A/N- So it occurs to me that I should have been capitalizing the word "faunus" this whole time. Oops. Well, if anyone was going to correct me they should have done it by now, because it's too late and I won't change it. YAY LAZINESS! ;)
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"Ow ow ow ow ow..."
"I know, I know, we're almost done..."
Ilia rested her back against the sterile looking wall of the white examination room, her arms crossed over her chest as she pensively observed the doctor finishing up with Carmella. As the needle dug through the rabbit girls skin for the third time, and she let out another pitiful whine, it made the pony tailed faunus' eyes twitch subtly. She felt guilty, of course she did, anybody with an ounce of compassion would, especially since this was all her fault.
Carmella had been progressing so well in her training the last couple days and... Ilia had just figured it was time to take things to the next level. The rabbit girl was never gonna get anywhere unless she learned to fight against an opponent with an actual weapon. Working with Lightning Lash was the most practical idea, and Ilia had been certain she'd be able to control her whip-blade well enough to keep things safe, but... Well, one look at where the two of them were right now was a pretty good hint at how that had worked out. Now Carmella needed three -THREE!- stitches in her wrist, all because Ilia had been careless.
It'd been such a stupid mistake, a disarming blow gone awry, the chameleon faunus putting a little too much force behind her swing. The rabbit girl had cried out in pain, dropping her staff and immediately clutching at her hand. There had been so much blood that Ilia thought she might have cut off a finger, it was a miracle she hadn't.
The spotted girl wasn't exactly a stranger when it came to seeing injuries like that, but it was more who was bleeding, than the sight of the blood itself that had made Ilia panic. Thankfully she was able to regain control of herself quickly enough to wrap the wound, but the cut was too deep, and the lizard girl instantly knew nothing she had in her small first aid kit would me able to stop the bleeding, they needed a doctor. Finding a medical facility was a simple enough task on paper, considering they were in a kingdom, but there were expected, but still frustrating, difficulties.
The two spent almost forty minutes wandering Mistral looking for a healer without a "No Faunus Allowed" sign in its window, all while the rabbit girl tightly held her injury, crimson beginning to seep through the cloth bandages. No, the great city of Mistral had not endeared itself to Ilia this morning.
At the third place they'd been refused service at, Ilia almost lost it. She'd slammed her fist down on the reception desk, terrifying the poor woman sitting there. What had really pushed her over the edge was when the lady had mentioned that even though they wouldn't serve the clearly bleeding rabbit girl, they'd be more than happy to help Ilia with anything she needed, making the assumption that she herself was human. Thankfully, before the woman behind the desk could reach for the silent alarm button hidden under her seat, Carmella had managed to calm the chameleon girl down and the two left before she could make even more of a scene.
Eventually, they managed to find a faunus run clinic in the lower rent district of the city that would serve Carmella. There was no line either, which was good, because Ilia wasn't sure her heart could take having to wait another moment to get her rabbit eared friend treated. Now here they were, the chameleon girl looking on nervously as Carm was stitched up.
The older looking owl faunus gingerly wiped away the remaining blood as she finished up. "Now, I don't mean to pry dear, but... this wound looks like it was caused by a weapon," she said as she began to wind fresh, clean bandages around the rabbit girls arm, "do you mind me asking how it happened?"
"Training accident," Carmella said, before turning and giving Ilia a carefree smile.
The spot covered girl did her best to reciprocate convincingly, despite the guilt twisting knots in her stomach. Carmella had forgiven Ilia already, because of course she had, almost instantly, her upbeat and carefree nature couldn't be suppressed for a second. Even as the two had been walking down the streets of Anima's capital city looking for medical attention the rabbit faunus was in good spirits the entire time. Of course, being the little ball of insecurity and anxieties that Ilia was, she wasn't as quick to forgive herself. It was her fault after all, she'd gotten carried away, and she'd forgotten about Carm's aura... situation. Namely that she still hadn't unlocked hers.
