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Setting up the tent in Atlas was one of the most surreal and exhilarating experiences Ruby had felt in some time.  Even though she worked through the night taking care of every tedious task dumped in her lap, every glance towards the city sent her heart racing in her chest.

Somewhere in that sprawling city, probably sleeping at the time, was Weiss.

On the night they almost met, which felt like ages ago now, they’d stood only feet apart.  That was the closest they’d ever been, but Ruby remembered how nervous she’d been to approach the beautiful girl who looked like she’d walked right out of a dream.

That was dozens of letters ago.  That was hundreds of pages, thousands of words, and countless hours of thoughts dedicated to each other.  

Ruby was still nervous, but excited nervous.  It was anticipation, longing, and eagerness to finally meet the person she liked more than she could have ever imagined.  So after a short nap and several outfit changes, she grabbed a stack of fliers and headed away from The Illusion.

Technically, she didn’t even have an answer to her invitation yet, but somehow she knew that Weiss would show up.  They’d already expressed interest in seeing each other should the opportunity ever arise, and this was exactly the opportunity they’d hoped for.

The Illusion was back in Atlas for the foreseeable future.  Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks - Ruby had no way of knowing that answer right now, but she knew that they at least had today.  If they only had today, they should make the most of it.

“Where’re you off to?”

Pulled away from those thoughts, she glanced Yang’s way and waved the fliers for her to see.

“Going to put these up.”  

Fortunately, the task was so mundane that Yang didn’t ask any questions.  At least, as long as Ruby was going into the city during the day, she didn’t have any questions.  Instead, she waved Ruby off and headed towards the tent.

It wasn’t a lie - Ruby was going to put up the fliers.  She might have plans after that, but Yang didn’t need to know about those right now.  Maybe later, she would tell her sister all about the girl who’d written her way into Ruby’s heart, but...now seemed a bit too soon to do that.

Yang would ask questions - lots of questions, most of which Ruby wouldn’t know how to answer right now. 

“Hey Ruby.”

When Blake suddenly appeared by her side, she literally jumped away.

“Jesus, Blake!” she said, clutching her heart in hopes it wouldn’t beat right out of her chest.  “You gonna give me a heart attack!”

“Sorry…I was just wondering where you’re going?”

“I’m putting up the fliers.”  She raised the stack of papers as proof, but Blake only glanced at them before giving her a searching look.

“You’re dressed up.”

“I wanted to look nice today…” she replied, doing her best not to blush under Blake’s watchful gaze.

Thankfully, Blake didn’t press the issue.  If she did, Ruby would have admitted that she dressed up a little bit more than usual.  It wasn’t every day she met the person she’d exchanged dozens of letters with, who she also had some pretty big feelings for, and she wanted to make a good first...visual impression.

“Just...be careful.”  When Ruby gave Blake a puzzled look, she motioned towards the tent.  “Your sister worries about you...” she added before heading in the direction Yang just went.

Sensing that Yang wasn’t the only one worrying about her, Ruby smiled and felt her heart warm with happiness.  It felt like she had two sisters these days, which was awesome in more ways than one.

But they didn’t have to worry about her today.  Even though she didn’t have a gift like they did, she could take care of herself.  Besides, it wasn’t like she was going to meet a stranger.  Weiss was much more than that.

Spotting Oscar heading across the grassy fields towards her, she felt her heart flutter with expectation while she waved him over.

“Oscar,” she called out to him with a smile.  “What did she say?”

“She didn’t say anything...but she gave me this.”  Pulling a small letter from his bag, he handed it over with a small smile.  “I think it’s good?”

In a hurry to know the answer, Ruby opened the envelope right then and there.  As soon as she saw the response written within, her excitement grew even more.

‘I’ll be there.’

It was the shortest message they’d ever exchanged, yet it was quite possibly her favorite.

They were going to meet today.  In just a few hours, actually.  All she had to do was put up the fliers in her hands then make her way to the nice restaurant Yang once told her about…

“Um, Ruby?  Before you go...can I tell you something?”

When she saw the hesitance and worry in Oscar’s expression, however, she forgot all about her upcoming meeting.  

“Of course you can.  What’s up?”

He shuffled his feet and glanced around before responding, but the two of them were alone right now.  Probably not for long, considering everyone seemed to be waking up already, but he at least had this small moment to express his worries.

