Distance: Part 2

Blake was good conversation. Evidently Yang had backed off, perhaps for fear of scaring off Ruby's new friend, and first friend in quite some time. Instead she bounced between Nora and Pyrrha, sparring, working out and chatting in equal measure. Yang warmed to Nora in particular mainly because, unlike Pyrrha, she responded and reciprocated to her flirting. Pyrrha took it in stride, thanking her for her compliments and laughing off the more forward advances. Ruby found it slightly demoralizing, but not because Yang was flirting with the object of her affections, Yang flirted with everybody. No, she was worried that Pyrrha's lack of reaction was due to a lack of attraction. If she was not attracted to Yang, how could she be attracted to Ruby?

"Ruby, your tattoo, does it have meaning?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby and Pyrrha sat in the gym's kitchen, sharing some cookies Ruby had brought in. Ruby had not baked them herself - she was a hopeless cook - but they were still good. Though the shower incident was fresh in her mind, they had both apologized profusely before laughing it off, Ruby through just a hint of gritted teeth.

"Well...kinda'." Ruby replied. "I mean, I'm Ruby Rose. It makes sense that I like roses, but it was my mother, Summer Rose, who really loved them. She had a garden filled with them back on Patch...and she used to call me 'Little Rose,' because I was tiny and cute." Pyrrha giggled and Ruby flushed. "A-anyway, well, mom passed away when I was young. Things were kind of bad for a while after that, but thinking of the good times with my mom really helped me through things, and I was really into art at the time, so I ended up drawing roses a lot. When I got into tattooing it was just the first thing that came to mind. Yang let me learn on her, and when I got good at tattooing others, I did myself. It's kinda' like a tribute, or a memorial. Mom is gone, but she'll always be with me."

"That's beautiful Ruby." Pyrrha praised. "They're very well done. I'm sure Summer would be very proud of you."

"Thank you Pyrrha." Ruby nearly squealed. "It really means a lot to hear that."

"My mother was in the military." Pyrrha said. "She wanted nothing more than the safety of our country and its citizens." She reached into her handbag, pulling out a small case. Opening it, she placed it on the table. Within was a bronze medallion, a shield overlaid with a spear. "Pandora Nikos gave her life in the service of Mistral...this was five years ago...tomorrow actually. Could...I want to carry her with me too, wherever I go."

"I can do it." Ruby declared. "Of course I'll do it. We can do it today if you want!"

"Uh...are you sure that's okay?" Pyrrha asked. "Don't you need time to, you know, design and all that?"

"Unless you want something really complicated, no." Ruby replied. "This is easy. It's right here. All I need to do is sketch it and scale it, and we could have it done tonight!"

"Thank you." Pyrrha smiled, tearing up. "This means the world to me." She pulled Ruby into tight embrace.

Ruby screamed internally.

Ruby had things ready by late that afternoon. Yang had gone out with Nora for the night, so they had the apartment to themselves. Ruby again felt the ball of nerves throb within her stomach, but one look at Pyrrha - who was sitting in the chair, biting her lip nervously and staring straight ahead - forced her to compose herself. She lay a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, snapping her to attention.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Ruby asked.

"Y-yes." Pyrrha stammered. "Sorry, I'm just...a little scared. Will it hurt much?"

"It depends on where you get it done." Ruby replied. "The shoulder is great for a first timer, usually just mild burning. I've got some stress toys if you need one."

"I'd appreciate it." Pyrrha nodded. Ruby applied the stencil, peeling it off to leave the medallion's lineart. The design was simple, only requiring minor shading to make it pop, and if Pyrrha desired, she would color it fully at a later date. Ruby handed Pyrrha a stress toy shaped like a chibi fox. Pyrrha looked at it for a moment before chuckling. "Cute."

Ruby blushed, readying her tattoo gun. "I'm ready when you are."

Pyrrha eyed the gun for a moment before looking away. She had the misfortune to look right as Ruby pulled the trigger, and the rapid motion of the needle was unsettling to say the least. She turned to Ruby who smiled, and Pyrrha smiled back, taking a deep breath before adjusting her grip on the fox. "Okay, let's do this!"

