…
Ilia hated wearing school uniforms, even more so when they were for Academies like Beacon or Haven – places for humans. Bad enough that she used to like it once. Now it was part of the job; as far as practicality goes, it was a requirement. She could blend in on her own (she was one of the few Faunus who could easily pass for human) but a uniform made things so much easier.
She yanked at the collar of her uniform blouse as she moved to another drawer, looking for anything she could use.
The office of Professor Glynda Goodwitch was, as expected, immaculate. Getting in was no mean feat, and Ilia was thankful she'd reviewed her lockpicking lessons before she came. An incriminating letter remained tucked in her shirt pocket, and once she found something the human Professor had signed, she could forge the signature and be on her way.
Goodwitch needed to be removed from the school before the White Fang could attack Beacon Academy – otherwise the woman would devastate their ranks. She was a powerhouse that could not be allowed to participate. Adam had shown a lot of foresight in sending her to do this.
But honestly, Blake would have been a better choice. She had more experience in these sort of missions.
Ilia paused in her search as the image of the black-haired cat Faunus floated into her mind's eye; those lovely amber eyes, those pouty lips, that flawless skin-
NO! Stay focused! She gave her head a hard shake and opened another drawer.
Personally, Ilia would have preferred a silent visit to the Professor during the night that would silence her for good. She did mention this to Adam, but he then pointed out that this was about more than just removing the threat of Goodwitch from the battlefield – it was also about undermining her authority, making everyone around her question if she was fit for the job… and thereby causing everyone she ever taught to question their own skills.
If Blake hadn't backed him on it, Ilia would have thought that line of reasoning was foolish, but she didn't want Blake to turn on her.
Why a woman of her quality stayed by Adam's side was beyond Ilia's understanding.
As she reached the bottom drawer of the Professor's desk, Ilia finally found a paper with the woman's signature. Her gray eyes scanned over the page automatically before coming to rest on the flowing script of the name signed at the bottom.
But before she could pull out the fake letter and finish the mission… her eyes returned to the paper in her hand. She read it again, slowly, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
This… what in the world? Was this real?
She soon found that the drawer contained over a dozen papers, all with the same basic message from different sources. All of them served to shatter Ilia's preconceived idea of who Glynda Goodwitch really was.
Support for Faunus relief organizations, support for numerous orphanages with a focus on Faunus children, aide for two political parties with Faunus-centered agendas… by all rights and accounts, it looked as though the Professor was… a Faunus activist. Hell, there were even several letters from parents of previous Faunus students, all lavishing praise on the teacher.
What in the-
"You moved sooner than I expected."
The chameleon Faunus rapidly shifted her skin on instinct to match her surroundings. Ilia's hands shot for her weapon hidden beneath her uniform skirt, but they grabbed… nothing. Gone?
Professor Goodwitch stood at the door of her office, holding her riding crop at shoulder level, with Ilia's lash floating just in front of it. Her green eyes shone like marbles as she stated, "I've been watching you all week, Miss Amitola. I know you've been watching me, too… and now I see why."
Ilia didn't wait for an opening – she dove to the side and made a leap for the window, but never made it that far. The curtains suddenly whipped out and wrapped around her in a heartbeat, carrying her over to the human Professor. Ilia struggled, but couldn't get any leverage to cut herself free.
She'd been caught.
Blake could've gotten free of this. Yet another reason she should've been here instead.
"Would it be safe to assume you are part of this… 'White Fang' I've heard so much about?" the Professor asked calmly.
Ilia bit back her initial response, instead saying, "You'll be hearing all about it soon enough, human."
"You have spirit, I'll give you that much… but you've broken quite a few rules in a very short time, young lady." Ilia watched with a sweeping dread as the incriminating letter floated out of her shirt pocket by itself and landed in the Professor's hand. The woman didn't look at it before adding, "I believe some detention is in order."
"Why don't you just call the police on me? Just throw me in a cage… like the other animals? Isn't that how you humans think of us?" Ilia tried to sound as angry as she could, but she was wearing down against the curtains.
"Some still do," the woman nodded, then pointed to the open drawer of letters, "…But I think you've seen by now that I don't."
That made Ilia shut up. The chameleon Faunus was rather skilled at spotting forgeries, and none of those papers appeared faked in any way. Glynda Goodwitch was no ordinary human.
"Even though you submitted false application papers, you were still accepted. As far as I'm concerned, you are a full student of Beacon Academy, and by extension… my student. I will take care of this situation myself."
Anger gave way to confusion. Was this human serious right now? "No matter what you try, I won't talk. I'll die before I give up any information about the White Fang."
"You misunderstand, Miss Ilia Amitola…"
"…?"
"I'm not concerned about the White Fang. I'm concerned about you."
"…"
Ilia had no reply as Professor Goodwitch carried her out of the office, still wrapped in the curtain. Her mind had gone blank at those words… and how genuine they sounded. She had been prepared to fail her mission, even to die for the cause if need be, but this? Ilia was not ready for… mercy.
What on Remnant was about to happen to her?
…
[ To be continued ]
…
Author's Note: So this is an attempt at writing for a rare/crack ship. To my knowledge, no one else has tried this particular pairing yet (though if they have, by all means point me in their direction). This will be a short story (2-3 chapters max), and hopefully it will revive my dusty Writing Brain™ enough to get back to work on my other stories.
=^..^=