[ Ruby had always intended to write Pyrrha while she was away. To keep her up to date on things that were going on at home without taking Pyrrha's attention away from what she had set out to find. Ruby knew the trip was important to her, or she wouldn't have gone. She respected that.
But now things have gone off the wire in a way that Ruby couldn't have predicted, and Penny is here. She doesn't check to find out if Jaune or any one else has already sent a message to Pyrrha about this, and - maybe it's better left alone for now. The last thing Ruby wants to do is make Pyrrha feel like she should come back early, or ruin her trip. But - it wasn't fair to keep this from her, either.
Just like it wasn't fair what Ruby was keeping from Penny. ]
Pyrrha? Are you there? I'm sorry about this, but it's really important.
[ Truthfully, Pyrrha has no idea what this could be about. She's kept radio silence since her talk with Jaune. Although she misses her friends - and she does, make no mistake - there is something to be said about the solitude, fresh air and endless earth. She can't put words to it, and isn't sure she wants to. When it's time to go home, when she finally begins to miss the little house on their corner of Verens as a home, then she will.
So, Ruby hasn't written. That's fine. Jaune hasn't initiated calls. That's - that's also fine.
Really important. That does get her to pause.
It's almost a half hour before she responds, but not because she was purposefully ignoring Ruby. The lower world is contentious, and Pyrrha can't always stop just because she wants to. ]
I'm here. Sorry, I was in the middle of something. [ To put one spin on it. ] Is everyone alright?
[ It takes Pyrrha long enough to respond to her original message that Ruby almost sends out another, though rationally she knows she shouldn't panic. However, rationality isn't exactly her strong suit at the best of times, and it's hard not to worry until she finally hears her friend's voice echoing in her head.
And for a moment, Ruby finds herself with a slanted smile at Pyrrha's question. It's sweet that she's worried about Jaune. At least that's not the news she has to deliver today. ]
No...Jaune...Jaune's fine. [ Maybe a little down, sure, but ultimately fine.
Then she hesitates, before pushing through with the thought, because no. Pyrrha needs to know. ]
[ Jaune is fine, according to Ruby, but that is hardly where her laundry list of people to be concerned about ends. Pyrrha just begins to ask the same question, but with Nora as the subject, when Ruby cuts that question - any question - short.
A few short words, and Pyrrha feels the world drop out from under her feet.
She's wondered more than once, perhaps unheathily, what Cinder would think if she ended up in Verens and they came face to face again. Not much, likely. Pyrrha has resigned herself to one simple fact: Cinder will always be significant and important in her life, not in a positive way, but someone Pyrrha will never forget; but Cinder has likely forgotten all about Pyrrha by now. How not? She won. There's no point in thinking about the loser. Yet, when it comes to Penny, when it comes to the child that Pyrrha killed, she has no such recourse. It's another nightmare, one of many.
Her mouth grows dry. Pyrrha finds herself feeling dizzy, unstrung emotion that can squeeze her heart to a stutter and leave her scrambling for purchase. It's probably a good idea she was sitting down when she answered Ruby, because - because --
- Penny.
... Silence. For a long moment. Sorry, Ruby.
Eventually, ]
Is she...
[ Not even knowing what she wants to ask, Pyrrha trails off. ]
[ It's a small blessing that Pyrrha takes a moment to respond, because it gives Ruby a chance to gather up her thoughts again. She can only imagine what's going through Pyrrha's head now that she knows. But telling her friend about Penny's arrival is only half of what she has to do. And, oh.
Would things really be better, if Penny did know her fate? There's no way to know for sure. Either way, this is horrible, and her heart aches. None of them deserved any of this, and yet it was unavoidable, all the same. ]
She...she doesn't know.
[ Ruby hardly needs to explain what Penny doesn't know. ]
[ There's a long pause, as she looks out at everything spread out in front of her. Oddly enough, this news doesn't make the land any less beautiful, or vast, or hers.
[ Now it's Ruby's turn to be silent for a moment, considering Pyrrha's offers and all of its ramifications. It means Penny hearing her fate from the person who had - even unwittingly - destroyed her. It means keeping this deep dark secret from one of her best friends for awhile longer, and minding the guilt that sunk her heart into her stomach every time she sees her. It means letting Pyrrha do something incomprehensibly painful, when Ruby could just as well do it herself.
But it's Pyrrha's choice to make, and Ruby will respect her decision, of course. Her answer comes resolute: ]
You bet. I'll make sure everyone else knows to, too.
