If there was one thing Ruby hated about Atlas it was how the rigid, militaristic architecture and frequently sub-zero temperatures combined to make everything seem far more intense than they actually were, while at the same time giving an almost impersonal feel to anything that happened. Though she supposed it was just part of the Atlesian culture, one born from the need to survive in a land lacking resources save for large dust reserves. And it was a sort of rigidity that had rubbed off on the people who lived there, making them endlessly stubborn, and dedicated to the core.

"You know the more I visit Atlas, the more I understand why Weiss is so, you know, Weiss." Nora said, giving voice to thoughts both she and Ruby were having. Nora's teeth chattered in the cold, she was used to the warmer Valean and Mistrali climates.

"It's not that bad." Ruby said, tugging her cloak tighter around her. "Well, I mean, it gets worse."

Nora glared at Ruby. "Why did you have to tell me that?"

"What? It's the truth. Atlas is cold, and it's only autumn, winter is worse." Ruby shrugged. And it gets colder if you go further north, she didn't add. And the Grimm are terrifyingly huge, and old as time, older than Ozpin or Salem. People, save for nomadic tribes and the occasional overly curious traveller, rarely wandered north of Atlas. Since the war Ruby had only once, as part of a rescue party some travellers who though hiking north of Atlas to be a grand adventure. It had not turned out well for the travellers, and the rescuers had nearly frozen trying to reach them.

"I'll take your word for it." Nora said as she stuffed her gloved hands into the pockets of her thick coat. "Are you ready for this?"

"Just don't let me do anything stupid." Ruby's voice sounded small as she looked at the Shnee mansion. Their cab had dropped them there a quarter hour before, but Ruby had been unsure of what to do next. "I know I haven't told you everything, but please don't let me take her back." It's bad for both of us.

"Don't worry, I won't." Nora said, bouncing on her heels. "You are going to be renting with Jaune, can't let his roommate skip out on him. Wouldn't be a very good teammate if I did." Her voice sounded oddly cheerful in the frigid air. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll keep you both on track."

"Thanks for coming with me, you didn't have to -"

"Yes I did. Jaune would be too intimidating, and Yang might let you make a bad decision because it made you happy in the moment." There was a serious edge to Nora's voice. "Are you going to knock, or do I have to?"

"No need." Came a voice from behind them. "I guess we're really doing this then." Weiss said as she moved past them to the door. "We should get this over with then." There was sadness in Weiss's voice as she spoke. "But it's for the best isn't it?"

"We'll just fight again." Ruby said. "And it'll be worse."

"I don't want it to be worse." Weiss said as she unlocked the door. "So let's just do this."

It was silent as the girls moved from room to room, searching for objects and boxing them up. They weren't disturbed, Weiss lived alone except for the servants who came in during the week. Her father had been killed over the course of the war, the same poison that had taken Sun, one of the White Fang's invention. Winter preferred to live at the Atlesian military barracks with the soldiers that she commanded.

They were almost silent as they hunted for Ruby's items, mostly only speaking for clarifications on who owned what, and assertions for Weiss and Ruby to keep some of each other's items. Old cloak pins of Ruby's were carefully placed in Weiss's jewellery box, and some of Weiss's favourite stationery was added to Ruby's boxes because "God's know you don't own any you always used mine anyway."

"Hey do you remember this?" Weiss held up a photo frame.

"That's from Velvet and Yatsuhashi's wedding right?" Ruby smiled as she looked at the picture. "Oh god those shoes you made me wear, I almost broke my ankle." Ruby pointed at the strappy heels she had on in the photo.

"You are greatly exaggerating that." Weiss said. "You were fine." She was right, Ruby had been fine. Of course she had avoided dancing, using the broken wrist she had had at the time as an excuse. They had argued over that too, about Ruby's apparent lack of concern for her own safety.

"I would have been more fine in flats." Ruby mumbled. "Do you have a copy of that?"

"I think I have a digital copy somewhere." Weiss said, thinking for a minute. "And If I don't I can scan it."

"Thanks."

The time flew in a flurry of cardboard and packing tape until the three women were standing outside the mansion again. Nora was making sure appropriate care was taken with packing Ruby's belongings into the taxi. Ruby and Weiss stood off to the side, sharing awkward glances as they tried to ignore the tension that hung thick in the air between them.

"I'm sorry." Weiss broke the silence.

"So am I." Ruby responded. "I shouldn't have said what I sai-"

"Neither should I." Weiss said, cutting her off.

