The Illusion - Chapter 1 - Mirror (Patreon)
Content
Hello, everyone! A couple years ago, I swore I wouldn't write one story for White Rose Week again. A few months ago, I decided that me from a few years ago didn't know what she was talking about. So...here we go. Another story for White Rose Week.
The prompts I used are in the title. I hope you enjoy!
***
“Hey, good evening!” Ruby said for about the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes. “Welcome!” she added with a nod and small wave to the middle-aged man leading his three young children past. “Please find a seat inside and enjoy the show!”
As he said something to his kids, whose eyes and expressions shone with excitement, Ruby turned around and smiled when she found another family approaching her. The mother and father gently prodded their two young sons forward, and the youngest one - who also appeared to be the shiest of the group - hesitantly stepped up and extended their admission tickets to her.
“Hey there!” With a reassuring smile reserved for the smallest or most timid guests, Ruby knelt down and took the tickets from his hand. “Are you excited to see some magic?”
When she reached out and pulled a coin from behind his ear, his eyes went wide with both fascination and surprise.
“I want to see some real magic!” his older brother butted in - a somewhat typical response from anyone old enough to tell the difference between a magic trick and pure magic.
Ruby didn’t let the words phase her, however. Instead, she lowered her voice, leaned closer to the two young boys, and whispered, “The real magic only happens inside the tent.”
As expected, both of them stared at the massive red tent towering just behind her - an awe-inspiring sight that, from its location perched atop a large, grassy knoll, could be seen from the outer edges of the city.
Based on their responses, Ruby knew that they’d never been here before. They might have heard stories, or rumors, or maybe even seen a photo or two, but they had no idea what type of magic was in store for them tonight.
“As soon as you walk inside,” she added after glancing behind them to make sure there was no one waiting in line. “You’ll feel it...like static in the air, or a tingle on your skin. Maybe it will awaken the magic in you too?”
When she nodded to them, they shared a glance before grabbing their parents by the arm and dragging them towards the tent in front of them. Ruby, meanwhile, stood up and shook her head when she caught the look Jaune sent her way.
“I still think it’s cool,” he said while whipping a bouquet of fake flowers from his sleeve. “It’s old school, right?”
“Apparently, the kids don’t agree with us,” Ruby replied with a shake of her head.
“Pyrrha thinks it’s cool though.” When Jaune gave the flowers a cheesy grin before stuffing them back into place, likely to be presented to the aforementioned redhead later, Ruby smiled and looked out over the grassy field they’d called ‘home’ for the past couple of weeks.
Most of tonight’s spectators had already arrived, leaving the field relatively empty and quiet compared to the drone of voices from behind them. The parking lot in the near distance was packed with vehicles - a good sign for an event that thrived on the number of guests crammed into the tent.
“Looks like a full house,” she remarked, prompting Jaune to turn towards the towering tent behind them.
“You wanna head in?” he asked with a nod that way. “I can take over from here.”
“You mean do I want to keep working while you sit here waiting for one more person to show up?”
“It’s still working!” he argued, but she playfully rolled her eyes and dropped her stack of tickets in his hands.
“I guess one of us should be useful.”
“That’s the spirit!” he called after her as she hurried up the path some hundreds of people walked just moments earlier.
Rather than head right into the tent, however, she veered left and made her way to one of the secondary entrances used exclusively by the entertainers. After ducking through a cleverly-concealed slit in the red fabric, she passed and soaked up the chaotic energy inside.
The show was about to start, which meant turmoil had descended upon the cast and crew of this traveling event. Some called it a circus, but they didn’t - a circus was for animals. This was something bigger - something better. Something no one had ever seen before.
Unless that someone had visited them on one of their many stops around the globe. From Mistral to Vacuo to here in Atlas, they welcomed crowds of people lining up to witness an evening of magic. Real magic as the kids loved to say, and their parents loved to whisper in awe.
