Chapter 4- Violet and Cats

Velvet found herself leading team VILT (Violet), composed of herself, Iris, Lyla, and Trish. Honestly, Velvet was surprised to find herself as leader of her team. She certainly wasn't the strongest or most confident. She was also the only Faunus on the team. The others didn't seem to have any problems with her, though. Trish was very open to how she felt about the teams. She seemed to despise any form of authority that tried to restrict her. Everything about her screamed rebellion. From her black and red hair, to her maroon leather jacket, to her black combat boots, she did not look like someone to blindly follow orders. Her weapon was a broad, double-edged sword, but she always kept a few dust grenades around her waist just in case she felt the need for an explosion. It was probably best that she wasn't leader. Her partner, Iris, on the other hand, seemed to be the exact opposite. Despite her bright, blue hair, shirt, and shoes, as well as her hot pink eyes and skirt, she was very quiet and mostly kept to herself. Even her weapon, a pair of daggers that she kept up her sleeves, was designed to be silent. Velvet's partner, Lyla, appeared to be fascinated by everything. She asked questions constantly, and never turned away from the opportunity to learn something new. She wore a simple brown sweater, jeans, and tan boots. It was like, by wearing plain clothing, she hoped to be able to keep her focus on her surrounding so she could keep absorbing information. She fought with a shotgun that she could turn into a wicked looking curved blade. Iris and Lyla seemed nice enough, though Velvet was disappointed that Blake was on a different team. Oh well.

In their dorms, Velvet tried to make conversation with her new teammates but found it difficult. She had never really been the social type, but Lyla was willing enough to chat. At first, the conversation seemed to be going well. They talked about their first impressions of the school, who looked like the toughest opponents, opinions on weapons, etc.. But then Lyla asked about the one topic in which Velvet was very sensitive, her ears.

"So, can you, like, hear really well, and stuff, cause of your big ears?" Lyla asked innocently.

"Yes, they do improve my hearing. I also have enhanced speed because of my Faunus nature." Velvet said tensely, automatically waiting to hear an abusive comment or hateful remark.

"That is soooo cool. I wish I had some kind of special power like the Faunus. It is so interesting how they inherit some of the traits of the animal they are connected to. Sometimes I even wish I was a Faunus." Lyla continued, making Velvet stop in her tracks.

"No, you really don't." With that, Velvet decided to go for a walk the woods. She had always felt more comfortable surrounded by trees and grass. She figured it was a combination of her rabbit influences, and the fact that she could be alone with her thoughts without anyone to bother her. Growing up, she was in the woods more often than not in order to avoid the people that tormented her for heritage. She grabbed her jacket and walked out of the building, lost in thought. Lyla was so smart, yet, at the same time, so ignorant. Velvet would never wish upon anyone the suffering she had to endure growing up as a Faunus. Now, with the White Fang going around committing crimes and attacking shops and such, humans are starting to think that all Faunus are a bunch of violent animals. Velvet was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't hear the sound of crying until she stepped into a clearing where a very familiar girl was holding a very familiar bow collapsed at the bottom of a tree, sobbing.

Velvet stood there for a moment, trying to process what she was seeing. Blake was sitting there, and she had cat ears! Well that explains why she was so nice to me earlier. Velvet then sat down beside Blake and put her arm around her. She didn't say anything, just offered her presence as a comfort. Velvet figured that once she calmed down enough, she would talk to her, but until then, Velvet just let the girl cry.

After a while, Blake seemed to have calmed down enough to talk. Very carefully, Velvet asked, "Blake, what happened? Why were you out here all alone?"

Blake replied, "It's kind of a long story."

"I don't have to be anywhere anytime soon."

"Well then, get comfortable. As you can see I'm obviously a Faunus. I wanted to tell you before, but we had only just met. Well, I guess I should start from the beginning. When I was a very young girl, I joined the White Fang." Velvet gasped at this. She just couldn't picture Blake as one of those violent Faunus that used force to get what they wanted. Blake continued, unfazed by Velvet's reaction, as if she was expecting it.

"I guess you could say I was born into it. Both my parents were members so I was attending meetings before I even knew what they were for. Once I was old enough, I attended every rally, participated in every boycott. Back then, it was about getting respect by way of peaceful protest. I even thought that it was working. It turns out that I was just a youthful optimist. Then it all changed when our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. Suddenly our peaceful protests were turning into night raids. We set fire to shops that refused to serve us. The worst part was, it was working. People were starting to respect us. Though it was not out of trust, but of fear. I still might have stayed longer if it hadn't had been for my mother." Blake looked as though she may start crying again. Velvet put a hand on her shoulder and nodded for her to continue. With a deep, shaky breath, Blake started again. "Sorry it's just tough, you know? Reliving everything that you spent the past several years of your life burying. Anyway, one night my mother left to raid a shop. It was totally routine, nothing special. Then she never came home. After that, it didn't take long for me to realize that the White Fang was not doing anybody any good. That's when I dedicated my life to becoming a huntress. All with the help of a little black bow."

Velvet listened to all of this without interruption. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and then came to a decision. "Come on. Get up." Velvet said, standing up quickly. "It's getting late and clearly you don't want to be with your team right now, or else you would be there and not here. You are coming with me back to my dorm. I can talk to your team for you and let them know where you are, but I'll keep them from bothering you until you are ready to talk to them."

Blake got up and put on her bow, clearly surprised by the sudden change of events. "Umm, are you going to your bow back on? Not that I mind, of course, but I wasn't sure if you were ready to tell people, and my teammates, well, some of them are a bit chatty, sooo..." Velvet said nervously. She didn't want to offend Blake and risk her running off. Blake simply nodded and replaced her bow silently. They walked back to Velvet's dorm in silence.

~Hey guys, I'm introducing Velvet's team, so please let me know what you think of my OCs so far. I know there's not much to go on yet, but I really appreciate the feedback! Thank you so much for supporting me. I hope to come out with the next chapter soon!