“Um, so a while ago Cinder asked me to find something for her.  And I managed to find two, barely, but she wants more.  I can’t find any more though!  I’ve looked everywhere.”

“Is that what you were trying to tell her?” Ruby asked with a nod towards the tent, where she accidentally stumbled across that conversation with Cinder and Emerald.

“Yeah...I told her, but she insists there are more.”  Thinking about the situation, he frowned and stared down at his hands.  “I’m just a little...scared.” 

“Don’t worry.”  Setting one hand on his shoulder, Ruby gave him a reassuring smile as soon as he looked up.  “If she says something or you’re worried, just find me or Yang, ok?  We won’t let anything happen to you.” 

She couldn’t tell if the response worked or not, but eventually he bit his lip and nodded.

“Ok...I’ll do that.  Thanks, Ruby.” 

“You’re welcome,” she replied before giving him a thoughtful look.  “What’s she looking for anyway?” 

“Necklaces.”  Ruby’s brow rose at the unexpected response, but he shrugged.  “Like the one Melody wears, only clear.  She only wants clear.”

“That’s...”  

That was really weird...and didn’t make much sense, but Ruby knew better than to try to figure out Cinder’s mind.  If Cinder wanted something, she probably had a reason for it, and that reason was probably too selfish or mean-spirited for Ruby to understand.

“Try not to worry about it too much,” she said instead.  “I’ve gotta put these up, but I’ll talk to Yang as soon as I get back.  We’ll figure something out, ok?”

This time, he looked much more assured.  Probably because he knew, like Ruby did, that Yang was one of the few people willing and able to stand up to Cinder.

Ruby wished that she could do more to help on her own, but that wouldn’t stop her from helping any way she could.  Even if that meant enlisting her sister for help...she would do that for Oscar, and to get Cinder to back off.

“I’ll be back in a bit, ok?”  She took a step away but waited for his nod and almost-smile before turning around and heading through the rest of the living trailers.

Talking to Yang would be her number one priority as soon as she got back.  But first…

When someone suddenly stepped around the corner in front of her, she spun to the side and narrowly avoided colliding right into them.  Her shoulder knocked into them, however, prompting her to reach out and steady them while also steadying herself.

“Are you alright??” she asked, only to earn an annoyed scowl from Melody.  “I’m sorry,” she added while dropping her hands and taking a step away.  “Are you ok?”

With anyone else, the mistake would have been laughed off or easily forgotten.  Melody, however, just scowled before rolling her eyes and stalking away.  

“Guess not,” Ruby mumbled under her breath, but paused when she caught a glimpse of the necklace around Melody’s neck.  The blue crystal sparkled like it usually did, which made Ruby wonder why Cinder wanted more of them.  Was she jealous that Melody had this one?  Was she worried that this one might break or become lost somehow?

Spotting Emerald out of the corner of her eye, she decided that now wasn’t the time to dwell on those questions.  Instead, she hurried towards the city so she could begin the first part of her task.

The Illusion would be way better off without Cinder and Emerald, but what would they do without Melody?  At this point, it felt like the rest of them should seriously consider that question - especially if Cinder threatened Oscar.  Headlining act or not, there was no excuse for that type of behavior.  They were supposed to be family.  They were supposed to be bound together by these incredible gifts they shared with the world.  They weren’t supposed to use those gifts to intimidate others or make people miserable.

After making it to the edge of the city, she looked behind her at the giant red tent visible in the distance.  Just seeing it sent goosebumps along her arms and made her realize that The Illusion was important to a lot of people - not just herself.  

As she walked along Atlas’ streets, tacking fliers everywhere, she heard the excited chatter all around her - men, women, and children whispering about the mystical red tent or happily making plans to buy tickets.  Their enthusiastic response only made her prouder to be a part of something so incredible, even if her role wasn’t the one she dreamed about.

Right now, however, that didn’t matter as much as it used to.  Instead, she wondered if Weiss could see the tent from wherever she was now.  She wondered if Weiss felt the same sense of anticipation that she did.  And she wondered if maybe, just maybe, that anticipation had more to do with her than the wonders of The Illusion.

She hoped so.  She hoped that she wasn’t the only one who felt this way.  If she was...well, she would love to be Weiss’ friend regardless.  