Pyrrha was very quiet during the process, never making a peep. Ruby was able to get it done relatively quickly, in less than an hour, thanks to her being able to focus on her work entirely without distraction. When she was done, Ruby wiped off the excess ink one more time. "There, all done!" Ruby grinned. "Wasn't so bad, now was it...Pyrrha?" Pyrrha's hand gripped the fox like a vice, her jaw was set, eyes near squeezed shut, with tear tracks streaking her face. She did not respond. Ruby set the gun down and stripped off her gloves. Gently, she lay one hand over Pyrrha's fist. "Pyrrha, it's okay. It's over, talk to me?"

Opening her eyes, Pyrrha took a shuddering breath, smiling painfully. "Sorry Ruby, my mind just wandered a bit." She sniffled. "Is it done?"

"Yeah, here, look." Ruby replied. She picked up a small mirror and held it out, allowing Pyrrha to shift and see the design. Pyrrha gasped shakily before breaking down. Ruby hastily put the mirror aside and wrapped her arms around Pyrrha, who clutched at her, burying her face in Ruby's shoulder, tears soaking into her shirt. Ruby held Pyrrha for what felt like an eternity, tearing up herself. She understood how Pyrrha felt. She had shed many tears over strong memories of her mother, and even more over the weakening ones. Pyrrha's wounds were fresher than her own. She was much older and much more mature when she lost Pandora. She had many more memories, strong ones, to mourn over.

"I'm sorry Ruby." Pyrrha sobbed.

"Don't be, it's okay." Ruby soothed. "I know it's a big thing." Ruby grabbed a tissue box, holding it out for Pyrrha who took one with a silent thank you. Ruby took one herself, wiping away the tears she too had shed. "You gonna' be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Pyrrha replied. "Thank you Ruby, truly. I didn't mean to make a fuss."

"Pyrrha, trust me, I know how it feels." Ruby declared. "H-hey, you wanna' stay over? Yang's gonna' be out with Nora all night. We could order in pizza, watch some movies maybe?"

Pyrrha smiled, genuinely this time. "I'd like that Ruby."

The coming weeks were eventful for everyone. Pyrrha had her first title fight, winning of course, showing off her new tattoo on live television as Ruby, Yang, Nora, Ren and Blake cheered her on. It was an absolute demolition, and immediately marked Pyrrha as an elite fighter. And most importantly, Ren popped the question to Nora. In true Nora fashion, the wedding had to be as soon as unreasonably possible. Through all this, Pyrrha was finding herself increasingly conflicted.

Ruby had at first concerned Pyrrha. She was meek and nervous in her presence, like so many of her admirers in Mistral. She admitted it was an unfair snap judgement on her part, but it was what it was. She had grown tired of being placed on a pedestal, fairly or not. She fought well, she put on her best smile for the cameras, then avoided any further attention like the plague. She did not want to be coveted for her fame, her status, her strength. She was not an object, not a deity, she was a person, and wanted to stand on equal footing with one she loved. And here was Ruby, looking at her with stars in her eyes.

Pyrrha was polite, shrugging off Ruby's offerings like she would any other. At this point she would usually sign an autograph and be on her way, but Ruby persisted, ever present, ever friendly. It dawned on Pyrrha that she was being unfair, and made an effort to engage with the younger girl. She soon found that - like her elder sister - Ruby was a bundle of warmth, but whereas Yang flung her warmth anywhere and everywhere with a bright smile and a loud voice, Ruby was content with simply radiating it, passing it off on people who came in contact, much quieter until excited, much smaller until riding Nora or Yang piggy back. It was endearing, and Pyrrha found herself growing to like her.

When the anniversary of her mother's death came near, it struck Pyrrha that she had little to remember her by. An idea had seeded in her mind, and on impulse, she had brought her mother's medal in, and asked Ruby about her tattoo. It took her by surprise that it's meaning was so fitting, and it gave her the courage to make the request. Ruby's ensuing dedication and the resulting work had moved her to tears several times. It was that night, when Ruby ordered pizza and listened to Pyrrha tell stories about Pandora that she felt they truly bonded, that it was right to call her a friend.

Ruby seemed to agree. Pyrrha found herself receiving far more hugs, participating in far more conversation - when time allowed at least - and occasionally Ruby would bring in something to share with her. Ruby certainly loved her sweets, and though Pyrrha generally shied away from such foods, she did not mind the occasional treat, if only to indulge her friend. But Pyrrha found something strange rearing up within her, whenever Ruby did not show for the day, or when she spent more time with Blake or Yang than her. It was slightly cold, but also hot, a twinge within her being. Of course Ruby always made time for her, and Pyrrha felt she was just being selfish.

