Chapter 002 - What My Heart Held


"My allowance…." groaned Velvet, while a white-haired girl and grey-eared bunny sat across from her were in nirvana. Several bowls of banana split sundae, with their contents now swirling inside the content stomachs of the two young girls, laid empty in front of them. Not even the melted portion of the ice cream remained, as if it had been licked clean.

Letting out another sigh of exasperation, she placed her forehead on the end of the table and pulled out her purse. She peered into it only to discover that most of her allowance had been completely spent. The worst part about all this was that Velvet has been saving her allowance ever since she found her love of photography. Her family's old polaroid camera had become broken and no one in the village repaired them. Apparently, the model was too old and cost more to repair than simply buying a new camera. So, she took it as a sign of it was time to upgrade. This would set her back a few weeks, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She turned back towards the two girls across from her. Maybe she could get her sister to pay her back, after all, she had been the one who had wanted sundae when she didn't have money on her. Maybe this other girl could too, but Velvet had yet to introduce herself to this girl since they had only met a few moments previous, and asking money from a near stranger was not something she was comfortable with. There was no way she could just ask for her money back or even for her to pay a portion of the expense, especially after paying herself. However, a small smile made its home on Velvet's face as she took in the view before her.

One of the girls was obviously Velvet's younger sister Clover. She had succumbed to the overwhelming amount of the ice cream much earlier than the other girl, despite her love for all things sugary. Although, she might be joining her ancestors in bunny heaven if the look on her face was any indication, she didn't think Clover could look much more satisfied than she currently was. The other girl was in a similar state, but patting her comically-bloated belly happily, and strangely maintaining a certain degree of elegance that the Faunus couldn't help but envy. The girl had only known Velvet and her sister for only a few moments before she completely convinced Clover of buying the largest sized ice cream sundae there was, and to share it with her. Only for her sister to turn around and use her puppy dog eyes on Velvet…

-A few minutes earlier-

Cue the excited Clover entered the ice cream shop, Neveria, with Velvet following shortly after with a look of exasperation. Several tables lined up against the creamy pastel white wall that were decorated with different geometric shapes of bright colours, the ceiling painted a solid aqua blue, and the floor tiles alternating with a black and white checkerboard pattern. There wasn't anyone at the counter, and the sound of a motor in the backroom indicated that the shopkeeper was making another batch.

"Ooh, what should I get. What to get!" gleefully cheered Clover as she examined the various flavors of ice cream in front of her.

"Clover! I told you that we weren't getting ice cream!" moaned out Velvet, knowing that when her sister was excited like that, there was no denying her. Reason didn't matter to the younger girl in this state, if she wanted something, she would find a way to get it. Usually that way involved Velvet paying, too.

"But sis! I want ice cream now. And since that nice lady gave us some money we should spend it on ice cream!" gleamed Clover with her sparkling eyes. Oh no, she was geared up to use her eyes! "You probably want ice cream too!"

"Well... I do want some…" With all this talk of ice cream Velvet was craving it a little bit. Any girl would crave a sugary reward after a long day at school, and she was no different.

"Wait no! You are not dragging me into this! Besides I'm saving my allowance for something. Unlike me, you only spend your allowance on candy and ice cream. Do you even have any lien?" she accused. She would not be fooled. Clover had an allowance too, so if she wanted ice cream, she could buy it herself! Velvet had quite enough of always ending spending her allowance on sugar-high foods, when she wanted to save for her new camera.

"Ugh!" croaked Clover as she fell to her knees, her hands planted on the ground. "Leave to sis to defeat me with logic," pseudo-lamented her baby sister. She pulled her head back up to face Velvet. "You should buy me ice cream then!" she audaciously proclaimed.

Unbeknownst to the sisters, a white-haired girl had walked into the shop during their squabble and had begun to examine the ice cream laid out before her, entranced. Even on Remnant, where the unusual was quite usual, what with Semblances allowing for some strange happenings, as well as the wide variety of Faunus, the girl stood out like a sore thumb. With silvery-white hair, delicate features, and large, red eyes, she looked just like some kind of child-sized doll.

Clover jumped back up to her feet and was about to use her puppy dog eyes (or should it be hare eyes?) to convince her sister to buy her a treat, when she noticed the girl behind Velvet looking at the ice cream. Now, like said previously, the white-haired girl stood out, and in a small village like their own, the two sisters would have remembered seeing someone so distinctive before.

