It’s a line Blake has read before, one that’s been stuck with her for a long time. Once, she appealed to the line’s meaning. Not anymore. Instead it twists her stomach into knots and sends cold shivers brushing up and down her neck.
“Blake… what do I do?” It sounded to Blake like begging. Like Ruby was desperately clawing at air for an answer. The faunus tried to tell her leader to do what she does best, but it’s not what Ruby wanted to hear. Or what she needed to hear.
So instead she just held Ruby as she wept. Blake still doesn’t have an answer.
“Hey,” Weiss’ gentle voice cuts through the tension in the room like it’s butter. Blake shifts her head to the door where Weiss is closing it as softly as she can behind her. She’s carrying a tray of first aid supplies in her arms. “Sorry it took me so long, the original spot I was getting these from ran out, so I had to cross the entire house to get these ones.”
Blake cracks a gentle smirk, causing Weiss cheeks to puff up angrily. “And just what is so funny?”
“Just that 15 minutes is a long time for someone to walk to and from a single room in a person’s house,” Blake says.
“Oh, ha-ha. Yes, my family has a lot of money, ergo, we get big houses and lots of buildings. Can we move past this apparently hilarious running joke, please?”
Blake smiles warmly. “Fine… but only if it’s no longer hilarious.”
“ Wonderful .” Weiss rolls her eyes.
The mood shifts uncomfortably from playful to tense again, and Weiss makes her way over to the bed with the supplies, beginning to prep some more bandage strips for Nora. As she’s cutting the strips, Blake sees her eyes flutter up to Ruby every two seconds or so, worry shining clear in their icy blue. Blake runs her fingers slowly through Ruby’s spiked hair protectively, hoping her touch will fend off any nightmares that may be plaguing her leader’s mind.
Weiss suddenly halts in her cutting motion, rubbing at her forehead with a groan. “This is… too much. It’s messy, miserable… we can’t do anything in the position we’re in, and with no way to contact the others… we’re stuck , Blake. What’re… what’re we going to do? I… oh, gosh, Penny .” Her breath hitches and shutters with a sob.
Blake feels her own tears springing into her eyes and looks down to Ruby again. Ruby . The thought of losing Yang makes her want to throw up on the spot, but knowing now that Ruby and Penny loved each other the same way and only just confirming it on Penny’s deathbed… it’s terrible .
It’s not like their budding romance wasn’t obvious to all of them. The two girls weren’t subtle. Penny was always seeking Ruby out, Ruby taking every opportunity to spend time with her, the two of them laughing and sharing stories and simply being good company. They comforted each other when they needed it the most, the overwhelming desire to protect each other at all costs. Their instinctive step closer to one another whenever a situation got tense.
It was obvious from the start they loved each other.
Now Penny’s gone… again . And Ruby’s left with the burden that came with the cost of losing her. The burden of the Protector of Mantle.
“We won’t know until we hear news from the others,” Blake says. “Then…”
“Then what?” Weiss exclaims.
“We pray that the rest of Remnant has gotten our message. We just need to have faith in them.”
“Do you really think that the other Kingdoms will come to our rescue?” Weiss asks bleakly, expression doubtful. “Even after they all blamed Atlas for the Fall of Beacon?”
“Ruby knew what she was doing,” Blake explains. “She gave them the chance to prove themselves. She showed them all that if we fail here, she has faith in the rest of the world to continue the fight in our stead. We just need to be patient.”
Weiss humphs as she starts to aggressively roll the bandages and tidies up the rest of her work. Nora is wrapped in new bandages, but she’s still unmoving. Breathing, but unmoving. It’s scary seeing your friend like that. Blake remembers the aftermath of the Fall. She’d checked on her friends before leaving, and found Yang and Ruby last. Ruby had been in a similar state, completely still, and drained of aura. But Ruby hadn’t absorbed lightning. Blake’s unsure of whether or not Nora will recover.
And Ruby… she’s been through so much. She’s travelled across Anima with barely any time to recover from her grief. She’s seen two friends die- one of them twice- right before her eyes. She’s lost a love, she’s lost a family member. All the while she’s carrying the weight of responsibility that a 17 year old shouldn’t have to carry.
