Show Me How You Smile

by LongSean22

Ilia Amitola; a girl who’d lived a life full of anger and tragedy, barely managing to keep herself from succumbing to the same hate so many other faunus had. Meanwhile, Carmella Lindt had only ever wanted to help people and defend what was important to her, but lacked the means to do so. Two faunus on a collision course, a pair of souls, each one meant to complete the other.

28. Chapter 28

A/N- Welcome back! So. This chapter. Not gonna lie. It's a bit of a weird one. Certainly a change from what we've come to expect here. But bare with me on this. It's a necessary kind of "weird". Think of it as more of a character short/intermission sort of thing. Remember those? Those were cool.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Also I added a little treat at the end, so give it a chance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A pair of bright headlights lit up the well paved road as a long, black limousine traveled smoothly down the thickly forested, back roads of Mistral.

Normally the council wouldn't bother with maintaining a long stretch of asphalt like this one- especially one on the very outskirts of the kingdom- but thanks to a substantial amount of lien being thrown in a certain councilmen's direction by the man riding in the back of said limo, this road received "priority" care and maintenance. That was the kind of luxury a man like Drake Ivey could afford.

Bringing a hand up to stroke the thin beard covering his chin, Mr. Ivey's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he scrolled through his stock report with his free hand on his scroll. His numbers were up, just as he had expected.

Not that Drake had been worried or anything. After what happened in Vale a few months back, a smart businessman (like himself) could see this whole "dust embargo" thing coming a mile away. Still though, Drake would have paid good lien to see the look on that old wind bag Jacque's face when Ironwood had slammed the door in his face. Atlas must be in full lockdown now, and in time the Schnee's would be a thing of the past, and then it would be Ivey Incorporated's time to shine.

Sure, Atlas was the largest source of dust on Remnant, but it was hardly the only source. All you had to do was look hard enough, mine deep enough, and of course, sufficiently "motivate" your workforce to fnd it.

That had been the lesson Drake's father had instilled as he'd laid there on his deathbed; that nobody made a single lien in this world without getting their hands dirty. Truer words were never spoken, but the thing about money was- once you'd made enough of it- it turned out you could just make other people do the dirty work for you.

Take for example, the other two occupants of Drake's limo- not counting the driver, of course- his bodyguards, and heads of his personal security, both dressed in stylish black suits with matching sunglasses. Both former Huntsmen, whom he'd convinced to leave their former profession for the much more lucrative position of his security detail.

Having those two around was all kinds of useful for him, especially these days with all the allegations flying around about Drake and his "business practices."

It was always; "subpar working conditions" this, or "earning a livable wage" that. Honestly, if those animals were going to complain this much about being employed then maybe they shouldn't have become miners in the first place. Most of the time the complaints were easy enough to ignore, but every once in a while his workers would scrape together enough resources to get their case taken to court, for all the good it did them.

The faunus just didn't know when they were beat. He'd overcome every charge put against him, had an amazing PR team that made sure to clean up any messes, and on top of all that was the two walking piles of muscle he surrounded himself with at all times. Drake Ivey was untouchable, and he knew it.

The limousine turned one final corner, coming out of the heavily wooded area and into a little slice of paradise the dust distribution companies CEO had cut out for himself. His mansion alone was impressive, but the sprawling acres that surrounded it were even better. It was filled to the brim with all the luxuries a man like Drake deserved; Meticulously trimmed topiaries lining every pathway, tennis courts, swimming pools, everything he needed, all safely contained within an impenetrable wall, with enough security and personnel on sight to protect a small city. It was a fortress not even the Grimm could overtake.

The long vehicle made its way through the heavy, metal, electrified gate and down the long driveway into the compound. Ornate lanterns lit up the way as the limo pulled in to one of Drake's many garages where it was parked. The valet exited first, hurrying around the transport to open the door for his illustrious employer.

Stepping out of the limousine, Drake's dark red, slicked back hair sheened under the lights of his home. He pulled his own dark pair of sunglasses out of the lapel of his deep green, tailored suit and put them on over his crimson colored eyes. It wasn't like he needed to wear them or anything- it was nighttime after all- but the accessory just helped complete the look he was going for. They accentuated the strength and power that accompanied his name.

The valet wordlessly closed the car door after his employer stepped away. His eyes downcast, lest they accidentally make contact with the man himself. Drake of course paid him no mind. Why would he? The smaller man was doing his job, what he was paid for, and as long as that didn't change he didn't deserve any special attention. It was that way for all the help Drake employed at his estate, he treated them more as possessions than people.

From the other side of the vehicle, Drake's pair of bodyguards stepped out into the lights of the garage as well. His earlier description of them certainly did the pair justice. Both were mountains of strength, moving silently and with purpose. Their names were... well... honestly Drake couldn't really remember. Both had gun metal gray hair. He was pretty sure the one with short hair was Jack, and the longer haired one was...

Nope, he was drawing a blank. Although, now that he was taking a a good look at them, he noticed how similar his bodyguards looked. Maybe they were brothers? Then again, even that assumption might've been wrong, as he was only about ninety percent sure they were both men. The longer haired one was actually fairly androgynous now that he'd taken a second look.

Drake brushed off the fleeting curiosity quickly enough. The pair did their jobs well enough without him knowing the intricacies of their lives. He usually just referred to them as "You two" anyways, since they were always together. A moniker that was typically followed by the phrase; "-take care of this." Which they did, with a pleasing efficiency. So on that note, the pairs relationship with their boss was as perfect as it needed to be.

The CEO of Ivey Incorporated stepped into his lavish home, flanked by his bodyguards. Another member of his staff was standing by the entryway waiting for him, holding up a covered serving tray with one hand, and with a pure, white colored towel draped over the other.

It had been a long day at work, and it was time for Drake to unwind. Wordlessly, the well dressed butler removed the lid of the tray he'd been holding, revealing a single, Atlesian cigar, a golden flip lighter, and a small, similarly decorated ashtray.

Barely paying his servant any mind, Drake took the cigar and put it into his mouth, and like clockwork, the butler grabbed the lighter off his tray and brought it up to light it. Drake smirked as he took a deep inhale of smoke, the pleasing taste and aroma washing away his stress.

"Your scheduled company is waiting in your office, as you requested, Mr. Ivey," the elderly butler said with a posh sounding accent.

Drake's smile grew. He'd nearly forgotten about that. The only thing that sounded more appetizing than an expensive cigar right now was the warm touch of whatever pretty young thing he had waiting for him upstairs.

Without a word, the immaculately dressed businessman headed up the stairs, his butler following, catching the stray ash from Drake's cigars as he walked. His bodyguards remained downstairs however, knowing they weren't required for this part of the job. The pair shared an exasperated look, the longer haired one even giving an eye roll, before they both walked away. It was time for them to touch base with the on site security team anyway, to see if there was anything they should be concerned about.

The door to Drake's office was closed, as usual. What happened inside was no one's business but his own. It might seem like strange place to host a "meeting" of this kind, but much like his own tailored appearance, his office was designed specifically to impress and exude strength. It contained every award and accolade he'd ever received, as well as more than a few hunting trophies mounted on his walls.

Besides, this room was more of an appetizer than anything, and he was sure they'd make their way to his bedroom soon enough.

The businessman stopped just outside the entrance and put out his stogie on the tray still being held by his servant, not even remotely concerned that the expensive, imported cigar wasn't even halfway finished. He reached up and adjusted the burning red colored tie around his neck, returned his sunglasses to his lapel, and ran his hands over his slicked back hair. Then he shot his elderly butler who was still standing at his side an insistent- bordering on agitated- look, and the well dressed servant quickly stepped away, needing no further instruction than that.

Now alone, Drake put on his most charming smile and opened the door. However, as he stepped into his office, that smile faltered.

There, standing in front of his large, hand made, prized wooden desk, legs crossed in front of her was...

definitely not the girl he'd requested.

There was a flare of indignation in Drake's chest at this. He had paid good lien for a specific companion this evening, and they'd had the gall to send... whoever the hell this was!

Then again... the longer the heated CEO took in the specimen before him, the more he realized he might've been a bit quick to judge. This woman... seemed more than "qualified" to fit his needs tonight.

She was a faunus- at least they'd gotten that part of his order right- that was obvious enough, given the small patches of green scales littering the exposed parts of her tanned skin, and thanks to her choice of attire, there was oh so much of that beautiful skin on display.

Speaking of which, as Drake'a crimson eyes roved across the acres of soft flesh, he noticed a tattoo stretching across the woman's body. On one hand, there was a snakes head, white, with red eyes, its mouth open and fangs exposed. On the other was a matching reptilian face, but in black. The two snakes bodies twisted up both the woman's arms until they came to a meeting over her mostly exposed chest, above her more than satisfactory bust.

It was a depiction of a King Taijitu, a Grimm. An odd choice for a tattoo, but Drake was far from discouraged by it. If anything, it added an air of danger and mystery to this woman, whose appearance continued to impress the more he looked upon her.

The jade colored dress she was wearing had a deep cut in front, exposing not only her tattoo, but a generous amount of cleavage as well, and the slits on each side of it went up past her thighs, exposing as much of her long legs as possible. All that seemed to be protecting the modesty of her lower half was a couple of thin looking strips of fabric hanging in the front and back of her dress.

