{Another user mentioned stephs are related to hoyas so I'm reposting...}

I've been reading up on this and it seems like the right time to prune since my plant has just stopped blooming, but some info out there suggests I should wait until late winter/early spring to prune?

It currently has 3 stems coming off the main vine, with what appears to be a couple of dormant (?) buds on 2 of the nodes. Only stems #1 & 3 are actively growing with the main vine being pretty bare between these two stems. The #2 stem, in the middle of the vine, has one healthy leaf on it, but otherwise feels dead. Do I cut back this stem to the main vine, sacrificing the one leaf, or should I cut back to just before the leaf, leaving it on the stem? What can I do to stimulate the buds to grow? Looking to fill in the bare part of the vine with growth if possible. Any advice/insight appreciated as I am not familiar with how vines grow/behave. Photos and details below:

^ Whole plant with stems noted in red, dormant buds noted in blue

^ #1 leader stem with new growth at tip

^ #3 stem: closest to the base, with new growth coming off another stem

^ #2 stem with one healthy leaf. The part that I'm holding feels dry and brittle. Do I cut this stem back all the way to the main vine, or stop just before this leaf?

^ Little buds on the main vine; any way to stimulate these to grow?