The Illusion - an event like no other. It followed no schedule and no pattern, popping up overnight at any random location near some unsuspecting city around the globe. It stayed for several days, or several weeks, before disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. It was equal parts myth and fantasy, depending on whether the storyteller had made it into the fabled red tent or not.
To Ruby, however, this was more than just a magic show. The Illusion was her life, and it had been ever since she was a child. The people working here were her family. And she, like most of the other members of the crew, found great joy in sharing their gifts with the world.
One day, she hoped to be one of the events featured on the flyers distributed across the city. People would come from all over to watch her work her magic - and by that, she didn’t mean the many sleight-of-hand tricks she’d perfected over the years. Maybe she could pick up vehicles ten times her size. Maybe she could fly through the air like a bird. Maybe she could grow over a hundred feet tall on demand.
Until then, she would do what she did best - help the stars who made The Illusion shine.
“Need anything?” she asked the first person she passed. As soon as they shook their head, she carried on. “Need anything?” she asked Pyrrha next, who shook her head but motioned towards the front of the tent.
“Is Jaune still out front?”
“Yes, but I’m sure he’ll come in and watch your act,” Ruby assured the girl before turning around when applause broke out in the main arena.
Out on stage, Nora spoke to the crowd, getting everyone excited and ready for the first act. In the back of the tent, that round of applause meant it was time - the show was about to begin. For anyone who wasn’t already prepared, that meant only a few minutes left to finish makeup, change into costume, or collect whatever props were needed.
“I should see if anyone else needs help,” Ruby told Pyrrha, who gave her a kind smile before she hurried away.
Behind the scenes of The Illusion was probably a maze to those who didn’t know where they were going. Between getting lost in stacks equipment and dodging around performers warming up for their acts - which sometimes entailed ducking or narrowly avoiding potentially-deadly hazards - working here wasn’t for the faint of heart.
Fortunately, she had enough experience to know where to step or when running might be a good idea. And, through her experience as a jack-of-all-trades fixer, she also knew where the likely problem spots might be.
“Ren,” she called out to the young man stationed at the massive control panel for the technology in the main tent. “How’re we looking?”
“Those speakers still aren’t working,” he replied with a tap on that side of the panel.
“Anything we can do now?”
“Unless you can make it up there and back between acts?” When he glanced over at her, she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I turned them off for now,” he added. “I think that’ll be fine. We’ll just have to fix them again later.”
While Ruby hated when something broke that she couldn’t fix, she trusted that Ren had done the best he could do. Those damn speakers though...they took turns malfunctioning just to make her job harder - she was sure of it.
“Let me know if I can fix anything else?” she added, only for both of them to pause when shrieks and gasps of surprise were heard from the arena beside them.
“Sounds like Neon went for ‘shocking’ tonight,” Ren mumbled before returning to his task of monitoring the lights and sounds of the show. Sensing that she wasn’t needed here at the moment, Ruby slipped out of the room and headed back the way she just came.
Seeing as how this wasn’t their first day in Atlas, or even their first week, the performance seemed to be running smoothly. While there were still last-second fires to put out every once in a while, everything was far more organized than the first couple of days in a new city. She liked that there weren’t too many messes to attend to but, at the same time, felt almost restless as she walked past so many people who didn’t need anything right now.
She liked helping others, but there was more to it than that. She wanted to feel like her presence here mattered, that The Illusion needed her like she needed it. This was her job, her family, her purpose. Yet, while she made her way through the various performers and other crew members, it didn’t feel like she mattered much at all.
Maybe it was just jealousy, she told herself while ducking into an empty room filled with prop weapons. ‘Prop’ might be a bit of a misnomer considering they were all very real and very dangerous, but Penny always said she preferred working with the real deals.
When Ruby picked up one of the swords and felt the weight of it in her hand, she could hardly even imagine doing what Penny did with these. Of course, with her lack of any particular talent, she could hardly imagine doing what any of the performers did. They were the stars of The Illusion. They were gifted.