Cinched tightly around her waist was golden belt, hugging her hips and showing off every detail of her downright voluptuous figure.

The only thing covering her toned legs were a pair of gold colored, open toed, dagger like heels, with straps that went upward, twisting around, all the way up the woman's shins.

Her eyes seemed to light up as Drake entered the room, luminous pools of gold shining under the lamps in his office. She looked him up and down quickly, before her plump, pink lips curved into a satisfied smile.

"Hello, Mr. Ivey."

The woman's soft voice sent a pleasant chill down the man's spine, settling in his lower extremities. He did love it when people called him that.

"You're... not the girl I requested," Drake replied. He may not have been displeased- by any means- at the sight of his company for tonight, but still, he was a man who lived a life of structure and plans. As pleasant a surprise as this was, Drake couldn't help but let an ounce of suspicion slip into his mind.

The faunus brought up a hand and giggled alluringly into her wrist, the many golden bracelets and chains hanging off it jingling slightly as she did. The woman stepped away from Drake's desk, towards the man himself.

Her hips swayed sensually as she walked, the sharp tips of her heels clacking against the hardwood floor beneath her. Her emerald colored hair- done up in a long, long braided ponytail, with a golden colored tip covering its end- swayed along with her. The bangs framing her face seemed to bounce as she moved, and it was far from the only thing doing so, as Drake did not fail to notice.

"Jasmine sends her regards, but she couldn't make it tonight," she said walking right up to the dust company CEO, standing about a forehead shorter than the average sized, red haired human. From this angle, Drake noticed a pair of shimmering gold hair clips in the woman's hair, on each side of the top of her head. They had long slits down the middle, making them look like a second pair of eyes staring up at him.

"She came down with something real bad, and asked me to take her place," the woman continued. "Now, that's usually not my style, but when I heard who she was... servicing tonight..."

The scaled faunus raised a hand towards Drake's chest and then delicately began tracing one of her manicured, green painted fingernails downward, moving her hand slowly, back and forth as it descended, not unlike a snake's winding path.

"... The illustrious Drake Ivey... well, how could a girl like me resist?"

The woman's finger eventually stopped its decent, just above the buckle to the CEO's belt. She leaned her body up against his, wrapping one her long legs around his, and in a near whisper, she said;

"I'm Viridia. I hope that I can make this night as exciting for you as I know it will be for me."

Just like that, any suspicion or doubt in Drake's head was blown away by his own desire and lust.

The suited human looked over the body that was currently coiled around him once more, up close this time. He felt the contours of her supple curves pressed up close against him, felt the warmth radiating off her. Her beautifully bronzed face looked up at Drake, her brilliant, shining eyes promising him a night he'd never forget.

He wasn't super into the scales, if he was honest, that was the only blemish in his mind, but with everything else this girl was packing, he could make an exception, easily.

Viridia...

This woman, she was breathtaking, exotic, and tonight? All his;

To do with as he pleased.

There was a reason he chose faunus for this little leisure activity of his.

That was because, deep down, Drake loved feeling in control of them, dominating over the race of animal-like people, the same way he did with his business.

As far as he was concerned, the faunus were made just for that; Being controlled, profited from, and used until they'd given him all they could.

And this one would be no different.

No longer able to control himself, Drake lunged forward, lips parted, aiming towards his "prey" this evening.

But he was stopped, a thin finger coming up and blocking his eager mouths trajectory.

Viridia smiled, one hand at Mr. Ivey's lips, and the other still teasing at his belt buckle.

"How about a drink first?" The tantalizing faunus said as she stepped back, untangling herself from Drake, her finger slightly curling around his belt as she moved away, pulling it slightly before letting it snap back into place.

For a moment, Drake was too stunned to react. He'd never been denied so... effortlessly before...

... And he liked it.

But his lovely guest had a point. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten about the bottle of exquisite, vintage, Vytalian wine he'd had prepared that was currently chilling in a bucket of ice on his desk.

Besides, it didn't matter. She would be his, eventually. All he needed to do was be patient. After all, they had all night.

Drake took a deep breath to try and regain his composure... which probably would have worked, if not for the exceptional view offered by Viridia's backside as she walked away from him. Things didn't get any better when the faunus bent over his desk to pick up the wine bottle and begin pouring it into the two reciprocals set aside nearby.

With both glasses in hand, Viridia turned back around- her front side no less enthralling than her back- and with a seductive smile, sauntered back over towards Drake and held one out to him.

"To an unforgettable evening, Mr. Ivey," the green haired woman purred, offering the man a flirtatious wink and a dazzling smile.

Without hesitation, Drake grasped the wine from the faunus' slender hands and after a customary sniff, brought it to his lips for a short sip. It had an elegant, earthy flavor, worth every penny, in his opinion.

The CEO took another, longer sip while Viridia looked on in silence, her golden colored eyes watching him as the chilled liquid slipped down his throat.

Had Drake been paying better attention, he might've noticed the danger and hunger behind those eyes...

---

Meanwhile, the elderly butler that had greeted Drake upon his return to his home shuffled slowly down the hallway, tray and towel still in hand. His surprisingly sharp eyes scanned his surroundings as he moved, on constant lookout for any signs of untidiness, any blemishes that the master of the house would not tolerate.

Suddenly, his dull grey eyes locked onto a small spot on the lavish, pure white carpet, and he bent down to investigate, his knees creaking as he did, but the serving tray remaining held aloft all the while.

The small, dark red blotch made the old servant's wrinkled face contort in aggravation. One of the younger housemaids must have spilled something. He'd have to have a word with them, or perhaps speak to Master Drake about cutting their pay. For now though, he'd best see that this was cleaned up before Mr. Ivey saw it.

The butler went to do just that, but then noticed yet another spot on the pristine carpet a little further down the hall. This time, the well dressed gray haired man was unable to contain himself and let out a huff of frustration. Really, the nerve of those-

Then he noticed another crimson spot, and another, it was a path, leading him down the hall, and coming to a stop outside a broom closet.

His curiosity suddenly peaked, the older gentleman made his way over to the closed door. With an ounce of trepidation, he reached up and opened the door, peering inside.

The grisly sight that awaited him caused the serving tray he was holding to clatter to the floor as the butler let out a loud gasp.

For a moment all the servant could do was stare in horror, but then he noticed something truly unsettling.

With shaking hands, the gray haired human fumbled through his pocket and pulled out his scroll. However, instead of dialing the authorities right away- like most would in a situation such as that- he quickly typed out a message to his employer instead.

Once it had been sent, the now quite pale faced man went back to helplessly staring at the young woman's body that lay crumpled on the floor of the closet before him, twin dried trickles of blood coming from a pair of puncture marks on her neck. Despite the grotesque- twisted in pain- look on her face, the butler was able the ascertain the identity of this woman almost immediately, her long fox tail and... scandalous choice of dress being a quick giveaway.

This was the woman he'd let into Drake's home just over an hour ago, before his master arrived, the one he'd personally guided up to Mr. Ivey's office... the one Drake was supposedly meeting with right now...

---

A warm giggle filled the office as Viridia refilled her glass. The two of them had moved over to Drake's desk as they enjoyed their fancy wine. The man himself had taken his usual position in the large leather chair on one side, while the faunus woman was in a small- less fancy- seat on the opposite side, for guests.

Normally, Drake wasn't much for "beating around the bush" when it came to his "leisure" activities, but this quiet small talk with his guest tonight was actually proving more than tolerable. Viridia was a fascinating woman, very well traveled, and she had a sharp wit about her that was downright intoxicating. He actually found himself genuinely smiling as the faunus told him more and more about herself.

Not to mention the way she currently was almost draped across her side of the desk was giving the dust companies CEO an excellent view of her assets. That certainly didn't hurt as well. Plus, the wine was good, amazing really, even better than he remembered. He'd polished off his first glass long before his guest, and was well into his second.

As enjoyable as it was though, Drake couldn't help but feel a bit impatient, his foot beginning to incessantly tap against the carpeted floor beneath his desk. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the creature before him, and the more Viridia played coy, the stronger his desires grew. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into-

There was a sudden "ping" that came from Drake's jacket pocket, cutting off Viridia mid-sentence. The smile of the CEO's face fell into a grimace. It was his damn scroll. He should have put it on silent. Oh well, better that he realized it now, rather than when the two of them finally got down to business.

"Pardon me, my dear," Mr. Ivey said in a flirtatious tone- keeping up the gentlemanly facade for now- as he reached in to grab his device.

"By all means," the scaled faunus replied, staring adoringly at the man sitting across from her, while indulging in another small sip of her wine.

Taking out his scroll, Drake was about to immediately shut it off, until his sharp, red eyes ran across the message he'd received. His gaze flickered from the words on the screen to the woman sitting on the other side of his desk.

Viridia stared back, seemingly unbothered. Then she smiled innocently at Drake, placing her elbow on the wooden desk and resting her head on her propped up wrist.

A bead of sweat ran down from the CEO's crimson hairline, down his cheek and to his chin, where it hung in place for a moment, before Drake shoved back his rolling chair and hopped to his feet. He quickly reached into one of his desks many drawers, quickly pulling out a small pistol.

