Show Me How You Smile 16
How? How did it come to this? Ilia thought to herself.She tried to think back to where things had gone wrong, but all that revealed was that the only person the chameleon girl had to blame for her current predicament was herself. Ilia had let her guard down, and now she was trapped.The four walls of the chameleon girls cell loomed tall around her. They seemed to close in around the young faunus, making the already cramped space feel even more so, and making it clear to her that there was absolutely no escaping her fate.The fluorescent bulb overhead hummed incessantly, it was the only company Ilia had in this dire moment as she stared at the horrifying symbol of torture hanging on the wall in front of her.A way out, there has to be a way out, the young faunus screamed in her frenzied mind.Her cerulean eyes darted across the small space, eventually making their way to the only exit from this hell, but she knew what was waiting for her on the other side; her warden, the one who'd put her in this situation in the first place, they were right outside, just waiting for Ilia to make a futile escape attempt.The pony tailed girl pressed her back up against the smooth, reflective surface behind her, the teen faunus' breathing beginning to increase it's pace as she realized there truly was no way out this time.This was it. This was the end of the line for her. Ilia had imagined the moment a thousand times in her head, but never, not in a million years, had she ever foreseen her own doom playing out like this.A gentle knock from outside her prison nearly made Ilia jump out of her skin."Ilia?..." a familiar voice called out to her, "You've been in there for like, ten minutes now, everything okay?""I'm fine!" the chameleon girl said back, trying to hide the panic in her voice, "don't come in!""Uh... okay? Just... let me know if you need help... or something."Ilia let out a breath of relief, allowing herself to relax and properly take in her surroundings, without the assistance of her own imagination running wild. Maybe it would be better if she started from the beginning, in order for her to truly understand the situation she found herself in.The last few days had been good for Ilia, hell, she'd even go as far as to call them great. Carmella's training had been been going exceptionally well, the rabbit girl becoming accustomed to her new weapons at an impressive rate.In a lot of ways, "Carrot Stix" seemed to have been the missing ingredient for Carm. Learning to fight was paramount in this world when it came to survival, but a good, well made weapon on your side could change everything.All it took was one look to tell that things were different now with Carmella, every aspect of her fighting style just seemed sharper. She was quicker on her feet, more stable too, just generally harder for her spotted teacher to trip up overall.Her technique had improved as well. The rabbit faunus had always had a knack for unorthodox and creative moves, sometimes even managing to catch Ilia off guard, but now those risks she took were more calculated and beginning to pay off... most of the time... more so than usual at least. The point was, the difference between Carmella before being introduced to the twin pair of tonfa, and after, was noticeable to say the least.Ilia could relate, she could still remember how different everything had felt back when she'd first used Lightning Lash. Things had just sort of... clicked for the young lizard faunus back then. Once you had a weapon in your hands that truly felt like it was made for you, like it was an extension of yourself, it made you feel... whole, like you could do anything. That's how it had been for Ilia at least, and she'd had a funny feeling the same would be true for Carmella, and apparently her instincts had been spot on.And so those last few days had been spent falling into what had become a blissful routine for the two faunus. Walking up early, training until lunch, then they'd spend a few hours relaxing in the city, and then sneaking in a bit more work before finally calling it a day. It was nice, familiar, structured, formulaic in the kind of way Ilia enjoyed such things being, which in her experience, meant she was overdue for a monkey wrench to be thrown into the mix.Honestly, Ilia was surprised her luck had held out as long as it did, but when she woke up that morning, the first sound she'd heard made her heart sink. The chameleon girl sprung out of bed and walked over to her hotel rooms window, pulling the curtains aside to confirm her fears.Rain. Practically rivers of the stuff was pouring down from the sky onto Mistral.Maybe she shouldn't have been as shocked as she was, this is Anima, after all. The eastern continent saw more rainfall than anywhere else on Remnant, and when it did, it came down in buckets.It appeared as though training would be off the table for the day. It wasn't like Ilia wasn't used to working out in the rain or anything, in fact, it was possible the masochist in her relished the extra challenge of conditions like that, but it wasn't just her that would be suffering. Carmella wasn't like her, she'd only just begun Ilia's rigorous training regiment, and forcing her rabbit eared friend to perform in this kind of weather wasn't something Ilia was comfortable with. She wouldn't have cared of it was just herself, but what if Carm got sick or something? Ilia didn't need that on her conscience.Plus, it wasn't like there was any place the spotted faunus knew of that they could train indoors or something. Well... technically, she did, but... no, that wasn't something Ilia was in the mood to face just yet.Regardless, at the time the chameleon girl had imagined that Carmella was probably sick of spending every single day with her anyway, she deserved a day off. So Ilia had resigned herself to being stuck indoors alone all day, bored out of her mind. She gave Carm a call, mentally bracing herself for her friends disappointment, however, instead, the rabbit girl suggested a different type of "training" for that day. The knot that had formed in the spotted faunus' stomach at what her friend might have in mind seemed much more justified given the situation she now found herself in.That was when Carmella had first suggested that the two teen's spend the day walking the corridors of the world renowned Mall of Mistral.It was one of the largest shopping centers on Remnant, only being beaten out by a few of the ones found in Atlas, as Carmella had informed Ilia. She'd apparently seen ads for it on TV back on Menagerie, and a visit to that place had been on her bucket list long before the rabbit girl even decided to come to Mistral. She'd actually planned on going at some point during her trip... after, you know, she'd finished the whole "fighting for the plight of her people" thing. Plus, Carmella brought up that it'd be a great chance for Ilia to get some of that "normal girl" training that the long eared faunus had promised to help her with.That got Ilia's attention, not to mention her being slightly giddy at the idea that Carmella had wanted to spend time with her even when they weren't sparring or exercising. So the lizard girl found herself agreeing to the idea with little persuading. If only she'd known what had awaited her...Neither girl had the foresight to bring an umbrella for this trip to Mistral, so both were drenched by the downpour on the way, running from overhang to overhang seeking shelter from the rain. The walk would have been miserable, but as Ilia was slowly coming to realize, almost any situation could be tolerable with Carmella included in it. The rabbit eared girl let out a quick scream every time the two of them ran out into the cold rain, as well as giggling uncontrollably whenever they stopped underneath some shelter, and the spotted faunus couldn't help but join in her enjoyment, Carm's upbeat attitude continuing to prove infectious.When they finally arrived at the humongous- but more importantly; dry- building, it was a welcome relief. The mall's heated interior allowed them to start drying off as soon as they stepped inside.The mall itself was in the upper districts, which Ilia wasn't thrilled about, not to mention the fact that it was also packed with people, because apparently everyone else in Mistral had the same idea of coming to the shopping center to escape the poor weather, but regardless, she had to admit the building was impressive.It really put the marketplace to shame in a lot of ways. There had to be at least fifty stores all lined up on each side of the walkway, and that was only counting the ones on the first floor. There were people here peddling things even Ilia hadn't seen before.The chameleon girl had never been to a place like this, obviously she'd been shopping before, but only ever bought the essentials, this place felt extravagant in every sense of the word. There were shoe stores, electronic stores, some that seemed to exclusively sell furniture, restaurants, salons of every shape and size, and more clothing shops than the overwhelmed spotted girl could count. It was all so... well, "fancy" was the first word that'd came to mind for the pony tailed girl, followed swiftly by "superfluous". Usually that would agitate her, but all Ilia had to do was take one look at the wide eyed awe of the rabbit eared faunus at her side to change that.Carmella was much more open and expressive with her excitement in regards to the malls sights, sounds, and smells- mainly the ones coming from the food court. Ilia on the other hand, was much more reserved, but still couldn't resist gawking at the sheer enormity of it all.That was around the time the spotted girl expressed her concerns over not bringing much lien for the no doubt overpriced wares on display. Carm merely waved off the thought, telling Ilia that was all part of todays lesson, which revolved around the subject of "window shopping".The next couple hours had been a blur as Carmella guided her inexperienced friend through store after store. The rabbit girl must have grabbed at least ten outfits off the racks at each of their stops, then rushed off to the changing rooms to try them on, while Ilia sat and watched as her friend would "model" them for her. They'd received a few nasty looks from the people working at the boutiques they stopped at for their "try, don't buy" outlook, but it was busy enough that day with the rain, so they didn't really pay the pair any mind.It was an enjoyable day for the most part. Ilia couldn't really claim to know much about fashion in general- she probably owned a grand total of three outfits- so the lizard girl didn't have much input for Carmella, but it was definitely entertaining. Whenever the rabbit girl would strut out of the changing room like a runway model, striking a pose in front of Ilia, pursing her lips, giving a short spin, or jutting out her hips with a hand on her side, somehow it never got old. The chameleon girl had a hard time stifling her own laughter at Carm's exaggerated antics.The rabbit faunus got her revenge though, when she started trying on some more... risqué clothing. Ilia was still trying to wrap her head around why anyone would want to buy a skirt that short. Eventually Carmella started judging the worth of those outfits by her spotted friends reaction, scoring them "from one blushy Ilia to ten".Shoe shopping was a welcome reprieve for the by then over-flustered Ilia. Again though, the chameleon girl really couldn't say she'd ever put an overwhelming amount of thought into such things. Her choice of footwear has always just been whatever seemed practical. They needed to have good tread -helpful for running on rooftops and quickly scaling buildings- durable, and fit for running in all types of weather. Things like what was "in style" at the time had never really mattered to her. Regardless, she was a good sport and actually tried a few on, as opposed to clothes shopping where she'd just watched Carm partake.Ilia had even managed to find some boots she'd liked. They were low cut, with only a couple of straps with big buckles that held each one on. Carmella even told the spotted faunus they suited her, which was a plus. Unfortunately, one look at the price tag made Ilia regret even getting her hopes up.Eventually, Carmella started trying on some impossibly high heels, and ended up nearly falling over in the process, much to Ilia's amusement. However, as entertaining as it was, it was also a clear sign that it had been time to take a break for lunch, and after a lightning quick meal, they'd jumped right back into the thick of things, as there were still plenty of stores left to explore.But then... Carmella had found... it.The rabbit girl had let out a loud gasp