[ It'll be for the best, in the long run, if Penny hears it from Pyrrha. There's just...no bright side to this. Not right now. ]
[ In turn, Pyrrha knows what she's doing to Ruby - to all of them, really - by making this request. No one wants to lie, or keep secrets now. There had been enough of that on Remnant, or so Pyrrha figures. Briefly, she considers turning back, but ... it wouldn't matter. She's weeks out, and will need those same weeks to make the journey back. She needs to finish what she started, and hope it makes her whole again.
There's no good answer here. Ruby can't see the way Pyrrha leans against the wall of a ruin, letting it support her, sinking down.
She'll cry a little, and then she'll continue on. ]
Thank you.
[ Again. ]
I'm sorry, but I think I need to disconnect now. [ ... ] Tell Jaune and Nora that I'm thinking of them?
[ That she needs to disconnect, at least. They both know full well that none of this is really okay, and Ruby doesn't want to belabor the conversation if there's nothing else Pyrrha needs to say for now. She's still on her own journey, after all. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
YOU KNOW WHEN
But now things have gone off the wire in a way that Ruby couldn't have predicted, and Penny is here. She doesn't check to find out if Jaune or any one else has already sent a message to Pyrrha about this, and - maybe it's better left alone for now. The last thing Ruby wants to do is make Pyrrha feel like she should come back early, or ruin her trip. But - it wasn't fair to keep this from her, either.
Just like it wasn't fair what Ruby was keeping from Penny. ]
Pyrrha? Are you there? I'm sorry about this, but it's really important.
SHOWS BACK UP WITH STARBUCKS
So, Ruby hasn't written. That's fine. Jaune hasn't initiated calls. That's - that's also fine.
Really important. That does get her to pause.
It's almost a half hour before she responds, but not because she was purposefully ignoring Ruby. The lower world is contentious, and Pyrrha can't always stop just because she wants to. ]
I'm here. Sorry, I was in the middle of something. [ To put one spin on it. ] Is everyone alright?
[ Wait for it... ]
Is it Jaune?
no subject
And for a moment, Ruby finds herself with a slanted smile at Pyrrha's question. It's sweet that she's worried about Jaune. At least that's not the news she has to deliver today. ]
No...Jaune...Jaune's fine. [ Maybe a little down, sure, but ultimately fine.
Then she hesitates, before pushing through with the thought, because no. Pyrrha needs to know. ]
It's...Penny. She's here, Pyrrha.
no subject
A few short words, and Pyrrha feels the world drop out from under her feet.
She's wondered more than once, perhaps unheathily, what Cinder would think if she ended up in Verens and they came face to face again. Not much, likely. Pyrrha has resigned herself to one simple fact: Cinder will always be significant and important in her life, not in a positive way, but someone Pyrrha will never forget; but Cinder has likely forgotten all about Pyrrha by now. How not? She won. There's no point in thinking about the loser. Yet, when it comes to Penny, when it comes to the child that Pyrrha killed, she has no such recourse. It's another nightmare, one of many.
Her mouth grows dry. Pyrrha finds herself feeling dizzy, unstrung emotion that can squeeze her heart to a stutter and leave her scrambling for purchase. It's probably a good idea she was sitting down when she answered Ruby, because - because --
- Penny.
... Silence. For a long moment. Sorry, Ruby.
Eventually, ]
Is she...
[ Not even knowing what she wants to ask, Pyrrha trails off. ]
no subject
Would things really be better, if Penny did know her fate? There's no way to know for sure. Either way, this is horrible, and her heart aches. None of them deserved any of this, and yet it was unavoidable, all the same. ]
She...she doesn't know.
[ Ruby hardly needs to explain what Penny doesn't know. ]
no subject
[ There's a long pause, as she looks out at everything spread out in front of her. Oddly enough, this news doesn't make the land any less beautiful, or vast, or hers.
Pyrrha summons up her reserves of courage. ]
I think I'd like to be the person to tell her.
[ She owes the other girl that much. ]
Can you keep it quiet until then?
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But it's Pyrrha's choice to make, and Ruby will respect her decision, of course. Her answer comes resolute: ]
You bet. I'll make sure everyone else knows to, too.
[ It'll be for the best, in the long run, if Penny hears it from Pyrrha. There's just...no bright side to this. Not right now. ]
no subject
There's no good answer here. Ruby can't see the way Pyrrha leans against the wall of a ruin, letting it support her, sinking down.
She'll cry a little, and then she'll continue on. ]
Thank you.
[ Again. ]
I'm sorry, but I think I need to disconnect now. [ ... ] Tell Jaune and Nora that I'm thinking of them?
no subject
[ That she needs to disconnect, at least. They both know full well that none of this is really okay, and Ruby doesn't want to belabor the conversation if there's nothing else Pyrrha needs to say for now. She's still on her own journey, after all. ]
I will. We'll see you soon.
[ That day can't come fast enough. ]