He'd only taken his eyes off Viridia for a moment, but Drake half expected to turn back and see an empty chair waiting for him. Instead he found the faunus hadn't moved an inch, still just staring at him, with that same smile on her face. Even when Drake pointed his gun at her, she remained unfazed, even casually taking another sip of the wine still in her hand.

Drake smirked maliciously, proud with himself for getting the upper hand on whoever this woman was.

"So, are you gonna tell me who the hell you are before I blow a whole right threw that stupid grin on your face?" The CEO asked.

Said "stupid grin" fell from Viridia's face, turning to a scowl. She turned her attention to swirling the remaining red liquid in her glass nonchalantly.

"That's rude," she said, still seemingly unbothered by the gun pointed at her. "Let me guess, somebody went and spoiled the surprise? Just when things were getting fun..."

Drake growled at the woman's lack of reaction to him. He was the one in control of the situation. She should be beginning him not to kill her, not... whatever the hell this is!

"Do you have any idea who I am!?" Drake seethed through gritted teeth. "You really surprised that you got caught trying to break into MY house!"

"Trust me, Mr. Ivey," Viridia said, her tone suddenly much less sincere, more patronizing than anything, "I knew exactly who I was dealing with when I came here. But no, I'm not that surprised I got found out. Honestly? I would have been disappointed if you hadn't gotten tipped off eventually, what with all that security you employ."

"No, what really surprised me-" Viridia went on, "- is that your were actually able to pick up that measly little pea shooter you've got there, much less aim it me."

Not even bothering to ponder what that might mean, Drake decided he'd heard enough and pulled the trigger...

Or at least, he tried to.

His finger. No matter how hard he tried to move it, he couldn't. He felt a sudden coldness wash over all his digits, which then began to spread to his hand, and quickly up his arm.

It wasn't just that one appendage that was affected either. Soon that same cold feeling began creeping across his other arm as well, and both legs, starting at the tips and working its way to his torso.

"Wh-what the hell... is..."

The coldness finally reached his chest and seized Drake's lungs. Panic surged through the CEO, for a moment he thought he was dying, but his slamming heartbeat said otherwise. He could barely breathe, but he wasn't dying. No, he was being paralyzed.

As the creeping cold overtook the last parts of his body, Drake found himself completely frozen in place, standing over his desk, gun still pointed squarely between the faunus' eyes.

Speaking of eyes, that was about the only thing Drake could move at that point. His red irises darted desperately around the room as he struggled to breathe.

Viridia remained tauntingly in the crosshairs of the frozen CEO's weapon for a moment as she finished the rest of the wine. Then the faunus woman stood up and slowly walked around Drake's desk, one of her manicured fingernails tracing its edge as she moved.

For a moment, the mysterious woman disappeared from the red haired humans view, or more accurately, he simply couldn't turn his head to follow her. He could still hear her though.

"I assume what you were about to say just now was; 'What the hell is going on?' Well..."

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the corner of his vision and easily plucked the weapon from his hand, placing it on the desk before Drake. It might as well have been on a chunk of the shattered moon shining in through the windows, for all the good it would do him in his current state. Then another hand appeared and snaked the scroll out of his grip as well.

Viridia leaned in close to Drake'a ear and whispered; "... let's just say that maybe you should have spent a little more time watching me pour you that drink, and less time staring at my ass."

Without warning, Drake found himself getting pulled backwards into his cushy chair, his body still remaining mostly rigid as he did, his legs sticking out straight as he sat.

A few indignant grunts slipped out of the CEO's still clenched teeth, but that was about all the resistance he could muster.

Viridia wandered back into his field of view, now looking at Drake's scroll. "Looks like someone found your real 'guest' for tonight." The scantily dressed woman sighed, before dropping the device and bringing one of her pointed heels down onto it, its sharp tip piercing right through the durable material that comprised it, easily destroying the scroll.

"Honestly, I did that poor girl a favor," the clearly psychotic woman said matter-of-factly, "I've heard about what you do to the pretty little faunus you invite to this cozy 'lair' of yours. At least my way was quick, but that's neither here nor there at this point," she continued, stepping back over to Drake's frozen form.

She raised one of her long legs in front of herself slowly, offering a view the CEO would have no doubt enjoyed moments ago, but now filled him with terror as his eyes remained focused on her dangerously sharp heel as it crept towards his chest.

However, to his surprise, only the tip of the woman's extravagant footwear made contact, gently nudging him backwards in his wheeled chair, away from his desk.

"If they've found her, then that means your entire security detail is probably on their way here right now, am I right?" Viridia looked at Drake as if expecting a response from the paralyzed human.

"I thought as much."

Then, the scaled faunus turned away and reached under the desk, where Drake had been sitting only moments ago.

"Well, I'm that case..."

The sound of metal scraping against metal made the hairs on Drake's neck stand at attention- even more so than they already were.

"Let's get ready to surprise them, shall we?"

---

Multiple pairs of boots stampeded down the hallway. Sure enough, all of Drake's private security was racing to their employers rescue, being led by the pair of similar looking former Huntsmen bodyguards he favorited.

The second they'd received the shocking news from the now very distressed butler, Jack (the shorter haired of the two) had gathered everyone that was on shift tonight, including his partner/sister, Anjill, and rushed to their bosses aid. He wasn't looking forward to the tongue lashing Mr. Ivey would give them after this, but before they even worried about that, they had to earn their exorbitant paychecks.

Upon reaching the office doors, Jack didn't even hesitate, pulling out the fire axe he'd purchased earlier that day- from one of the most talented blacksmiths in Mistral, by the way- and with one burning, dust infused swing, split the hand crafted oak into pieces. He didn't slow down at all after his swing though, charging shoulder first into the destroyed entryway and sending flaming splinters all over the floor.

The interior of the office was dark, the few lamps inside having been extinguished, but the pair of silhouettes, framed by the moonlight shining in through the massive windows behind Drake's desk showed Jack all he needed to see.

His boss was sitting there, in his chair, with a pair of long, bejeweled scimitars scissored in front of his neck, each of their golden handles being held by a hand with green painted fingernails. Most of the attacker was hidden behind the chair, using Drake's body as a shield, but Jack could easily make out the head peeking out from behind the piece of furniture, a pair of almost glowing yellow eyes staring back at him.

The rest of the security team finally caught up, each of them aimed their respective weapons into the room at the intruder, most of which consisted of handguns, with a couple automatic weapons thrown in as well.

Five of his best men, with their five guns, on top of that, Jack with his fire axe, and his sister and her hammer, with its own glowing dust crystal in its core. All of which were focused on the ponytailed woman across the room.

So why didn't she look nervous? Why did she look downright delighted to see them? Jack felt an unfamiliar chill go down his spine at the almost ecstatic smile on the woman's face at the firing squads arrival.

"Well now, that doesn't seem very smart," Viridia said, gesturing towards Drake and his men with her head, or rather, to their guns currently being pointed at her, and by extension, their employer. "But then again, I'm guessing you didn't hire these guys for their brains, did you?"

Drake let out an insistent grunt. Shoot this bitch! He wanted to say, but found himself just as incapable of speech as he had been since the evenings drastic change in tone.

The private security team entered the room slowly, spreading out, getting every angle they could, ready to take their shot when the opportunity presented itself. However, with their targets current hidden position, none of the guards could get a clear line of sight.

Jack lifted his hefty, still flaming axe onto his shoulder. "You're not getting out of here in one piece, you know that, right?" Jack said threateningly, his sister spinning the head of her hammer as well to help prove her brothers point.

Viridia giggled, the sound of the soulless chuckle put every man in the room on edge. "I'm sorry, isn't this the part where you're supposed to ask me my demands? I mean, I do have a hostage after all." To prove her point, the scaled faunus pressed her scimitars a little closer to Drake's neck, making the man inhale sharply as he felt the cold steel against his throat. "So instead of focusing on what might happen next, why don't we turn our attention to the moment, shall we?"

All the security force members exchanged looks. Jack just furrowed his brow. "Fine, what do you want?" He said, hoping to buy time until he could come up with a plan.

"That's better," Viridia said, her smile growing predatory. "How about for starters... don't move."

From behind Drake, behind the chair, behind the woman hiding there, eight long shapes began slithering out into the space surrounding them. The shadows of it creating a horrible image of snakes twisting in the air.

It took a moment for Jack to even realize what he was looking at.

It was hair.

Viridia's.

The strands had uncurled themselves from the long braid that flowed behind her into seven long strands.

Then, much to everyone's shock, the tentacle-like strands pointed themselves to each member of Drake's security. Then the ends of the grouped pieces of hair split open, like snakes maws, and an emerald green energy began gathering in each one.

Beams of light shot out of each of the animated strands before anyone could even process this turn of events. Each of them went off in a different direction, towards a different member of the security team, striking each one of them in the chest, except for one.

Thanks to some quick thinking, Jack was able to move before the beam aimed at him struck. However, instead of using the opportunity to dodge completely, he instead chose to leap towards his partner, shoving her out of the way. This unfortunately meant that while he'd dodged the "attack" aimed for him, he'd also put himself right in the path of the beam meant for his sister, which grazed in his left forearm.