while thumbing through a rack of clothing, quickly getting Ilia's attention as she was absentmindedly searching nearby. She turned to the other teen, asking what she'd found, and the long eared faunus must smiled before triumphantly holding up... it."It", was perhaps not as dramatic an item as Ilia had let on. It was just a yellow sundress, with a hem covered in little flowers that went down to just above the knee, a low cut back, and a pair of thin straps that would hold it up over the shoulders. It was seemingly innocent enough, certainly nowhere near the most scandalous thing Carmella had tried on that day, Ilia had even remarked that it looked cute, mainly to please her rabbit eared companion, but she'd be lying if she said there wasn't a kernel of truth behind the statement. However, all that changed when Carm held the flowery looking dress out towards Ilia and said, "Go try it on".The chameleon girl had nearly been toppled over by the mere suggestion, but managed to stammer out a response, politely declining the offer. Then... well, that's where things got a little hazy in Ilia's memory. She remembered Carmella trying to make a case for her to try the dress on, which the spotted faunus again refused, but then Carm started looking at the lizard girl with these big, wide, pleading, warm, caramel colored eyes, and Ilia's heart rate started to pick up... and then the next thing she knew, the ponytailed faunus had found herself standing in one of the changing rooms with the sundress looking at her expectantly as it hung on the wall across from her.It had been a battle between Ilia's own willpower against the rabbit girls charm. The poor chameleon faunus hadn't stood a chance."Stupid cute, adorable, sweet, nice smelling, Carmella..." Ilia muttered bitterly under her breath."Did you say something?""N-no!" the trapped faunus shouted back at her friend on the other side of the door, forgetting about Carm's better than average hearing. "Just um... having some trouble with my suit. You know, lots of uh... buckles and zippers and... stuff.""Yeah?... well, if you're having trouble with it, I can come in and-""Nope! Got it! I'm fine!" Ilia quickly said back, her heart already racing just at imagining what her friend was about to suggest.There was a soft sounding giggle just outside the changing room door. "Okay, okay, I get it, but I'm here if you change your mind."Ilia could practically hear the teasing smile in Carm's voice as she spoke, and rolled her eyes as a small grin tugged at the corners of her spot covered cheeks, welcoming the distraction from the situation.It was strange, a few days ago the chameleon girl probably wouldn't have known how to process these kinds of playful jabs. Things felt like they really had come a long way between the two of them since Ilia had given Carmella her new weapon, but it was the talk they'd had that day that had really changed things.It was just nice to be around someone who understood, you know? That Ilia didn't have to explain the reasons behind why she... was the way she was, the rabbit girl just sort of... got her, mainly thanks to Carmella's semblance. It was all still pretty mysterious, but things felt good between the two faunus, and because of the rabbit girls power, Ilia didn't have to wonder if the feeling was mutual. She'd been a little worried at first of the link they shared, afraid it would be a hindrance, but it wasn't. Instead it brought a kind of... kinship between Carmella and herself, one that Ilia had never thought she could have, or could even exist in a world like this.The chameleon girls mind drifted back to her earlier thoughts regarding her rabbit eared friend and her new weapons. Maybe this was a similar situation? What if Carm was Ilia's missing piece? The one thing she needed for everything to click into place.She knew it was crazy of her to think that way, they'd had only spent a handful of days together, but regardless, Ilia couldn't deny what she was feeling. It was the kinds of emotions that made the chameleon girl think that she'd face anything for Carmella, even...Again, Ilia's gaze fell upon the dreaded piece of clothing hanging before her. Everything about it made the young faunus' skin crawl, and Carm somehow expected her to wear this? The pony tailed girl reached out and ran her fingers across the soft, vibrantly colored fabric of the dress. It didn't seem very sturdy, wouldn't hold up well against a blade, never mind a Grimm, it left your shoulders and neck completely exposed for Brother's sake!Plus, the color sort of ticked her off, but maybe that was more a personal complaint than a flaw. Ilia just viewed colors different than most people, thanks to her faunus trait. She mainly associated them with emotions, so one could imagine that yellow- a color she chiefly acquainted with fear- wasn't exactly one of her favorites.Ilia just couldn't see the point of wearing something like this, or perhaps more accurately, she just couldn't see herself in something like this. The chameleon faunus released the dress and let her hand fall back to her side dejectedly.Ugh. This was all so stupid. Of all the horrors Ilia had faced in her life, was she really going to let this one little sundress be the death of her? Other people wore things like this every day, so why couldn't she? There was absolutely no reason for her to be such a baby about this.With that tiny scrap of courage found, the spotted faunus finally began to remove her stealth suit, it's buckles and zippers providing much less of a challenge than she'd let on to Carmella a moment ago. Soon the one piece outfit was sitting in a crumpled mass in the corner of the dressing room, leaving Ilia in her underclothes. Eager to get this humiliation over with as soon as possible, the lizard girl spun back to face her bright yellow colored enemy, but unfortunately, she caught sight of herself in the mirror as she turned, and in that moment, the confidence she'd built all but crumbled.A disdain filled sigh filled the enclosed space, Ilia's shoulders sagging as she took in the sight of the girl staring back in the mirror. The dull, grey colored, matching set sports bra and short shorts she wore were practical, yet unremarkable, much like the girl wearing them.The spotted faunus took in the sight of her scrawny looking form, spots covering her shoulders, wrists, sternum and from her thighs to her knees, with a few more sporadic ones on her tight looking abdomen. There was muscle there, she knew that, and so did anyone who'd dared to try and prove otherwise, but Ilia still couldn't help but feel disappointed when she looked at her figure.It had always been that way with her, growing up on Menagerie, watching all the other girls her age... "develop" while she seemed to fall behind. It had been especially noticeable with all the time Ilia spent with Blake, it being pretty obvious which way the young reptilian faunus swung even back then. Puberty had hit her friend like a truck, while it seemed to just graze by Ilia on a bicycle. It was no surprise the chameleon girl developed a bit of an inferiority complex when it came to her body.Granted, none of these concerns had ever really bothered the spotted faunus' before. Only recently, had they made their way to the forefront of her mind. All of this was obviously a result of the influence Carmella had on her life. In a way, Ilia was grateful, this certainly felt like the kind of thing a "normal girl" would worry about. Now, was that feeling of normalcy worth the extra stress? Absolutely not.Ilia sighed again, turning and looking at herself sideways in the large mirror the changing room provided. She tried standing up straight, arching her back slightly in a vain attempt at giving her body a bit more... curvature, but to no avail.She was still young though, right? Ilia was only seventeen, she could still grow... right?With a groan of defeat, Ilia's posture slouched, and she looked back over to the sundress with contempt in her eyes. The article of clothing was- perhaps unsurprisingly- undaunted but the glare. If anyone was going to blink in this stare down, it would clearly be Ilia.It just... wasn't her, that was the root of this problem. This kind of dress was meant for someone else, someone that spent the weekends at home, tending to their flowerbeds, or painting landscape portraits, or... doing something as inane as spending the day at a mall. None of those things were Ilia, no matter how much the young faunus wanted to pretend they were. No, that was someone else, someone... different from Ilia.Someone... beautiful, or pretty, or whatever. Someone like Carmella...Yeah, the chameleon girl could easily imagine her long eared friend wearing something exactly like this. The rabbit girls natural curves and long legs would look outstanding in a sundress like this. Ilia's mind began to wander, she could picture it now, Carmella eagerly bouncing out of the dressing room with a huge smile on her face, twirling around in quick circles to show off, the hem of the dress fluttering up around her... revealing more and more of the smooth skin covering her thighs... then she'd clasp her hands in front of herself and bend forward towards Ilia... leaning in close, a sultry expression in her half-lidded eyes... her rosy colored lips puckering invitingly... soon Ilia would find herself starting to lean in as well... and then-With a startled gasp, Ilia tore herself out of her increasingly intense fantasy. Disregarding that this was neither the time nor place, there was also the fact that the one she was fantasizing about was right outside the door, and had a direct line to the chameleon faunus' emotional state.Taking a few quick breaths, Ilia leaned up against one of the walls of the dressing room and brought a hand to her chest. Her heart was still hammering inside, and one look in the large mirror revealed the pink color that had taken over most of her exposed skin and spots. She prayed that Carmella wasn't aware of anything that'd just happened, Ilia wasn't sure she'd survive that level of embarrassment.At that point, she wasn't sure just how long she'd been in that changing room, but the first answer that came to mind was; too long. She took one more look at the sundress before bringing up a hand and massaging her temple.Yeah, this wasn't going to work. Ilia just couldn't bring herself to do this....Buuuuuuut on the other hand, she knew it would make Carmella happy if she at least tried the damn thing on. That was a pretty convincing argument in and of itself.Screw it.Unwilling to waste another seconds thinking about it, Ilia snatched the dress of its hanger. She closed her eyes and tossed it over her head and quickly stuffed her arms upwards between the straps, struggling slightly with her long, curled pony tail.There, she'd tried it on. It had been that easy. Certainly not worth all the bellyaching the pony tailed faunus had been doing. Now all that was left was to turn to the mirror and see how it looked.Yup... just turn to the mirror... any time now...Nope, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Ilia couldn't even manage the strength to look down. Her anxiety had her frozen in place. The whole thing just felt... weird on her, she didn't even want to imagine how it might look.There was another quiet knock on the changing room door. "Hey, so... it's been another ten minutes," Carmella's voice said politely, yet also full of concern, "just checking in."The lizard girl remained still, like she was afraid that if she'd moved she'd accidentally catch sight of herself in the mirror. "I'm... I'm fine," she finally replied.There was a beat of silence from outside. "Look, Ilia, if you don't want to try it on, you really don't have to," Carm said, sounding understanding, but also dejected, "I just thought you might be bored of watching me try stuff on all day, but you don't have to-""I already put it on," Ilia interjected, but immediately regretted her words as she knew exactly what the next ones out of her friends mouth would be."Oh, really? Awesome," the rabbit girl said back in an excited tone, "come on out then, I want to see!"Yeah, that wasn't happening.Ilia could barely stand the idea of seeing herself in something like this. The idea of having every other shopper in this store seeing her as well? She'd just as soon drop dead right there and then."