The Illusion - Chapter 3 - Valentine (Patreon)

Daytime at The Illusion provided a much-needed break from the chaos of the evening.  Rather than scrambling around making sure the show went off without a hitch, the cast and crew spent their time fixing everything they possibly could, practicing new acts, heading into the city for some downtime, or lounging in the back of the tent.

Ruby normally used the time to catch up on her miles-long list of things to do, but these days she also stole a few extra minutes for herself.  Well, for herself and Weiss, whose most recent letter held her gaze and full attention while she wandered past stacks of props and unopened boxes of lights.

Their letters had grown longer and more personal, but part of her believed it was only her imagination that Weiss seemed to really like talking to her.  Maybe she got that feeling because of the way Weiss wrote, which sometimes came across as someone craving communication.  Based on what Ruby knew about Weiss’ family and home life, which sounded lonely and borderline oppressive, that desire for connection made a lot of sense.

As their familiarity grew, and as her heart grew more attached to this wonderful person with a heart of gold, Ruby wished that there was something she could do to help.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have many options from halfway across the globe.  What she could do, and what she tried her best to do, was offer someone willing to listen while Weiss acknowledged that maybe her father wasn’t a good man.

He sounded outright abusive to Ruby, but she was still waiting for Weiss to use the word first.  In the meantime, she offered her unending support - the same as Weiss offered support for her.

In comparison, Ruby’s ‘problems’ were inconsequential, but Weiss listened to them anyway.  But it was more than that - she listened, and she encouraged Ruby to follow her dreams.  To never give up her hopes of one day being as special as her mom had been.

She was beginning to accept that it would never happen - that she didn’t have the spark of magic her parents did.  What she was coming to accept, however, was that her feelings for the person writing these letters had grown strong and undeniable.  Even though they’d never shared so much as a meal together, her heart was very much attached to Weiss and the thoughts Weiss shared.

Which was why she read this letter for what was likely the tenth time and sighed when she reached the end once again.  She never wanted the words to stop.  She wanted the conversation to continue forever.  Instead, she folded up the letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and tucked it into her pocket for later.

With her unofficial break over, she looked around the tent with a smile that would fade as the effects of Weiss’ words wore off.  Until then, she would find something else to work on…

When a small, jet-black bird hopped across the hall in front of her, she frowned.

“Mr. Qrow?” she called out while walking towards him.  “What’re you doing out?” 

The obstinate little bird didn’t acknowledge her, of course.  Instead, he fluttered down the hall as if he couldn’t believe the freedom he just found.

“Mr. Qrow, get back here.  You know you’re not allowed out.” 

Undeterred by the scolding, he hopped behind a stack of folded lights, forcing Ruby to kneel down to track his movement.

“Your sister is going to be so mad at you,” she warned him, crawling forward while he scurried along the wall.  This time, he chirped in disagreement before slipping through the partially-open doorway leading into the main storage room.

Sitting back on her heels and sighing out loud, Ruby hesitated only a second before following him into the room.  A lot of bad things could happen to such a tiny, defenseless creature, and Nora would be devastated if one of her beloved pets got hurt.  So, even though Ruby hated the dark, creepy storage room, she followed Mr. Qrow inside and briefly paused to let her eyes adjust.

The storage room would be less creepy if they ever installed adequate lighting.  Considering that was at the very bottom of their list of projects, the stacks of equipment towered like black skeletons and cast the eeriest shadows.

“Mr. Qrow,” she whispered while creeping further into the room, trying not to trip over anything while also keeping an eye out for any unexpected ‘visitors.’  She had no idea who the unexpected visitors might be, but she sincerely hoped they would be of the friendly variety and not some type of soul-sucking alien.

“Mr. Qrow…” she whispered more urgently this time, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible.

Suddenly spotting motion out of the corner of her eye, she spun that way and nearly had a heart attack when something moved out of the shadows.  Fortunately, it was only Mr. Qrow, who hopped over to her with a tiny chirp.

“You got scared, didn’t you,” she whispered while picking up the suddenly-compliant little bird, who just proved that there was something seriously creepy about this space.  Once he settled into her hands, looking more than willing to be taken back to his room, she made a hasty retreat for the exit.  She nearly made it, too, only to pause just outside the door when she heard whispering. 