"I see..." the stout looking faunus' big eyes were full of suspicion, "and... what about the others, dear?"
The doctor was, of course, referring to the numerous other bandages wrapped around, and stuck on, all over the rabbit eared girls exposed arms and legs, as well as the few on her face. Ilia looked off the side, the guilt squirming inside her again.
"Oh... same, actually," Carmella replied with a bashful smirk.
The doctor gave a sigh, but gave no further inquiries, and Ilia wondered if the owl woman didn't believe the other faunus' excuse. Whatever the case, the large eyed doctor didn't say anything else until she was finished wrapping Carmella's wrist. Then came the lecture, right on cue, but it was appreciatively short, after that the physician passed the brunette a handful of clean bandages, told her to change them in the morning, then again tomorrow night, and merely gave the two a nervous look before letting them both go.
As Ilia and Carmella left the clinic, the rabbit girl held her tightly wrapped appendage up in front of her face, rotating it around as best she could to get a good look at it. "... Do you think it'll leave a scar?" she asked the girl walking next to her.
"M-maybe?" Ilia responded anxiously. She hoped not, that last thing the pony tailed faunus wanted was a permanent reminder of what she'd done today.
"Heh heh, cool," Carm said with an excited smirk.
Ilia let out a quick, but relief filled laugh and rolled her eyes. "Gods, you're weird, you know that, right?"
"Yup," the rabbit girl replied, turning and walking backwards so she could face her spot covered companion, hands clasped behind her back, "and you're stuck with me, so bleh." She punctuated her statement by leaning forward and sticking her tongue out at Ilia.
The chameleon girl was glad Carmella turned back around after that, that way she hadn't seen Ilia's spots burning pink at the other faunus saying she was "stuck" with her.
She could think of worse fates...
However as the moment passed, and the two teenagers continued walking, settling into a comfortable silence, Ilia found herself stealing glances at the rabbit faunus' numerous cuts and bruises, and she was forced to face a bitter truth.
It wasn't fair, things with Carm had been going so well. Ilia really loved spending time with her, and if she was reading things right, it seemed like Carmella was enjoying their time together as well.
After their first morning training, and the mortifying incident at the restaurant, the two had grabbed some greasy Mistralian cuisine, and then just... kind of wandered around the city for a few hours. Ilia had spent a little time in the kingdom back in her White Fang days, so she had been dubbed Carmella's official tour guide to all things Mistral, by the rabbit girl herself, of course. She really was ridiculous... why did Ilia find that so alluring?
Anyway, after a few hours, the two girls decided to get in a little bit more training while the sun was still up. One quick jog around the city, and a bit more sparring later, the two reluctantly parted ways as Mistral was beginning to bathe in the orange glow of sunset. Ilia headed back to her hotel room and Carm did the same. A lot of faunus had come with the militia, so unfortunately the two had been booked in different hotels. The chameleon girl figured that was the end of her day with the rabbit faunus, but that was not the case.
After a quick shower, Ilia checked her scroll and was surprised to see a message from the brunette. The two had exchanged numbers before parting ways -the chameleon girl had tried not to appear too excited at the concept- but never had she expected to hear from her new friend so soon.
Thus began a chain of back and forth messages between the two that stretched deep into the night. They talked about... well, nothing really, mainly just Carmella gushing about all her favorite things she'd seen on her first real day in the new kingdom. Ilia still wouldn't call herself a fan of Mistral, but seeing it through the rabbit girls eyes made the city seem like more than just the "rotten apple" the chameleon faunus had dubbed it. The two girls also went over their training together, and of course, made sure to set up a time to meet the next day.
It was nice actually, Ilia couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled so much while on her scroll. Usually her message inbox was filled with nothing but mission briefings or demands for progress reports from her superiors, but that night it was only lighthearted friendly banter-
Oh, and emoji's... so many emoji's...