Before she could figure out that answer, she had to get rid of the stack of posters in her hands.  Fortunately, she knew Atlas pretty well from their prior stops, which meant she knew all of the good places to put The Illusion’s fliers.  That, and she dropped twice as many copies in some places, figuring that having extra in the busiest areas wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The mindless work meant her mind remained focused on Weiss and their impending meeting, and her heart fluttered whenever she caught a glimpse of white.  

It wasn’t long until the time arrived, and her nerves grew when she dumped the rest of the fliers in one place and hurried towards the restaurant she’d picked for their meeting.  According to Yang, it had really good food but was still pretty casual, with plenty of outdoor tables that anyone could sit and talk at.

It sounded like the perfect place for a first meeting.  They didn’t even need to eat if they didn’t want to, or if they were too nervous to.  They could just sit and chat...like they did in their letters, only in person.

While hurrying along the cobblestone streets, passing shops and houses alike, Ruby gave herself the best pep talk she could muster on her own.  Mainly, she reminded herself that the two of them knew each other extraordinarily well - that’s why this almost felt like going to meet a long-lost best friend.  Personality-wise, they got along.  They could talk about anything and everything.

But this would be in real time, and in person.  

Recently, Weiss admitted that she didn’t exactly remember what Ruby looked like.  And, even though Ruby provided a brief description in response, she worried about that more than anything else.

What if Weiss thought Ruby was...well, she wasn’t anywhere near as pretty as Weiss.  The best she could hope for was being kind of cute.  Yang told her that she was cute all the time, but Yang kind of had to say that.  Lots of people said that Yang was really pretty though, and Yang was her sister, so maybe she inherited some of the pretty genes too?

Kind of cute.  That’s what Ruby hoped for as she crossed the next street and spotted the restaurant just ahead of her - with plenty of outdoor seating, just like Yang said.  

If she said she wasn’t nervous right now, that would be a bold-faced lie.  She was really nervous, but that wasn’t enough to turn her away - not when she’d waited for this moment for so long.  

Instead, she walked over to the restaurant’s patio, only to freeze when her eyes landed upon the person of her dreams.

This felt like a dream.  That was the only thing she could think while her feet led her towards a table overlooking one of the rivers running through the city.  Because sitting there, with her hands crossed in her lap, watching the water flow past, was Weiss.  

She was even more beautiful than Ruby remembered.  Her gorgeous white hair had been pulled into a long braid that fell all the way down her back.  Her dress was various shades of blue with white accents, but a red-jeweled clasp and ruby earrings offered a pleasing dash of red.

Even though plenty of nerves still raced through Ruby’s veins, excitement, happiness, and disbelief quickly overwhelmed that feeling.  Her feet led her over to the table as if drawn by some invisible force, and that force only grew stronger when Weiss sensed her approach and looked over.

The moment their eyes met, Ruby’s heart fluttered.

“Weiss,” she said aloud, only for her smile to grow when Weiss smiled right back - her blue eyes filled with the same excitement and disbelief Ruby felt.

As Ruby reached the table, Weiss stood up to greet her, and she briefly wondered if they should hug.  Should they hug?  Shake hands?

She couldn’t decide, so she stopped in front of Weiss and smiled like an idiot.

“Hi,” she said, feeling the word like a sigh of relief.  Weiss dipped her chin and said ‘hi’ in return, though no sound slipped through her lips before a smile fell back into place.  

In that single moment, as they smiled at each other like they both couldn’t believe this was happening, Ruby’s nerves faded away.  Instead, she was incredibly happy and excited to finally meet the person she’d exchanged dozens of letters with, who knew her better than anyone but Yang.

That closeness didn’t only exist on pieces of paper - she could feel it now too, sparking through the air between them.  But now that they were together in person, space constraints and hand cramps wouldn’t slow them down.

“Hi,” she said again, much to Weiss’ amusement.  Before Weiss could respond, however, she remembered something important.  “Oh, I hope you don’t mind,” she said while pulling a small box from her bag and offering it to Weiss.  “But I wanted to get you something,” she added as Weiss gave it a curious look and slowly opened it.  “And I know how you feel about real flowers, so...”

She’d asked Pyrrha for a huge favor and ended up with a beautiful metal rose in return.  It was one of the prettiest things she’d ever seen, so she knew that she had to give it to Weiss.  