... No."Not exactly a solid argument, but it was the only one the lizard girl could come up with."Why not?" Carmella shot back, then after another brief silence went on, "ooooohhhhh... is someone shy?" amusement sparkling in her tone."Yes," Ilia admitted sharply and without a hint of hesitation, anything to get out of this situation."Awwwwww, that's so cute," she heard the rabbit girl coo from outside Ilia's tiny wooden prison cell, making the chameleon girls face heat up. "It's okay, Ilia. You don't have to come out of you don't want to. What if I just came inside instead?""How is that better!?" the flustered spotted faunus asked in a harsh whisper."Come on, pleeeeease," Carmella begged, "I just want to see. It'll only be me and only for a second, I swear. Then you can change back and pretend this never happened."It was a fair deal, Ilia supposed. She really just wanted to get this over with at this point."... Fine," she relented, eliciting a squeal of delight from her friend waiting outside."Okay, I'm gonna close my eyes, then come in, and you tell me when you're ready, sound good?""Sure," Ilia halfheartedly replied, pretty much resigning herself to the idea that this was happening.The wooden door swung open, only for a second, just long enough for the brunette faunus to slip in before closing it behind her. True to her word, the rabbit girl had her eyes shut tight, even going as far as covering them with her hands once she'd shut the door.The changing room wasn't exactly cramped, even with the two of them, but Ilia found herself more acutely aware of just how much smaller the space felt now that Carmella was inside as well. It wasn't like they pressed up against each other or anything, but the situation felt much more intimate than before. For a moment, the pony tailed faunus forgot about what was going on, forgot about her insecurities, and even the stupid dress she was wearing. Carm's presence seemed to alleviate all of her worries for a moment."... Ilia? You there?" The rabbit girl called out, still not uncovering her eyes.Shaking herself out of her stupor, the other faunus replied, "Y-yeah, right here.""So... can I look now?"And just like that, all the anxieties came rushing back, but it was too late to back out now. Carmella was here, the dress was on, all that remained was for Ilia to pull the trigger.So with one last resigned sigh, Ilia spoke;"Go ahead."Carmella's hands dropped to her sides and her caramel eyes popped open as a huge smile exploded onto her face. Then, that smile dropped into a look of surprise, and Ilia felt Carm's wide, honey colored eyes traveling over her from top to bottom.The rabbit girl said nothing, just continuing to stare at Ilia in what looked like disbelief, her jaw slightly agape. The spotted faunus began to feel very exposed and vulnerable as the silence stretched on and on. The dress just felt incredibly flimsy compared to her usual outfit, and it wasn't long before Carmella's prolonged gawking caused the pink to rise to her spots again."W-well?" Ilia finally said, eager for her friend to just say something so she could get out of this stupid thing already.The sound of Ilia's voice pulled Carm out of whatever trance she'd fallen into. Her jaw snapped shut and her own face lit up in a blush. Then the rabbit girls face split into a enormous smile as she brought up her hands and stamped her feet as she squealed in excitement before rushing closer to Ilia grabbing her by the forearms and bouncing up and down with them."Oh my god, Ilia!" Carmella yelled as she continued to move rambunctiously. "You look so cute!"Ilia immediately felt her entire face heat up as she turned away. "No, shut up, I'm not," The mortified faunus mumbled out as every inch of her skin went pink.Ilia Amitola would describe herself in a lot of ways, most of them not great. She was fierce, tough, cunning, aggressive, those were the kinds of words that suited her, but cute? No one had ever dared call her something like that before, and if she was honest, if it had been anyone else besides Carm, the spotted faunus' reaction would probably have been a bit more... punchy in nature.Fortunately, it didn't come to that, all Ilia had the presence of mind to do as she stood there, practically wilting under the other girls excited gaze was awkwardly shuffle her feet, her hands clasped together tightly in front of herself as she tried to look at anything aside from the other faunus before her.Unsurprisingly, this did little discourage Carmella. "Yes. Yes your are," the rabbit girl said with a teasing smile. "You're adorable. Sorry, I don't make the rules. Deal with it."Ilia knew Carm had probably only said it to be nice, but her comment still had a bit of purple mixing in with all the pink covering Ilia's face, and the butterflies in her stomach going into overdrive.After backing up and giving the spotted girl some space, Carmella looked at her friend expectantly. "Well? Come on, give it a twirl!" she said eagerly.Ilia gave an amused scoff, "Really? Do I have-""Twirl! Twirl! Twirl!" Carm chanted over and over again, eyes shining brightly.Despite a quick eye roll, Ilia couldn't deny that she was having fun at this point, so she decided to play along a little longer.The spotted girl raised her arms and tried her best to mimic the spin she'd seen Carm do earlier. She was no ballerina by any stretch of the imagination, but no one could deny that years of fighting and training had given Ilia her own special brand of grace... no one except the chameleon girl herself, perhaps.Regardless, the ponytailed teen gave her quick spin, feeling the hem of the sundress billow out as she did. She still felt pretty foolish doing all of this, but maybe that was the point? Ilia didn't know for sure, but she decided to not think on it too hard and just enjoy herself for a moment.However, said moment ended very abruptly.As the young faunus spun, she noticed a sudden bizarre change in Carmella's expression as she turned. Before she'd started her first twirl, the rabbit girl was smiling widely with anticipation, but as she completed her initial rotation, she saw her happy face had morphed into a shocked one. Then, after Ilia's momentum carried her around for a second spin, when the pony tailed girl finally came to a stop, Carm's expression looked haunted as she stared at the other teen in front of her.An unknowable dread dug it's icy fingers into Ilia's heart. Like she knew something was wrong but couldn't pin point the source. It would have been more disorienting if she hadn't already known about Carm's semblance, but the feeling was still bordering on unsettling."Carm?" Ilia said tentatively, reaching out towards her frozen friend, "what's wrong?"The rabbit girl said nothing, then suddenly reached out and gripped the other faunus by her spot covered shoulders."Um!" was all the lizard girl could think to say as she found herself locked onto the other teens eyes.The two of them were standing very close now, the tight confines of the changing room having never been more apparent to Ilia. Standing there, just the two of them, the rabbit faunus' warm hands on her exposed shoulders, the ponytailed girl couldn't help but return to her earlier fantasy, her gaze drifting down from Carm's eyes to her tantalizing lips...The rabbit girl had other ideas apparently, as she used the grip she'd established on Ilia to turn her around, looking at the spotted faunus' back."Ilia..." Carmella said in what sounded like disbelief, her voice barely above a whisper, "what happened to you?"That was when Ilia realized what Carm was looking at.How could she forget? She wasn't "normal", no matter how much Ilia might've enjoyed playing at the fantasy. She wasn't a fearless fighter against injustices either, or even someone who'd cocooned themselves in anger to avoid feeling things that were hard. No, those were just the things she wanted to be. Anything was better than the truth.How could she forget that the sundress she was wearing had a low cut on the back? What it revealed showed who Ilia really was, something she'd tried so hard to keep hidden, to forget about, to rise above, all in vain.How could she forget that all she really was- or would ever be- was a broken girl?The scars that covered her back were a constant reminder of that, and they always would be.From far away, Ilia could barely make out Carmella's voice calling out to her, but the spotted faunus was already long gone, lost in a deep, dark pit in her own mind, where one of her worst memories called home.----------------------"I'm sorry.""Don't be... I broke their teeth."Ilia proudly finished her story, having risen from her sitting position, allowing her skin, hair, and eyes to shift to an aggressive combination of reds and oranges as she looked down at Blake with a malicious smile on her face.And why shouldn't she be proud? It was the triumphant tale of her overcoming her oppressors back in Atlas. The day humanity showed her their true colors, and Ilia had responded so in kind. The day she'd lost everything, and yet those girls, the ones who had claimed to be her friends, had tried to take even more from her, and Ilia had slammed her foot down and said "no".She'd only told the story to a select few in the White Fang. She'd told Sienna, and the new high leader had commended the chameleon girl for her courage, saying she'd done the right thing "standing up for herself and her kind". That had done a lot to boost the young Fang members moral. That had also been the day Sienna had given Ilia her mask.She'd told Ghira too, back when she was a kid, a few months after his family had taken in the wayward faunus. He'd looked surprised, then oddly disappointed. Ilia remembered at the time asking her surrogate father if was it was her he was disappointed in, but the thick bearded faunus had just smiled at her, putting a hand on her spotted cheek and saying, "Never. I only wish those girls had the patience to get to know the real you." His response had been less uplifting, and as a result, Ilia had been reluctant to tell Blake what had happened to her back in Atlas, until today that is.It was so strange, out of the blue, Blake suddenly asked her why she'd joined the White Fang. The two had just finished setting up camp with the rest of the faunus in their group, when her cat eared friend had spirited Ilia away, off to the roof of this old abandoned building nearby- or maybe it was some kind of old factory or something?- and just blurted out the bizarre query. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given her appearance, Ilia got this question a lot. Usually she'd brush it off, she didn't owe anyone here any answers, especially when most of them didn't really seem to care for her anyway, again, mainly due to her human-like appearance, but this was Blake, her best friend. If anyone deserved to know the truth it was her, and Ilia had actually been looking forward to her asking.Things had been going good in the White Fang these last few years. Humanity was finally starting to get the hint that the faunus were a part of this world and weren't going anywhere, and they could either accept that, or get out of their way, all thanks to high leader Khan and her new, more aggressive, mission statement. It had Ilia feeling the best she had in years, so when her best friend had finally asked why she was here, the chameleon was all too happy to share the story of what happened before the two of them met.She'd expected Blake to agree with Sienna's point of view, that what Ilia had done was necessary, that if more faunus weren't afraid to stand up for themselves then maybe humans wouldn't be so eager to step all over them. However, instead of praise or disappointment, her friend looked horrified by what she'd just told her, the cat ears on her head laying flat against her dark colored hair and her amber colored eyes were wide with shock.Eventually, Ilia allowed her body to return to its normal colors, once it became clear that Blake didn't share in her own excitement and pride at her tale."