Greatness is Never Promised

I lead my teacher and MM into the Stonehouse that I share with Ruby. The smell that was curling out of the windows is now hitting our nose in full force. I can see a delighted smile forming on my teacher's face. MM appears to be happy to but there is a certain sense of hesitation to her reaction.

"what's wrong?"

"N–Nothing."

I raise an eyebrow at her but I drop the topic and turn my gaze over to Ruby, who is hustling around the kitchen, still gathering the remaining dishes. The strong focus on her face drops into an easy happiness when she catches our arrival, her eyes catching mine. Ruby glances towards the two guests and says, "I'm almost done, preparing please sit down at the dining table".

MM shuffle over towards the head of the table, but she's knocked out out of the way by Miss Hellretour who gives her an odd stare before muttering something about having to teach her some additional lessons. A shiver runs down MM's spine as she meekly sits down across from me.

A large plump roasted bird is sat in front of us, steam billowing off it. Our noses having become accustomed to the strong smell of fresh food are relit with delight.

I quickly hop at the opportunity to speak words of kindness, "wow Ruby you really have done yourself yet again."

Miss Hellretour joins in, "this meal looks utterly divine."

MM glances side to side before realizing she's gonna have to say something, "I can't wait to dig in."

Ruby shakes her head side to side, "no, I just threw this together. I hope it's all right." There she goes again, unable to accept any words of kindness. I'm going to have to correct that, through a lifetime of unconditional praise. I'm playing the long game, I'll slowly whittle her defenses down until she's my ultimate prey. And then and only then will I feast upon the succulent banquet I have prepared myself. But for now all I can do is continue to push her in the right direction.

I quickly respond, "oh shush Ruby. This isn't something just anyone could've thrown together."

Her face flushes as MM and Miss Hellretour nod in agreement. She counters by sliding the cooked bird towards my teacher at the head of the table, passing her a large cutting knife and fork. "I felt like it would only be fair if you were to have the honors for this meal."

She's very smart, knowing exactly what strings to play to win Ruby the Red Mage over. A slight smirk spreads across my face, feeling delighted in the one I chose.

Miss Hellretour begins to cut up the bird into fine slices, each cut delivering a nearly magical smell directly to our olfactory. My mouth can't help itself, but to salivate. Once the bird has been fully cut up, it is then divvied up between all the plates placing a serving in front of everyone. The side dishes are in large pots scattered around the large plate holding the remaining bird. Magically imbued ladles have been placed in each pot, allowing everyone from the entire table to gather whatever side they would like by simply willing it with a slight bit of magic.

Sir Kahlin sheepishly walks through the door very late. But he manages to make up for his lacking of time telling ability with the gift he holds. I sometimes wonder how he managed to make it as a knight. But the delightfully frosted cake resting in his hands, shows me the truth. Sir K AHLIN beams a wide smile towards me.

After he is sat, Ruby The Red Mage, Miss Hellretour raises a glass. She begins a toast.

"I'd like to give a thanks to our guests of honor, Ruby and Jessica. Jessica, without your efforts of stopping the attack at the castle, None of us. Well, you and I wouldn't have been here. I guess these other losers would have been alive. Ruby, without whatever fuckery of magic you did, we couldn't be hiding. I haven't quite looked into the exact spell usage you did, so once I do, be prepared for a teaching moment Having space. Some fake wine. Great work you two."

Ruby shudders when Miss Hellretour speaks of the teaching moment. I can't exactly blame her reminiscing bitterly on the distasteful training that I had to do before the fight.

We all take a moment to clink our glasses together before Ruby and I down our wine in one go, leaving the older adults to side eye each other as if to say, 'Yeesh is that my fault before', following suit and upturning their drinks.

---

The dinner was wonderful. We're all very full. Ruby did an amazing job. The conversation was fairly casual. There was lots of laughter, a lot of snide comments, and plenty of shade. All in all, it was really fun.

Just before anyone decides to get up and try to get some dessert. I clear my throat, signaling the real reason we all got together for this dinner. “I have something to tell everyone“. I look over to Ruby, her eyes surging with energy, as if every moment is the most important thing in the world to her.

"Ruby is my girlfriend.“

Everyone breaks out into the biggest smiles ever. Miss Hellretour slaps the table and says, "Gimme what's owed." Moonlit Maiden and Sir Kahlin fork over several pieces of gold, before Sir Kahlin defensively throws his hands in the air sputtering, "It's not like I was betting on you two not getting together. It's more that I didn't think it would be so quick."

My eyes narrow at him, "After everything you taught me? all of your lady-killing ways?“, my eyes widen with feigned innocence.

He just turns to the side, muttering different varied excuses.

MM proceeds to attempt to take the moment for herself in what I can only imagine is defense, "I figured one of the two of you would make one of us get y'all together. But Good job, whoever it was that broke this lesbian curse."

Ruby responds with a raised eyebrow Before she responds with a small amount of venom in her throat. "Wow, thanks for believing in us. Is that what I'm supposed to say? I'll have you know that if Jess here hadn't asked me out by the time we were leaving this portal world I was gonna have this like whole flashing heart sequence thing before I totally did the deed."

I turned to her in excitement, “Oh my hells. You have got to show me that anyway, please.“

She turns to me with a newfound determination and vigor in her eyes, “Oh, you better believe you didn't get out of it or anything. I think the only thing that'll be changing is the level of romance is gonna get ramped up a thousand times."

My face flushes and my heart starts to beat so hard it feels like it's rattling my skeleton.

I managed to get out, "I-I-I can't wait, hehe." Before the butterflies in my stomach rip me to shreds, sending sweat dripping down my brow as I imagine all of the different fantastical things that await for me in my future.

Miss Hellretour uses this opportunity to pounce on my newly claimed girlfriend. More metaphorically than literally, but with the way Ruby handled it, it's more or less the same. Miss Hell Retour's eyes lock on to Ruby like a hawk that spotted a mouse running through a field. “Ruby... that's such a delightful name. Wherever could you have gotten it from?"

Ruby takes a big gulp. “Are you upset? I I figured maybe, hopefully, it would be like an honor, an inspiration. But if you're upset, I-I'll-I'll change my name right now. It doesn't even matter to me at all." Her skin going as pale as it can possibly go, boldly showing her lie to the entire room.

MM and Sir Kahlin stifle their laughs as coughs.

Miss Hellretour stands ominously, her presence dominating the room. Her shadow seeming to cast directly down on to Ruby, engulfing her in darkness, "I was given a new name by your beloved. You can call me Miss Hellretour from here on to Infinity. Unless I also find my lucky someone." She winks at Ruby and I. Her shadow disappears, and Ruby is now engulfed in a shining warm light. Miss Hellretour opens her arms widely, proudly, before summoning Ruby with a wave of her hands, “Now come here, you sweet little thing.“

She mutters under her breath as Ruby embraces her. “I can't believe someone actually named themselves after me. After all the hard work these slanderous historians have done. People still see the truth in it all through the lies."

Once the moment of pure and utter joy ends, my girlfriend and my badass new teacher, sharing a connection like I could have never dreamed. I turn to Miss Hellretour and ask her the fated question, "So what exactly did happen back then? There's pretty documented evidence of the mass casualties. The land we're standing on is populated by people that came here. The natives are only found as fossils. Someone had to do the killin'."

A sinister grin appears on Miss Hellretour's face. She rub her hands together. "Now I would gladly love to tell you. But how about we do it over cake?"

Sir Kahlin immediately begins grabbing us plates, slicing the cake with the expertise only a knight of the kingdom might have. As Miss Hellretour begins her long and troubled tale.