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“Welcome!”  Ruby called out to a family walking towards her.  When the children in front - a young girl and young boy - reached her, she knelt down and smiled up at them.  “Ready to see some magic?”

When she reached forward, flicked her wrist, and pulled a coin from behind the little girl’s ear, her eyes widened in surprise.

“How…?”  When Ruby offered the coin to her, she flipped it over in her small hands before giving Ruby a look of disbelief. 

“Magic,” she whispered before repeating the trick for the little boy.  

“But that’s not magic,” he replied with a near frown on his lips while Ruby handed him the coin. 

“It’s not?”  Playing dumb, she pursed her lips for a second before pretending to have an idea.  Next, she pulled out the black marker she always kept on her and handed it to him.  “Can you write your initials on that for me?”  When he gave her a confused look, she tapped the top of the coin.  “Right there on top.”  

Jaune chuckled while taking tickets from the rest of the people in line, most of whom were growing curious about what Ruby was doing.  But she focused on the little boy, who wrote his sloppy initials on the coin and handed the marker back to her.

“Great!  Now can you throw that as far away as you can?”  When he looked at her as if he didn’t understand the request, she nodded and gestured to her left.  “How about over there?”

“Go ahead, Troy,” his father encouraged him while his sister nodded.  So, after a shrug, he drew his arm back and chucked the coin across the field.  He watched it sail away tumbling through the air a good forty feet away.

“Oh, whoops.”  With his initials facing up, Ruby handed the coin back to him.  “Looks like you dropped it.  Try again?”

While he stared at the coin in disbelief, his parents chuckled and his sister nudged his side.  “Throw it, Troy!” she whispered to him, but this time he gave Ruby a suspicious look before throwing the coin in the same direction as last time.

This time, he watched the coin like a hawk while it soared through the air, but he probably couldn’t see it disappear mere feet before it touched the ground.

“If you want to keep it…”  With a grin, Ruby held the coin out to him one more time.  “You can say so!”

This time, she held the coin initials side down.  When he turned it over to find his initials still written there, his little sister squealed and shook his arm.  The response made Ruby smile - even more so when he looked up at her with wide, fascinated eyes.

“That’s magic,” he whispered, at which point Ruby patted her knees and stood up.

“There’s even more inside,” she replied, and added a wink while gesturing them towards the tent.  “Have fun!”

The parents ushered their two kids along the path to The Illusion, but the young boy looked over his shoulder for a long time before finally leaving that moment behind.

“So cool…” Jaune said from beside her, but she shook her head and laughed.  Just because she could do ‘real’ magic now didn’t mean she lost her fondness for the old-school tricks.  Sleight-of-hand, in particular, continued to be her favorite.  Something about using nothing more than a quick hand motion and the perfect angle still kept her excited and intrigued.  

Kids, however, liked ‘real’ magic, which she was more than happy to provide.  Many of them were visiting The Illusion for the first time, and who knew when they might ever make the trip again.  Such an important night was worthy of some extra magic.

“Go right on inside and find a seat,” she told the young couple next in line, who looked like they might be on a first date.  “The show will start soon!” she added while returning their ticket stubs and motioning towards the giant red tent in the background.  As they headed off with excited whispers, she gave Jaune a knowing look and smiled as she turned back to the rapidly dwindling line.

For the better part of the past hour, she and Jaune had collected tickets and welcomed The Illusion’s newest guests in for the evening.  From the look of it, they would have a full house tonight - the perfect start to their time in Mistral.  Not only that, but everyone Ruby spoke to seemed happier and more excited than usual.  Or maybe that was just her own excitement wearing off.

“Think you can take over?” she asked once the line dwindled to nothing.

“Definitely.”  When Jaune sat down on the nearby stool and sighed, Ruby gave him a look.  “What?” he asked with a laugh.  “I’m prepared to take any tickets handed my way.  All-star ticket taker - that’s me.”

With a laugh and roll of her eyes, Ruby handed him her basket of stubs and backed towards the tent.  “Try not to sprain a wrist, All-Star,” she teased.  “Oh, and don’t miss Pyrrha’s act.  You know she wants you to be there.”

“I have a timer to remind me.”  When he pulled out a stopwatch that had a timer already going, Ruby grinned and finally hurried off to The Illusion’s staff entrance.

‘Hurrying’ didn’t mean the same as it had in the past, when she was limited by how fast she could run.  These days, she could get just about anywhere in a few seconds if she wanted to.  Her newfound speed had opened up another realm of possibilities for her, which she used to accomplish even more tasks than she had before.