There was a moment after Viridia's strange attack hit, where the room went silent. Each of the security guards took a moment, looking down at their bodies for any sign of damage, some even reaching up with their hands and patting down the area where the beam had hit. Each of them found nothing however, no wounds, no heat, and for about half a second, a relief washed over them.

Then suddenly, the man who'd been hit first cried out as his aura flared to life around him. His body seemed to tense up, and then it froze in place.

One by one the scene repeated itself with each member of the security team. Even Jack wasn't spared, having just been grazed. The gray haired former Huntsmen convulsed on the floor as the shimmering energy of his own aura traveled up his arm to his chest and began spreading over his body. He looked towards his sister, about to say something to her, but his face froze in place before he could get a word out.

Suddenly the room was filled with silence again. Seven paralyzed humans, one still able to move, and a faunus, who'd just proven how dangerous she truly was.

From across the room, Viridia stepped out from behind Drake and surveyed her handiwork with a satisfied smirk, until her eyes settled on her one remaining, non-frozen guest. She scowled, titling her head to the side, her look less angry and more annoyed.

"Not much of a listener, are you?" the scaled faunus said to the hammer wielding security member. "I said not to move."

The former Huntress wilted a bit under the other woman's glare, but straightened herself up, lifting her heavy, stone weapon in her hands and pointing the business end at her enemy.

Viridia was nowhere near intimidated though, but her scowl did disappear, almost unnerving fast in fact, and was quickly replaced with her earlier eager smile.

"That's okay though," The long haired faunus said, "I'm not willing to let it ruin the lovely evening we're having." She spun the pair of scimitars in her hands. "Why don't we have some fun?"

In an instant, Viridia launched herself forward, side stepping one of the other paralyzed security members on her path to her target, twin blades held out on each of her sides.

Jack's sister managed to get her hammer up in time to block both swords as Viridia leapt up and brought them down onto her. The former Huntress shoved her opponent back, the faunus' green dress flowing around her as she flew through the air. The gray haired human tried to follow up with a mighty horizontal swing from her weapon, but the scaled woman was quick on her feet, cartwheeling backwards out of the way of the swipe as soon as she touched the ground, an act made even more impressive given her choice of footwear.

Viridia landed in a crouch, crossing her arms over her chest, before leaping forward again and delivering an X-shaped pair of slashes with her scimitars. The bodyguard stumbled back as the blows struck her across the midsection, her aura flashing and taking a heavy hit.

Her opponent didn't let up however, jumping into the air again and spinning sideways, her blades turning her into an emerald, flying buzz saw. Several quick strikes made contact with the staff of the humans hammer, as she managed to block successfully this time.

However, now that the intruder had scored the first hit against her, frustration took over and the last standing bodyguard gave the hilt of her weapon a twist. The dust crystal in the heavy piece of stone that made up the head of her weapon lit up brightly, before sharp spikes erupted out of the rock- making it resemble something more akin to a oversized mace than a hammer- as well as nearly doubling its size.

With a roar, the clearly very muscular woman swung her weapon downwards towards her enemy. Viridia was far too nimble however, hopping away, and letting the heavy, spiked club slam through the floor beneath them.

The entire house shook at the impact. A shockwave went across the floor as the wood splintered, shattering the windows and even managing to knock over a few of the still paralyzed humans that had been frozen in less than stable positions.

An aggravated grunt escaped Drake Ivey's clenched teeth as he remained stuck in his chair. What was that idiot thinking?! He was paying these moron's to protect his home, not destroy it!

The human bodyguard went to pull her weapon out of the crater she'd made, but Viridia had other plans. She rushed back in, hopped onto the spiked boulder that was sticking out of her opponents weapon, pressing it further into the broken wood, then she sprung off it, swinging one of her legs up as she leapt, flipping in the air, and bringing the end of her foot into contact with the bottom of the humans jaw.

The gray haired former Huntress' brain was scrambled momentarily by the blow, her ears ringing. Her eyes refocused just in time to see Viridia push herself off the ceiling towards her. She tried to duck out of the way, but that just left her back wide open, and the smaller, scaled intruder delivered two more heavy slashes right on the back of her neck.

With a grunt, the human collapsed onto her knees, her aura getting dangerously low. Viridia spun around from her landing, and began slowly approaching her downed opponent while she recovered, like she was stalking her prey. The long haired woman raised one of her scimitars in the air, but stopped when there was a flash of orange behind her, accompanied by a wave of heat.

With a sigh, Viridia turned to the side, leaning back slightly as an arc of fire soared past, just barely missing her.

It kept going however, crashing into Drake's desk, obliterating it, and the resulting explosion of fire and wood caused the still frozen CEO to fall right out of his chair and onto the floor behind where his prized desk had once stood.

Jack was back on his feet, and the fire axe in his hand was hungry for vengeance, burning brightly as the dust inside it set it ablaze.

"You see? This is what happens when you move when I tell you not to," Viridia said with a shrug, sounding exasperated. "I knew a little graze like that wouldn't be enough to keep someone your size down for long, and now look at where your stubbornness has gotten us."

She raised one of her swords and pointed it in the former Huntsman's direction. "Oh well, if you don't want to play nice like your friends here-" she gestured to the still paralyzed security guards. "-then I'll just have to make sure to put you down for good next time," the green dressed woman added, before a malicious smile spread across her face. "Speaking of which..."

Viridia suddenly fell to the floor, her legs splitting in opposite directions as a massive hunk of rock swung through the air where she'd just been standing. Anjill let out an annoyed grunt as her sneak attack failed.

Seeing his own opening, Jack rushed in with his axe, raising it up high to bring down on the lithe faunus. However, Viridia was far from helpless in this position.

The long limbed woman spun herself out of her split, her sharp heel tipped legs lashing out and attacking both siblings at the same time. The unorthodox, break dancing like move knocked back both former Huntsmen, and gave the scaled faunus the opportunity to spin her way back to her feet.

"... I think it's just about time to take care of the riff-raff here, don't you?"

Suddenly, one of the previously frozen security team members shuddered as his aura fizzled away and he fell to his knees, breathing heavy.

The sight distracted both Jack and his sister just long enough so that they didn't have the chance to stop Viridia as she rushed towards their newly freed coworker.

The poor guy didn't even get his head up all the way before the intruder shot past him, landing in a crouch behind the bodyguard with both her blades extended outward. A spray of blood coated the wall of Drake's office, and then the human collapsed onto the floor, dead.

Both siblings gasped in horror at the sight. Why was his aura so easily broken? He hadn't even taken any damage since the fight started!

In the second it took both bodyguards to process this, the scene repeated itself. Another guard, this one on the floor, shuddered and was released, only to have Viridia quickly approach, and drive one of her sword through his chest.

By then, the shock had finally wore off, and both siblings moved in to protect the remaining three petrified members of their team.

Anjill was closest, and swung her giant weapon several times in Viridia's direction, using her own momentum to increase the force behind each blow. Her attacks were still far too slow to hit the faunus though, as the nimble woman in green seemed to casually slip between each swing, not even bothering to counterattack. But it wasn't Anjill's intention to hit the slippery woman, she just needed to keep her eyes on her.

While this was happening, Jack took up a defensive position between Viridia and the remaining members of his squad. Sure enough, another one of his men was freed, and this time, Jack would protect them.

Viridia had other plans however. As soon as she'd heard the sound of the man's aura falling, she made her move. Anjill swung her hammer horizontally, and the faunus leapt up onto the weapons bulbous end, riding it and using the momentum to launch herself towards Jack.

The former Huntsmen squared himself up, ready to strike, but when he swung, Viridia fell to her knees and slid just under the flaming attack. Her momentum carried her across the floor until she reached her true target.

With one slash of her scimitar, the scaled women easily severed the man's leg from his body, making him yell in pain... that is, until he fell forward, landing throat first on the sharp tip of Viridia's other weapon.

The bloodthirsty faunus maintained constant eye contact with the siblings as their compatriot slowly slid down the expanse of her sword. The impaled bodyguard gave one final gurgle, before his body went limp, at which point Viridia removed her bejeweled scimitar with a flourish. All the while, she just continued to stare at both Anjill and Jack, a lazy smile on her face, accompanied by a small splatter of blood from the man she'd just killed.

Losing another man had Jack fuming. He shot his sister a look, only to see Anjill wearing a nervous expression, as if she was currently wondering if this fight was still worth it.

Jack was having none of that though. This had gone beyond a simple job, it was about pride now, it was about the three men this woman had killed on his watch.

Not one more. That was what the former Huntsman promised himself. He still had two men left, one on each side, with Anjill and himself between them. Which ever one this psychopath decided to go to first, they'd stop her, together this time. There was absolutely no way that woman would get past both of-

Viridia suddenly thrust both her arms out and a streak of gold flew past both siblings. There was a pair of sickening "splick" sounds, accompanied by a pair of pained gasps. Jack turned to see the security guard to his right had one of the braided woman's scimitars sticking out of his chest. He didn't even have to look at the other to know he'd suffered the same fate.

Both men collapsed to the floor. All five members of Jack's "elite" security team were dead. That left just his sister and himself.