And who was she? She helped them find their missing items or fixed the many tech-related issues they had. Other than that, she didn’t have any type of ability yet, but she still hoped that one day hers would appear. If it did - if she had that spark of magic in her - she could one day have her own act. If she had her own act, she could contribute to the show in a bigger way than ever before.
After carefully swinging the sword around in one hand, she jabbed it towards the wall and withdrew it just as quickly. While muffled applause rose and fell in the distance, signifying the beginnings and ends of The Illusion’s many great acts, she cleared her mind and pretended that applause was for her.
Maybe she was a knight. Maybe she could stave off hundreds of enemies in a fight.
Maybe she was a warrior. Maybe she was a queen. Maybe she could do things only before seen in dreams.
“Ruby?”
As soon as she heard her name, the fantasy disappeared, and she rushed to put the sword back on the shelf.
“Yeah?” she called out, only for her sister to poke her head through the doorway a second later.
“There you are,” Yang said while walking into the room.
With Yang’s long blonde hair, purple eyes, and athletic build, more than a few people asked them if they were actually related. Sometimes, they responded to those questions by making jokes about how they had different moms. Sometimes, Yang took offense to the insinuation that they had to look alike to be sisters.
Even Ruby would admit that they looked nothing alike, but that didn’t make Yang any less of her sister - and one of the most important people in her life.
“What’re you up to?” Yang asked with a glance around the room.
“Just making sure Penny’s stuff is in order.”
Even though that was a plausible excuse, and would have worked on anyone else, Yang was too smart to fall for it.
“But Penny already has what she needs for tonight,” Yang pointed out as she took a step closer and ducked her head to better meet Ruby’s gaze. “Be honest - you have a thing for swords, don’t you.”
The joke was intended to make Ruby laugh, and it did just that.
“Would you disown me if I did?” she replied with a small smile that Yang returned in full.
“Hell no. I think that’d be pretty cool, actually. Plus, it’s not like we’re running low on weapons around here.” When Yang motioned around the room, Ruby looked around and felt a small smile flit onto her lips.
Unfortunately, that smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and Yang’s humor went right along with it.
“Hey.” As soon as Yang set a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, she sighed and felt her prior thoughts returned with a vengeance. “What’s up?”
“It’s nothing,” she mumbled, even though she knew she wasn’t getting out of explaining her problems now. “It’s just...I just wish I could do more.” All it took was one motion towards the main stage for Yang to understand what Ruby was talking about - the same problem that had bothered her for quite some time now.
“You already do so much to help,” Yang assured her, same as she always did. “And your time is coming, ok?” When Ruby shook her head and turned away, Yang tapped her other shoulder. “It is. You’re just a late bloomer, that’s all.”
“Really late bloomer...”
“Mom was too.”
With another heavy sigh, Ruby finally met Yang’s gaze. As usual, her sister was right. She just wished it wasn’t such a good argument.
“Fine,” she finally conceded. “You’re right…”
“You know I’m right,” Yang replied with a happy laugh. When several puffs of flame slipped out at the same time though, she covered her mouth and laughed harder. “Sorry,” she got out through her chuckles, but her happiness - and the absurd look of flames slipping between her fingers - made Ruby laugh too.
“What’re you two on about?”
When someone suddenly appeared beside them, they both jumped in surprise. Ruby might have also yelped a bit, but that was better than Yang’s loud, “Jesus! Blake - holy hell...”
“Sorry.”
If Blake was actually sorry for scaring the living daylights out of them, the smile pulling at her lips made it impossible to tell. In fact, if Ruby didn’t know any better, Blake probably considered it a fun game to try to make one of them scream.
Scream in surprise, at least. Although what she and Yang did in their free time was something Ruby wanted to know nothing about.
“I’m sure you are,” Yang replied with another laugh while wrapping an arm around Blake’s waist and tugging her close. With her dark outfit and even darker hair, she was just about the polar opposite of Yang, yet they also made the perfect pair.
“How’d it go?” Yang added with a kiss on Blake’s cheek.