However, when Weiss looked at a loss for words, picking up the gift and gently twirling it between her fingers, Ruby shuffled her feet and lightly cleared her throat.

“It’s just a thank you for...everything,” she explained, only for her smile to return as soon as Weiss looked up at her.  “And for meeting me here,” she added with a motion towards the restaurant.  “I know it was kind of last minute, but...you have no idea how excited I was to be back here and finally meet you in person.”  After pausing for a second, only long enough to take a deep breath, she added, “And thank you for being so nice to Oscar.  He really likes you.  I mean, he likes most people, but he really likes delivering letters to you.”

After briefly considering going into the whole ‘and he has a huge crush on your brother’ topic, she decided that she was talking way too much already.  So, rather than monopolize the conversation, she paused and waited for Weiss to respond.

With the metal rose still in her hand, Weiss smiled at Ruby for a few more seconds before growing more hesitant.  The worried expression immediately made Ruby worry, and she realized that just because talking was easy for her didn’t mean it would be easy for both of them.

Before she apologized, however, Weiss motioned for her to sit down.  Though still confused, to put it lightly, she willingly did as instructed and felt her heart swoon when Weiss pulled a chair over to sit beside her.  Weiss then grabbed a pen and pad of paper from her bag, and began to write.

Watching Weiss write was so unreal that Ruby couldn’t help but stare.  The flowing, cursive font appeared on the page word-by-word - the same handwriting that made her heart flutter in her chest.

After only a few words, however, Weiss turned the paper and moved it Ruby’s way.

‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

That put a damper on Ruby’s smile.  “Ok...” she began more hesitantly than before.  “Um, what is it?” 

She had no idea what it might be, which made her wonder if she even wanted to know.  Weiss looked just as unsure about sharing, but then took a deep breath and wrote three more words.

‘I can’t speak.’

“Like...right now?”  When Ruby glanced around the restaurant, wondering if someone was eavesdropping on them, Weiss shook her head.  

‘Like ever,’ she wrote.  ‘I lost my voice several years ago.’

“Oh...”  

‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,’ Weiss quickly wrote on the next line.  ‘I wanted to, but I didn’t want you to treat me...differently.’

That response made sense, as even now Ruby saw the worry in Weiss’ light blue eyes.  And it was certainly a shock to learn after all this time, but...did this change anything?  Sure, she hadn’t expected this, but they hadn’t used their voices all this time.  Actually, they’d already proven that they only needed a pen and piece of paper to connect.

“Do you want me to write too?” she offered, but Weiss shook her head.  “So it’s ok if I talk?” she asked another way.  “Because I don’t mind writing if that makes you more comfortable!”

After meeting Ruby’s gaze for a few seconds, Weiss smiled.  It looked like she actually wanted to laugh at the offer, but the sound never came out.  ‘I appreciate it,’ she wrote instead.  ‘But please talk.’  

“As long as you’re ok with that,” Ruby said, though she was already coming to terms with this new normal.  She could talk, Weiss could write - that didn’t sound so bad.  Although Weiss would probably get tired of writing after too long.  “Wait,” she added once that thought occurred to her.  “Do you have to write for everyone?  Like even your family and stuff?” 

‘I can sign,’ Weiss explained before setting the pen down and lifting her hands.  She then made several hand gestures while silently mouthing the words that went along with them, but Ruby couldn’t pick them out.  ‘I’ll write for you,’ Weiss wrote next.

“I mean, I can learn how to sign too!  I’m sure there’s a book or something, right?” 

The Illusion probably wouldn’t be in Atlas for long, so she wouldn’t get to practice with Weiss very much.  But she could definitely learn everything while they were traveling again.  “Next time we’re in Atlas, I’ll be a pro,” she added.  Weiss smiled and shook her head at the response, but her eyes gave away how happy the idea made her.

It must be hard not being able to speak for herself, which explained some of the difficulties she alluded to in her letters.  Maybe that’s why she wrote so much to Ruby...because their communication didn’t hinge on the ability to speak.

“Maybe you can teach me some right now,” Ruby added with a growing smile.  “Like...how do I say ‘you’re pretty?’” 

That was the first thing that popped into her mind, and it was only after she said it aloud - and saw Weiss’ resulting blush - that she realized how forward it was.

“I-I mean - or something else!” she stammered.  “Something simple?”