The scale woman gave the pair a satisfied smile that seemed to stretch almost unnaturally wide across her face. "... And now I've saved the best for last. Or at least I certainly hope so," she said, pointing at the only two humans left standing in the room.

With a roar, Jack charged at Viridia. Anjill followed, more out of habit than anything. It was clear that she didn't share her brother's optimism about how this evening was shaping up for them.

Regardless, the siblings rushed in, both their weapons swinging in unison towards the murderous intruder. To their great surprise, Viridia did the same, running forward, meeting the pair halfway, before diving between the two.

The scaled woman's body twisted as she dived forward, squeezing right between both the former Huntsmen's heavy weapons as they sliced nothing but air.

Rolling with her landing, Viridia hopped back onto her heels, the smile never once vanishing from her face. She looked over the destroyed desk to see Drake Ivey's still paralyzed form glaring up at her, his face covered in soot and small cuts from the destruction of his office happening around him.

The scaled woman perched a hand on her hip and gave the stuck CEO a look that seemed to say; 'I'll be with you soon.'

Then a flaming axe came swinging in from behind her, but the flexible faunus merely bent forward, letting the blow soar over her head, before delivering a pointed kick into Jack's torso.

The blow knocked the wind out of the former Huntsmen- as well as taking a large chunk of his aura- and sent him flying backward into the wall, where he collapsed onto the floor and remained still.

With that out of the way, Viridia casually walked and retrieved each of her weapons. Then she slowly turned her head towards the last bodyguard. Anjill cowered under the disturbing smile the scaled woman was still wearing, now directed solely on her. The hammer wielding human took an unsteady step backwards, towards the exit, looking like she might make a break for it at a moments notice.

The smile plummeted off Viridia's face, replaced with a piercing glare, and Anjill froze in place. It was as if the intruder was daring her opponent to try and escape, while also threatening that such an act would only make things worse for her.

Effectively persuaded/coerced into staying, the former Huntress swallowed hard, before tightening her grip on her weapon, summoning up the remaining dregs of her courage for that evening. She hefted up her heavy rock covered hammer and with a yell, rushed forward, bringing her hammer down on the smaller woman.

This went about as well as every other time the slower fighter tried to hit her target that night. Viridia easily sidestepped the blow, and with one sword, slashed at Anjill's wrists, making her drop her weapon mid-swing, and with the other, she cut at the back of the former Huntresses legs as she stumbled. The result was the hammer hitting the floor, followed swiftly by Anjill, who fell forward, and landed face first on her own weapon, her head bouncing off its spike covered, rock-hard surface.

The last bit of the bodyguards dwindling aura fell as her body rolled to the side and she stared up at the ceiling in a daze.

Viridia couldn't resist another giggle as she looked down on her fallen prey. She raised one of her scimitars, ready to add yet another body to her count that evening, but then suddenly she stopped.

The scaled woman gave an annoyed huff at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps behind him. It was Jack, of course, who'd dragged himself back to his feet and was going for one last desperate attack.

Unfortunately, there are only so many times you can attack someone from behind before they start to expect such a thing out of you.

Once the former Huntsmen was a few steps away, Viridia suddenly bent herself backwards, to an almost a forty five degree angle, supporting herself by stabbing both her scimitars in the floor. She looked back at Jack upside down and hissed loudly at him. Her yellow eyes seemed to light up under the moonlight shining in through the window.

However, most disturbing of all, Viridia's jaw seemed to stretch open as she hissed- twice as wide as a normal persons mouth should- and from inside it, a hideous forked tongue shot out, writhing aggressively at the human.

The bizarre display made the bodyguard hesitate for half a second, and suddenly the scaled woman's hair uncurled itself again, all of the snake-like ends were pointed directly at the surprised human.

There was no way to dodge at this range, and all of the beams fired from the "mouths" of the hair struck Jack all over his body.

Instantly, the former Huntsman's body seized up, locking him in place, his axe still in his hands, raised over his head.

Viridia casually straightened herself out, before turning to face him. She leaned in close to his paralyzed face- having to go onto the very tips of her heels to do so- and gave him one last patronizing smile, before shoving him to the ground.

The man's fire axe slipped out of his grip as he fell, and the green haired faunus casually kicked it across the floor, before stepping around the frozen human so she was standing up by his head.

"I know what you're thinking," Viridia said, bending over to look down into his eyes, which were moving around frantically, the only part of him able to do so. "My semblance seems pretty broken, right? I mean, being able to pretty much stop anyone in their tracks with one shot? Turn their own aura against them and lock them in place? It's almost unfair, right? That's what you're thinking?"

The scaled woman waited a moment, as if expecting a reply from her captive audience.

"Well, it's not all it's cracked up to be, really," she continued on, almost casually so. "For starters, when I lock up someone's aura-"

Without warning, Viridia suddenly lifted one of her swords and stabbed into down into Jack's chest... or at least she tried to. Instead of a gory mess, there was a spark of light at the point of contact, and no visible damage. That didn't stop the former Huntsman's eyes from practically bulging out of his head though. His life no doubt flashing before his eyes.

"-It cranks that little shell of yours up to eleven, which means I can't really touch you... for now, anyway."

Removing her scimitar from the human chest, the scaled woman stuck it into the floor right next to his ear. Then Viridia lifted one of her legs, moving her foot until her spiked heel was directly over Jack's face.

"Your aura is in overdrive right now, protecting you, and at the same time holding you in place, but it's also quickly burning itself out in the process."

A sharp intake of breath escaped the paralyzed humans lips. That was what had happened to his men. Why their aura's had been so weak and easily broken after they'd been freed from this woman's powers.

"Honestly, I could just sit here and wait while what little energy you have left just goes 'poof'-" the green dressed woman gestured with her free hand, "-and disappears... But I think I've dragged this evening out enough already."

With a malicious smile, Viridia slowly brought her foot down, the enormous spike on her heel coming right over Jack's left eye. There was another spark of light- like the one from when she'd tried the same thing with her weapon- but this one persisted, as the scaled woman applied more and more pressure to her foot.

"So why don't we move things along?"

The man's aura flared brighter and brighter as the force against it increased. There was nothing he could do. His body showed no signs of regaining its autonomy any time soon. In desperation, his eyes shot across the room to his sister who was slowly getting back to her feet. He shot Anjill a pleading look, as best he could from his current position.

The former Huntress looked at her brother, and then to the woman currently trying to drive her heel down into his face. Viridia looked up from her work, her expression shifting to an almost bored look. She'd already seen the other humans true colors that night, and she was not impressed. She could wait her turn.

Then the smile returned, bigger, wider, stretching almost from ear to ear, exposing every one of Viridia's sharp teeth- and even most of her gums- before the scaled woman lifted her foot, and then slammed it down.

There was one final spark of aura, before the shield failed.

A grotesque *splorch* sound filled the darkened office as the scaled intruders heel broke past the last bit of resistance. And then, Viridia gave her leg a sharp twist, resulting in an equally disturbing *crack* and then the office went quiet. The entire time, the bloodthirsty faunus' eyes remained focused on Anjill.

Only one of Drake's "illustrious" bodyguards remained now. Anjill stared in terror at her brothers mutilated, motionless body as Viridia casually removed her red covered heel, shaking off the last remaining "bits" that were stuck to her shoe, before retrieving her other scimitar and staring down the human standing across the room from her.

A cavalcade of emotions ran through the former Huntress. There was sadness and grief, of course, but more than that, Anjill was angry. Her brother and all of the other members of the security team had been cut down right before her, and she'd been downright powerless to stop it. She felt an overwhelming animosity towards this faunus. Of course she wanted to fight, of course she wanted to avenge her brother, but in that moment, one emotion was stronger, and one "want" outweighed any and all of the others;

She wanted to live.

And so, fear won out in the end, and Anjill turned around and ran, even dropping her weapon in the process.

She didn't get far however. Just as the gray haired human made it to the open door of Drake's office, she suddenly collided with something. It felt like she'd run face first into a brick wall, while whatever she'd hit barely even seemed to budge from the force of the- not petite by any means- woman's collision.

Her head still spinning from the fight, Anjill's eyes refocused only for her to look up and see a horrifying, Grimm-like face staring down at her.

There was a revving sound, before a blinding, white hot pain shot through the former Huntresses side.

Anjill got out about half of a blood curdling scream, before she went silent, her body falling to the floor... both halves of it.

From across the room, Viridia raised an eyebrow at the sight, a small grin sneaking into the edge of her lips.

"Well, well," she said, placing her hands on her hips, her blades still gripped in them tightly, "And here I was about to write off this evening as boring."

A tall figure entered the room, having to dip his head slightly to get under the seven foot doorframe. In his hands was a long, now blood-soaked blade, with a razor sharp chain moving along its edge. The weapons purring engine quieted as he stepped into Drake's office.

"Viridia Mamba," the gigantic man said in a low voice, like rumbling storm in the distance, "You've proven difficult to locate."

The scaled faunus let out an amused chuckle. "Well, that's kind of the point, darling," she said, giving the new arrival a long look from top to bottom. "So, I suppose I have you to thank for the generous contract that popped up for Drake? The White Fang's outsourcing this kind of work now?"