“Ruby!” someone called out to her as soon as she zipped inside.  “I’m missing a sword,” Penny continued once Ruby went over to help.

“Do you know where it is?” Ruby asked while glancing over the collection of weaponry Penny already had with her.

“I’m not sure...they were all in the storage room, but someone must have taken one to play with.”

“Got it.  I’ll grab it for you!”

Penny hardly had time to smile before Ruby buzzed away to complete her newest quest.  First, she checked the storage room, which was the most obvious location for a runaway sword.  When she found nothing but odds and ends strewn about the room, she returned to the hall and searched the hard way - by checking every available surface.

Although that wasn’t even very ‘hard’ these days, as her gift allowed her to speed through the halls in the blink of an eye.  Searching the entire tent took no time at all, and she skidded to a stop when her eyes landed upon something that didn’t belong.

“Nora,” she muttered while walking over and grabbing the sword, which was being used as a doorstop for Nora’s self-proclaimed ‘office.’  Why Nora needed a doorstop was a bit of a mystery considering the door remained open on its own, but Ruby had learned not to question things when it came to Nora.  Instead, she pulled over a nearby chair and used it to ‘prop’ the door open before removing the sword.

Since blasting through the halls wielding a sharp object seemed like a bad idea, she returned to Penny at a regular jog and presented the sword with a flourish.

“Your weapon,” she added while bowing and holding it over her head.

“You found it!  Thank you, Ruby.”

“No problem.  Good luck - and have fun!”  

Now that Penny had everything she needed, she smiled and headed towards the stage entrance to open the show.  Ruby, meanwhile, spotted a friendly face rushing over to her.

“Ruby!” Oscar greeted her with a big smile.  “Come on, the show’s about to start!”

“I’ll catch up,” she replied, only for him to fall flat-footed and frown.  “I need to stick around in case someone needs help,” she explained before waving for him not to wait for her.  

“Ok...but don’t miss the end!”

“I would never.”  When he raised one brow, she laughed and drew an ‘x’ across her heart.  “Promise!”

Accepting the response, he nodded and hurried to join the crowd while Ruby set off to see who else needed help.  Lost items needed to be found, costume failures needed to be mended, and broken props needed to be fixed - those were the most common issues that plagued The Illusion on any given night, and tonight was no different.

Something that was different?  The sense of anticipation in the air, which she heard in the hushed conversations and felt in the antsy energy around her.  Every night at The Illusion was special...but tonight seemed a little more so.  Maybe that was only her wishful thinking, but that wouldn’t stop her from thinking it regardless.

By the time the midway point of the show came and went, her excitement and anticipation had grown but she couldn’t call it quits just yet.  Once another act finished, she would be done.  Until then, she sat down in the main hallway on a stack of unopened boxes.  While watching the remaining performers go through their final preparations and the finished performers lend help wherever needed, she couldn’t help but smile.

In these moments, she understood why her parents called The Illusion home for so long.  Working here wasn’t just a job with free room and board and the chance to travel the world.  Working here meant belonging to a unique, fantastical community.  Everyone had their quirks - not just the performers - but they all banded together to create a night for everyone to remember.

Besides, some of Ruby’s favorite people in the world also worked here - including Yang and Blake.

“Hey guys!” she called out when she saw them, and they smiled while heading over to her.  “Are you excited?” she added, and Yang grinned, but Blake shrugged as if tonight wasn’t a big deal.  

“It’s just another show…” she even said, but Ruby shared a look with Yang before laughing.

“It’s a huge deal!  It’s your first performance together!”

Pointing out the obvious worked, and Blake finally blushed while Yang beamed at her.

I’m excited,” Yang agreed before squeezing Blake’s hand.  “Aren’t you?”

If Blake was ever going to deny something, it wouldn’t be when Yang asked, and it wouldn’t be when Yang smiled at her in that way.

“Yes,” she admitted instead.  “I’m really excited.”

That’s exactly what Ruby wanted to hear, and she grinned while Yang leaned into Blake’s side and kissed her cheek.  

After practicing nonstop for months, their moment had finally arrived.  Tonight, the world would see what their varying gifts created when combined - a spectacle unlike anything Ruby had ever seen before.

The only reason Ruby even knew about it was because she accidentally barged in on the two of them in the midst of a practice.  The other performers had known nothing about the new act until Blake and Yang’s names appeared on the same slot together, and that’s when the excitement began.

