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Hmmmm...

[She tips her head back, idly tipping her foot in and out of the water. She could talk about all the good times, but...he did say to be honest.]

It was...mixed, I guess. My mom left after I was born, so Ruby's mom was all I ever had. And when she was there, I remember being happy. She really loved us. Then, one day, she didn't come home from a mission, and things just...changed.

[She drops her foot back into the water and keeps it there.]

Dad didn't take it well. He shut down. So for a couple of years I was the one trying to keep things together, figuring out how to make meals, cleaning up around the house, looking after Ruby...things like that. Uncle Qrow helped sometimes, but... I don't know. It was tough. I was so busy trying to hold our family together I never really got the chance to sort out my own frustrations. Eventually Dad did come around and things got better. Ruby loved me, looked up to me, and that was a good feeling. And then we got our dog Zwei, and that definitely helped shake off all the bad stuff from before.

It happened back when I was really young, so...my memories aren't clear. And if there were any memories of my own mom, I gave them up to open the gate to Beacon, so they're just not there anymore.

[ There's silence, contemplative, but when he does respond... it's with a laugh, short and muted. ]

Well, that makes two of us who don't remember our mothers.

[ He had tried to ask, long ago. He learned quickly not to bother. ]

So you were basically mom and dad for a while. I could see that.

Yeah, a lot of the habits still stuck, if you couldn't tell.

[She smiles, closing her eyes as she listens to the sound of his voice. She can't even began to imagine how lonely he must have been, or how scared.]

...I'm not sure if you were asking because you wanted to try and imagine what it would be like if things had been different for you. And you said not to pry, so I won't. But...if you wanted...I could probably rig something up with the holodecks over in Nova City, give you a taste of a day in the life on the island of Patch.

I don't know about that. I don't really need more confirmation that I got the short end of the stick.

[ He's quiet for a moment - there's the sound of another door opening, followed shortly by wind. ]

But I guess I'm wondering if I'd even know how to exist in that kind of lifestyle.

You're pretty adaptable. And with the right people around who would get it if you were having a tough time coping and had enough patience to work you through it, I mean...why not? There was something really natural and comforting having you around the day we cleaned up the house together, so it seems possible to me. Kinda...domestic. And fun.

[She chuckles.]

I don't know how to put it, really, I'm just glad I asked you to pitch in.

If you had used the word "domestic" to describe me a year ago I would have vomited blood.

[ His tone is a little lighter, at least.

But there's still a pause. ]

I think I know how to put it, I'm just not sure if I should.

You can if you want. I'm too relaxed to pitch a fit right now.

[She assumes he's just going to tease her and make her growl.]

Maybe domestic isn't the right word...reliable? ... Something like that?

You like me.

Hmmmmmmmm...

[She grins a little wider, very glad they're not using the video function as she sinks lower into the water as if to hide the swell of warmth in her cheeks.]

An interesting theory. How can you tell, beyond our amazing physical chemistry?

Because I wouldn't like someone who didn't like me.

[ Yeah... yeah let's keep that video function off]

[eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE! She presses her fingers over her mouth as if that might possibly hide the biggest smile she's ever had on her dumb face.]

So...you're saying it's a mutual thing, then?

Only if you confirm that my guess was right.

I think...

[Does she like him? She has a lot of warm feelings for him, she knows that much. Loves spending time with him. Enjoys the flirting. Definitely appreciates getting an eyeful when he's sauntering around in a towel.]

[...Who is she even kidding? She might not know when that line was crossed, just because everything moved along so natural and so fast, but she knows she cares about him way more than she has about any other guy.]

...I think...you might be right. I like you a lot.

[ He's still not used to this kind of nervousness - he made snide remarks about his heart being all aflutter in the past, but never believed he'd be the one to experience it. ]

The first day you got back here, you said it would take a long time to trust me. So much for that.

[ There's a laugh in his voice, something genuine. ]

Well, what the hell. I like you too.

I don't think I mind being wrong about that.

[She's laughing too because wow. Holy crap. To hear him just say it like that, straight up, is making her heart do all kinds of crazy things.]

You just made it so...easy, you know?

[Hnnnnnnnngh she wishes he'd decided to stick around! But who knows if they would have bothered confessing without the safety of the voice function of their communicators.]

...And why am I hearing so much wind? Did someone bust open your window too?

Oh, I'm on the roof. If you didn't actually like me I was going to jump.

...

Kidding.

...

About the jumping part. I'm really on the roof, though.

Pft. Not funny.

[A little bit funny.]

What brought you all the way up there?

[Better not be his naughty picture, it's way too cold to strip down like that on a chilly late-October evening.]

Didn't I tell you I like hanging out on the roof? Helps me clear my head.

[ Which he needed if he was going to pursue the line of conversation that he did. ]

Just that you liked watching the clouds. Didn't know the stars fell under that category too.

[It's kind of cute, though. She likes closing her eyes and picturing him up there, just watching the lights of that big city and all of its wonders.]

Promise you'll go back inside when it starts to get too cold, though. I'm not going to bring you soup and juice and medicine if you catch a bug.

--Okay, I totally would, but it would still suck if you got sick before the Halloween party.

I lived in the mountains for most of my life. I might not like it Atlas-cold, but I'm used to some chill in the air.

...

What kind of soup, though? Just curious.

I know a couple of good ones, but for a cold...probably Grandpa Soup. Good hearty chicken broth, carrots, celery, and these little dumplings with parsley mixed in them. Total comfort food, and easy on the stomach.

Why, you got a favorite?

Not really! Just making sure you actually had something decent in mind.

[It occurs to her that he probably never had someone look after him when he got sick. That white-haired guy (Marc? Marcus?) definitely wasn't the type who'd care for a sick kid. He didn't even remember his mother. Cinder or Emerald? Prooooooobably not.]

Well hey, guess you hit the jackpot liking someone with a lot of experience looking after little sisters and dads who catch a cold. You're going to get so spoiled.

[ She's absolutely right. Marcus gave him the same treatment when he was sick as he did when he was well. Mercury hasn't been pampered a day in his life. ]

I expect to be waited on hand and foot.

... Well, hand anyway.

Ha ha!

[She shifts to fold her arms on the edge of the tub, resting her chin on it. Maybe...]

You know...you could cash in one of those favors, and call in "sick" to work for one day if you're dying to know what it's like without having to wait until you're actually sick.

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