The man's uniform had been a dead giveaway the moment he walked in. Viridia knew the black and white ensemble all too well. The Grimm mask was a new touch though. One she found oddly intriguing.

The deep voiced man casually stepped over one of the many bodies littering the floor, closer to Viridia, who remained in place. "I've had my men scouring all of Mistral looking for you these past few days. This seemed a much more... proactive way to get your attention. We knew a job such as this would be irresistible for someone of your reputation."

Viridia sighed. Pouting, she took one of her hands off her hip and started casually twirling the scimitar in its grip. "Figures," she said in a bored sounding voice. "I take it this means I won't be getting paid?"

"I've come to offer you something far more valuable than lien," He said, slinging his chainsaw-like weapon over his shoulder. "I'm offering you the chance to once again serve your brothers and sist-"

"Hard pass," The scaled woman interjected, suddenly looking a little annoyed. "I have no interest in rejoining your little club. Besides, from what I hear, the White Fang's days are numbered, especially after that stunt you all tried to pull at Haven's CCT a couple weeks back."

The larger faunus let out a quiet growl under his breath, fists tightening at his sides. "A minor setback," he replied, his voice remaining calm and level despite his obvious agitation at having his organizations most recent- and still quite fresh- failure thrown in his face. "One that the Fang will recover from."

Viridia rolled her eyes at that. "I'm sure. But more to the point, if I recall correctly, I was 'excommunicated' from your group for my 'extreme tendencies,' as they put it." The long haired woman made sure to punctuate her disdain with massive air quotes where appropriate. "There's no way Sienna would-"

"Sienna Khan is dead," The masked man stated plainly.

This seemed to get the scaled woman's attention, her yellow eyes betraying a hint of surprise at this revelation.

"The White Fang has a new high leader now. One that will ensure our people's future."

"Oh really? And who might that be?" Viridia inquired. "Don't tell me it's that 'Taurus' boy who's been all over the news lately."

The man's unsettling silence in response to the question was all the confirmation she needed. The scaled woman let out an exaggerated groan, her head lolling back as she let her weapons hang limply at her sides.

"Really? Him?" Viridia said, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. "Don't get me wrong, I never liked Sienna Khan. In fact, I'd say hearing she's dead is probably the best news I've heard all week, but I respected her, begrudgingly at least. More so than that big softy Ghira anyway, but Adam Taurus? Please. He's nothing but a child throwing a temper tantrum."

"Watch yourself," The muscular masked faunus snapped back, his voice somehow going even lower than usual. "You will respect that name in my presence." He took a menacing step towards the green garbed woman to make his point as clear as crystal.

Viridia wasn't the type to back down easily though. Without a hint of intimidation she stepped forward, confidently closing the remaining bit of distance between the two of them. The scaled woman even went so far as to sheath both her blades behind her back. She stood several heads smaller than him, but still looked up into the dark lenses of his Grimm like mask without a single ounce of fear in her yellow eyes.

"Please," She said, condescendingly, "You're desperate, that's why you're here. You sought me out because you need me, we both know that. The question here is whether or not I need you, along with all the White Fang's problems being thrust into my lap, and I believe I've already given you my answer there."

The large faunus' mask betrayed no emotion as he stared wordlessly in response to the scaled woman's tirade.

In response, Viridia turned away, casually exposing her back to the clearly dangerous individual. It might not have been the smartest move, but maybe there was a part of the- obviously disturbed- woman that wanted the second intruder of this evening to try something. She could do with a little more sport to make up for the overwhelming disappointment this job had provided thus far.

Viridia walked over to a small table- one that had not only miraculously not been destroyed in the struggle moments ago, but also held the same bottle of wine Drake and herself had been sharing, along with a single, undisturbed glass. The scaled woman had set them aside before the security teams arrival, and she casually poured herself another drink.

"If your precious 'high leader' wanted my services so badly," She looked back over her shoulder to side eye the other faunus, "then maybe he should have had the decency to find me himself, instead of sending an underlying to beg in his stead."

There was a long silence between the two as the green dressed woman waited for the muscular man's reply.

"He is... missing..." The words seemed to almost reluctantly slip out of the man's mask covered mouth.

The glass of wine just barely met Viridia's soft looking lips, when it stopped. She lowered the finely crafted receptacle and turned to face the other faunus again.

"Oh, really now?" She said, swirling the dark red liquid in her grip with an intrigued smile on her face. "So then, he's not the one pulling the strings here? Who then?" Viridia tilted the wine glass in the other faunus' direction, spilling a little of its contents onto the floor. "You? That's... interesting."

The masked man shook his head. "No. I only live to serve the White Fang. As well as my master. I am no leader-"

"And yet you find yourself thrust into the role of one." Viridia said before throwing back the cup and taking a long sip. When it was empty, she casually threw the glass over her shoulder where it crashed against the wall. "I had no love for Ghira, no patience for Sienna, and no respect for Adam, but you? You're different, I can tell that just by looking at you, by the way you cut down that weak willed woman without a second thought just now."

She sauntered back over to the taller faunus, hips swaying generously with each step. "You ARE desperate, cornered, and they say that's when beast's most dangerous," the scaled woman said, moving back into her earlier position of standing face to face (or face to chest) with the man, but this time her expression was entirely different. There was a... excitement in her hungry eyes. "You're trapped in an impossible scenario. You don't want to be in this burden of leadership, but you're not allowed to fail either."

"You have no pride, no foolish ego holding you back, like so many others that have worn the mantle of leader," Viridia brought her hand up and placed it on the man's chest, her smile spreading wide across her face. "I look at you and sense only malice and contempt, for others, but also for yourself. You are a monster off his leash. No master to guide you. That is something I can relate to."

The long haired faunus' manicured fingertips glided back and forth slowly, almost massaging the front of the tall man's white and black uniform. "I wonder just what kind of chaos someone like you can bring to this boring world? Certainly more than that child you claim to serve. I look forward to finding out."

The taller faunus remained silent, staring down at Viridia, his mask betraying nothing as the scaled woman's hand caressed his chest. However, behind the cold darkness of the lenses over both his eyes, a red glow began to appear.

Another quiet growl came from the man's unseen mouth, but this one was different. To Viridia, it felt like it shook the entire room.

A line had been crossed, clearly. She'd been warned about insulting the White Fang's "illustrious" new leader. In an instant, the green garbed assassin retracted her hand, even taking a step back, away from the other faunus.

An unusual feeling washed over the usually confident Viridia, as she had to stop herself from instinctively reaching for her blades as a result of some sort of fight or flight response.

Was she actually feeling... intimated? That was a new one.

Fortunately, the giant faunus made no move to actually attack Viridia. That wouldn't have ended well, for any and all parties involved. No, he just remained in place, his mask as unreadable as ever.

"Do... I have... your allegiance..." the- even Viridia had to admit at this point- intimidating faunus said through what sounded like clenched teeth.

Viridia gave her head a quick shake, washing away the lingering feelings of trepidation that had suddenly overtaken her.

There was no longer any doubt in her mind. This one? He was special, and in the assassins eyes, that made him worth following.

Besides, worst came to worst, and all this fell apart, she supposed she could always hope that a contract for his own life would come across her desk someday. A little revenge always helped wash the taste of failure out of her mouth. Until then...

Her cocksure attitude and expression returning, Viridia smiled wickedly. "I suppose you do," she said, relishing the feeling of own her heartbeat, still slamming in her chest at the display of aggression she'd just witnessed, as well as the uncommon nervous sweat that'd gathered on her brow.

"The way I see it, you'll either bring glory to the White Fang, or we'll both have a front row seat as it burns to the ground. Either way, it sounds like fun for me."

The red glow behind the mask dimmed and then faded away, but not before one more disdainful grunt escaped the muscular faunus.

"I won't fail. Like you said, I don't have the luxury to," he said, turning away towards the rooms exit. The taller faunus stopped short of the doorframe. "I will see my peoples revolution- my high leaders dream- come to fruition. Nothing and no one will stop me."

"And I assume there will be some profit to be found in this 'revolution' of yours?" Viridia asked, crossing her arms. "Hopefully more than I've found for my work this evening? You should know that charity like this makes me nauseous," she added gesturing to the destroyed, body littered office around her.

"You'll get your lien, Viridia," the other faunus shot back over his shoulder.

The scaled woman rolled her yellow eyes, unconvinced. "Surely. Luckily for you, getting paid for my work isn't the fun part. Speaking of which, I have to deal with the little tattletale that ruined my surprise tonight."

"No need," the larger faunus said coldly. "My men have already seen to the rest of the security and staff present here tonight. Not one human is going to escape this place alive."

A rare, impressed look came across Viridia's face at that. "I knew I had a good feeling about you," she said moving to join her new employer, but stopped when she heard a rattling behind her.

Realization flashed across the scaled woman's face as she slowly turned to see Drake Ivey still laying on the floor, right where she'd left him. His fingers were slowly beginning to twitch slightly as the human tried in vain to reach for the pistol that had just happened to land next to him, on the remains of his desk.

The dust company CEO's eyes widened as he heard the clicking of heels approaching, and his fingers began frantically trying to reach his weapon. Unfortunately, just as he was able to graze the guns edge, it was picked up and taken out of his view. Then, he suddenly felt himself get lifted from the floor as well, his still recovering body being deposited back into his office chair by the scaled intruder that had laid waste to his security team.