... What?" Ilia asked, wondering what she'd said that evoked such a reaction.Blake stared a moment longer, before looking away. "...Nothing," she said as she relaxed into a sitting position, her back against the side of the stairwell she'd been leaning on next to Ilia. "Guess it's just hard to imagine you doing something like that."Ilia scoffed. "Really? Pretty sure there are a handful of people from our school days who would say otherwise. I don't think I went a week without getting in a fight back then.""Trust me, I remember," Blake said giving her friend an over exaggerated eye roll, earning a snicker from Ilia, "I guess what I meant was, back when I first met you, I never would have guessed you'd do something so... violent." The cat girl smiled, "It was hard to imagine that scrawny girl who barely talked could cause so much trouble," she teased.Ilia playfully batted at the other faunus' shoulder with her fist and gave a playful glare. "Hey, I seem to remember someone else being a shy little bookworm back then too," she fired back. "Fair enough," Blake replied after a small laugh, then her weak smile fell into a frown, "People change, I guess..." Ilia stared at her friend for a moment, wondering what had her so melancholy this evening. Her cerulean eyes drifted back to the horizon before the two of them. "Sometimes we don't get a choice in the matter," the ponytailed faunus explained. "Back in Mantle, me and my parents, always sorta just kept our heads down, tried not to make any trouble for us, or the other faunus in our neighborhood." A bitter look came over Ilia, much like the one she'd worn while telling Blake her story a moment ago. "Everything that happened there... it changed me. Not right away, but it definitely pushed me to be who I am now. I don't know, maybe... maybe I was just tried of being pushed around." The spotted girl fidgeted uncomfortably against the cold concrete behind her. She'd never really thought this deeply about this kind of stuff before, this introspection had her feeling... odd all of a sudden. "At least with what I do here, for the Fang, I can get into trouble for a good cause, right?"The cat girl responded with only a noncommittal "hmm," before the two drifted into a comfortable silence.Ilia continued to stare forward, off into the densely packed, red leaved forest that surrounded the abandoned factory. Forever Fall was well known for "inspiring the artistic minds of the world", but the chameleon girl just didn't get it. The bizarre, slightly mystical properties of the forest were... interesting, she supposed, the crimson colored leaves were constantly falling off the trees, their bark as black as night, then the rose petal looking foliage would disintegrate seconds after hitting the ground, while new leaves seemed to magically reappear on the branches just as quickly. It all seemed so... futile to her. Nothing was really being accomplished, or gained, the forest seemed stuck in an endless cycle, and yet, people marveled at it's "beauty" and "poetic nature". Ilia just didn't see it, but then again, she wasn't much for poetry.The stars on the other hand- the young ponytailed faunus craned her neck back to look up at the darkened sky- if she was ever going to write about anything, it would be that. Millions upon millions of brilliant diamonds in the endless dark colored sea, beautiful, but untouchable.It might sound stupid, but Ilia had never seen stars before she was sent to Menagerie. Back in Mantle, there was no night sky for her or the any of the other people living in Atlas' literal shadow, and the school she'd gone to in the "kingdom in the clouds" only had classes during the day. She'd known what the stars were, obviously, she'd read about them, seen pictures, but even the small sliver of sky she could make out from the windows of the cramped apartment she'd lived in was blotted out by the polluting lights of the city. It hadn't really bothered her at the time, you can't really miss something you never had, but once she'd finally seen them, there was no way Ilia ever wanted to go back.She still remembered Blake and herself sneaking out of their rooms at night when they were kids to look at the stars. They'd grab an armful of blankets and pillows and spend the night outside on one of the estates many balconies and just stare upwards, trying to spot constellations, or making up their own. It was one of the spotted girls best memories growing up in that house. She missed that place... she missed Kali and Ghira too... but those two had chosen their path, and Ilia and Blake had chosen theirs. So maybe the spotted faunus was a little homesick, it wasn't so bad though, she still had the night sky, and more importantly, she still had Blake.Ilia turned her head to the cat girl at her side. The stars weren't the only thing Ilia found enthralling tonight. The other faunus was sitting close, but not too close, just like usual. Familiar feelings started bubbling up just under the surface, feelings that had only grown stronger as the years passed. It was the kind of bizarre cocktail of frustration and exhilaration that Ilia had always felt around Blake.It had been too long since the two of them had a moment together like this, no distractions, just the two of them, alone. As they grew older moments like this seemed to be getting harder and harder to come by, and that scared Ilia a little bit. She was proud of her work with the White Fang, but even that wasn't worth sacrificing her friendship with Blake, and if she was ever forced to choose between the two, Ilia knew which one she'd pick.However, as strong as their bond was, it had been tested these last few years, mainly thanks to the introduction of a third party; Adam.Ever since her cat eared friend and the bull faunus' relationship had become serious, it just seemed like Blake never had time for Ilia, and when she did, Adam was always there, watching over her shoulder. The man was very... attentive to his partner, some might say possessive even, and only became more so once he'd assumed command of the Vale branch of the White Fang. Whenever it came time to go out of missions he never seemed to put Blake and Ilia together, it was always Blake and Adam, or Adam and Ilia, or the three of them together, but never just the two girls. It almost seemed intentional, like the horned faunus didn't want anyone around Blake but himself, like he felt threatened by their presence or something. Whatever the reason, the cat and bull faunus didn't appear to be separating any time soon, so Ilia supposed she just had to deal with it. Besides, Adam wasn't so bad, he treated the chameleon girl well enough, even when Blake wasn't around, plus he'd done so much for the White Fang- and the faunus in general- since taking command of this cell, Ilia would even go as far as to say she admired him for that. So as long as Blake was happy, she could put up with his presence... or at least that's what Ilia told herself. It was so petty, she knew that. The spotted girl wanted to be happy for them, she really did, but at the same time Ilia could feel a bitter jealousy stirring within herself. It just... wasn't fair. She saw the way Blake looked at Adam, the adoration in her golden colored eyes, why couldn't she look at her that way? They'd been together for years, over a decade now, growing up on Menagerie, and then these last few they'd spent traveling on the road with the Fang, but not once had the cat girl looked at Ilia and understood just how much she meant to her.It was obvious to Ilia the moment she'd met Blake. Even ten years later, she could still remember that day vividly. As Ghira led her by the hand through the crowded streets of Kuo Kuana, on the way to the home she'd be staying at after leaving Atlas. She'd never felt so alone. The young faunus had just lost everything, every bond she'd had was severed, and after spending close to a week on crowded boat full of strangers, the seven year old Ilia was barely holding it together.However, just as everything seemed its darkest, Ghira introduced her to his daughter. Ilia remembered being so nervous, but upon seeing Blake she realized she wasn't the only one. The messy black haired cat girl was shaking like a leaf as she went to shake the other faunus' hand, awkwardly asking, "can we be friends?"After everything she'd been through, Ilia was so caught off guard she'd accidentally changed colors at that moment. She'd been terrified for a second at revealing what her parents had tried so hard to teach her to hide, and what her former "friends" had ostracized her for. But Blake didn't chastise her, or shun her, no, she looked at Ilia with wide, sparkling eyes full of wonder at what the chameleon girl could do. She told her that the colors were "pretty" and it looked like "magic", then took the bewildered Ilia by the hand to show her to the room she'd be staying in.It was safe to say that was the moment Ilia fell in love with the cat faunus, but she'd spend the next several years denying it, rationalizing that what she felt was just the normal kind of love between siblings, or best friends, but deep down she couldn't deny the truth; that she was crazy about Blake. Maybe Ilia was just afraid of ruining one of the only healthy relationships she had left, or maybe it was just general cowardice that held her back, either way, it didn't matter once Adam entered the picture. That was when the chameleon girl realized she'd missed her chance, and now she was stuck forever wondering what could have been...It wasn't so bad though. I mean, nobody likes being a third wheel, but Ilia was still close with Blake, still got to see her everyday, she had no reason to complain. So for now, she'd settle for stealing away little moments like this, the two of them just laying back and watching the stars in the sky. Except, when the spotted faunus turned to look at her cat eared friend, expecting to see her enjoying the night sky with her, she found Blake wasn't looking up at all. Instead the other faunus had her gaze leveled at the cement roof beneath them, looking down, with a troubled look on her face, clearly deep in thought."Uh-oh," Ilia said with a grin, giving her friend a gentle nudge with her elbow, getting Blake to look in her direction, "I smell smoke, you must be thinking about something. Care to share with the class? You know, before your brain overheats."This managed to get a smirk and an eye roll out of the cat girl, but just as quickly as it appeared, the look faded, Blake's expression becoming thoughtful again as she looked away from Ilia. "Seriously," the chameleon faunus said, her tone more earnest now, "what's wrong? You still worried about the train job tomorrow?"Blake was silent a moment longer, then sighed. "I guess... you could say that's part of it."Ilia scowled a bit at the cryptic answer. She knew from experience just how tight lipped her friend could be when it came to talking about something bothering her. The chameleon girl would probably have better luck tearing down a brick wall with her bare hands. Rather than press the issue though, she decided to instead try and reassure the dark haired faunus."Don't worry about it. You'll have Adam there with you," Ilia said, doing her best to keep the bitterness she felt in her chest from seeping into her words.Even though she still wasn't completely looking at Ilia, the chameleon faunus noticed an odd expression wash over Blake at the mention of her partners name. "...Yeah," the cat girl mumbled out, before pulling her legs up to her body and wrapping her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. Not the reaction Ilia has been expecting. She'd thought Blake enjoyed spending time with the bull faunus. Were things not going well between the two of them? Ilia hated how much the thought of that made her get her hopes up."Well... you know..." the spotted girl muttered, running her fingers up and down the strand of hair hanging over her left ear, "... it's not too late to try and convince him to invite me along too, if your wanted to, I mean."Blake sighed, "Believe me, I've tried," she said, making Ilia's heart rate increase. She did her best to hide the smirk growing on her face- not to mention the color change- at the idea of her friend also apparently trying to spend more time with her."