“About the same as usual.” Blake shrugged at the response, as if creating copies of herself was just another walk in the park. “You’re up soon though.”
“Already?” When Blake nodded, Yang patted Ruby’s shoulder and took a step towards the door. “Guess I’ll get ready then.” After pausing to give Blake another kiss - this one lasting long enough that Ruby averted her gaze - Yang rubbed her hands together and blew a breath of flame over them. “I’ll see you in a bit!” she threw over her shoulder while hurrying towards the entrance to the stage.
“I hope she doesn’t set something on fire again…” Blake mumbled as Yang left them in the prop room.
“Pretty sure that’s what everyone wants to see,” Ruby pointed out, which Blake pondered for a few seconds before smiling. She had a nice smile, for those who were special enough to see it. Fortunately, Ruby’s status as Yang’s sister made her one of the privileged few who got to know Blake better than most.
Of course, that meant Blake also knew Ruby better than most - probably even more so since Yang wasn’t exactly known for talking too little.
“How’re you doing?” Blake asked while turning her attention to Ruby. As soon as intent amber eyes locked onto her, Ruby did her best not to let her emotions slip through. Because, along with being extremely talented, Blake had a knack for knowing Ruby’s thoughts without hearing a word.
“I’m looking forward to another great show,” she replied with a smile that wouldn’t have worked in any other situation. Right now, however, Blake grew distracted by the cheers welcoming Yang to the stage for what would definitely be quite a show.
“You can go watch, you know,” Ruby added when Blake’s eyes darted that way, knowing how much Blake loved watching Yang’s act. She said it was only because she liked watching the flames leap around the stage, but Ruby suspected it was simpler than that.
Blake just loved Yang, period.
“Ok,” she acquiesced, proving Ruby’s theory at least partially correct. “See you later?”
“Yeah! Of course.”
Once Blake nodded and headed towards one of the side entrances to the stage, Ruby left the prop room and looked around for anyone who might need an extra pair of hands. But, as the show progressed, the atmosphere backstage settled into something much more mellow. Most of the stagehands had already completed their tasks, while others were already preparing for the night to end. The performers who’d already finished their acts headed back to their rooms or did what Blake was doing - watched the end of the show.
Considering the clean-up needed as soon as the show ended and the crowds departed, maybe she should watch for a little bit too before diving into those end-of-day tasks. If she hurried, she might catch the end of Yang’s act too before their headliner took the stage.
Her heart fluttered at the thought of catching the last act, but that feeling disappeared the instant she turned the corner and nearly ran headfirst into Emerald.
“Watch where you’re going,” Emerald snapped while Ruby narrowly avoided the collision.
“Sorry...” she mumbled while keeping her head down and trying to slip away. Unfortunately, Emerald grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“What’re you doing out here? Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning?”
“The show’s not even over yet,” Ruby pointed out while resisting the urge to pull her arm free. By now, she knew that she wasn’t strong enough to do that, and it would only make Emerald angry if she tried. “I’m just going to watch the end of the show,” she added as calmly as possible. “Then I’ll start cleanup.”
There was no rule that said she couldn’t go watch for a few minutes, and Emerald knew that. Unfortunately, Emerald usually didn’t care if there were or weren’t any rules in place. All she cared about was that she held far more power than Ruby, and she relished every opportunity to put Ruby in her place.
Thankfully, Mercury chose that moment to walk around the corner. His presence drew Emerald’s attention, and she finally released Ruby’s arm.
“If you’re bored,” she added while giving Ruby a subtle shove. “I’ll come up with things for you to do. And you won’t like them.” When Emerald flashed a smile that looked sweet and kind, Ruby heeded the unspoken warning and hurried away while rubbing the red marks off of her arm.
The people who brought The Illusion to life were her friends and family...mostly. Hidden amongst her favorite people in the world were a few she could do without - Emerald being one of them. She still remembered the day Emerald showed up with her friends requesting a job...she thought Emerald was friendly, and a potential friend who wasn’t one of the performers.