"I nearly forgot about you, Mister Ivey," The long haired faunus said, sitting down in the still mostly paralyzed humans lap and tossing the weapon she'd picked up over her shoulder. Then she wrapped her arms around him, clasping them behind his neck. "I do hate leaving a job half finished, but I suppose your fate lies at the mercy of my new boss here." Viridia looked back over to the man himself, tilting her head slightly, as if silently asking for permission.

"Finish it, but make it quick," He replied curtly, again ducking under the low doorframe as he left the room. "My men will have already begun setting fire to this garish estate by now."

"Awww, so no time for foreplay?" Viridia said, pouting as she turned back towards Drake. "Then I guess we move on to the main event."

The human's eyes were wide, a chorus of panicked grunts escaped his still frozen mouth. His hands, just barely free from the paralysis, flapped wildly in place.

There was no way this was happening. Not to him of all people. He was Drake Ivey! This couldn't be how he-

"If I recall correctly, you wanted a kiss earlier," Viridia said with tauntingly sweet smile. "And seeing as how you were such a well behaved boy for me tonight, allow me to oblige."

The smile on the scaled woman's face grew wider... And then wider, until her lips stretched across her entire face, from ear to ear. Then they began to spread open, revealing far too many sharp teeth waiting inside.

All Drake could do was stare helplessly as Viridia's jaw snapped open, allowing him to just barely register the pair of long, curved fangs hidden within, before the snake woman lunged towards his neck.

Outside the room, the larger faunus waited. Eventually Viridia strutted out of the room as well, casually dabbing at the corners of her mouth with what looked like Drake's necktie.

"By the way," she said, dropping the late CEO's fancy, silk, adornment to the floor, "I believe we may have skipped our proper introductions in all this excitement. You obviously know who I am, but what should I call you?"

The taller of the two faunus gave Viridia a long look before answering. "My true name was stripped away from me long ago by selfish, merciless humans. Everything else, I gave up in service of the Fang and its mission."

Then he began walking away, the manor around them already beginning to fill with smoke, bits of red hot ash beginning to dance in the air.

"You, however, may address me by the mantle that was bestowed upon me by my master;"

The man stopped, looking back over his shoulder at the snake woman, the flames beginning to devour the mansion framing his hulking form.

"Banesaw."

Without another word, Banesaw walked away. Viridia remained there a moment longer, before giving a small shrug and an eye roll.

"Hmm, that's a bit much," she muttered, before moving to follow her new employer out of the burning estate.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N- Yeah, I wasn't lying when I said this chapter was a weird one, but sometimes you gotta vomit up a thirteen thousand word introduction to a new villain to even the odds a little. Even if it means stepping away from your main characters for a hot minute.

Speaking of which, what exactly were Ilia and Carmella up to while all this was going on?

Well...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Focus... focus...

The mantra repeated over and over in Ilia's head as she tried to put one hundred and ten percent of her brains processing power into the task at hand. There was no room for error, and she did her best to mimic the motions she'd painstaking memorized over the course of the last several hours. Every movement had to be perfect. She couldn't afford a single distraction.

Unfortunately for her, Carmella was far from lacking in ways to "distract" Ilia.

A small moan escaped the rabbit faunus' lips- which were currently pressed against Ilia's- as the two of them laid together, in yet another steamy make out session. The old springs inside their hotel rooms mattress creaked quietly with each and every one of their movements.

The two girls had finished their training for the day hours ago and had retired to their temporary lodgings. After taking their respective showers, Carm and Ilia had changed into their sleepwear and both of them agreed they were pretty exhausted and should turn in early tonight.

Then... well... one thing led to another and... yeah...

Ilia shifted herself slightly- earning another creak of protest from the old bed- wrapping one of her long, spotted legs around Carm's, pulling her even closer. She was currently laying on her side, propped up on an elbow, leaning over her partner- hence her need to adjust herself, as the two had been at this for a while now, and her shoulder was starting to get sore.

Meanwhile, Carmella had both her arms wrapped around Ilia, clasped together behind the spotted girls neck. She had the much more comfortable position of the two, her body reclined fully on the bed, with its pillows supporting her.

Focus... focus... Wow my arm hurts- no! Remember what you read.

Another muffled, pleased sound came from Carmella.

W-was that supposed to be the signal they talked about? Brothers, I'm so nervous...

Ilia was nervous, yes, but not necessarily for the usual reasons when it came to the rabbit faunus. Perhaps her strange internal monologue required some context.

It had all started yesterday, after the pair of faunus had picked up Carmella's new holster for her weapons. The two of them had found a quiet, secluded spot and... well... did what a couple of teenagers who'd just started dating usually did after finding such a spot. Carm was grateful for her gift, and Ilia was all too willing to accept her "gratitude".

Everything was fine at first. Great, even. Honestly, Ilia would never dare to claim any of the time she'd gotten to spend with Carmella as "wasted," but seriously? The two of them could have been doing that kind of thing the entire time- or at the very least, much sooner- if she'd just been a little braver about initiating this whole thing?

However, not long into their fervent kissing was where the "at first" part of things came to an end.

Carmella... her... tongue... it...

Wow. Even just recalling what had happened was sending Ilia's heartbeat further into overdrive.

Regardless, the moment the chameleon girl had felt something foreign slip into her mouth, her eyes had pretty much bulged out of her head.

Don't get her wrong, Ilia wasn't so naive as to not know about that kind of thing, but experiencing it? Unexpectedly? She'd... well... she'd reacted.

The shock had her skin and hair go bleach white, and she'd immediately separated her lips from Carmella's. The only small blessing in the whole situation was Ilia hadn't reacted physically at least, she hadn't pushed Carm away or anything, but she'd still freaked out over a- mostly- innocent act.

Luckily, her rabbit eared girlfriend had just laughed it off, mainly at the shocked look on the chameleon girls face at the time. However, Carmella had also made no moves to try such a thing again with Ilia. Granted, it had only been a day, but the idea that this situation might cause the kind of gap that had once separated the two of them to reappear was enough the push the spotted faunus to action.

That was one thing she'd learned through this entire painful experience of courting the other faunus; That nothing in a relationship was going to change unless someone was brave enough to take a step.

Besides, it wasn't like she didn't want to do stuff like that with Carmella. Ilia was just... inexperienced on the subject, much like she was with everything else pertaining to relationships.

So the solution was obvious to Ilia. It was the same thing any rational person would do when the problem they faced was a lack of understanding on a subject, and that was to do research to increase your knowledge on it.

And so that's exactly what Ilia Amitola had done. Research.

Hours and hours of painstaking- and utterly embarrassing- research. Which Carmella could never find out about.

Regardless- back in reality- with the "signal" received, the flustered chameleon girl made the final mental preparations to enact what she'd memorized.

In one quick motion, Ilia swing one of her legs over Carmella's body, propping herself up on her knees so her body was straddling the rabbit girls legs, all the while taking care not to disengage her kiss from the other faunus'.

Carm let out a sort of surprised "squeak" as the spotted teen shifted position, her golden colored eyes widening at the sudden bold movement, but her features relaxed quickly afterward.

"Well, hello," Carmella said with a hint of surprise as she briefly came up for air, before driving back in for another taste of the other faunus' lips.

She wasn't the only one that was surprised. Even Ilia was struggling to keep up with what had just happened, but she'd made it past step one.

Now, step two was to make sure you weren't moving too fast for your partner. Ensure they were enjoying the new position as much as you were.

That was easy enough for Ilia to figure out, as she felt the other faunus' arms wrap tighter around the back of her neck.

Then she felt Carmella's legs snake around her waist as well.

YUP. OKAY. SHE'S DEFINITELY ON BOARD. MOVING ON.

Ilia's mind frantically tried to remember what to do next, but it was nearly impossible for her to focus at this point. Every cell in her body wanted to succumb and melt into the girl beneath her. The scent of Carmella's shampoo in her freshly washed hair was driving her crazy, and the feeling of the other faunus' body shifting beneath her...

No! No! FOCUS! What came next?

Her concentration regained- at least for the moment- Ilia brought one of her shaky hands up and began gently caressing Carmella's face and neck, her thumb ran softly over her cheekbone, while her other digits worked lower, stroking the area where the rabbit faunus' jaw met her neck, just below her ear.

Meanwhile, Ilia's other hand traveled lower, to one of the rabbit faunus' leg- which was still currently wrapped around the spotted teens torso. There was a moment of hesitation where Ilia's hand hovered over Carm's thigh, her nerves getting the better of her. This headfirst dive into unexplored territory was sending her senses into disarray. She still had little to no idea what she was doing, but judging by the growing intensity of Carmella's embrace, the chameleon girl decided she must be doing something right, so finally her hand clamped down on the other faunus' toned thigh.

There was an audible, meaty sounding "slap" when Ilia finally grabbed on that filled the room. Carmella separated her lips from the other teens to let out a surprised sounding gasp. She stared up at Ilia for a hot second, her golden colored eyes wide, her cheeks reddening.

Ilia wondered if she'd been too aggressive, but those fears were obliterated when Carmella retightened her grip and pulled the other faunus back in, kissing her with a new level of ferocity.

