Black Mage of Phantasm

RoR Chapter 10 Snippet #2

Added 2023-05-02 03:22:45 +0000 UTC

The sun was shining brightly, but the warmth did nothing to help her mood.

Ruby Rose slowly looked around. She had just stepped outside the Dust store, two bags of premium Dust she never used before in her hand, and took in all the people moving about their day. The crowds seemed a bit small to her, especially with the Vytal Festival so close by. She wondered how many more people would be here if she had stopped that disaster.

If she had saved all those lives.

Ruby's shoulders slumped, the frown on her face deepening. She...had been thinking a lot about that night. It was hard not to, when she had failed so many people. She was suppose to be better than that. Moments like that disaster were literally what she'd been training for years to prevent.

But she didn't. Instead, dozens of people had died.

If she had been anything even close to Mom, she would've stopped it easily.

“Ruby?”

Ruby turned her head, and saw Weiss stepping out of the Dust store, her own bag of Dust hanging from her arm. She was frowning as she stepped closer to Ruby, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Immediately, Ruby gave her a tiny smile. “Yeah. Fine, Weiss.”

Weiss lips thinned; not like usual, though. Her expression looked just a bit tighter with emotion she tried not to let show.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” she insisted, widening the smile.

“I believe you, Ruby,” Weiss said, and if it were anyone else, it would’ve sounded like she meant that. But Ruby had been her partner long enough to know that was her “I-don’t-believe-you-but-I’m-just-being-polite-and-not-saying-anything” voice. And going by the look in her eye, Weiss knew Ruby knew, but still didn’t say anything. Probably waiting for Ruby to admit there was something wrong first.

But there wasn’t. Not really.

Ruby looked away, frowning. After a moment, Weiss spoke

“Do you still have the list?”

Ruby blinked, and turned. “What?”

“The list.” Weiss raised a delicate eyebrow. “The one Yang gave you?"