Several combined acts could be found in The Illusion’s history, but they were uncommon enough to be a novelty.  Ruby and Yang’s parents were actually the last to perform together, which made it even more apropos that Yang continued the tradition.

“You guys are gonna do great,” Ruby added.  “I’m sure of it.”  

“Ruby’s right.”  With another big smile reserved just for Blake, Yang held up on hand with a small ball of flame flickering in her palm.  “We’ve practiced a ton.  We haven’t messed up a single thing in weeks.  Now, we get to show the world what we can do.”

“You mean you get to show the world what you can do,” Blake teased while calmly setting her hand on top of the ball of flame.  

“Please.  Your part’s way cooler than mine.”

“Agree to disagree?”  When Yang made a show about considering the offer, Blake laughed and Ruby smiled.

At first glance, Blake and Yang might seem like a terrible fit for a cooperative act.  Yang was bright, fiery showmanship...Blake was elusive, shadowy deception.  Yet the two of them possessed a connection unlike anyone else in the show.  They were on the same page without speaking.  They knew where each other were without looking.  Plus, they fed off of each other’s energy in amazing ways.  Combined with their propensity to flirt at every possible occasion, and The Illusion’s stage was about to be blessed with one of the most entertaining acts Ruby had ever seen.

But Blake and Yang’s act wasn’t the only exciting thing about tonight’s performance...

“Shouldn’t you be with Weiss?” Blake asked then, as if she just read Ruby’s mind.

“I should be.”  When Blake raised her brow, Ruby hopped off of her temporary seat and smiled.  “She made me promise to help everyone else ‘like normal,’ but I’ll find her right now.”  

“That sounds like her…” 

“Let Ruby take care of her business,” Yang teased, throwing a wink Ruby’s way before tugging Blake towards the stage.  “Let’s watch until it’s our turn.”

“Sure you don’t want to practice one more time?” 

“Please.  I have it memorized backwards and forwards by now.”  

After a playful eye roll, Blake nodded to Ruby before turning to head away.

“Good luck!” Ruby added before they left, earning a giant grin and thumbs up from her sister before they disappeared from view.

Now that the show was well underway, Ruby could finally take a break and see the person she’d wanted to spend the entire night with.  But Weiss wanted to act like everything was normal, and who was Ruby to argue?

With her work ‘done’ for now, however, she flew to the changing rooms and found only one with its door still closed.  That was her destination, which she skidded to a stop in front of before leaning close and knocking gently.

“Weiss?” 

As soon as the soft “Come in” reached her ears, she opened the door and found Weiss sitting in front of a glass mirror.  Just seeing Weiss was enough to make Ruby’s heart grow twice as big and beat twice as fast, especially when she finally saw Weiss’ outfit for tonight.

“Wow…” she breathed out, suddenly speechless as she closed the door and walked further into the room.  “You look...wow.”

Weiss looked incredible.  Her silver dress fit her like a glove, accentuating her petite frame while complementing her long, white hair and blue eyes.  The matching silver heels looked straight out of a fairytale, and the dangling, silver earrings with their matching necklace added a level of elegance that belonged in a palace.

Quite simply, she looked stunning.

“You don’t think it’s too much?”  When Weiss’ gaze returned to the mirror, Ruby emphatically shook her head.

“You look gorgeous.  Like really...wow.”  

If Ruby were capable of speaking, she’d have far more compliments to give.  Instead, she stared at the young woman sitting in front of her and wondered how such beauty could even exist.  How could someone so beautiful exist, but also...how was Ruby so lucky to have that beautiful person in her life?  

The moment Weiss bit her lip, however, Ruby shoved those thoughts aside and pulled over a chair.

“How’re you doing?” she asked in a softer tone, knowing that tonight was a much bigger deal for Weiss than it was for her.

“I think I’m alright…”  Though the response sounded calm and measured, Weiss’ eyes and fleeting smile gave away her uncertainty.  

“You sure?” Ruby lightly prodded, knowing another answer lurked in there somewhere.

“Yes, mostly,” Weiss answered with a little more certainty.  “But is it normal to feel like you’re going to throw up?”  

Faced with that honest admission, Ruby smiled and reached over to hold Weiss’ hand.  “I wouldn’t know,” she admitted.  “But I do know that you’re going to do amazing.  You’ve practiced so much, not that you even needed to, and you sing like an angel.  Now’s your chance to share your voice with the rest of the world.”

