The cafe was a quiet place, especially late at night. It usually wasn’t open past supper time, but neither of them had any trouble walking in. In fact, her smile, though shy, seemed completely genuine when she caught sight of the person waiting for her by the soft glow of the lamps.



“Hey!”

There was a soft clink as they set down their teaspoon and stood, their own smile bright as they held out a hand for her to shake.



“Hi,” they said, warm and kind. When she lowered her hand, they gestured to the empty chair across from them before which a mug of something had already been placed. She obediently sat. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Ruby.”

“Oh, you too,” Ruby replied cheerfully. She lifted the mug and took a cautious sip. Surprised, she lowered it almost immediately and eyed the contents. The person settled back into their own seat with a gentle, knowing chuckle.

“You still take it with cream and five sugars, right?”



“Yeah.” Ruby curled both hands around the steaming beverage. It was strange, but it didn’t feel like something she needed to worry about. “So, uh… you just want me to talk?”

The stranger leaned back with a nod. “About whatever’s on your mind,” they said then, after a moment, clarified. “Whatever you want to or need to say, big or small.”



“And you… know all of it already?”

“Only as much as you as of this moment, but yes,” they explained. Silence settled, broken only when Ruby took another sip of her coffee, looking anywhere but them. They hadn’t stopped smiling, but it was softer now. Almost sad.

Eventually, they spoke again. “Would it help if I asked a question?”

“Sure!” Ruby set her mug back on the table, keeping her hands clasped around it.



“How’re you doing?” they asked, smile fading completely as they leaned forward, propping their head up on the backs of their hands. “How are you feeling, really? There’s been a lot on your shoulders recently.”

Ruby shrugged, posture sagging. “Yeah, I guess,” she said, voice dropping low and tinged with uncertainty. “I… I dunno. I mean, I feel… tired.”

“I’ll bet.”



There was another, brief minute of silence. Ruby turned her gaze to the cafe windows, and the snow falling gently in the empty street beyond. If she listened carefully, she could hear voices singing in the distance. She couldn’t make out the words, but it comforted her nonetheless.

“It’s almost Christmas,” they announced softly, as though reading her mind. “Solstice, I guess, for Remnant. People love to celebrate as early as they can.”



A smile flickered across Ruby’s face. Then, she remembered – remembered all the times she had celebrated with her family, and the Solstice RNJR had missed on the road, and the likelihood that they’d not find time to acknowledge it this year either – and her expression fell as she turned to stare into her coffee.



“I don’t know what to do,” she said quietly. “Everything’s just falling apart, and I don’t know how to keep them together.”

“Them?”

Ruby knew they knew, but she clarified anyways. “Everyone,” she replied. “Weiss, and Yang, and Blake. But Oscar a-and Uncle Qrow too.”

They hummed in response, nodding. “It’s been hard.”

“Really hard,” Ruby agreed with a sigh. Hands tightening around her mug, she shook her head. “I just wish we’d have gone straight to Argus. I wish none of this had happened.”

“You regret it?”

Ruby lifted her head. “Huh?”

“You regret it,” they repeated, no longer a question but a statement, eyeing her with what seemed to be simple curiosity. “Agreeing to fight? Going to Mistral?” They lifted their teacup, but didn’t drink. “Attending Beacon?”

Ruby paused. “Yes,” she said. “I mean, no. I mean…” She tossed her head back with an exasperated noise. “I don’t know. There are things… things I wish had gone differently.”

“Like what?”

“Pyrrha,” Ruby muttered, ducking her head lower. They didn’t miss her wince, nor the way she seemed to curl in on herself. “Penny. And Yang losing her arm, and Weiss being taken away, and Blake running.”



The stranger nodded along silently. “You’ve been through a lot,” they agreed. After a moment, they folded their hands, looking indecisive for the first time. “Ruby. You told Jaune once that being a good leader means putting your teammates first and yourself second. Do you still believe that?”

“Absolutely.”



The answer was easy to give but, when they frowned, Ruby couldn’t help but feel like it was wrong.



“I see.”



“Why… wouldn’t I?” she asked.



They flashed her a worried smile. “You just seem to be holding back,” they replied. “You don’t have to. Not here.” They gestured to the closed cafe with a small wave of the hand. “You can tell me what you’re thinking.”

It was a few minutes before she spoke, and when she did, she was watching the snow again. “I don’t like it,” said Ruby. “Any of it. Being on the road like this. I’m…” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “I’m scared about what might happen.”



