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Nora can’t remember the last time they sat together like this, holding onto each other and never letting go. She can almost forget the horrifying nightmares they endured to get here. To Mistral. They’re safe. They made it .
She sighs contentedly, nuzzling Jaune’s shoulder and reaching up to grab Ren’s hand which he had placed comfortingly on hers. Jaune’s shield is resting against the wall, the detailing of Pyrrha’s headpiece facing them. Nora knows Pyrrha wouldn’t want her to be sad. Not now. Not when they made it here together, alive. She knows that she’s here with them, deep down, and that she’s proud of them.
She’s hit with a pang of guilt. Three of them are together. The three of them made it to Mistral safe and sound, but someone else deserves to be here with them too.
“Jaune?” Nora asks. Jaune barely lifts his head up, but a gentle squeeze of her leg tells her that he’s listening. “We should go check on Ruby.”
She feels him nod, taking a breath to relish in the moment one last time before tenderly nudging her away. The three of them slide open the door, and peer into the bedroom Ruby and her recovering Uncle are sharing. It’s empty, save for the snoring middle aged man with his back turned to them on the bed farthest away. Ruby’s scythe is resting on the remaining bed, her black boots on the floor. Nora spots a letter sitting on the desk and the chair is pulled away. Ruby must’ve been sitting there before.
But she isn’t in there now, so Nora tugs back the boys to let Qrow rest, and they head down to the living area. As a show of gratitude for taking out the Nuckelavee that’s been plaguing Anima for decades, the city of Mistral has granted them free access to a rental house for the entirety of their stay. It’s a pretty cozy home, complete with a kitchen, multiple guest rooms upstairs, and a living space and even a back porch. Ruby was pleased to find they had a bookshelf with a decent selection, including comic books. It’s more than they need, but the city insisted.
When they reach the bottom of the stairs, they spot Ruby sitting on the couch. Her hood is up, so they can’t see her face, but enough of her quiet days on the road has taught them that a Ruby with her hood up is not a good sign. She’s always moping about something underneath it, and usually they just leave her alone and she’s fine a day or two later, but not anymore. They’re a team now. She needs to feel like she can talk to them about things.
Nora wordlessly sits down on the spot next to the young girl, letting herself sink into the plush red cushions. She feels Ruby tense beside her, but she wraps her in a hug anyways. Jaune does the same from her other side around her waist, and Ren places a comforting hand on her head from the back of the couch.
“Ruby,” Nora says. “We’re here for you. You know that, right? You can talk to us.”
Nora hears Ruby’s breath shudder before shaking her head stubbornly. “N-No,” She whimpers. “You g-guys don’t n-need to deal with my problems. Not when I’ve already m-made you su-uffer en-nough.” She curses under her breath, furiously attempting to wipe away the tears, but to no avail.
Ren exchanges a worried glance with Nora. “Ruby,” He asks warily. “What are you talking about?”
Ruby shakes her head more furiously this time, tugging her hood more closed and doubling in on herself in misery. Nora frowns, reaching up to grab the hood and ripping it off her head. The young girl panics, achingly attempting to grasp at the edges of the hood. The hood falls, and the red reaper’s emotions are exposed plainly on her face. Her face is glistening wet, silver eyes filled with despair and guilt. Her hair’s red tips are flying out in all directions from the static, and there are dark circles under her eyes.
Nora’s heart shatters as Ruby shudders violently. She’s in too much distress, too much to even be aware of what is happening around her. Nora springs into action, putting herself into Ruby’s view in front of her and placing steadied hands on her shoulders. Her shoulders jerk a little with alarm, but Nora’s grip holds firm. She stares down Ruby, trying to pull her out of the spiralling void with the will in her eyes.
“Ruby!” Nora yells roughly. Ruby silver eyes fall on her, but they aren’t focused. Nora has no idea what has brought on this reaction, but she is going to get the girl out of it.
“Ren,” Jaune’s low voice barely reaches her ears. “Your semblance.”
Nora watches as a grey-toned mask envelopes Ruby’s quaking form. It’s enough to stop the thrashing, but the panic is still painfully present. “Ruby,” Nora says again, this time in a softer, more stern tone. “You’re okay. We’re not going to hurt you. Just breathe.”
“But… I’ve -” Ruby chokes out.
Nora slaps a hand over her mouth. “Relax first. Talk after.”
Ruby sags with exhaustion, irises drifting to the floor, unfocused. But as Nora holds her, she can feel her breathing slowly beginning to improve. The shaking seems to be unaffected by this, but Nora supposes that’s just a symptom and it will wear off on its own once Ruby’s heart and lungs have started working properly again.
Ren huffs out a breath as his semblance dissipates, and Ruby is able to keep calm without his assistance. She seems to acknowledge his aid, reaching up without an exchange to squeeze his hand in thanks as it starts to pull away. She doesn’t let go once it’s gained hold. Ren seems content enough to allow it.