Fortunately, Weiss had recovered enough to smile and shake her head.  ‘You,’ she mouthed while pointing to Ruby.  ‘Are pretty.’  When she passed her hand in front of her face and closed her palm near her chin, Ruby slowly mimicked the movement and smiled when Weiss nodded.

Ironically, she already said the words aloud yet now felt nervous about putting them in the form Weiss used to communicate.  But she’d already come this far, and she really wanted Weiss to know that nothing as simple as a lack of a voice would keep her away.

So she held her words at bay and remained silent while repeating the motions Weiss just taught her.  A blush returned to Weiss’ cheeks almost immediately, along with that smile Ruby loved more and more every time she saw it. 

‘You’re pretty,’ Weiss signed back, so Ruby laughed and shook her head.

“No,” she said aloud before repeating her gestures.  “You’re pretty.”

This time Weiss laughed - a silent, happy laugh that made her eyes sparkle with joy.  ‘You are,’ she mouthed one last time.

“Takes one to know one, I guess,” Ruby replied with a playful shrug.  When Weiss laughed again, Ruby’s heart jumped in her chest.  

After looking forward to this moment for so long, she could say that it was nothing like what she imagined.  At the same time, it was exactly what she’d hoped for.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” she sighed, and Weiss made a small gesture that probably meant something like ‘same.’  “Oh!  I’m sorry - do you want something to eat?”  

Ruby nearly stood up to go order food for the both of them, only to freeze when Weiss reached over and grabbed her hand.  The touch shocked Ruby as much as Weiss, who quickly let go and picked up the pen.

‘Maybe in a bit.  Can we just talk for now?’

With a smile, Ruby settled back into her seat and said, “Sure.  Of course we can.”

When Weiss mouthed ‘thank you,’ Ruby smiled at how incredible this was.  Besides how jumpy her heart was whenever she saw Weiss, this didn’t feel like a first meeting at all.  Instead...it felt like they were finally back together after spending too much time apart.

Did Weiss feel that way too?  Or was she too nervous about telling Ruby her secret?  Because it really wasn’t a big deal.  Although Ruby was kind of curious as to how it happened...

“Just so you know, I don’t care if you can’t talk.”  She added that disclaimer because she didn’t want Weiss to think that she had a problem with this.  She didn’t.  She would happily learn how to sign so that they could communicate faster.  “I really don’t,” she reiterated when Weiss met her gaze.  “But I’m just...curious...”  

When she trailed off, unsure if she should ask, Weiss nodded for her to continue.

“If you don’t mind me asking...why can’t you talk?”

‘You won’t believe me even if I tell you,’ Weiss answered before giving Ruby a sad smile.  

“Try me.”  When Weiss looked uncertain, Ruby scooted closer.  “My sister literally breathes fire,” she pointed out.  “Her girlfriend can create clones of herself.  My room is next to a girl who can recreate basically anything by taking a photo of it.  Whatever you say, I’ll believe.”

Of all the incredible, weird, and incredibly weird things Ruby had seen and experienced, she knew she would believe whatever Weiss told her.  Weiss, however, took a deep breath before nodding and picking up the pen.  

Ruby leaned close to read the words as they appeared on the page...and her eyes widened with each one.

Comments

Shyguy the Masquerage

Welp... I think I know where this is going, and I can't wait for more.

Raven2313

Nooooo....don’t stop there I need more!

Anonymous

So back in chapter 1, we hear Weiss's song come from Melody, which I originally thought was Weiss up until we see Weiss at the end of the chapter. Since then, I've been reading each chapter trying to figure out who is Melody and why is she singing Mirror Mirror. Now for this chapter, I'm relatively sure Melody is Neo, especially with the reveal that Weiss can't speak. Thanks for another great chapter! I look forward to the next one!

Whyarewehere

Darn cliffhanger! Great as always! Cheers!!

yodaka

*gasps* Those voice stealing b...i mean...witches!!!

NeurovascularEntrapta

I can’t believe it took me this long to realize how similar this feels to The Little Mermaid. Cinder probably needs the necklaces as part of her scheme to use Weiss’ voice for “Melody.” And omg Weiss and Ruby finally meeting was the sweetest thing I’ve read in a while, and I read a lot of fluffy fics lol

Ben Lockwood

Nice! Go Ruby! Break that evil spell!