She couldn’t have been more wrong, but she knew better by now. Something sinister lurked underneath Emerald’s perfect smile, and that vicious side usually appeared when Ruby was around.
Maybe Emerald hated her because she didn’t have a gift, which put her at the bottom of The Illusion’s unspoken hierarchy. Maybe Emerald hated that Ruby wasn’t at the complete bottom because Yang’s status granted her more freedom and respect than she ‘deserved.’ Or maybe Emerald just didn’t like that people brought up Ruby’s parents, who were still well-known and well-respected from the days when they had acts of their own.
Whatever the reason, Emerald hated her and went out of the way to prove it. But, even though it bothered her, she wouldn’t dwell on it right now - not when her favorite part of the night was about to begin.
Making it to one of the tunnels leading into the arena, she hurried through and paused where the tunnel met the stairs leading into the stands. From there, the main stage lay just ahead of her - a large circular platform made up of several folding pieces she’d helped lay out days ago. The stage was ‘where the magic happened,’ as Yang often said with a wink, but it was the rest of the tent that held Ruby’s attention.
The stands, which encircled the stage in every direction, were packed with people. That sight, along with how excited and happy everyone looked, warmed her heart. This was why The Illusion existed - to make people happy. To put on a show that people would talk about even after the tent moved on to the next city.
Every act was worth the price of admission, but there was one performer guaranteed to leave an impression that lasted far beyond tonight. Her gift was one of the most incredible Ruby had ever experienced, and Ruby had experienced quite a few over the time of working here or watching her parents perform.
The crowd also seemed to sense that something spectacular was about to happen, as the anticipation in the room grew while the ashes and soot from Yang’s event were swept away.
Being slated as the second-to-last act was an accomplishment in itself, and a recognition Yang deserved for her ability to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Illusion’s headlining act, however, was reserved for someone even more...magical.
Once the stage was cleared and nothing but a microphone placed in the center of the tent, the lights lowered, and Ruby’s heart slowed when a hush fell over the crowd. That sense of expectation and anticipation rose even higher, and then The Illusion’s last - and best - performer stepped onto the stage.
“We have a real treat for you tonight,” Nora narrated in the meantime, keeping the words flowing as their last act was seconds from beginning. “Something you might have seen before, or heard before, but we guarantee you’ve never felt this before. The Illusion presents...the one and only...Melody.”
Dressed in an elegant, white gown, white heels, and an icy-blue pendant necklace, Melody looked like she’d walked right off of a movie set. Her blonde hair made even Yang jealous, and her piercing blue eyes sometimes shimmered with different colors based on her mood.
She didn’t breathe fire like Yang or bend metal like Pyrrha. She...sang. While that might sound tame for a show featuring flames, swords, and death-defying stunts, she was no ordinary singer, and it felt like the audience already knew that. Or, at the very least, they expected something extraordinary from her, as a deathly quiet fell over the room the moment she picked up the microphone and lifted it to her lips.
The first bars of music played over the speakers, and the room’s expectation only grew. Maybe some in the audience had heard her sing before. Maybe some had only heard stories. Whatever the cause, Ruby wasn’t the only one leaning forward waiting for that first note.
“Mirror…tell me something...” Melody began in her soft, angelic voice, but those few words alone sent a surge of melancholy racing through Ruby’s veins. The gasps from the crowd confirmed that she wasn’t the only one who felt it - the emotion so strong and sudden that its appearance couldn’t by chance.
This was Ruby’s favorite part of The Illusion. No matter how much Melody guarded her precious voice, no matter how much of a diva she was off stage, Ruby loved every note that passed through her lips. Feeling each emotion threaded into her heart only to be swept away by the next one - by the next song, by the next line, by the next sequence of notes - made her feel alive in a way she’d never experienced before Melody showed up.