"Hey sis. Who is that?" questioned Clover while she pointed in the direction of the stranger.

Velvet spun around and found herself captivated by a snow fairy. A petite fairy with silvery-white hair that almost looked like the highest quality of silk. Almost glowing eyes with the color of strawberries. And a pale-white skin that was like freshly fallen snow. It would have been a much more majestic sight if the said fairy wasn't ogling the ice cream behind the glass with stars in her eyes. The ravenous look in the girl's eyes did destroy the mystique of the moment, but nevertheless, the girl was an adorable sight.

She looked a few years older than Velvet, perhaps around eleven or twelve years old. However, Velvet had never seen her before at school (it was a small school, so year groups tended to know each other) so she had to be new around to Oakenhille. Although the small village did get travelers occasionally, they mostly consisted of Huntsmen, Huntresses, and caravans passing through for supplies. She was obviously too young for the dangerous line of work, so maybe her family moved here.

"I'mma go say hi!" exclaimed the ash-eared bunny as she broke Velvet's line of thought and walked over.

'Well if she just moved here it would help to have some people to know. It helps being friends with other people closer to your age. Oum knows I could use more friends… I just hope her family are not mean like Mr. Brighton,' mused Velvet as her sister approached the object of their mutual curiosity, while she took a seat a few feet away from the exchange. As said previously, the girl was young, but it didn't mean that Velvet wasn't ready to intervene should she prove to be racist, though it would sadden her if it was the case.

"Hi there! I'm Clover what is your name?" beamed Clover.

The white-haired girl turned around eyeing the young girl up and down distractedly, her thoughts still clearly on the ice cream.

"Oh hi, I'm…." Her eyes stopped as she came across the appendages on Clover's head. "OH MAI GAWD! Are those bunny ears!?"

"Yup!"

"Are they like… real? Can you feel them?" with a look of innocent curiosity she questioned.

"Yup!" responded Clover while waggling her ears up and down.

"Oh my gawd! That's so cute!" The red-eyed girl exclaimed as she glomped the bunny-eared girl, the most adorable expression of amazement Velvet had ever seen plastered on her face. Both girls giggled as they hugged each other.

'Wow, that was record-breaking time,' sweat-dropped Velvet as she bore witness to the scene in front of her with slight amusement. 'I wish I could make friends that fast… and actually keep them.'

"Can I touch them?"

Velvet froze.

While acknowledging the traits of Faunus wasn't necessarily a bad thing, physical contact with their animal features was another matter entirely. That privilege of touching their Faunus appendages was usually reserved for close family members and intimate relationships. While Clover might be a little too young to understand it, Velvet knew that all too well. It also didn't help that Faunus appendages, usually mammalian ears and tails, were highly sensitive to touch. Velvet recalled the bad experience this morning as she caressed the area were Rouge had violently yanked on them. The pain was long gone, but memory brought back the phantom pain.

"Sure! Just be careful with my ears!" the young bunny exclaimed with joy at the thought of an acquisition of a new friend (Especially someone older than her! She was so much cooler now with being a friend with one the 'older kids.' Mission accomplished! Awesomeness up by 50%!).

A look of bliss slowly appearing, the pale girl softly stroked Clover's ears with her right hand, making the elder sister relax as she realized that the older girl was being extra careful to be gentle, only lightly brushing her fingers against the appendages.

"Fuwaaa… so soft…"

The recipient of the petting giggled quietly as her ears were quite ticklish, and at the look on the face of her new friend. Sure, for other people it was quite the experience, but for Clover, who had had her ears since birth, they were nothing really special, so it amused her to see someone react like that to their mere touch. It was as if her new friend had just discovered something amazing!

After realizing she had been at it for quite some time, the white-haired fairy broke contact and gathered herself. Velvet had to refrain from cooing at how adorable the older girl was, trying to act mature and composed, when her eyes kept going back to her sister's ears, and her fingers twitching as if she wanted nothing more than to pet them again.

"Ahem! My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Clover," smiled Illyasviel, clearly trying (and failing) to appear mature and composed.

"Nice to meet you Ilyawaa….Illiwee…. bon Winzberg," stuttered Clover as she tried to properly pronounce Illyasviel's name (quite a task for someone as young as the youngest Scarlatina sister).

Seeing the youth's struggle, the white-haired girl smiled indulgently.