Usually the lizard girl would find them annoying, but coming from Carmella even something as impractical as the tiny pictures used in place of words had an odd charm to them. Ilia had a lot of fun imagining the rabbit faunus' expressions in correlation to what type of face she sent in her messages.
Gods, she really was falling head over heels for this girl, wasn't she?
Anyway, eventually it got late and Ilia was reluctantly forced to remind her friend that they had an early morning of training tomorrow, and they were forced to call it a night... after another hour or so of back and forth texts. Truthfully, the only reason the two of them stopped was because apparently Carmella had fallen asleep mid-message, and Ilia followed suit shortly thereafter. That night, the chameleon faunus had slept better than she had in weeks.
The morning after had been slightly less glorious by comparison, but that was the cost of the late night shenanigans of the young faunus'. The next day of training still went well though, Carmella was really picking up Ilia's lessons quickly. Then things went pretty much the same as the day before, minus any of the awkwardness that had started out on that first day. It was like the two had managed to fall into a rhythm after having only known each other a few days. They jogged, trained, had lunch, spent time in Mistral, trained some more, went back to their rooms, and then chatted all night on their scrolls. It was a routine Ilia could definitely find herself getting used to, just about perfect... right up until it wasn't.
Unfortunately it was probably those late night talks that caused a mental lapse in judgement in Ilia's tired mind that had resulted in her decision to move forward with Carmella's training, which had in turn resulted in the brunette's injured hand, leading to the depressing realization that had come to Ilia while watching her friend get patched up.
The realization being; that she couldn't train Carmella anymore.
The risk was just too high. For every bad landing, or misplaced strike, it was Carm's body that paid the price. Every time Ilia looked at the rabbit girls numerous injuries she felt worse and worse knowing that she was the one who caused every one of them. She didn't want to hurt Carmella anymore, no matter how many "it's fine," or "don't worry about it's," the rabbit girl tossed her way. She'd ignored the truth at first; that without an aura this kind of training just wasn't practical, or wise, but every time the chameleon faunus opened up that first aid kit to treat another cut or scrape it became more and more obvious.
And that was the worst part; that Ilia had known this was a bad idea all along, but had decided to go along with it anyway. She'd told herself that as long as the other faunus knew and accepted the risks that it was fine, but that was just an excuse the spotted girl had used to satisfy her own selfishness.
The truth was... Ilia just really liked spending time with Carmella. She'd connected with so few people in her life, and certainly never like she had with the chipper young rabbit faunus, and Ilia was afraid that if she called off the training then...
Well, what other reason would someone like Carm have to spend time with someone like Ilia?
The training was what had brought them together in the first place, and without it the chameleon faunus was afraid Carmella would leave.
Yes, she'll forget all about you, just like-
The pony tailed girl grimaced as her clear and present abandonment issues reared their ugly head again.
Who could blame her though? Carmella had been so good for Ilia. She was sleeping better, no more tossing and turning all night, her time spent brooding on rooftops was at an all time low, and teaching the rabbit faunus just made the lizard girl feel... better... about herself in general.
See? Selfish.
At the same time however, regardless how Ilia might feel, it was impossible to deny the raw skill and talent Carmella exuded, even someone as inexperienced with teaching as the chameleon girl could see it. Everyday she impressed the spotted faunus with how much she'd improved over such a short time, and that just made this all the more unfair. Ilia just wished there was a way to help her new friend reach her full potential.
Well... maybe there was one way, but-
"Um... Ilia?"
The sound of Carm's voice pistol whipped Ilia back to reality. The rabbit girl had stopped walking, looking back at the pony tailed faunus in confusion.
"Where are we going?"
Ilia threw her head back and sighed. With so much on her mind she'd just sort of... been on auto pilot, going in the same direction Carmella was, and apparently the brunette had been doing the same with Ilia. Luckily they hadn't gotten lost, Mistral was a big place, but not that big. The chameleon girl was confident she still knew where they were, it looked like the two of them had just wandered into another residential district, but the one million lien question still remained; where were they going?