“I’m sorry,” Ruby says meekly as the ordeal subsides. “I should’ve kept it together.”
“What the hell?” Jaune blurts with incredulity. “Ruby… Ruby, no that’s not-”
“It’s okay,” Ren advises her. “It’s okay to let yourself be vulnerable. It does you no good to keep your emotions bottled up.”
“I- I’ve hurt you .”
It’s so quiet, barely above a whisper, that Nora almost misses it. “What?”
“It’s m-my fault,” She gags on her own anguish, having to gasp out a breath to continue the sentence. “I’m the one who let her- I’m the reason she’s n-not here. It’s my-y fault you’re all so s-sad and broken and miserable . I shouldn’t have let you come with me. I should’ve just gone on my own, then may-aybe no one else can get hurt.”
“ Ruby ,” Jaune’s voice breaks with sorrow for the girl. “You’re not making any sense. Cinder is the one who-” He stops himself, the topic still burning like alcohol on an open wound. “Cinder is the reason she’s gone. Not you.”
Ruby shakes her head again. “She was still alive when I got to the top,” Ruby confesses, curling into herself, as if the cloak on her back would magically turn her invisible if she hid in it. Nora feels her eyebrows stretch up her forehead. “I saw as Cinder released the arrow. It hit her right in her heart.” Her voice goes an octave higher at the last word, and she starts to wail with despair.
Nora feels her own tears springing into the corners of her eyes as she exchanges glances with Jaune and Ren. Both of the boys are crestfallen, looking both lost and like they wanted to comfort Ruby. But hearing exactly how she died… they’re both silent. How can Nora expect them to comfort their friend when they need it themselves?
“If I had just been f-faster,” Ruby sniffles out, breathing still struggling to remain even. “I could have saved her. But it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough. My s-semblance is literally to g-go fast and I… I-” She can’t bring herself to finish as she pulls up her knees to bury her face.
Oh, Ruby .
This girl is tearing Nora’s heart to shreds. She shouldn't have to feel this way. Nora won’t let her.
The remaining redhead of JNPR reaches with her hands to lift Ruby’s head up and hold her face in her palms, and gives her a reassuring smile. Ruby’s lower lip is quivering, tears still streaming steadily down her face like a pristine waterfall. “Hey, you did the best you could. That’s all any of us could ever ask you to do.”
“Yeah,” Jaune says helpfully, voice small.
“Then why is the best I can do never enough ?” Ruby whimpers.
“That’s not true,” Ren tries.
“But it is,” Ruby blathers out. “It is. I tried my best to be the best team leader, and all I’ve ever done is let my team fall apart. I tried my best to stop Mercury and I just couldn’t get past him and-” She skips whatever she was about to say. “-and then with P- Pyrrha , I just… feel so useless. ”
“You are not useless,” Nora says sternly. “Look at what you’ve done! You led us to Haven! You’re still moving forward, when everyone else couldn’t. And it was your eyes that stopped the dragon.”
“Right,” Jaune pipes up. He’s been silent for most of this, still mourning and missing Pyrrha deeply. Plus, he’s not the best at emotional motivational speeches. But Jaune isn’t one to ignore a friend in need. “If it wasn’t for you destroying every grimm within a 10 mile radius of the school, I don’t think the rest of the staff would’ve been able to evacuate and get the situation under control. You saved us, Ruby.”
“Sure,” Ruby mumbles bitterly. “With a power that I didn’t even know I had, or one that I know how to use again. Useless.”
“ You are not useless,” Nora says slowly and more firmly. “I don’t care what you think or say to bring yourself down, but… you bring light wherever you go, and you shine even brighter in the dark. You’re special, Ruby. And I know, that someone as special as you would never let a friend die without doing the absolute best that she could, and doing the best that she can is enough.”
“B-but... Pyrrha-”
“Ruby,” Jaune sighs resignedly, wiping the last few tears away from his face. “I think Pyrrha knew what she was doing. She knew she was no match for Cinder, but she fought anyway. She… she shoved me in a locker after kissing me, to stop me from stopping her because she knew I would try. If she had already convinced herself, then there was no preventing what could’ve happened. If you need to hear it from someone who matters, hear it from me. It’s. Not. Your. Fault.”
Ruby seems to ponder on it for a moment, before letting her body wilt, letting all of her worries be cleansed. Nora wraps the hooded girl in a full body hug, leading them both to lie down on their side on the couch. Ruby’s got her head on Jaune’s lap, her cloak wrapped tightly around her, with Nora cradling her from behind. Nora grins at Ren, who rolls his eyes down at her. She’s always wanted to be the big spoon.
Ruby drifts off immediately, the whole ordeal having completely drained her energy. She still seems… exhausted when she finally wakes up again, several hours into the afternoon of the following day. But she’s smiling, teasing with them, and being her usual perky self once again.
Nora hums contentedly. At least Ruby seems to be at peace. For now. Nora is determined to keep it that way.