Ruby knew that was what Weiss wanted - to share her gift with anyone and everyone who wanted to feel something.  But wanting and doing were two separate things, which was why she took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.

“Remember when things were easy?” she asked while Ruby brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You mean back when you couldn’t talk because Cinder stole your voice?”

“That was easier, wasn’t it?” 

A flicker of a smile crossed Weiss’ lips with the comment, which Ruby returned with a reassuring smile of her own.  

To the outside world, Weiss projected steady confidence and certainty in her actions.  Having been raised in a wealthy family and extremely well-educated, she had all of the tools to become whatever socialite she wanted.

Ruby was the only one who saw this side of her - the uncertain, slightly insecure side lingering underneath a polished exterior.  While it would likely fade as she grew accustomed to life outside of Atlas, Ruby was content to offer her full support in the process.  She considered it a privilege, in a sense.  A privilege granted to her through the foundation they built with each letter they shared.

“You want to go back to that?” she asked, but Weiss sighed and leaned into her hand.

“I don’t...but I wouldn’t change anything.”

“Really?  Nothing?”

“Nothing.”  With a shake of her head, Weiss reached up and wrapped her hand around Ruby’s.  “Sure, sometimes it was awful, but I learned how to sign.  I learned how to listen.  And I learned that...sometimes, you need to trust people so that they can help you.”

That was a lesson everyone would be better off learning, but Ruby didn’t say as much.  Instead, she leaned forward and kissed Weiss’ forehead before pulling away with a smile.

“And look at you now,” she added with a grin.  “About to perform your very own act for everyone here tonight.”

“It is pretty unbelievable.”  After thinking about her new reality for several seconds, Weiss gave Ruby a searching look.  “Do you think you’ll have an act soon too?”

“Nope.”  When Weiss’ brow rose at the quick response, Ruby shook her head.  “My gift isn’t great for that type of thing.  No one can see it.”

“But you’ve always wanted to perform like your parents…”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I want anymore.”  Meeting Weiss’ gaze, Ruby smiled and squeezed her hand.  “I like helping everyone get ready, making sure we’re up and running come showtime.  That’s more than enough for me.”

Somehow, it felt like The Illusion knew that, even though she’d discovered her gift, she had no desire to be on stage anymore.  That’s what she thought she wanted for the longest time, but now...her place was back here, keeping everything running in the background.

“But you have something wonderful to share,” she added with a squeeze of Weiss’ hand.  “So let’s get you out there.  Don’t want to be late for your very first show!”

Trying to get Weiss excited, or at least not as nervous, Ruby popped to her feet and grinned.  Weiss, however, took another look in the mirror, nodded, and stood up.    

“I bet you’ll even have fun,” Ruby said as they left the changing room hand-in-hand.  “I know how much you love singing.”

“I don’t usually have an audience though…”

“What’re you talking about?  I listen all the time.”

“But I’m not nervous around you.”

“Then why don’t you pretend you’re only singing to me?”

Weiss’ brow furrowed at the suggestion, but that expression lasted only a few moments before she smiled.

“I love singing to you.”

“And I love hearing you sing,” Ruby replied while her heart swooned.  With that tentative plan agreed upon, Weiss hummed in content as they neared performers’ entrance to the stage.  They could hear the crowd now, a collective murmur as so many people spoke at once, along with Nora’s excited chatter keeping the entertainment running.

“You’re amazing,” Ruby repeated as soon as Weiss’ nerves returned.  “And if you ever forget it, I’ll remind you.”

The response worked, as another smile slipped onto Weiss’ lips.

“I’ll try to remember,” she teased in return before staring down the tunnel and taking a deep breath.  “Ok, then...I’ll see you in there?”

“Of course.”  This time, she gave Weiss a real kiss, savoring the feeling of Weiss’ lips on hers and the closeness they shared before pulling away with a smile.  “Now go knock ‘em dead.”  

Ruby gave Weiss a gentle nudge forward, but Weiss smiled and rolled her eyes before walking forward.  She looked nervous but certain now, and she didn’t pause or falter as Ruby stood there and watched.

Only when Weiss passed the halfway point did Ruby race to one of the entrances used by the audience.  Rather than stand at the end of the tunnel like she usually did, however, she searched for a seat - but not before noting that The Illusion was packed tonight.  

“Ruby!” 