Oh! Oh my gods...

Ilia's brain nearly short circuited. She quickly tried to match Carm's intensity, one hand continuing its gentle caressing of the rabbit girls cheek, the other almost hungrily gripping into the soft flesh of Carmella's thigh. The long eared girl released her legs from the near death grip they had around Ilia's waist order to give the other faunus better access.

The ecstasy completely overwhelmed both girls. Ilia's train of thought ran completely off the rails and continued rampaging into the countryside, with no signs of stopping. All that mattered was the two of them, enjoying this moment. Every sight, sound, and thought was washed away under the heavy pulse of both faunus' hearts beating in tandem.

But then she felt it.

Something wet and slippery brushed against Ilia's lips. It was Carmella's tongue, as if it was almost politely requesting entry.

The ponytailed faunus' mind miraculously snapped back into focus. This was what she'd been waiting for. A chance to make up for her failure yesterday.

Without any delay, Ilia opened her mouth, and Carm's tongue slipped right in, but this time, Ilia was ready for it. However, the chameleon girl still surrendered a sharp intake of breath through her nose when it happened.

It was a strange sensation, but nowhere even in the same kingdom as unpleasant. Her breathing picked up its pace, to a level even the tremendously physically active faunus wasn't aware was possible. Ilia couldn't help but curse herself again. Because- seriously!? They could have been doing stuff like this the whole time!?

Again, the urge to give in, succumb to these intense emotions reared its head, but the spotted faunus couldn't, not just yet. Right now Carmella was doing all the work, and that was a big no-no according to what Ilia had read onli-

Er... What she'd "researched."

So, swallowing the last bit of courage she had, Ilia began the process of- almost cautiously at first- sending her own tongue forward, slipping around Carmella's on its way into the rabbit girls mouth.

About halfway through however, that caution seemed to go out the window. That overpowering, warm, excited feeling that was beginning to settle down deep within the spotted faunus finally won out, and she- again, perhaps overly aggressively- shot her own tongue past Carmella's and into the other faunus' mouth.

A surprised sounding "squeak" rang out again, but this time Carmella fully separated herself from Ilia, even going as far as to push herself away, her back colliding with the headboard of the bed.

Panic rushed through Ilia and she actually backed away as well, hopping off of Carm, a hint of yellow coming to her features.

The two faunus stared at each other, now on opposite sides of the mattress, both still trying to catch their breaths from the passionate display that'd just been cut short.

"S-sorry! I'm sorry," Ilia spoke first, her hands going up and waving in the air in what she hoped was a peaceful manner. "I thought- I didn't- D-did I do something wrong?"

Carmella just continued to stare at Ilia. Then slowly one hand came up and touched her lips, her expression looking lost somewhere between shocked and exhilarated.

"Uh! No! No!" Carm said quickly as her senses seemed to finally return, "I just-"

"I didn't mean to," the already beginning to spiral Ilia interjected. "I-I was just so nervous and trying so hard to remember what it said to do online-"

The chameleon girls hands immediately went over her own mouth, as if trying to catch the words before they'd slipped out. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Carmella looked surprised for a moment, but then her face melted into an amused, toothy grin.

"Wait, what it said to do where?" She asked, having full well heard what the other faunus just said.

Mortified, Ilia remained quiet, both hands still clasped tightly over her own face. Embarrassed didn't even begin to describe how she felt right now.

Yes. Okay. She'd looked up how to be a better kisser online.

She'd needed answers! And it wasn't like this was the kind of thing you could just look up in the library or ask a random person on the street, and she definitely wasn't about to ask someone she actually knew about something so... humiliating.

So yeah, she'd thrown herself into the den of ravenous monkeys that was the Internet for information. An act that had been as regretful as it was demeaning, especially now that she'd exposed herself. Her poor search history would never be the same, but she'd wanted to impress the obviously more experienced Carmella, and... now here she was.

"Forget you heard that," Ilia demanded of Carmella sternly with an intense looking glare. One that was completely offset by the growing pinkness in her features.

"No promises," Carm replied with a clearly entertained smile. "But no, you didn't do anything wrong, Lili," she clarified, the other faunus' adorable antics effortlessly cutting through the tension of the room. "It's just... um... Can you do me a favor? Stick out your tongue for me real quick?"

Baffled by this request- while also simultaneously relieved the subject had been moved away from her embarrassing confession- Ilia complied without a second thought.

The pair of rabbit ears on Carmella's head bobbed slightly as she titled her head to the side, looking confused, before she began crawling across the bed towards the other faunus.

Ilia's spots still hadn't returned to their usual color, and the pink showed no signs of leaving at the rabbit girls sudden approach. Carm put both her hands on the other girls spot covered shoulders, leaning in close, but apparently only so she could look over Ilia's protruding tongue more thoroughly. She observed it from above, then below, the same inquisitive look on her face all the while.

"Okay..." she said sounding just as confused as Ilia was, "Um... Is that as far as you can stick it out?"

It wasn't.

Still too baffled to even speak, Ilia stuck her tongue out as far as it would go...

It dropped down to about an inch or so past her own chin.

There was an almost instant shift in Carmella's expression as she beheld the sight. The confusion evaporated into surprise, her eyes went as wide as they could go, the golden orbs practically sparkling, and Ilia could have sworn the other faunus' pupils dilated a little.

"Oh..." was all Carm said for a long few seconds, her enraptured eyes staring at Ilia in silence. "... Right... chameleon faunus..." the rabbit girl added, sounding like she'd fallen into a trance of some kind. It looked like a thousand thoughts and possibilities were flying through her head right now.

Concern began to well up inside Ilia. Was there... something wrong with her tongue? Was it not normal? Honestly she didn't have much information to compare hers to. No one has ever asked to see it before, and it wasn't like she'd ever had the occasion to inspect others. No, why would she?

Finally, Carm's eyes drifted up towards the chameleon faunus'. Then she mumbled something under her breath. It was hard to make out, but it sounded too Ilia like;

"Wow, you just keep getting better and better..."

"W-what?!" Ilia finally managed to overcome her own befuddlement to speak, but the cryptic statement had her more confused than ever.

"Uh, nothing," Carm replied curtly. "Less talky, more kissy."

With that, the rabbit faunus practically launched herself across the bed and back onto the spotted girl, nearly knocking both of them off the mattress in the process.

The chameleon faunus barely even had a chance to gasp before the other girl was on top of her, Carm's lips quickly sealing her own. Their earlier positions now reversed, Ilia suddenly found herself beneath Carmella, the full force of the other teens affections bearing down on top of her. It wasn't like before though, the rabbit girls passionate embrace seemed to have turned up to eleven as she pressed Ilia down into matters beneath her, its old springs continuing to creak pathetically.

This whole "relationship" thing was turning out to be a lot to keep up with. It was all so confusing and exhilarating at the same time. It was like being chained to a shooting star, being pulled along at incredible speeds, with no clue as to what came next or where they were going. It was a constant stream of sensory overload.

But at the same time? Totally worth it.

As Ilia laid there, the shock and confusion of it all finally abating, she allowed herself to relax, to stop thinking and overanalyzing every little thing. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the girl on top of her, fully embracing Carmella's kiss. Finally allowing herself to let go, Ilia succumbed to the other faunus' intoxicating presence.

Maybe that was the key to this whole thing? Maybe her partnership with Carmella wasn't about control or focus. Maybe, for once in her life, Ilia could just enjoy herself for a change.

The edges of the chameleon girls-currently quite preoccupied- lips curved upwards, and the rest of the evening dissolved into a chorus of hushed giggles and pleased sounding moans.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N- Alright, there that is. Still not sure what to make of this chapter, even though I was the one who wrote it. Just whole thing felt weird to me. I'm ready to move past it and never talk about it again. Deal? Deal.

Anyways, Viridia Mamba.

Eagle eyed viewers of mine might remember I actually created this character years ago. I actually drew a picture of her, as she was my first(ish) RWBY OC villain. I altered her design a little here(like I said, it was years ago and she needed it) as well as her semblance.

She's supposed to be based off of Medusa, or some kind of gorgon, I suppose. Hence the "paralyzing" of people with her "gaze." She's a snake faunus too, just in case that wasn't obvious. A green mamba to be exact. So far I like writing for her. She's fun. I don't have a lot of experience writing villains yet, unless you count the king of tropes that was Sterling in Ballad of team MOON.

Drake Ivey might also be familiar to people that read the Ballad of team MOON (which you should, and also review). He had a small role in a flashback and died "offscreen" So I decided to flesh him out a little here... aaaaand then kill him off in this universe too. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Also I finally name dropped our big bad in this story. Yeah, it's Banesaw. The White Fang lieutenant that we haven't seen since volume 3. Shocking no one.

For some reason I just forgot to actually name him in all his other appearances so far. At first I was just trying by to be mysterious, but I think it became pretty obvious during my his ending scene a few chapters back. Whatever.

You all know I can't resist to adopt random background characters with three lines of dialogue. Hope I've portrayed him as a creditable threat so far. He's still got plans (and terrible deeds) to accomplish, so if he's not there for you yet, then hopefully we'll get you there soon.