... but... that's not what I'm really worried about."Putting aside her own giddiness, Ilia gave her friend a strange look, wondering what else could be on her mind on the night before of such an important mission. At the same time though, the chameleon faunus was glad her gentle prying seemed to finally be getting to the root of the problem."It's not just the train job, it's all of this," the black haired girl removed one of her hands from around her shins to gesture vaguely around the two of them. "The robberies, the kidnapping, everything. What if... what if it's all too much?"The strange look Ilia had been giving her friend became an unsettling one, her eyebrows raised in surprise and her mouth hanging open ever so slightly. What was Blake talking about?"Blake..." Ilia said, turning the rest of her body to face the cat girl, "we've only ever done what's necessary to make the humans respect us." It was a line the chameleon girl had heard a million times from others like Sienna Khan and Adam, and one she believed to be completely infallible."They don't respect us, Ilia," Blake replied, finally turning to face the other faunus, giving her a spiteful look, "they're afraid of us." The ponytailed girl stared at her best friend in disbelief and silence. The sound of the crickets in the distance filling the open air. Then, Ilia finally responded,"What's the difference? It's what they deserve... right?"It was a lesson Ilia had learned long ago, that if someone was going to hate you for something as uncontrollable as what you are, then all you could do was turn that hate into fear. Make them see that you and your kind are not to be trifled with, that if you're pushed, you'll push back twice as hard, attacking not just your aggressors, but everything they cared about as well. That was the mantra the White Fang instilled in its followers, both Blake and Ilia knew this.But then why was her friend looking at her like that right now?Her cat ears had dropped to their lowest point, her yellow colored eyes wide with what almost looked like fear at Ilia's words. In a word, Blake looked completely heartbroken in the face on her friends uncompromising ideals, the same ideals the cat girl herself had been taught to believe. For the life of her, Ilia just couldn't understand where any of this was coming from."Do you really believe that?" Blake asked, squinting at the spotted girl, almost like she didn't recognize the person she was talking to.This strangely irritated Ilia, and maybe that was why her response came out harsher than she'd expected."After everything I've been through? Everything I just told you? You really have to ask?"Apparently now it was Blake's turn to get upset. "But hurting people?" she asked incredulously, her voice picking up volume, "Bombings? Assassination? That's what it's come to? Are you really about to justify that kind of- of- ruthless violence?"That stopped Ilia in her tracks. She'd... heard about some of the groups more... excessive actions as of late, even witnessed it a few times first hand, namely by way of Adam. She still remembered the day their convoy had been attacked, when the bull faunus had fought to defend the hopelessly outgunned Fang members from those humans, even outright killing one of their attackers. Ghira had tried to scold Adam for what he'd done, while Sienna had defended his actions as "heroic". Ilia didn't really remember the words exchanged, just the sight of the humans crumpled body laying on the ground next to one of their vehicles, the pooling of blood underneath him, as well as the long streak of it all across the side of the truck. It was the first dead body the young chameleon girl had seen, and it stuck with her to this day.The bloodshed only increased after that. At first the incidents had been swept aside as "accidental" and "self defense", but eventually the subtext was discarded. The White Fang was changing, more was expected from its members now, and everyday Ilia wondered when the others would expect her to cross that line as well.Was she okay with the violence?... No, but... the faunus had to stand up to their oppressors, who else would? And if things got... messy in the process, then... well, they deserved it... right? But outright killing? Just to "prove a point", or "send a message"? Ilia would be lying if she denied the chill that traveled through her body at the idea. With no reply from her spotted companion, Blake aggressive posture relented, her voice losing its sharp edge. "I still believe that there's a better way," she said, sounding firm, but not accusatory, "I can't accept those kinds of solutions to our worlds problems, there has to be another choice, and I know you feel that way too, Ilia."The chameleon girl stiffened a little at her friend's words. "I can tell all this bothers you as well. You're not like the others... not like him."Him? The implication was obvious as to who Blake was referring, but this entire conversation was making Ilia's head spin. What was the cat faunus even suggesting? Where had all these thoughts, these... doubts suddenly come from?Ilia stared at her long time friend, a member of her family, someone she'd trusted for years, the girl she secretly loved, she stared at her, looking completely lost.After a moment, the chameleon girl let out a harsh sounding breath. "Okay then," she said, looking exasperated, but still willing to at least humor Blake, "let's say you're right about all of this, that the Fang's gone too far, then what are we supposed to do?"There was a flicker of what looked like hope in Blake's amber eyes. She gave the spotted girl a proud smile, taking a deep breath before answering, "Ilia, I'm-"Suddenly, the cat ears on Blake's head shot up straight. Before Ilia could even wonder why, she got her answer, as the door to the stairwell both of them were sitting against was practically kicked off it's hinges, and a man dressed in black and red, with a sword at his hip, stepped out. "There your are," Adam said in an annoyed tone, his masked gaze directed at Blake. "I thought I told you-""I-I was just-" Blake response was cut off as the horned faunus stormed over and grabbed her by the upper arm, forcibly pulling the cat girl to her feet."The trains going to be here in just a few hours, there's still work to be done, and I find you wasting time up here." Before the cat girl could even reply, Adam began dragging her away.Ilia took notice of just how tightly the bull faunus seemed to be grabbing her friends arm, as well as the pained expression on Blake's face. She narrowed her eyes and rose to her feet, but just as she went to open her mouth, Adam stopped and his head snapped in her direction.Even with the Grimm mask covering his eyes, Ilia could tell the look Adam was giving her was daring her to speak her mind. The pressure of the look quickly extinguished whatever the younger faunus was about to say. The two of them may be on good terms, but Ilia was fully and terrifyingly aware of just what Adam was capable of if challenged- but it was also partially out of respect. The bull faunus was second only to high leader Khan in their organization, and to many in the Vale branch of the White Fang, he was considered to outrank even her. The name Adam Taurus commanded respect among the faunus that served him, and Ilia was no exceptionThe pony tailed faunus averted her eyes as Adam continued to stare her down. Satisfied, the horned man continued on his way, Blake in tow. "You can see Ilia tomorrow, after we complete our mission." the high ranking bull faunus commanded as he dragged the cat girl towards the stairwell.However, just before he could pull her inside, Blake wrenched her arm free. Adam spun around quickly and looked at his partner in disbelief, which eventually morphed into a sneer. The raven haired girl didn't back down though, she stared right back at him, eyes defiant.Sensing incoming conflict between her friends, Ilia quickly spoke up, attempting to defuse the situation. "It's okay," she said, getting both of the other faunus' attention. "You two have important work to do, right? I'll talk to you tomorrow, Blake."Whatever it was her friend had to tell her, it could wait until tomorrow. It wasn't worth starting an argument over. The cat eared girl looked from Adam to Ilia, she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, shooting the bull faunus another quick look out the corner of her eye, before giving a sigh. Then, Blake gave her spotted friend a halfhearted smile."... Yeah... I'll see your tomorrow, Ilia," With that, the black haired faunus turned and walked into the stairwell. Adam gave Ilia one final, unreadable look, before following Blake, the old, rusty door slamming shut behind him.Now alone, the chameleon girl leaned against the concrete structure, before slowly sliding back to the ground and returning her gaze the night sky. Hundreds of questions were running through her head.What was that all about? Why had Blake been acting so weird? Why bring up all that stuff anyway? What was she about to tell her before Adam showed up? And what was with all the tension she'd sensed between the bull faunus and the cat girl?But there was one question that stood out above all the others to Ilia; That look Blake had given her before she walked away, why had it looked so... sad? The more the young faunus pictured it in her head, the more it made her chest ache for some reason.This... unsettling feeling continued to churn in Ilia's stomach as she stared up at the stars. Eventually, she just sighed, deciding to return to camp as well and get some rest. The sparkling night sky was nice, but she just couldn't see any point of enjoying it alone.So the chameleon girl wandered back to White Fang's camp, hidden under the cover of Forever Fall's thick foliage, found her tent, and settled in for what she knew would be a restless nights sleep. What Ilia didn't know though, was that it would be the first of many for her.The next morning, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, Ilia stepped out of her temporary quarters, sleep having been the fruitless endeavor she'd expected. Blake and Adam had already left about an hour earlier, so all the pony tailed faunus could do was kill time until she heard from the two of them. Then she'd have to help unload the supplies- mostly dust- from the train car with everyone else. It was supposed to be a classic heist job, like their group had done about a million times before, but as the morning stretched on into the afternoon without so much as a peep from either Blake or Adam, Ilia felt that anxious knot in her stomach beginning to grow.She tried to keep herself busy, distracting herself with various of jobs around the camp, exercise, or taking apart and cleaning Lightning Lash, but it did little to quell her nerves.Something must have gone wrong. The chameleon girls mind raced through the possibilities of what could have happened. What if there'd been more security on the train than they'd expected? What if they'd gotten caught? Or worse, hurt? Another hour passed. That was about when the murmurs started around the camp. The faunus there were asking questions like, "What should we do?", "Should we just leave?", and "Do we go looking for them?" The other White Fang members seemed pretty lost without the illustrious leader. None of this did anything to alleviate Ilia's nerves. One more hour passed. Still, without either sight or sound from the missing faunus. Ilia had distanced herself away from the other Fang members, who were starting to panic as well. She'd found a quieter place in the camp, sitting on a boulder next to a tree, hunched over, with her left foot bouncing up and down rapidly as her fear and anxiety reached new levels she never thought possible.Then, just as the young faunus was about to say "screw it" and rush off into the woods to track down her missing friends, there was some commotion at the other edge of the camp. Ilia rushed over, pushing past a few of the other faunus, as they muttered amongst themselves. Finally, after breaking through the crowd, the chameleon girl saw a tall figure walking through the brush surrounding the White Fang camp.Adam? Sure enough, the bull faunus stepped past the crimson colored leaves and branches, brushing away a few of the annoying bits that clung to his outfit. He was immediately crowded by several other Fang members, throwing out a million questions at once, but Adam paid them no mind as he continued into the camp.After seeing the red haired faunus was back, Ilia excitedly looked towards the overgrowth he'd walked through, expecting to see someone else close behind. She waited... and waited... and waited for a familiar girl in black to appear... but after several moments passed, there was still no sign of Blake.In a flash, the panic she'd felt earlier returned tenfold. Ilia turned to Adam, opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.Adam was still making his way into the camp... no, he was walking right towards Ilia, teeth bared, one hand tightly balled into a fist, and the other clutching the hilt of his katana; Wilt. Pure anger was radiating off the bull faunus, and every ounce of it was directed at the ponytailed girl standing before him, so much so that Ilia involuntarily took a step back as he approached."