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Their first night in Vacuo feels a little surreal.
It's hard to believe that just this morning, they'd been in the now-fallen city of Atlas, General Ironwood's ultimatum hanging over them like a storm cloud, blotting out any sense of light or hope. But now, they're at Shade Academy in Vacuo, the citizens of Atlas and Mantle are safely evacuated, and the general has been arrested. Sure, Cinder, and the rest of Salem's forces, are still out there lurking somewhere, plotting, getting ready to strike, but that's a problem that can wait until later—hopefully, at least until tomorrow, after they've all finally gotten some much-needed rest.
And after Penny has adjusted to her new body a bit.
Speaking of Penny, Ruby still can't quite believe her luck, that Penny is still here by her side, alive and well. Not dead after being forced to self-destruct by the virus, not being controlled like a puppet. She's here and happy and safe next to Ruby. It feels like a miracle.
And in a way it is, Ruby muses, given that Penny is here because of the new form given to her by the Staff. She's not entirely sure of all of the specifics of Penny's new body, how much of her remains mechanical and how much is made up of flesh and blood, but that doesn't matter. That's Penny's business, not hers, and so long as Penny is happy with it, Ruby is too.
That's all that matters in the end.
They end up splitting up for the night, heading to their respective dorm rooms that they'll be staying in with plans to meet up in the morning to discuss what to do next. They're all quiet as they get ready for bed, exhausted from the long day, and Ruby gets into her pajamas and crawls into bed practically on autopilot.
It's not until she's gotten settled into bed that she notices that Ruby notices Penny standing next to her bunk, fidgeting anxiously with the sleeves of her pajamas. She'd borrowed a set of Ruby's clothes to use until they can go out and get her some of her own outfits. Ruby absently notes how cute Penny looks in her clothes. "What is it, Penny?"
Penny jumps slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry Ruby." She bites her lip. "I'm just—I'm not sure what to do."
Ruby tilts her head. "What do you mean? We're just going to sleep."
"Um, yeah." Penny laughs nervously. "I'm not sure how to do that."
"You've never slept before?" Ruby asks immediately. Penny shakes her head. Ruby immediately feels stupid for having overlooked something that seems so obvious. Of course, Penny has never had to sleep before. Until today, she's had an entirely synthetic body.
Penny is still looking at her expectantly. Ruby tries to think. How exactly do you explain sleeping to someone? To her, it feels natural. She's been doing it her entire life. But for someone who's never done it before? Where does she even start?
"Um, well," she says, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. "Usually, to sleep, you just lie down, close your eyes, and try to clear your mind, or just think of happy thoughts until you just—drift off. It's as natural and easy and breathing."
Penny is still staring at her. Crap, Ruby most not be doing a very good job of explaining this at all. "Breathing did not seem very natural to me at first."
Despite the frustrated look on Penny's face, Ruby can't quite hold back a laugh. From the top bunk, Weiss shushes her. "You get used to it, I promise." When Penny still looks uncertain, Ruby pats the bed next to her. "C'mon, lay down next to me."
With slow, hesitant movements, Penny climbs up onto the bed. Ruby gestures for her to get under the covers next to her. "Good, now lean back against the pillows and close your eyes.' Penny does and she says, curling up next to Ruby. It's amazing to be able to feel the warmth of her friend next to her, the soft skin of Penny's leg pressing against her own.
It really is a miracle.
"Yang used to tell me stories when I couldn't fall asleep," Ruby murmurs. For a moment, it feels like the world has shrunken down to just the two of them. "Do you want to try that, see if it helps?" Penny nods into her shoulder.
"Okay, here goes. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl with long red hair who lived in a tall tower. She wanted to go out into the world and make friends, but the world was very dangerous, and her father wanted to protect her. But one day, she managed to climb down from her tower, and she . . ." Ruby trails off when she hears Penny snoring gently against her shoulder.
"I'm glad we became friends, Penny. I don't know what I'd do without you." She presses a soft kiss to the sleeping girl's forehead. "Goodnight, Penny."