"I... guess I hadn't thought that far ahead," the spotted faunus answered, running a hand over the top of her head and down to the back of her neck.
Carmella gave Ilia an amused look, but for some reason it didn't seem as genuine as usual. "That's okay," she said to the long haired faunus, "happens to me all the time. Do you... want to get some more training in today?"
Ilia winced a little at the suggestion. "Carm, I think we-"
"Or we could go for a run again?" The rabbit girl interrupted, "You know, get warmed up first?"
"Carm-"
"C'mon, last one around the marketplace is a rotting Beowolf-"
"Carmella!" Ilia said firmly, stopping the other faunus in her tracks. "We... we need to talk."
Instantly the long ears poking out of the brunette's hair sunk low, the tips of them nearly touching her forehead. "... Yeah, I know," she replied halfheartedly. Ilia tilted her head in confusion. "I noticed you were kinda zoning out while we were walking," the rabbit girl explained, "I figured it was about... you know, this," she held up her recently wrapped hand.
Ilia sighed again. "Yeah..." she looked around at the small groups of people walking down the streets nearby, "maybe we should go somewhere quiet first though. The park?"
The other faunus nodded silently and the two set off in the direction of their usual training spot.
After a short, awkwardly silent walk, they arrived at the small clearing the pair of faunus had been using as their unofficial training spot these last couple days. The grassy area hidden inside a circle of thick trees continued to be miraculously undiscovered by any of the parks many other patrons. It was the perfect place to train uninterrupted, or in this case, have an uncomfortable conversation privately.
The two girls stood in the center of the clearing. Ilia crossed her arms anxiously, trying to settle herself for the much needed talk. Comparatively, Carmella looked like she'd just been called to the principals office, with slouched posture, drooping ears, and a look on her face like she anticipating a lecture.
Ilia took a breath before beginning. "Look, Carm, I... I don't think I can do this anymore."
The rabbit girl somehow managed to look even more crestfallen at the other faunus' words. "But, I'm fine! See?" Carmella held up her injured appendage. "It was just a scratch, I'll just be more careful next time."
"Carm..." Ilia brought a hand to her forehead at the desperation on her friends voice. She'd could tell this wasn't going to be fun. "I know I told you I was okay with training even without you having an aura, but... look at yourself."
Carmella reluctantly looked down at her arms and legs, covered in bandages, bruises, and scabbed over cuts. She raised her eyes back to Ilia's blue ones, "but... but... I'm okay, I can take a few nicks here and there," she was practically begging Ilia at this point.
"It's not about whether you can take it," the spotted girl replied, ignoring the fact that it was not just 'a few nicks here and there'. Ilia had already had to restock her first aid kit two times since they'd started training together. "Today was... bad, and next time we might-"
"Okay, so what if we just kept things simple then?" Again, the desperate rabbit girl interrupted, trying again to reason with her teacher. "Hand to hand only."
"Carm, I don't-"
"Or I could start wearing protective pads or something? I don't know..."
"You don't understand, I don't-"
"Please, Ilia don't do this, I'll do anything, just please. I don't want to stop-"
"And I don't want to hurt you anymore!"
The sudden shout from Ilia caught both teens off guard.
The chameleon girl let out a quiet gasp at her own outburst, while Carmella stared back with wide eyes. The pony tailed faunus looked down at her hands just as the red started to creep out of them, the frustration she'd felt disappearing as well, and being replaced with shame as her exposed skin went green.
"I..." Ilia started, but trailed off for a moment before trying again, "I'm sorry, I just... I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."
That had been such a huge part of Ilia's life these last years. She'd done bad things to people for the worst reasons. Whether it was for interrogation, self defense, or sometimes just to 'send a message' as her superiors had put it.
'Anything for the betterment of the faunus,' that was the excuse she always used. She used it whenever her hands wouldn't stop shaking as she gripped the handle of Lighting Lash, when she needed something to drown out the pleas for help or mercy from her victims, or when she'd start shaking at night with only the memories of the things she'd done to haunt her to sleep.