... Adam? What-"That was all Ilia got out before the back of the bull faunus' free hand struck her across the face.The hit had been so out of the blue, so unexpected, it sent Ilia to the leaf covered ground. She hadn't even had the presence of mind to put up her aura, because why would she ever have to worry about someone like Adam- someone who was supposed to be her friend- attacking her?The young faunus, sat there in disbelief, bringing a shaking hand to her already throbbing cheek, as the horned man seethed down at her.His left hand was gripping his sheath, Blush, while his right sat on Wilt's hilt, ready to draw it at a moments notice. The red markings on his mask and gloves burned brightly as all of his rage was directed right at the cowering Ilia as he growled out one question through his clenched teeth;"Where. Is. She?"Ilia was too stunned to speak, her entire body went yellow with fear. She was so stunned in fact, she didn't even notice Adam unsheathing Wilt, that is, until she felt the bottom of the sword's hilt strike the side of her temple, knocking her out..........The first sensation Ilia became aware of upon regaining consciousness was the persistent pain in the side of her head that seemed to swell with each beat of her heart. It stretched over from just above her right ear to her eye, the whole area felt inflamed and bruised, but it was a feeling she able to cling to as she reawakened.She opened her eyes briefly, before immediately closing them as her headache soared up to a migraine from just the low lights of wherever she was. As the chameleon girls other senses came into focus, the next thing she became aware of was a burning pain in both her shoulders, as well as her upper arms. It felt like her hands were stretched out above her, putting strain on her limbs. Ilia tried to pull her arms down, but felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as she was met with resistance, and a tight sensation around her wrists.Her blue eyes snapped open then, briefly rolling back as the light blinded her momentarily. She blinked a few times, battling through the pain in her head as she tried to find out what was going on. Eventually, her surroundings came into view, and the spotted girl instantly recognized the dark red colored canvas walls with wooden supports surrounding her. She was in one of the White Fang's tents.With a grunt, Ilia tried again to lower her arms, but was met with the same resistance as before. She craned her neck upwards to see that to her surprise her hands had been bound together with thick, sturdy looking rope, cinched tightly between her wrists, with a long strand leading up above to one of the wooden supports that held up the tent, leaving Ilia strung up, with only the front part of her boots just barely able to touch the ground.Instinctively, the young faunus began to struggle, but found the more she did so, the more her body would swing from side to side, making her lose what little support her footing provided and putting even more strain on her already sore upper body. Having made no progress with her flailing, Ilia relaxed as best she could, deciding instead to give her still reeling brain a chance to catch up.Slowly, bits and pieces began to come back. Adam attacking her out of nowhere, and Blake-"Blake!" she spoke the name aloud without even meaning to. Her eyes went wide as she remembered her friend was still MIA. The train job. Something must have gone wrong on the train job.But that was also when Ilia noticed she was not alone in the tent.Her head shot toward a figure standing by the entrance, one that had been so still she hadn't even sensed his presence. He stood there, arms crossed, his masked gaze directed squarely at Ilia as she hung in place. She recognized the man immediately, he was a mountain of a faunus, all muscle, and probably standing almost two heads taller than Ilia, even in her current suspended position. He was dressed in typical White Fang colors, all silvers and blacks, with dark colored tattoos snaking around his left arm, but it was the faunus' mask that Ilia recognized first. Unlike most of the White Fang members, the Grimm-like veil covered his entire face.Adam's lieutenant; Banesaw.No one in the Fang knew where he'd come from. He'd just kind of... showed up one day, working directly under Adam, answering to no one else. Banesaw wasn't even his real name (obviously), he was a phantom, and just as utterly ruthless as the man he'd devoted himself to following. Knowing all of this, Ilia didn't see much of a point in asking him for help with her current... situation.But it turns out she didn't get the chance. After a moment of silent- and unnerving- staring, Banesaw gave a quiet scoff, before turning and leaving the tent. A moment later, the tent flap opened again, and in walked-"A-Adam?" Ilia stammered out, looking wide eyed and confused as she remained trapped in her bonds.Sure enough, the man who'd knocked Ilia out in the first place entered the structure, Banesaw right behind him, retaking his post at the entrance. The bull faunus made no move to release the younger faunus, not that she was surprised. Instead, he walked around her slowly, in a circle, his gaze never leaving Ilia. Once he'd completed a lap, he ended up back in front of the terrified chameleon girl, where he stopped, standing a few feet away from Ilia. Adam lifted Wilt and Blush in his left hand, up to eye level, turning the weapon in his grip, almost curiously. Then in a flash of red, her drew his blade.Ilia flinched at the sound- as much as she could anyway- knowing full well the damage the crimson katana could cause.Adam studied his blade a moment longer, before his head turned to Ilia. "I'm not a fan of repeating myself, so I'm only going to ask you this one more time," The bull faunus said, his voice raspy filled with barely contained wrath.Then, in an instant he was right in front of her, Wilt glowing a burning red, held up against Ilia's throat."Where is she?"With a startled gasp, the spotted girl leaned her neck back as far as it would go, away from the sword. "I-I don't- I don't- Adam, please-" "'Please' what!?" Adam yelled in Ilia's face, the bull faunus' hair lighting up to match his red sword as he pressed the weapon harder against her flesh, electing a few sparks from the chameleon girls aura. "Don't play stupid with me. I know what the two of you have been up to," he went on, "sneaking off together, plotting behind my back, just like you were last night when you planned all of this."Between ragged, panicked breaths, Ilia sputtered and stammered, her words failing her. She still didn't understand, why was this happening to her? What had happened on the train job!?Eventually, the terrified faunus was able to for a coherent sentence. "Adam, I- I don't know what you're talking about. What happened? Where's Blake?"The second the name left Ilia's lips, the bull faunus' lips curled back into a sneer, baring his clenched teeth as the red on his clothes, hair, and sword all glowed even brighter. But then, suddenly, his appearance returned to normal, and Adam let out a loud sigh as he pulled Wilt away from Ilia's neck and took a step back."Disappointing, Ilia," he said, shaking his head at the suspended chameleon girl. "I don't know why you're still trying to play dumb, or why you feel the need to protect a traitor like her, but it doesn't matter to me."A... traitor?... No, no that was impossible. Blake would never-While Ilia processed this, Adam resumed his path of walking around the bound faunus, slowly and menacingly. "No matter what your reason is, I know how to get the truth out of you..."Adam had disappeared somewhere behind Ilia, not completing a full circle this time. The ponytailed girl didn't have to wonder what he was up to for too long before she felt something sharp and pointy poke her in the middle of her back. Ilia took in a sharp, quick, horrified gasp as she felt the tip of Wilt press into her stealth suit."A-Adam, please, you don't want to do this, we're-""Friends?" the clearly unhinged faunus finished Ilia's sentence, "Spare me."The cold tip of the katana was removed from Ilia's back, replaced by the feeling of the horned man's warm breath on the right side of her face as Adam leaned in close behind her to whisper into Ilia's ear."I tolerated your existence all these years while you clung to Blake like a weepy little child. I wanted her at my side, you were just some baggage she carried along for the ride. You and me? We were never friends, I don't even consider you an equal, you are nothing to me, Ilia."The cold, cruel words made the young faunus' legs give out from her, making her hang limply by her restrained hands. She looked straight ahead with a thousand yard stare in her light blue eyes, a cold, terrified sweat covering her body. This couldn't be real, it had to be a bad dream or something."Allow me to make my case."Some primal, instinctive part of Ilia's brain commanded her aura to spring to life as the rest of her body remained paralyzed, just as she felt a searing hot pain rip across her back.It hurt, sure, Ilia let out a gasp of agony at the strike, but if the young faunus hadn't activated her souls protection in that moment, well, there was a good chance she'd be in two pieces right now. The attack did manage to push all doubt and denial from Ilia's mind though. This was happening. Adam had nearly killed her just now."Still intending to do things the hard way it seems," she heard the bull faunus say from behind, her own fear kept Ilia from looking back. "That's fine, I've got all the time in the world. You, however?..."Another flash of pain hit Ilia's back, this one causing her aura to flicker and then fizzle out, leaving the chameleon girl completely unprotected."Just ran out of time."Ilia didn't make a sound as the second blow hit her, she swung back and forth from the force of the slash, but her body remained frozen in place, eyes wide, staring straight ahead as panic seized every inch of her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't even think, all Ilia could do was hang there, with the sound of her own slamming heartbeat resonating in her ears.A gloved hand was placed on chameleon girls shoulder. "Is not too late, Ilia," Adam said in an almost sickeningly tender tone. "You can still redeem yourself in the eyes of your brothers and sisters. Just tell me where Blake is."The man's grip on Ilia's shoulder tightened. At that moment, Ilia was probably the most scared she'd ever been in her life, and had she any possible idea where her friend was, she might've even told Adam, but she was honestly just as clueless as he was. She didn't even have the presence of mind to lie, for all the good it would have done her. No, all she could do was stand there as her fear held her in place, waiting for the inevitable.The hand on her shoulder was removed and Ilia heard Adam sigh. "Very well," he said.And so it began.However, instead of another quick swipe, this time, Adam took the tip of Wilt and poked it into the top left section of petrified chameleon girls back. The weapon easily punctured the leather-like fabric of Ilia's outfit, as well as the tender skin beneath. Then, slowly, deliberately, and oh so maliciously, he dragged the tip of his sword across the other faunus' back, from her shoulder, all the way down to her opposite hip.Ilia did her best not to scream, but by the time the blade passed the halfway mark on it's journey downward, she couldn't hold it back anymore, and an ungodly, almost primal yell escaped her lips.Twenty minutes.That was how long Adam kept at this. Dragging his weapon across Ilia's back as she screamed, begged him to stop, leaving deep gashes in her skin. It might as well of been an eternity to her. And after every cut, the bull faunus would ask Ilia the same question, again and again; "Where is she?"And no matter how many times she told him she didn't know, the pain continued, and all the while, Adam's lieutenant stood watch at the entrance, his masked face watching Ilia, without a shred of remorse or pity to be found.Almost as bad as the pain was the fact that Ilia knew the tent wasn't at all sound proof, her tortured screams echoed across the entirety of the White Fang camp, throughout Forever Fall even, every faunus there heard her, but not a single one stepped up to her aid. The only one of them that would have cared enough about her to intervene was long gone. She was alone, without friends, without hope, at the mercy of a madman.Eventually though, the torture did stop. Maybe Adam finally realized he wasn't going to get any answers out of Ilia, or maybe he'd just gotten bored. Whatever the reason, with one final swipe of his blade, the bull faunus severed the rope suspending the spotted girl, sending Ilia plummeting grotesquely to the dirt covered ground in a heap, her knees landing in the small pool of blood that had collected beneath her.This was a new level of agony for Ilia. She barely even felt herself hit the ground as she kneeled there, panting, trying to catch her breath, her throat sore and burning from all the screams. Her entire back felt like it was on fire, and every tiny shift in movement she tried to make felt like a handful of salt was being thrown on her wounds. The thick, coarse rope still held her hands together in front of her, her wrists raw and bloody from her struggles. Her suit was in tatters, the back half anyway, cut to ribbons when Adam was unleashing his wrath on the poor faunus before him.The horned man looked down at Ilia with disdain as he wiped the leftover blood from his sword with a dark cloth he kept in his pocket. "Put her on the next ship back to Menagerie," he said to his