Pyrrha had not had many true friends since her childhood. Once she began growing famous, it became too difficult to distinguish friend from sycophant, and over time all grew distant or left entirely. Now she had Ruby and Yang, Ren and Nora. To a lesser extent she had Blake and Weiss, but they were less social than the rest, with Blake's sole exception seemingly being Ruby, whom she spent most of her free time with. The rest of Blake's time was spent either with Weiss or working. The strange feeling continued to confuse Pyrrha until, finally, everything came to a head. All it took was one slip, one mistake, one night of passion.

Ruby had been dancing around Pyrrha since they arrived at the wedding. Jaune, Ruby's plus one, had long been abandoned in favor of her. It did Pyrrha no favors, knowing she was taking precedence over both Blake and Jaune. It made her feel sick to her stomach, guilt, self-loathing and fear pooling like acid, burning, causing her agony. She finally caved when Ruby, obviously at the end of her rope and bolstered by some liquid courage, came right out and said it, nervously staring up into her eyes, putting on her most confident, alluring voice, which still managed to sound meek and shaky.

"Come on Pyrrha, let's slip into one of the other rooms and have some fun." Ruby blushed profusely. To her it felt alien to be so forward, and so it sounded.

It broke Pyrrha's heart to see Ruby trying so hard. "I...I...I don't think I should." Pyrrha struggled.

Ruby flinched, looking crestfallen. "Are you not interested in me or…" She started.

"No, it's not that." Pyrrha shook her head. "It's just...there's something I need to talk to you about. In private."

Ruby perked up, but looked concerned. "Sure." She agreed. Pyrrha led Ruby to the nearby bathroom and locked the door behind them. Sighing, she turned to Ruby, who stood with her hands clasped before her in the middle of the room. "Pyrrha, is everything okay?"

Pyrrha leaned against the door. "No, no Ruby, everything is not okay." She slumped in defeat. "I...I slept with Yang."

Ruby's jaw dropped in shock, soon replaced by a pained expression. She opened her mouth to say something but produced not a sound. After trying several times she managed to swallow the lump in her throat. "Oh." She croaked.

"I'm sorry Ruby, I...I didn't think." Pyrrha pleaded. "I wasn't thinking right, and please don't blame Yang. I've been stupid, and thoughtless and ignorant, and last night I was drunk, and you and Blake looked so comfortable together, and I was feeling weird about it, and Nora and Yang were being flirty, and I just...I'm s-sorry Ruby. I didn't realize. I'm so s-sorry." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, but was surprised to feel them being pulled away by a softer, smaller pair.

Ruby looked up at Pyrrha, eyes filled with tears and concern. "Pyrrha, don't cry." She beseeched. "Please, talk to me, tell me everything. What do you mean?"

"You've been so good to me Ruby." Pyrrha sobbed. "Ever since we met all you wanted to be was my friend, or at least that's what I thought, but after the tattoo and the night we spent together, we got even closer, and I started feeling strange about you, and I wasn't sure why, and you and Blake were really close and that made me feel stranger, a-and last night I just...I was jealous Ruby. I was jealous of you and Blake, because I thought you were in love with her, because I'm in love with you Ruby, and I think I have been for some time now. And I didn't realize it until this morning, after I woke up beside Yang...I'm sorry. Please forgive me." She bowed her head, closing her eyes. Suddenly something warm pressed against her lips, warm and wet, smelling of roses. She reciprocated the kiss, slowly, meekly, afraid she might scare Ruby off. As the kiss ended, Pyrrha opened her eyes and started at a teary, smiling Ruby.

"I'm in love with you too Pyrrha." Ruby declared. "I forgive you."

Pyrrha was stunned, but felt a smile grow across her face. "R-really?" She huffed a laugh of disbelief.

"Yeah." Ruby confirmed. "You made a mistake, and it wasn't really your fault. You weren't sure, and Yang...well she's Yang...I'm gonna' have a talk with her...I don't know how that's gonna' go to be honest."

"Please don't be angry at her." Pyrrha requested. "It was a misunderstanding. She didn't mean to hurt either of us."

"I know Pyrrha." Ruby sighed. "Yang's like a mother to me. She'd never hurt me on purpose. But she can be careless sometimes...I need her to understand that. I need her to learn, before she does something that really hurts someone. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Ruby pulled Pyrrha into a warm hug, and Pyrrha returned it, taking a deep breath. "Okay."