Her first thought was ghosts - because of course ghosts would love a place like this.  Besides, just about the only thing The Illusion lacked were spirits from the beyond, so it was about time some of them showed up.  The voices sounded familiar though.  So, against her better judgment, she went to investigate.

After determining where the voices were coming from, she snuck between the old and backup equipment in hopes of figuring out who was hiding back here.  It seemed like a strange place to meet, unless the purpose was to meet somewhere no one would ever bother looking.

“I’m sorry,” she heard someone say once she got close enough to pick out words.  “I can’t find any more.” 

“Then you haven’t looked hard enough.”  The second voice was definitely Cinder - Ruby would recognize her low drawl anywhere.  

“I’ve looked everywhere, I promise!  No one’s seen any in years.” 

That voice sounded familiar too, but Ruby couldn’t place it as she stepped over a broken light pole and tried to get closer still.  

What were they talking about?  And what were they looking for?  Most importantly, who was Cinder talking to?

Ruby needed to get closer and find out, so she ducked behind an old wardrobe and peeked around the corner.  The room was too dark for her to see clearly, but there were definitely shapes standing in the small clearing nearby.  If she could get a little closer…

As soon as she stepped out from behind the wardrobe, she froze when a small chirp cut through the silence of the room.

“What was that?”

Before she could move, a flashlight clicked on and shone right in her face.  Caught red-handed, she didn’t even try to make an escape while someone worse than a ghost or soul-sucking alien stalked over to her.

“Look who it is,” Emerald said while grabbing Ruby by the front of her shirt and pulling her into view.  Now she was a part of the meeting she hadn’t wanted to be a part of, which turned out to be Cinder, Emerald, and...Oscar?  What was Oscar doing here?

“Get out of here,” Cinder hissed to the boy, who met Ruby’s gaze for only a second before hurrying out of the room.  Left alone with Emerald and Cinder, Ruby forced the most innocent expression she could muster.

“Hey guys!”  She heard the waver in her voice, but hopefully they were too busy glaring to catch it.  “Whatcha up to?” 

She didn’t expect an answer, but she needed to think of a way out of here fast.  It looked like they didn’t know what to do with her yet, which hopefully meant she could make it out unscathed.

“Mr. Qrow got free again,” she explained, holding up the little bird in her hands.  “He ran in here so I followed him, then I thought I heard people talking.”

That was the truth, and hopefully innocent enough that they didn’t suspect she heard something she shouldn’t have.  She hadn’t, really.  Just that they were looking for something, but she had no idea what.  

“Do you guys hang out back here?” she asked, only to immediately wish that she hadn’t.  “It’s kinda creepy,” she added with a nervous laugh.  “I definitely won’t be coming back here again…”

She couldn’t tell if she was making this better or worse.  Emerald looked like she wanted to dish out a nice punishment for breaking some unspoken rule.  Cinder, meanwhile, studied Ruby for a long time before finally speaking towards Emerald.

“Why don’t you help Melody get ready for the show tonight?” she suggested in her low, smooth voice.  

“Now?  It’s not even two.”  That was the only complaint Emerald got out before earning a glare that made her give up.  After grumbling something to herself, she headed out of the room - but not without slamming her shoulder into Ruby’s as she passed.

With Emerald gone, Ruby barely managed a breath of relief before Cinder stepped forward and grabbed her by the chin.  Cinder’s grip was too tight to be friendly, but Ruby fought the urge to jerk away while her head was turned left then right.

“Too bad you’re powerless...” Cinder purred, sending a shiver of fear down Ruby’s spine.  “Otherwise, I think we could get to know each other a little better.”

“We could, um, still do that now, you know,” Ruby replied, although the last thing she wanted was to become friends with Cinder.  “Never too late to make friends, right?” she added with a chuckle that came out far more nervous than she wanted.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time for that.  I have...other friends...to spend time with.” 

“Like Oscar?” Ruby asked, only to watch amusement flash through Cinder’s eyes.