The crowd also felt it, as their emotions showed on their faces for all to see. In a matter of just a few songs, and with only her voice, Melody would reduce them to tears of sadness only to wipe that emotion away and fill the tent with pure, unbridled joy like no other. They would leave The Illusion happy, and with their troubles forgotten for a short time - they just had to make it through the fall first.
With the first song only halfway over, Ruby felt someone walk into the tunnel and stand at the opposite side from her. So enraptured in Melody’s voice, she only managed a glance in that direction only to do a double-take at who she saw.
The girl standing beside Ruby right now was the prettiest in the world. She was like Melody’s voice, only in a physical, tangible version that made Ruby’s heart stutter in surprise.
With long, white hair and clear blue eyes, she didn’t seem to notice Ruby’s look her way. Instead, she stood by the exit of the tunnel and watched Melody with emotions that ebbed and flowed just like everyone else.
Determined not to be caught staring, Ruby tried to focus on Melody but found that the song no longer held her attention. Instead, she stole glances out of the corner of her eye while the girl crept closer to the exit of the tunnel.
It didn’t look like she planned on finding a seat, probably because the show was nearly over. Or maybe because she realized that standing right here would offer the same experience as sitting anywhere else. Whatever the reason, Ruby stole another look and tried to think of a way to strike up a conversation.
Unfortunately, any thought of flirting disappeared when she caught sight of Cinder striding down the tunnel towards her. Just like that, her thoughts went from how to start a conversation to worrying about what she did wrong.
“What are you doing here?” Cinder demanded as soon as she was close enough. “Start cleaning up.”
Even though Cinder used a low voice so as not to be overheard, the girl still glanced their way and briefly caught Ruby’s gaze. That short look was all it took for her to pull the hood of her cloak over her head and hurry towards the exit, leaving Ruby backing away from Cinder in hopes of making an escape.
“I’ll get right on that,” she added, and didn’t give Cinder the opportunity to respond before turning around and hurrying after the girl.
With the head start, she’d already made it to the outer lobby of the tent and was quickly making her way outside. From there, she walked across the field towards the parking lot, leaving Ruby little choice but to do something quickly and make a spectacular fool out of herself in the process.
“Excuse me?” she called out while jogging to catch up, but the girl didn’t turn around or acknowledge Ruby’s words. Instead, she picked up her pace and hurried towards the parking lot, where a sleek black car waited for her.
Ruby could catch up if she broke into a sprint, but clearly the girl didn’t want to talk. So, rather than follow her dubious instincts, she slowed to a stop and watched the girl pull something from her pocket while also opening the door of the vehicle.
It was at that moment that Ruby spotted a flash of something falling to the ground, but the girl didn’t notice it while getting into the car and closing the door behind her.
“Hey, wait!” Ruby called out while jogging over to whatever it was. She waved her hand towards the car, but it didn’t stop as it made its way out of the parking lot and back towards the city.
Left standing there, Ruby watched the car until it disappeared before blowing a breath through her lips and kneeling down to pick up what the girl just left behind. What she found was a compact silver case, which turned out to be a pocket mirror when she opened the clasp.
It was a nice one - way better than any of the cheap ones she’d seen before - and it had an inscription inside.
‘To my dearest Weiss, who will one day move the world. Love, Nicklaus Schnee.’
Snapping it shut, Ruby mindlessly walked back to the tent and tried to decide what to do next. Even though the girl was clearly in a hurry to leave, she couldn’t have meant to leave this behind. The mirror looked like a gift of some kind, and possibly an important one.
Ruby had to get it back to her somehow.
“Ruby.”
Cringing at the voice, she caught one sight of Cinder’s glare before grabbing the first crate her hands landed on and racing to start the end-of-show cleanup. Returning the mirror would have to wait until her work was done, but she doubted that her thoughts would leave the girl in the meantime.
Weiss. Was her name Weiss? That was a pretty name, so it must belong to a pretty girl. But why had she come to The Illusion only to leave in such a hurry?
Maybe when Ruby returned the mirror, she could ask.