The world of Remnant is cruel, and it seems adamant on staying that way.
“Besides,” Weiss says. “When I asked what we’re going to do, I wasn’t just thinking about the plan.” Her gaze falls to Ruby, and Blake can tell she really wants to reach out and brush the hair from her forehead. Blake opts to do it for her, gently combing Ruby’s frazzled hair with her fingers.
Blake feels her ears shrivel. “I’m not sure… we can never really tell with her can we? She’s never been particularly good with talking about feelings.”
“That’s because she’s stuck with this ridiculous leader-hero complex combination,” The ex-heiress shakes her head. “She always tells us that we can talk to her about our problems whenever we need it…” she trails off. “I wish Yang were here. They’re sisters; if anyone can get Ruby to talk, it’d be her.”
“Yeah, or make things worse ,” Blake points out. “In case you haven’t noticed, things between them haven’t exactly been the greatest.”
“Please. At the very least this is a fight over the last crepe or something with those two.” Weiss folds her braid across her shoulder and curls her fingers around it in a grip. “At least I hope that’s all it is. We’ve never really seen them fight before, have we?”
“It’s worrying,” Blake admits, letting her ears curl ever so slightly. “If this whole thing is even separating them… how do we fix it? Our family ?”
“The best we can do is be there for each other, stay strong, and positive,” Weiss says. She moves over to their side of the bed and sinks gently onto the mattress and grasps Ruby’s ankles buried under the covers. “Like she did. For as long as she could.”
Ruby shifts at the touch, her legs folding and at first Blake thinks it's because she’s trying to pull her feet away from Weiss. But then as she presses even more against Blake’s side, she realizes that Ruby is trying to make herself small, hide from everything, all the responsibility, the fear.
Blake wraps her arms around her more, believing the lie she’s telling herself; that she’ll be able to protect Ruby from it all.
“I burn! Can’t hold me now, and you’re not stopping me, I burn!”
Suddenly Blake’s interrupted by the loud blaring of music from her scroll in her pocket. Eyes widening, Blake reaches for it and is met with Yang’s icon. She exchanges a look of surprise with Weiss before answering.
“Yang!” Blake exclaims. “What the hell?”
“ Oh thank god, we’re finally in range ,” Yang breathes.
“In range?! What do you mean ‘in range’?! You’re supposed to be helping out in the crater and in Mantle, you’re not even supposed to be out of range!”
“ Look, I’m really sorry, but something… crazy showed up and we had to chase it into the tundra -”
“ Chase what?!” Blake cries. “Why didn’t you tell us before you did? That would’ve been nice! Ruby tried to call you earlier but the signal couldn’t reach and then we all saw your auras dropping without so much as an explanation-”
“Put her on speaker,” Weiss demands, and Blake instantly obeys, to which Weiss proceeds to shake a disapproving finger in Yang’s direction despite her not being able to see. “ Yang Xiao Long, you better have a damn good explanation for worrying the hell out of your sister when she’s already got enough on her mind or so help me-!”
“ Okay, first of all, we both know you’re too nice to do anything harmful to me, Weiss ,” Yang argues, and Weiss pouts with a single humph ! “ And two, we would’ve called except there was no time to call. Not with the speed that this thing was going. ”
“What thing?!” Blake and Weiss both exclaimed.
“ That is a crazy and long story that is better explained in person than over the scrolls ,” Yang says. “ Where are you guys? ”
“Schnee Manor.” Blake answers.
“ What?” Winter’s voice can be heard over the scro, and Blake can see Weiss’ jaw drop. “ Are they insane?”
“Was that Winter?!” Weiss cried.
“ Again,” Yang says . “Long story. We see the mansion and are heading your way now.”
“Okay. Stay safe, see you soon.”
Blake hangs up, and she stares at Yang’s photo for a few seconds before Weiss places a comforting palm on her wrist and draws her eyes upwards. Both of them are exchanging worried glances.
How are they supposed to tell the others what happened to Penny?
How are they supposed to tell them who was in her last thoughts?
How do they tell them that the new winter maiden’s light is dying?