“Oscar’s helping me on a...special project.  One that puts his skills to the test.”

Ruby didn’t like that response one bit, and she didn’t like the look in Cinder’s eyes when she said it.  Whatever they were up to was probably nowhere near as friendly or special as Cinder made it sound.

“Ruby?”

Cinder turned towards the voice but didn’t release her hold on Ruby, forcing Ruby to awkwardly turn in order to see Blake picking her way towards them.

“H-hey Blake,” Ruby replied with an awkward wave.  “We’re just...hanging out.”

The response wasn’t enough to fool Blake, who ducked under some spare metal lines in order to walk over. 

“Yang’s looking for you,” she added, her eyes flitting to Cinder as if worried the woman might strike out if she got too close.  “She said it’s important.” 

“Oh, ok.  I’ll find her.”  Seizing upon that opportunity to escape, Ruby carefully slipped out of Cinder’s grasp and hurried to Blake’s side.  She didn’t look back as the two of them hurried out of the room in silence, leaving Cinder and that horrible interaction in their wake.

It wasn’t until they reached the main portion of the tent, where other crew members - and witnesses - roamed about, that she sighed in relief.

“Be careful with her,” Blake whispered only when they were far enough away that there was no chance of Cinder overhearing.

“She’s fine…” Ruby muttered, only to give up when Blake sent her a look.  “Ok, yeah...they’re pretty mean.”

“‘Mean’ is a nice way to put it,” Blake replied before looking at the little bird sleeping soundly in Ruby’s hands.  “What’re you doing with him?” 

“Just...”  Thinking about what just happened, all because she didn’t want the little guy running around on his own, Ruby shook her head and forced a smile.  “Just taking him for a walk.”  

Even though Blake didn’t seem to believe the answer, she let it go with a small nod.

“Is Yang actually looking for me?” Ruby asked then, but Blake confirmed her suspicions with a shake of her head.  

“I just made that up.”  Before Ruby could express gratitude for the quick thinking, Blake glanced the way they just came and met Ruby’s gaze.  “Actually, Yang and I are going out this weekend.  Do you want to come with us?”

“Go with you?  Aren’t you celebrating Valentine’s Day?” 

“Yes, but...”  When Blake’s gaze flitted towards the storage room, Ruby understood what was really being offered.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, and shook her head to dispel some of Blake’s worry.  “I can take care of myself for a weekend.”

Surprisingly, being left to fend off Cinder wasn’t the biggest of her worries.  Being reminded of Yang and Blake’s weekend plans, which she’d known about for quite some time, made her realize something pretty important.

“Um, Blake?” she asked before the topic drifted away.  “About Valentine’s Day...how special is it?”

“I think that depends on who you ask.” 

“Right.”  Ruby nearly left the conversation at that, but she needed more of an answer.  Unfortunately, the one person she would ask was the one person she didn’t want to spoil this for.  “But like...for an average girl...how important do you think it’d be?”

Even though Blake’s eyes flashed with curiosity, she didn’t immediately pry like Yang might.  Instead, she mulled over the question before giving an honest response.  

“I think that if an average girl has someone special in their life...they’ll want to celebrate in some way.  It doesn’t have to be extravagant though.  It can be something as simple as dinner, flowers, or time together - anything that shows you’ve been thinking about them.”

“What does Yang normally do for you?” Ruby asked, and a smile crept onto Blake’s lips while she focused on those memories.  

“Something big and extravagant,” she answered with a soft laugh and shake of her head.  “But that’s your sister.”

“That is my sister,” Ruby replied with a smile of her own.  “Thanks though.  That helps.” 

“Sure.”  It looked like Blake would leave the conversation at that, but then she turned back to Ruby with an openly inquisitive gaze.  “Do you have someone in mind?” 

“Uh...” 

Ruby could tell Blake - she knew that she could - but she was also a little embarrassed about how much she liked Weiss even though they’d never spoken in person.  Would Blake think she was crazy to care about Weiss so much even though they’d never officially met?

“I was just curious,” Ruby said rather than open up that can of worms just yet.  And, even though Blake seemed to know that wasn’t a truthful answer, she accepted it with a smile.