Turning towards her name and spotting just the people she was looking for, she smiled and hurried into the stands to join them.   

“Oscar just taught me a new trick!” Whitley said as soon as she sat beside him.  “Want to see?”

When he held up a stack of playing cards and Oscar nodded excitedly from beside him, Ruby smiled and lightly rustled his hair.

“How about after?  Your sister’s about to sing.”

“But I’ve heard her sing hundreds of times...” he sighed while dropping his hands in his lap, but his mom gently shushed him.  

“Never like this,” she said while looking around the tent, which was as busy as it had ever been.  After her gaze swept the crowd, she caught Ruby’s eyes and they shared a quick smile before the lights lowered, marking the beginning of the show.

A hush fell over the crowd as they looked forward to The Illusion’s last act, but murmurs of surprise and excitement were heard as soon as Weiss stepped onto the stage.

“And boy do we have a treat for you!” Nora was saying as Weiss walked to the center of the stage, but Ruby tuned out Nora’s voice in favor of focusing solely on Weiss.  

Under the bright stage lights, she looked even more incredible.  She looked...like an actual angel who’d decided to grace them all with her presence.  Her hands were clasped together - she was nervous - but her posture was straight and tall as she stopped in front of the microphone.

“- and this time, it’s what you hear that you won’t believe.”

With the introduction finished, Nora hurried off the stage while Weiss unclasped her hands and stepped closer to the microphone.  Her clear blue eyes scanned the crowd before landing upon Ruby and her family.  While Ruby gave a thumbs up as encouragement, Whitley raised his hands and signed something to his sister.  Weiss had to squint to make it out under the stage lighting, but whatever he said made her smile as she sighed a response back to him and picked up the microphone.

When the music didn’t start as soon as Weiss had the microphone in her hand, worry replaced Ruby’s excitement.  In every run-through they did, the music started immediately.  Was something wrong?  Were the speakers broken?  Or the track wouldn’t play?

“Before we begin,” Weiss said when Ruby was already half-out of her seat.  “We’d like to take a moment to extend a big ‘thank you’ to someone near and dear to our hearts.”

More than a little confused, Ruby stared at Weiss and sat down when Whitley tugged at her arm.

“She works tirelessly behind the scenes,” Weiss continued, her gaze never leaving Ruby’s.  “She helps anyone who needs a hand and, most importantly, she’s the heart and soul of The Illusion.  Without her we wouldn’t be where we are today, so please - Ruby -”

When Weiss motioned into the stands, a spotlight lit upon Ruby as she looked around in surprise.  The audience was clapping now.  Weiss was gesturing for her to stand.  Whitley and Oscar said “Get up!  Get up!” until she finally found the ability to stand.  As she awkwardly waved her hand, she noticed that the other performers were standing at the end of the tunnels whistling and clapping for her too.  Yang sent several large plumes of fire into the air, scaring everyone around her, while Mr. Qrow and Miss Raven flew around the stage before returning to Nora’s hands.

“So thank you, Ruby,” Weiss spoke into the microphone amongst the cheers.  “For everything you do.”

Unsure what to do with the unexpected recognition, Ruby nodded to Weiss and to her fellow Illusionists before sitting down as soon as the applause began to fade.  Her cheeks were blazing red night now, but her heart felt like it might burst with happiness and gratitude.

That feeling only grew when the music finally started - a light, happy tune - and Weiss held Ruby’s gaze as her mouth opened and the first note slipped through.  Her voice carried across the tent with clarity, joy, and emotion more palpable than the seats beneath them, and a collective gasp issued from the audience while Ruby’s heart beat with love.

She always thought that she had to be a performer to belong here, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.  She didn’t need a gift, she didn’t need an act, and she didn’t need to be on stage accepting applause.  All she needed was to want to be here, because this was her family and her home.

A sanctuary?  An adventure?  A purpose?  A family?  The giant red tent offered all of that and more, but only to those willing to open their hearts, believe in the unbelievable, and share what skills they had with anyone who needed them.  

Nothing proved that more true than Weiss and her family, who were welcomed with open arms despite their initial hesitance.  Now they were as much a part of the family as everyone else, which meant they were looked after, cared for, and loved just like everyone else.

And that was the real magic behind The Illusion.

Comments

Raven2313

That was amazing story. Thanks for all the hard work you put into your stories. I look forward to everything to come.

mikotyzini

Thank you! I really liked your idea though - about Cinder having stolen Ruby's gift. Wish I had thought of that XD