lieutenant as he returned Wilt to Blush, "I don't want to see this scum ever again.""Yes, sir," Banesaw replied bluntly, with a dark sounding voice that chilled to the bone."Oh, and be sure to have someone patch her up a bit first," Adam said, a sick sense of amusement in his tone. "We were "friends" after all."With that, the leader of this branch of the White Fang went to exit the tent, but was stopped just as he pushed the flap to the side by a hoarse, shaky sounding voice calling out to him.It was Ilia, still kneeling there, curled up, with her head down, no strength left in her to lift it.Deliriously, she called out to him, "Adam... Adam, what happened?... where... where's Blake?"With a "hmph", Adam walked back over to Ilia. He crouched down to her level, and with a gentleness that was in complete contrast to his actions only moments ago, he took the other faunus' chin in his hands and lifted Ilia's head to look her in the eyes.The chameleon girl looked awful, the right side of her head was swollen and discolored from hit that'd knocked her out earlier, and her face was covered in sweat, tears, snot, and spit. It was clear that what she'd just experienced had changed Ilia, one could practically see the trauma building behind her blue eyes. And yet, whatever part of herself that was still Ilia, was only concerned with her friends safety. Her body was shaking as Adam held her chin in place between his thumb and forefinger, terror in her eyes as she stared into his mask, a sinister smile resting just below it."Still haven't figured it out yet?" he said as his smile grew, "She abandoned you, just like everyone else."The words hit Ilia like a truck. Blake... left her behind? No... no, no, no, no, no, that was impossible. After everything they'd been through, there was just no way her friend would do that to her.But it was true. Ilia knew that, deep down. No matter how much she tried to rationalize and deny it, the fact was irrefutable, Blake was gone. The fear in the chameleon girls eyes began to shift to hopelessness.Relishing the chance to inflict more pain, Adam continued, "Poor, poor Ilia. No parents, no family, and now? Abandoned by the girl you loved." A near silent gasp slipped past Ilia's lips. What... What had he just said?"Yes, that's right, you aren't nearly as subtle as you might think you are," the bull faunus said cocking his head to the side as he observed the mentally spiraling teen's expression. "But from now on, whenever you think of the name Blake Belladonna, I want you to remember what happened here. Remember what she made me do to you."With that final taunt, Ilia's face fell, and all the life drained out of her eyes as tears filled them. She felt something inside of herself... break, like some enormous piece of her had been scooped out, leaving behind a void; a big, black emptiness that would consume everything that tried to fill it.Satisfied with his work, Adam released Ilia's chin from his grasp, and the chameleon girl collapsed back onto the ground, her head falling into her still bound hands. Then, after a moment, the young faunus' body began to shake slightly as quiet sobs filled the tent, before she fell over onto her side, onto the dirt covered earth, curling herself up as best she could. His work done, the bull faunus turned around and left the tent, his lieutenant right behind him, neither sparing so much as a second glance at the crumpled form of Ilia as she laid there, wallowing in her own misery.-------------------------The memory flashed through Ilia's head in an instant, but she remembered every detail so vividly that all the emotions associated rushed through her at once. She snapped back to reality at the sound of her own rapid breathing as she'd begin to hyperventilate out of sheer panic.Ilia closed her eyes, trying to get ahold of her emotions. It's okay, she told herself, you're not there anymore, you're here, you're safe. Live in this moment, not that one.The well practiced mantra repeated in her head several times, and eventually Ilia was able to get her breathing under control. However, much to her confusion, the sound of loud panting still filled the enclosed space of the dressing room.Ilia's eyes snapped open, her momentary calm shattered at the sight of Carmella, now sitting on the floor, her own caramel colored eyes wide with terror as she tightly gripped own chest, ragged, quick breaths rushing in and out of her mouth.Because of the link that had been created between them by the rabbit girls semblance, Carm was now suffering from the same panic attack Ilia had been, except the other faunus didn't have the same amount of experience with them that the spotted teen did.Without even a second thought, Ilia sprung into action. The first thing she did was crouch down to the rabbit faunus' level while still keeping what distance she could in the cramped environment."Carmella, can you look at me?" Ilia asked calmly, waving a hand in front of herself to try and get the hyperventilating girls attention. Carm's unfocused eyes snapped to the other girls, her pupils small black specks in seas of gold. Ilia gave a reassuring smile and continued, "You're going to be fine, you're just having a panic attack. Try to focus on your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths, okay?"The rabbit girl did her best to comply, her breathing slowing a bit, but was still much sharper than normal. Ilia meanwhile was doing her best to help her long eared friend while also battling her own panic which was still clawing at the gates of her mind. She knew that if she succumbed to it again, the two of them may very well end up locked in an endless cycle, which probably wouldn't end well for anyone involved. So the spotted faunus wracked her brain, trying to remember some of the more basic tricks that helped her during situations like this."Can you count backwards for me?" Ilia suggested, "Starting at one hundred, then go back as far as you can."So that's what Carmella did, she closed her eyes and began counting aloud. Ilia remained at her side, reminding the other faunus a few times to watch her breathing as she went. Eventually Carm got to around twenty, and by then her breathing had returned to a normal, steady pace.The two faunus remained sitting on the carpeted floor of the dressing room for several more minutes, until the last dregs of their respective panic had faded. Feeling the slamming heartbeat in her chest finally relent, Ilia reached out and put her hand on Carm's."It's okay, I'm here," she said, trying to reassure the still reeling rabbit girl. "We're going to be okay."Carmella's shrunken pupils returned to their normal shape as she took one last deep breath and exhaled slowly."Okay... what was that?" The rabbit girl asked as she leaned back against the door, sounding more alarmed than agitated, her hands still shaking slightly."Well, like I said, you were having a panic-""No, that part I get," Carm interrupted, "what I meant was, what was-" the rabbit girl gestured frantically in the air, "all that?""Oh... that..." Ilia replied, rising back to her feet. She fought against the green beginning to spread up her arms as guilt took hold. In all the frenzy, the chameleon girl had forgotten it had been her memories and emotions that had triggered the attack for both of them. She crossed her arms in an attempt to hide her skins change of color, hoping the rabbit girls semblance wasn't picking up on her distress."Yeah, that," Carm snapped back, but her voice still laced with concern. She rose to her feet as well, slightly less steady than Ilia, to which the chameleon girl quickly went to help, but was waved off by Carmella as she propped herself up on one of the wooden walls surrounding them."All that... that fear, that came from you?" The rabbit girl asked, "all because I mentioned..."Knowing what her friend was referring to, Ilia backed up as much as she could, keeping herself perpendicular to Carm to try and keep her from seeing her exposed back. However, the attempt was wasted, as the dressing rooms mirror was directly behind the pony tailed faunus. All the rabbit girl had to do was just look over the other faunus' shoulder to see what had started this whole mess.All across Ilia's back- or at least on the part visible thanks to the sundress- were the scars she tried so hard to hide. They were a dull, ugly, pale gray, a shade which, even while the rest of the chameleon girls body was changing to a yellow/green mix- her shame and fear manifesting- the scars remained that same color, as they always had and always would, no matter what Ilia felt. The cells there, or the skin, or whatever it was that made Ilia's chameleon-like faunus trait manifest, they had been destroyed by Adam's brutality.With no hope of hiding or covering herself, Ilia just sort of froze in place, like a deer in headlights. Carmella studied what she saw in the mirror with a pitiful look. When she asked the question for a second time, it came out barely above a whisper,"What happened?"Ilia's eyes drifted around the confines of the dressing room, now more aware than ever just how much it felt like a prison cell to her. She wanted to escape this situation, turn invisible, fight her way out, anything was better than confronting what she'd tried so hard to repress. Even then, she felt the memories and the trauma associated with the scars trying to pull her under again."... Ilia?" Carmella said after a long period of silence."I don't want to talk about it," Ilia replied, somewhere between sternly and fearfully, her head turning away to one of the lower corners of the tight space the two were in.It wasn't the first time Ilia had flat out refused to talk about her past with Carmella, but this time was different, there were some old wounds the lizard girl just wasn't ready to dig back into. She hoped the rabbit faunus would understand, give her space, and some time to reveal things at her own pace, like she had before. However, for the first time since the two met, that's not what happened."Ilia... I'm sorry, but... I can't ignore what I felt just now."Surprised by Carm's response, Ilia's gaze returned to the other girls face. The long eared teen was giving the spotted faunus an incredulous look."I mean, even if I hadn't just been hit by a tidal wave of pure, unbridled fear, it's obvious that whatever caused that just now is causing you some serious pain. And I'm guessing by how well you were able to help me out of that panic attack that it wasn't your first?"Ilia was silent, a steady throbbing beginning in the back of her head from the stress of the situation. What was she supposed to say? That this entire last year she'd been a mess? That she'd had to learn to compartmentalize her trauma on her own? Learn to keep her anxiety in check? How to function on little to no sleep? And of course, how to handle those random panic attacks, all alone, because she'd had no one else to rely on? She couldn't do that, she couldn't just dump all of her trauma on Carmella. Ilia was afraid of what her rabbit eared friend would think of her if she did.After these last few days, Ilia thought she was getting better after expressing herself, at being open, but here she was falling back into old habits. Instead of just talking about those problems, the chameleon girl stiffened her upper lip, let out a quick huff of air to refocus, and shoved all that baggage right back where it belonged, in the growing migraine in the back of her skull."Carmella, I'm fine," the ponytailed faunus finally replied, trying to keep her voice as calm and level as she could, "but I really, really don't want to get into this right now, okay?"Unbeknownst to Ilia, Carmella already had a pretty good sense for when people where hiding something, even before she could tell what they were feeling.With a sigh, Carm responded, "Look, I know I said to take your time with stuff like this, but I still care, alright? And it hurts to know your suffering with something this big."The rabbit girl took a tentative step closer to Ilia, a cautious smile in her lips. "Please, just tell me. You don't need to go into the gory details if you don't want to, but getting it off your chest might help me understand better. Who knows? Maybe with my semblance, I might even be able to help you deal with what's bothering you."A part of Ilia knew that Carmella was probably right, but a much louder part just couldn't bring itself to open up about one of the worst moments of her life. Ilia's hands clenched into fists, which was an old nervous habit of hers, a sign that she was always quick to fight her problems rather than face them. Her nails dig into her palms as she grit her teeth and shut her eyes tightly.She didn't understand, less than fifteen minutes ago they were having a good time, why did her trauma have to go and ruin it? Why couldn't she have just pretended to be normal for a little while longer."