“If you do,” she added, “I’d recommend planning something special.  Even if it’s as simple as a letter.” 

When Ruby’s eyes widened at the word, Blake just smiled and patted her shoulder before walking away.  

Did Blake know?  But how could she know?  Had Oscar mentioned something about the letters?  Or was Ruby just that obvious?

“Mr. Qrow!” 

Hearing the distraught wail float through the halls, she shook Blake’s words from her mind and raced off to get the little bird home.

“Mr. Qrow!!” Nora shouted again, waking the little bird from his slumber as Ruby jogged around the corner.

“Hey Nora!” Ruby called out before raising her hands as Mr. Qrow peeked above her fingers.  “Don’t worry, I’ve got him!”

The relief on Nora’s face was visible as she stood and extended her hands towards her precious pet.

“Mr. Qrow,” she cooed while Ruby gently returned the little blackbird to Nora’s hands.  “You scared me half to death, you know?” she continued as Mr. Qrow chirped happily in her grasp.  “And your sister is pissed,” she added with a laugh.  “She’s gonna squawk your ear off when you get back.”

That sounded about right, but Ruby smiled at yet another averted crisis.  Keeping Nora happy was in everyone’s best interests - and not just because she emceed the show every night.  That job alone made her an integral member of the show, but it was her uncanny connection with The Illusion’s wishes that made everyone question just what gift she’d been given.

“Where’d you find him?” she asked while gently petting Mr. Qrow’s tiny little head.  

“He was cruising around the storage room.”  When Ruby gestured in that direction, Nora looked that way and grinned.

“He’s scared of the storage room,” she whispered behind one hand, only for her bird to chirp in protest.  “But he keeps trying to go in there, for some reason...maybe I should just put his cage in there for a day.”

That really got the chirps going, which Nora listened to for several seconds before laughing.  “Anyway,” she added with a bright smile.  “I just got news!”

“Oh yeah?”  ‘News’ to Nora could be any manner of things, so Ruby arched one brow and motioned for her to spill.

“We’re leaving Vacuo in a few days!” Nora explained.  “Buh-bye sand, hello snow!”

“Snow?” Ruby asked before her eyes widened with realization.  “Wait.  Are we going to Atlas next?”

“You bet!  Just got the order from the higher-ups.”  Nora pointed towards the ceiling with the response, which made Ruby look up only to shake her head when she realized that she just fell for that.

“But that’s great!” she added as her excitement grew.  “Do you know when we’ll get there?”

“I dunno...we’ll have three more shows here, then travel...so like a week?”

A week.  That was so soon, but also felt like not soon enough.  

But it was so soon.

“Thanks, Nora!”  Suddenly over the moon with happiness, Ruby waved and headed back to her room at a quick walk.  Preparations for tonight’s show would start soon, but she needed to write a letter first, and she needed to get it to Oscar as soon as possible.

They were headed back to Atlas.  She and Weiss would be in the same city again.  And it was nearly Valentine’s Day.  She’d never really cared about the holiday before - probably because she’d never had someone in her life who she liked in that way.

She liked Weiss in that way, which was crazy and unbelievable but fun and exciting at the same time.  For all she knew, her feelings were one-sided, but she should still try to do something special for Valentine’s Day.  Just like Blake said - it didn’t have to be big or flashy, but what if it was?

What if they met for Valentine’s Day?

The thought alone made Ruby’s heart flutter as she hurried into her room and closed the door behind her.  Only there, in the small, quiet space, did she hear her heart beating in her ears and feel it racing in her chest.

In just a week, they would be in the same city again.  They could meet, if they wanted to. 

Based on how Ruby felt right now...she wanted to.  She really, really wanted to because that would be special.  She could invite Weiss to lunch.  They could celebrate a late Valentine’s Day together, in person.  They could spend time together in person.

After a tingle of thrill ran down her spine, she hurried over to the desk and grabbed a piece of paper to write another letter to Weiss.  She didn’t have time to make it as long or in-depth as the last one, but she needed to get this to Oscar as soon as possible so he could take it to Atlas before The Illusion packed up.