"You may address me Illya-sama as you are now one of my cute minions!" audaciously announced Illya, taking the young girl as a servant like an evil overlord would.

'Sama?' pondered Velvet. 'What's a sama?"

"Ooh, I'm a minion now? To the great Illya-sama! Do I get any starting bonuses? Benefits? Severance package? Retirement?"

'How does she even know what those are? That's only for adults with good jobs and she couldn't even pronounce Illyasviel's name!' sweat-dropped Velvet. Her sister was strangely developed when it came to certain notions, yet totally clueless when it came to others, it was truly a mystery.

"Eh?"

It appeared Illya was also caught off guard.

Clover tilted her head like she was in deep thought.

"I saw it in a movie once with Spruce Willis, where the bad guy gets a job for the boss as a minion! What does it mean?"

'Oh thank Oum,' sighed Velvet. 'But wait! She's too young for those movies. Mom said we couldn't watch them until we're older because they have violence. When did she…?'

"Anyways!" exclaimed Illya hoping to steer the conversation. "You're here for ice cream too, right?"

"Ah! Of course, you can't say you've been to Oakenhille until you've tried Neveria's ice cream!" declared Clover with a proud look. "My favorite is the cookies-n-cream! What's your favorite ice cream Illya?"

"Illya-sama," she corrected. "And I… um… I don't have a favorite ice cream…."

"WHAT!" gasped Clover, looking aghast (not that she would know the word). What kind of kid didn't have a favorite ice cream! Sacrilege would be the proper term she would use, if she knew it that is. "Everyone has a favorite ice cream! You have to never had ice cream before to not have one!" she continued and hoped Illya would provide an explanation for this heresy.

"I've never actually had ice cream before…." the youth paused, drooping her head down before she continued. Clearly the subject was touchy for her.

"My…. previous family was… was really strict and never let me have it."

Regaining her determination, she made eye contact with Clover. Had Velvet known better, she would have sworn she could see fire in the girl's eyes, "But I'm not with them anymore. I saw the shop so I entered in hope of having ice cream!"

"This is an emergency!" the grey-eared bunny shouted. She ran to the counter and incessantly rang the bell until she summoned the shopkeeper.

"Alright! Alright! I'm here. Sheesh."

Out came the shopkeeper, he was a rather lanky man with black hair combed backwards, and his apron stained with various colors of ice cream, no doubt from all the batches he had made that day.

He took one look at the small bunny behind the counter, before giving the agitated girl a warm smile.

"Oh, hey Clover. How's my favorite customer?"

This was Mr. Rocklo, quite an unfitting name, but he had known the Scarlatina family for a long time as he was a childhood friend of their father. He was made the godfather of the Scarlatina siblings after Clover had been born, something the girl ruthlessly exploited to get free ice cream as often as she could.

He took a long look around the shop and spotted Velvet sitting in the back, who gave a small wave in greeting.

"Here with your sister, but where is your mother?" he asked.

"She's at home! But forget that! This is a Code-7!"

"A Code-7!? You surely don't mean that!" gasped Mr. Rocklo. Illya just standing there completely lost to what was happening in front on her. She might be the oldest girl present, even she could not compete with Clover's sheer passion and current panic.

'What's a Code-7?' both Illya and Velvet wondered.

"You sure you can afford it?" he gazed with scrutiny at the ash-colored Faunus. "I can't give something like that out for free. It would hurt my business you know."

"Urk!" reeled the small girl, looking like she had just been shot in the heart, before she spun around and walked towards Velvet., stopping in front of her suddenly nervous sister.

'Oh no….' anguished Velvet. She knew what was coming.

"Velvet-sis… you know you're my favorite sister, right?"

"I'm your only sister," deadpanned the coffee-haired sibling.

Ignoring her comment, Clover continued.

"Can you do me a little favor? I'll love you forever and ever!" She asked as she put on her weaponized cuteness, making her small hands into fists and bringing them up to her chest.

"Pleassssse?" asked Clover again with her weapon at full power, wide eyes sparkling with innocence looking up at her sister.

Groaning, Velvet turned her face away to Illya. However, it looked like Illya caught on to what Clover was trying to do.

"Pleassssse," asked the white-haired girl, also putting on her own version of weaponized cuteness.

"Urk!" Velvet switched her gaze between the two before she finally gave in, lest she develop diabetes from how sweet both girls looked.