"We were both wrong weren't we?" Ruby reached out a hand to brush a hair out of Weiss's face, and Weiss leaned into the touch. They might have fought, worse and worse as time went on, but Weiss and Ruby did love each other. The bond between partners was a special one, one that couldn't be broken. But it was also tempestuous, it could produce a love stronger than any other, and hatred that could erase cities.

"Yes." Weiss agreed. "We both were." There were tears in her eyes as she looked at Ruby.

They stood like that for a moment, Ruby brushing her thumb over Weiss's cheek before Weiss reached up to wrap both arms around Ruby's neck. Even in her low heels she was shorter than Ruby, something that had been a sore point for Weiss.

"I love you, take care of yourself." Weiss whispered as she held onto the younger girl. "Eat healthy, and don't take too many hard missions - oh gods I sound like a mother." She found herself echoing words she had said a million times before as Ruby went on missions. "Even though you can't cook, try not to live on fast food. Why can't I switch this off?"

"You're fine." Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss, pulling her closer. "I love you too. Try to take breaks from work. And good luck on the Vacuo trade deal."' She clung to Weiss, not wanting to break contact. "You always overwork yourself, but there are other things you need to focus on."

"That's part of where we both went wrong." Weiss mumbled into Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby sighed as she felt tears prick at her eyes. "Please don't do this.

"I'm trying not to." Weiss said. "We can't keep doing this -"

"It's not healthy -"

"And it only ever ends in tears -"

"We'll just fight again." Ruby pulled away from the hug as snowflakes began to fall around them. "You always did look pretty in the snow." She gave a small smile.

"Now you're doing it." Weiss said.

"Sorry." Ruby said. "It just occurred to me and no impulse control and -"

"Stop it, you're fine." Weiss met Ruby's eyes. "This really is goodbye though, we had better stop dragging it out."

"It has to be Weiss. This - us - it just doesn't work."

"I know." Weiss stepped back. "You should really be going, you don't want to miss the airship. And I think Nora might try to drag you away if you stay here too long."

"Yeah. That's kinda why I brought her." Ruby shuffled her feet. "Goodbye. Though we'll see each other again."

"Goodbye."

"Well I'm back." Jaune yelled as he walked into the apartment slamming the door behind him, the apartment had been empty for the past three days, and he wasn't expecting Ruby to be home until at least tomorrow. "I mean this is probably an empty apartment right now, but hey you never know." He walked into the hallway, dropping his gym bag on the pile of bags and packs that he and ruby let accumulate. "I got my ass kicked by the owner of the gym, again. He's tough as all hell for and old man. He used to be a huntsman though so I guess it's not too surprising." He turned into the kitchen and turned into the lounge. "And I am not alone. How did it go?"

Ruby raised her head from where she lay face down on the couch. "I told her she was pretty and that I love her and then I left." she buried her face in the couch cushions and reached for the bottle of wine she had placed next to the couch.

"So like every rom-com breakup?" Jaune said, attempting some humour to lighten the mood. When Ruby didn't respond he tried again. "That bad huh?"

"At least it's over now." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Tell me I did the right thing?"

"You did the right thing." Jaune repeated back to her as he evaluated how much was left in the wine. "Although honestly I can't tell you if you did, you have to figure that out for yourself. I can tell you what I think though?"

"What do you think?" Ruby asked.

"That you did the right thing for now, and that if the time comes you can try again." Jaune said. "When did you start drinking this?"

"Don't let me do that." Ruby said into the couch cushions. "And like an hour ago."

"I'm just going to take this wine away now." Jaune said as he grabbed the bottle. "Let you sober up a bit. Do you want to watch a movie or something? Get some food maybe?"

"It's alright I have whiskey." Ruby pulled a flask out of her pocket that Jaune recognised as having belonged to Qrow. "My uncle was a smart man."

"He was not and I'll be taking that as well." Jaune said as he grabbed the flask out of Ruby's raised hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I feel awkward talking to you about this stuff." Ruby said. "Because you -"

"Because of Pyrrha? And because since then the closest I have been to dating was a few blind dates?" Jaune asked. "It's okay, I made my peace already. Who knows if she and I would have gone anywhere? No one. We both had hoped we would, but we never talked about it because we were idiots who thought we had time. You don't need to feel awkward. But you do need to talk about Weiss because this," He shook the flask which he still held. "Is not healthy. I can call Nora if you would rather talk to her."

"What is there to talk about? That I love Weiss? But I also hate how we ended up?" Ruby said as she lifted her head from the couch. "We just weren't right you know? Because when we worked it was great, and when it didn't it was bad. But I keep wondering if we could have worked past that again."