Writing as fast as her hand allowed, she did her best not to sound super cheesy, hopelessly romantic, or really, really nervous while asking Weiss to be her Valentine.

It was cheesy.  It was really, really cheesy, but she refused to change it after the words spilled out.  Instead, she stuck the letter into an envelope, sealed it up, and hurried out of her room to find Oscar.  Hopefully he hadn’t left already...

“Have you seen Oscar?” she asked Ren as she headed back to the tent.

“I think he’s inside.”  When Ren gestured towards the tent, Ruby waved and headed inside.  It was busier now that they were mere hours from showtime, with cast and crew moving to and fro in preparation.  It wouldn’t be long until she was needed for something, but she was determined to find Oscar first.

As soon as she spotted him looking through a box of different costume jewelry, she sighed in relief and hurried over.

“Oscar.” 

He jumped and spun around at the sound of his name, but visibly relaxed when he caught sight of her.  

“Sorry,” she added while stopping in front of him.  “Didn’t mean to scare you.”  

As soon as he gave her a slightly-timid smile, the interaction she witnessed earlier popped into her head.  Even though she didn’t really want to get involved in whatever Emerald and Cinder were doing…he was her friend, and friends offered support whenever they might be needed.

“You know if something’s wrong, you can tell me, right?  I’ll help as much as I can.”  Against Emerald and Cinder, she didn’t know how much help she would be, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.  Not that he seemed to want her help at all, as the conflicting emotions in his eyes quickly gave way to a smile.

“Thanks, Ruby.  But I’m alright...just have a lot of stuff to find.  You got something for me?” 

“I do.”  After pulling the letter from her pocket and handing it out to him, she didn’t let go without giving him a serious look.  “This one’s important.  You need to wait for her to read it and give you an answer, ok?  Then let me know as soon as we make it back to Atlas.”  

As soon as she released the envelope, he looked at the name written across the front and smiled.

“I can do that, no problem!”  After opening his bag, he stored the letter inside before giving it a pat.  “I like taking these for you,” he admitted while slinging the bag back over his shoulder.  “It’s way better than some of the other stuff I have to do recently.”

“Do you ever...talk to her or anything?”  It hadn’t escaped her attention that Oscar had spent far more time with Weiss than she had at this point, and she felt somewhat relieved when he shrugged and shook his head.

“No, we don’t really talk.  I...do talk to Whitley sometimes though.”  

The comment by itself probably wouldn’t have piqued Ruby’s interest, but the way the tips of Oscar’s ears turned pink certainly did.

“Whitley?” she asked, knowing that Whitley was Weiss’ younger brother.  

“Uh, yeah.  Sometimes we’ll talk.”  Growing even more uncomfortable, Oscar cleared his throat and shrugged.  “Only if he’s around though, so not every time.  Just...sometimes.”

The pink spread to his cheeks then, but it still took a few seconds before Ruby figured out what was going on.

“Oscar Pine.”  She used his full name to embarrass him further, only to smile when his blush deepened.  “Do you have a crush on Whitley?”

“No…”

“You do!”  His cheeks were approaching a deep red now, and his blush only grew when she laughed and playfully poked him in the side.  “Look at you - you’re blushing.”

“I’m not!  I’m just -”  After sputtering for a few seconds and coming up short for words, he puffed his cheeks out instead.  “I’ll get this to her as soon as I can,” he said with a pat of his bag, cleverly directing the conversation back to Ruby.

“Uh huh…you realize it’s almost Valentine’s Day, right?”

“And?”

“And maybe you should think of something special for your crush!” she teased.  “Chocolates?  Flowers, maybe?”

“Oscar.”  He flinched at his name again, then glanced over his shoulder at Cinder.  “Maybe a few days,” he said before heading that way.  “See you, Ruby!”

With Oscar taking her invitation to Vale, Ruby started work with wings on her feet.  In the back of her mind, however, were rampant nerves as she thought of finally meeting the person she’d exchanged so many letters with.  What would it be like to finally sit across from each other at the same table?  Would they still get along?  Would they still have so much to talk about?

In a few short days, she might learn all of those answers and then some.  She’d picked a date, she’d picked a time...now she just had to hope that Weiss showed up.