“I miss Beacon,” she continued, a sudden edge of hysteria to her tone. “I miss our bunk beds and waking up early for class. I miss our professors, I even miss our homework!” They gave a soft, sympathetic huff of laughter, but didn’t interrupt, even as her voice rose and broke, and tears glistened in her eyes. “I miss hanging out with JNPR, and training with my team, a-and having fun. I miss having breakfast together on Saturday, and spending weekends in Vale, and going to visit dad at Signal, and I just want things to be the way they were!”



Ruby buried her face in her hands, muffling a hiccuping sob. “I just want everyone to be happy…”

Hoarse and keening were the cries that drew themselves from the young Huntress. The winds swirled silently beyond the frosty windows, and they let Ruby weep. It’s what she needed – had been needing for a long time and denied – and they knew it. They stood only to produce a box of tissues from somewhere else in the room, setting it next to her before retaking their seat and waiting patiently for her to calm.

“Things change, Ruby,” they said once she had begun to quiet. “I know it’s hard. But sometimes-”

“Bad things just happen,” she finished dejectedly, wiping at her eyes. “I know.”

They smiled again, reaching over to put a hand on her arm. “But that doesn’t mean good things can’t come of it.”

They drew back and sat silently, letting her dry her tears until only sniffles were left. She rubbed a hand against her cheek, staring at some invisible blemish on the table. Then, she picked up her mug, and took a long sip.



“I do,” she confessed. It was scarcely above a whisper, but in the silence of the cafe, it might as well have been a shout. “Sometimes I do regret going to Beacon.”



She glanced up at them, and though they didn’t ask, she explained anyways. “My team being here… Jaune, and Ren, and Nora being here… it’s my fault. I wanted to think I could fix things. I wanted to keep being a Huntress, and protect people, but I don’t know if I can anymore.”



She set her cup down, and her expression shifted into a glare, which she directed at the beverage. “I think Uncle Qrow was right. Meeting Professor Ozpin that night was bad luck.”

“You don’t trust him?”



“Would you?” she snapped. They seemed to contemplate that for a long moment, swirling a spoon lazily around their as-yet untouched tea.



“Considering everything…” they began. “I would. I’d be angry. And as upset as you all are. I’d question what I thought I knew. Maybe I’d even wonder if it was all pointless, and the suffering needless, and hate him for it.” They tapped their spoon on the edge of the cup, the ring like a bell. “But, in the end, I would.”

“Why?”

“Why do you?”

“I don-” Ruby stopped, because that… wasn’t true. She did still trust Professor Ozpin. Maybe not the same way, but she trusted him to know what to do. To keep them safe. Thinking about it, he’d never led them astray, and he’d always been there when they needed him. “I think…”

She glanced at them, and they nodded encouragingly. “He lied to us,” she said slowly. “He didn’t tell us about his past with Salem, or that she couldn’t be killed, or any of it…”

“But?”

“But… it doesn’t change what we have to do.” Ruby lifted her head fully, expression hardening with determination. “Salem can’t be killed, but… we can still protect the Relics. We can still fight. It’s always been about protecting people, and that isn’t different now.”

“Attagirl,” they said, soft with an affection that made Ruby blush. Another comfortable stretch of silence came and went, in which Ruby finished her coffee, and her shoulders sagged once more.



“Uncle Qrow might not see it that way.” She shook her head. “I’m worried about how he’s taking it.”

“With good reason,” the stranger replied, pushing themselves back from the table. Their teacup had vanished. “But remember, Ruby. Some things are out of your control.”

Ruby stood, adjusting her cloak around her shoulders. They took her empty mug and set it in a nearby bin, then held the door open for her. A gust of cool air blew into the cafe before Ruby stepped out into the snow. They followed close behind. She stuck out a hand, catching a few snowflakes on her fingers and watching them melt against her skin.



“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” she asked. “isn’t it?”

They stuck their hands in their pockets and turned their gaze upward. “Things often do,” they said, breath disappearing as fog in the gentle wind. They looked at her out the corner of their eye, smile firmly in place. “You’ll find your way. You always have.”



“Thank you,” Ruby replied, and she meant it.



They smirked. “You’re more confused than ever, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah,” she shrugged, and the pair shared a laugh. Ruby had forgotten how good it felt. An arm slid around her shoulders, and she found herself returning the sideways hug.



“We’re proud of you,” they said. “Don’t forget that.” They let her go and though they were still smiling, their eyes were sad again. “You’re so much braver than you realize.”

Ruby didn’t know what to say to that, so she simply nodded. “Good night.”

“Goodnight, Ruby.”