"Fine…" muttered the brown-haired Faunus, before she handed her sibling her lien purse, the defeated bunny facepalming as she succumbed to the whims of her sister. Every time! Every time she told herself that she would resist, but there was no denying the youngest Scarlatina. She dearly hoped her sister would become an advocate for Faunus rights one day, with her experience she would have the Four Kingdoms at her feet the moment they had a videoconference with her. She was quite sure even the Grimm might think twice if they were faced with such a look.

"Yay!" the duo cheered.

'Well what's the harm in just two ice cream cones for them?' tried to console herself the older bunny. Poor Velvet, she really had no idea what a Code-7 was, did she.

Clover and Illya merrily skipped over to the counter and placed the purse in front of Mr. Rocklo.

"Code-7 please." Clover stated with a childish determination, her hands resting on her hips.

Mr. Rocklo laughed to himself before he offered a nod of sympathy to Velvet while he rang up the register and exchanged the currency. Once he was finished, he reached under the counter and brought out several large glass bowls.

'Wait a minute…' Velvet was slowly realizing what was about to happen.

He began to load up the bowl with several scopes of ice forming a LARGE banana split sundae in the first bowl, walking around the counter with the bowl of ice cream and leaving it at the table Velvet was sitting at. The two girls raced behind them taking their seats opposite of her, spoons already in hand.

This bowl of ice cream was HUGE. It nearly towered an entire foot off the table, was drenched in chocolate syrup, showered with sprinkles and crushed nuts, crested with whipped cream, and several bananas poked out from the Neapolitan ice cream foundation. Everything topped off with a single red cherry that proudly sat at the top of the sundae as if it had climbed the highest summit in Remnant.

If the two girls on the other side of the table had stars in their eyes before, they had supernovas going off now, both drooling at the magnificent sight before they as they dug in, their hunger no longer allowing them to hold themselves back.

Just as they started digging into the mountain of ice cream, Velvet noticed Mr. Rocklo had returned behind the counter.

'What is he doing?' she pondered only to see that he was starting a second one of these monstrosities!

'WHAT! He's making another one!?'

Little did Velvet know what a Code-7 was. Code-7 (after 6 previous attempts) was established by the International Board of Ice Cream Artisans of Remnant (IBICAR) to create the perfect ice cream.

While it didn't make the cut for perfect ice cream, the IBICAR had discovered the terrifying and awe-inspiring power the blend had. It could sate the anger, sadness, and joy of any woman. It was the perfect comfort food for women that one kept serving until the recipient could no longer move. However, it's power (and calorie count) was so terrible they spoke of it only in song and legend and swore amongst themselves never to share the combination.

Not really, but it was at least that was the headcanon that had Clover accepted when she made up the name and shared it with Mr. Rocklo. Needless to say, he got a kick out of it and created an ice cream mix that would do her story justice. Until then, it had never been made before in the hallowed walls of Neveria, but the emergency of Illya having never experienced the wonders of ice cream before had apparently been enough to warrant such an occasion.

-Flashback end-

"Clover it's time to go, it's really late now," said Velvet as she peered outside the windows, the sky glowing with reds and oranges, and shop owners across the street locking up for the night. They had to go home now, otherwise their mother would be deathly worried.

"Kaayyy…" groaned Clover, still suffering from the after effects of too much ice cream.

They both stood and thanked Mr. Rocklo who waved back in response.

"I'll you see you later Illya!" waved the youngest bunny girl, waving her farewell.

Regaining a modicum of composure, "Bye Bye. I'll be here a few minutes more for this ice cream to go down. I don't think I can walk right now," responded Illya, not even correcting the girl on the '–sama', as she patted her belly once more for good measure, with a faint smile on her face.

Clover walked outside, Velvet following behind her, but the coffee-colored girl stopped before she fully exited the building.

"Thanks for being nice to my sister," she smiled. It was nice to know that some people could be nice to Faunus like them, and showed that not all interactions between humans and their kind was bad.

"What's your name?" replied Illya.

"…. Velvet Scarlatina," smiled the oldest of the two sisters.

"Illya," waved the girl, returning the smile..

"It's nice to meet you Illya..."

.

.

Now just to avoid the wrath of their mother…


Next Chapter: 003 - Broken Statues

Author's Notes: There we be plot advancement, this is just setting the stage. Enjoy.

As before, big thanks to Arawn D. Draven for beta'ing my chapter.