"Ruby, last time you fought you ran away to Vale." Jaune said as he moved to sit beside the couch. "And before that you both used Ren and Nora as relationship counselling. And if it were happen again who knows."

"We just argued, that's all."

"Why?"

"Because we are both too obsessed with our jobs." Ruby said. "She was always working as CEO and I was always hunting and we both wanted to see each other more and neither of us wanted to compromise."

"And will that change?" Jaune asked.

"Not for a long while, I enjoy hunting, I want to do as much as I can. I want to help people. And she is right to be as dedicated as she is." Ruby sighed. "When did you get so wise?"

"Age?" Jaune said with a smile.

Ruby frowned. "You're only two years older than me."

"Also I'm sober, that tends to help with wisdom and good decision making." Jaune pointed out. "Hey c'mon don't pout. You two had a good run, it just wasn't meant to be right now."

"Talking to you is a lot more fun when you aren't being smart as shit you know that right?" Ruby said.

"I'm always smart as shit." Jaune gave a lazy grin.

"I distinctly remember you not knowing what aura and semblances are." Ruby said as she pulled herself into a sitting position on the couch.

"And now I'm one of the most proficient Aura users in our generation. Some things just take time." Jaune said. "I'm starving, and I'm sure you need some food so I'm going to try make some toasted sandwiches."

"Will you leave the wine?"

"Absolutely not." Jaune said. "But you can help make sandwiches."

"What is going in them?" Ruby asked, standing up and walking towards the kitchen, stumbling slightly.

"I'm having cheese and ham and tomato."

"Do we have pineapple?"

"We might have a tin of it in the cupboard." Jaune said. "Why?"

"I'm going to put it in my toasted sandwich." Ruby said looking pleased with herself.

Jaune looked at her like she had grown another head. "That sounds disgusting."

"Ham and pineapple pizza is good though, same thing." Ruby said as she opened the cupboard for the tin of pineapple. "And frying pineapple up go with ham steaks."

"Okay ham and pineapple pizza is disgusting, and I don't know what they do on Patch but no-one fries pineapple to go with ham steaks." Jaune said as he searched through the fridge for the rest of the ingredients. "In fact, I am going to assume you are making all of this up because you are drunk."

"I'm not it's real and it's goooood!" Ruby said with a pout. "Why does no-one ever believe me?"

"Because here on the mainland we remember that pineapple is a fruit, and therefore does not get cooked."

"Tomatoes are a fruit." Ruby said pointing at the fruits in Jaune's hand. "Check and mate."

"Practically a vegetable." Jaune argued. "And that is not the point, the point is that cooked pineapple is an abomination."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"You're mean." Ruby said as she sat down at the table to wrestle with the can opener.

"I'm also right." Jaune said as he took the can from her and opened the ring pull. "You really are drunk aren't you?"

"With a bit of luck yes." She said as she accepted the opened can back and pulled out a pineapple ring. "Want one?"

"No, and I think that once we have had food you should sleep, or just chill out or something." Jaune said.

"I'm pretty sure that after a breakup I am legally entitled to go out on the town." Ruby said after swallowing the pineapple. "Rebound and all that shit."

"Ten minutes ago you were near comatose on the couch because you were upset, I'm not sure that's a great idea." Jaune said as he put two sandwiches in the press. "How about watching a movie on the couch?"

"Can I drink?"

"Non-alcoholic beverages, yes." Jaune sighed.

"Are you going to let me leave the house?" Ruby asked.

"As your friend I have a responsibility not to let you do stupid shit because you're drunk." Jaune said as he smiled at her. "Sorry kiddo, that's the rules."

The kitchen was silent for a few minutes as Jaune continued to cook and Ruby fiddled with the can opener.

"Thank you."

"What for?" Jaune asked as he placed a plate in front of Ruby.

"Being a good friend." Ruby said as she reached for her sandwich. "For listening, and trying to stop me doing dumb shit."

Jaune looked at her for a few moments as she picked at her sandwich.

"Anytime Ruby."

As always shout out to Bryce for betaing.

Just a couple of notes;

First, this is the wrap up of the first 'arc' of the story, and things progress on from here.

Second, I'm not sure when I'm going to update, hopefully within the next month, but Uni just started back and assignments a piling on.

Third, if you missed it I also posted another Lancaster fic 'Kiss Me' a few days ago, you can see it on my profile page. It's pretty dark though, so fair warning.