... Does this have something to do with the White Fang?"Carmella's sudden question made the damaged skin on Ilia's back start to ache, and she felt her breathing starting to pick up again."I don't want to talk about it, Carmella," Ilia's voice was much more forceful this time. She still had her eyes shut, her brow furrowed as she tried to will away the encroaching unwanted memories."Is that why you reacted so strongly when I hugged you the other day?"The second question threw the migraine in Ilia's head into overdrive. She saw Adam's masked face approaching her, the markings on his mask burning red. She saw Corsac and Fennec giving her their usual creepy smiles as she kneeled before them. It was all too much, she didn't want to relive this anymore.Then Ilia saw Blake's sad expression as her friend said goodnight for what very well could have been the last time, lying and saying she'd "see her in the morning". And then the chameleon faunus saw the cat eared girl smiling and laughing with a group of humans she'd only known a fraction of the time she'd been with Ilia, forgetting all about her, moving on, leaving the ponytailed girl in the dust."... Is this because-""I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, BLAKE!"The name slipped out without Ilia even realizing it at first, as her eyes snapped open and she yelled at Carmella, her irises a fiery red.The rabbit girl took a step back, a look of surprise washing over her face. "Blake?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "The... chieftain's daughter?"That was when Ilia's slip of the tongue caught up with her. Why had she said that name? In front of Carm of all people? In all the time they'd spent together the lizard faunus hadn't spoken so much as a word about the cat girl, or their previous "relationship"- or perhaps lack thereof.The walls were starting to close in around Ilia, her heart's beats becoming all she could hear. She knew what was coming, but decided to make one last desperate plea to prevent it.Ilia looked at Carmella, barely holding herself together at this point. "Please, Carm," she begged, "I really don't want to get into this, at least not right now, okay?"Still shocked from the other faunus' sudden outburst, the rabbit girl stared at Ilia's quivering form, eventually nodding. "Yeah, okay," she relented, her voice full of regret, "I'm sorry, I... didn't mean to push so hard. I don't know what came over me."With the conversation aborted- or at the very least, postponed- the spotted girl took a deep breath, steadying her incredibly rattled nerves. It had been a long time since she gotten that worked up.However, while Ilia was happy the subject was dropped, she found it hard to push away the feelings of guilt growing in her chest. Just the other day, she'd said Carmella deserved honesty, and yet here she was, still desperately trying to hide things from her new friend. She would tell her though... someday... when things weren't so crazy in her life.But all that was future Ilia's problem, for now, present Ilia was just relieved the rabbit girl had relented. Her anxiety subsiding for the moment, the chameleon faunus gave Carm a grateful smile, always appreciative that she was so patient with her.Ilia stepped forward and put a hand on the other girls shoulder. "Thank you," she said genuinely, "I know you still have questions, and I will answer them, just... not now, okay?"Looking slightly crestfallen, the rabbit girl sighed. "I know, that's fine."Then Carmella's eyes drifted down the other faunus' form, then back up to Ilia's face. She raised an eyebrow at the other faunus and smiled mischievously. "Not to get off topic here, but I gotta say, yellow looks good on you."That was around the time Ilia remembered she was still wearing that awful sundress. The flustered girl closed her eyes and gave an indignant huff, her spots all lighting up pink."Get out," Ilia said dryly, pushing Carmella out of the dressing room before slamming the door."Awwwww, come on, Ilia," the long eared faunus pleaded as the door closed in her face. "It looks so cute on-""No," The spotted teen curtly replied before her friend could get anymore ideas, having already ripped the sundress off over her head, her long ponytail getting tangled a bit in her haste."Soooooo does that mean you won't be buying that then?" the rabbit girl teased from the other side of the wooden barricade."If I did, it would only be so I could burn it," Ilia shot back as she threw the offending article of clothing onto the floor in a heap. She was only joking though... mostly.Either way, the chameleon girl slipped back into her stealth suit, the comfort and security of which she would never take for granted again. She picked up the accursed yellow article of clothing off the floor and turned to finally exit the cramped dressing room, but suddenly she stopped. The young faunus hesitantly glanced over her shoulder to the large mirror on the adjacent wall, most of her back facing it. Even now, even after she'd covered herself again, Ilia could still feel the scars. It was an itching, almost a burning feeling, almost like putting pressure on a bad sun burn, it hurt, even though those cuts had long since healed. Most of the time, she was able to bare the phantom pains she still felt, but they weren't the real problem, it was the grim reminders they provided...A few seconds ticked by while Ilia stood there, staring at herself, but eventually she shook herself out of her stupor, turning away from the mirror and leaving the changing area. Waiting outside was Carmella, who looked strangely thoughtful for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by a tentative smile at the emergence of the other faunus.Ilia returned the smile, still feeling grateful for the other girls understanding. She'd find a way to make it up to Carm, somehow. For now though, it felt like they could both use a distraction from all that had just transpired."I'm... kinda thirsty," the chameleon faunus said, "you want to grab a drink?"In the spotted girls experience, something cold and refreshing was a big help when dealing with the aftermath of one of her... attacks, Carmella would probably benefit from one as well. The two of them could grab something full of sugar and corn syrup, find a quiet spot, and just try and forget any of this had ever happened.The long eared faunus' smile grew at the suggestion. "Yeah, that sounds good," she said.So Ilia led the way out of the clothing store and back into the mall itself, however, Carmella hung back for a minute. She looked into the dressing room Ilia had just left- the ponytailed girl having left the door open. She stared into the same mirror the spotted faunus had been only a few seconds ago. In it's reflection, she saw the retreating form of Ilia as she walked away. Carm focused in on the area of the other teens back where she'd seen the scars.A conflicted look came over the rabbit girl for a brief moment, but eventually she turned away and hurried off to catch up with Ilia.-------------------------(A few hours later...)This is such a bad idea, she's gonna hate me, she's gonna hate me...These were the thoughts running on repeat in Carmella head as she made her way down the streets of Mistral. In spite of this however, she continued to move forward, occasionally stopping to check the address she'd hastily scribbled onto a piece of paper.The sun was setting on Anima's capital city, covering the buildings and streets in the orange lights of dusk. People were still walking the streets, either getting some last minute shopping done for the day, or on their way home after work. A few of the tall, dust powered lanterns that lined the streets were lit already, in anticipation of the coming night.The rabbit girls destination wasn't too far from the hotel she was staying at, just a few streets down actually, which was good because the last thing Carmella wanted was to find out just how creepy a city this big could be at night. She wished Ilia was with her, the other faunus made a great tour guide, plus her company in general would be comforting all on its own, but for obvious reasons, this was something Carm had to do without Ilia's knowledge, no matter how much she knew she might regret it later.Finally, the teen faunus arrived at a nondescript looking house on the corner. It was big, which made sense if the information she'd just gathered was correct. She stepped up to the wide, wooden double doors, extended a hand to knock, but then stopped.This is such a bad idea. What are you doing? Just let it go.There it was again, that voice in her head practically begging Carmella not to go through with this. But she had to. She needed answers, and unfortunately, this seemed to be the only way she was going to get them.The rabbit girl stood there a moment longer, hand outstretched, staring at the wood in front of her, before she finally committed to the task at hand and knocked.However, somehow, her knuckles completely missed the door. "How?" you might ask, well, that was because the door opened at that exact moment, because of course it did. The rabbit girl stumbled forward slightly, wobbling in place to maintain balance, then- reluctantly-looked up to see who'd answered the door.Carmella's initial impression of the man she saw standing there had her worried she'd come to the wrong address. If she had to use one word to describe him, it would be; "scruffy". He was tall, a bit lanky, but still fit, with short, darkish grey hair swept back over his head, and a thin layer of stubble covering his chin.The mysterious man studied the now pale faced rabbit girl standing on his front door with piercing, scrutinizing red eyes. "Knew I heard someone out here," the dark haired human said nonchalantly in a gravelly voice, "bit late to be selling things door to door, don't you think? You lost, kid?"Yup, she definitely had the wrong house. How had that happened though? Carmella was sure she'd written down the address exactly as it was told to her, she'd even said it back to make double sure she didn't mess it up! And yet, here she was. The rabbit girl didn't want to judge, but tall, dark, and broody here didn't look like the type who'd be sharing a home with a bunch of teenagers, but she'd come this far, so..."Um..." the rabbit girl did her best to shake off her surprise, "is... Blake Belladonna... here?"The man's tired looking eyes squinted at the young faunus, sending a chill down her spine. "Who's asking?" He said, crossing his arms.Every instinct in Carmella's body was screaming for her to abort, but she stood her ground. "I'm, uh..." she started, "I came with the militia from Menagerie, her mom gave me this address and-"From just outside the doorway the intimidating looking man was blocking, a hand appeared, landing on the humans arm and gently pushing him aside. A girl stepped into view, one Carmella immediately recognized as the daughter of the chieftain, just the girl she'd been looking for. The raven haired cat faunus studied the rabbit eared teen curiously for a moment before recognition flashed across her face."You're Ilia's, um... friend, right?" Blake said, putting an odd inflection on the word "friend" that did not go unnoticed by Carmella.Putting that aside for now- as well as the fact that the daughter of the man who basically ran the entirety of Menagerie actually knew who she was- Carm nodded silently.Meanwhile the doorman looked between the two faunus and then just kind of shrugged, before walking away back into the house, clearly with better things to do. The rabbit girl was a little grateful for that, what she had come here for was sensitive and she didn't want anyone eavesdropping."So," Blake said, "what can I do for you?"Carmella opened her mouth to reply, but hesitated yet again, as once more the desperate pleas ran through her head, as well as her heart.Don't do this, if she ever finds out she'll never speak to you again...The rabbit girls chest ached, but she knew she had to do this. It wasn't the kind of thing she could just let go, not after what happened at the mall earlier, not after she'd felt just a taste of the pain and fear that Ilia was living with on a daily basis.Carmella wanted to help, but the other faunus seemed content to deflect and delay sharing what was going on just under the surface.She wanted answers, needed them, and if Ilia wasn't going to give them to her... then she had no choice.With a resigned sigh, the rabbit girl finally asked; "I was wondering if you could help answer some questions I have... about Ilia."
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