Ilia Amitola had never liked hurting people, but as it turned out, that was one of the few things she was good at.
"Okay."
Carm's simple response made the lizard faunus raise her head to see the sad smile on the other girls face.
"I understand, and..." the rabbit eared teen scratched the back of her head as she looked away, "I'm sorry I was being so pushy. This just meant so much to me, I didn't stop to think what it was doing to you, and.. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you anymore either, Ilia."
The two shared a quiet moment in the clearing together, a warm breeze passing over them. Ilia gave an appreciative smile. "I'm sorry too, I know much this means to you, Carmella."
"Yeah... but hey, you already taught more in two days than I ever learned back on Menagerie, so I'm not giving up or anything." The rabbit girl said hopefully, "I'll figure this whole aura thing out... eventually."
The reptilian faunus was happy to hear her friend's spirit still seemed strong, and at least Carm understood where she was coming from, but there was still one question eating away at her. "Um... d-do you still... want to hang out and... s-stuff?" Ilia cringed internally at her awkward delivery of what seemed like a simple question.
For a moment, Carmella looked at the chameleon girl incredulously, before letting out a snort of laugh. "What? You thought you'd get rid of me that easily?" The rabbit girl said with a hand on her hip, looking much more like her usual peppy self now. "Told you already, you're stuck with me."
After letting out a breath that Ilia wasn't quite sure when she'd started holding, the spotted faunus gave her own weak chuckle. She should have known better than to doubt Carm of all people. The fact that she still was questioning this girls loyalty after her unprompted defending of the pony tailed faunus at the restaurant the other day spoke volumes of Ilia's trust issues. Carmella was different from the others, in a lot of ways, many of which still baffled the former White Fang member, but all of which she appreciated in their own way. Still though, it was nice to know this new friendship was sturdy enough to survive this major setback.
With that out of the way, the rabbit faunus looked around the clearing dejectedly. "Well, I guess that means we won't need our secret hideout anymore."
"We have a secret hideout?" Ilia asked with an amused grin.
"Uh, we're literally hiding out here, and it's a secret, what else would you call it?"
"Fair point."
"But seriously, I think I'm gonna miss this place," Carmella said, before taking a seat on the grass. "Mind if we stick around for a bit?"
"That's okay with me," Ilia replied. This place had been a nice... hideout, for a brief as it had been one.
The rabbit girl stretched her legs out in front of where she sat, reclining back, supported on her elbows, getting comfortable and staring up into the infinitely blue, cloudless sky overhead. Ilia watched her long eared friend as her short, caramel colored hair was tossed gently by a soft wind, making her locks dance just above her shoulders. She didn't realize she was staring until Carmella turned her head away from the cerulean beauty above, and to Ilia herself. The chameleon faunus immediately looked away, embarrassed that she'd seemingly been caught gawking at the rabbit girl... again... for the umpteenth time. Then she heard Carm clear her throat loudly, as if trying to get Ilia's attention. The lizard girl returned her gaze to the other faunus only to see her smiling sweetly. Ilia's heartbeat quickened, but then it damn near skyrocketed as the rabbit eared girl patted the spot next to her on the ground.
"I did say 'we,' right? Care to join me?" Carmella said with big bright eyes.
Suddenly all sense of control Ilia had thought she'd had when it came to her faunus trait went out the window. Her spots, as well as most of the chameleon girls face, lit up pink. She repressed the change quickly, though if the expression on the other girls face was any sign, not quickly enough.
Oh my god. Don't be weird, don't be weird, don't be weird. Ilia screamed in her own head.
It wasn't as big deal, they were friends, and sometimes friends sat next to each other on the grass... sitting... very close to one another...
Okay, not helping!
After taking a moment to collect herself, Ilia walked over and took a seat next to Carm, planting herself in the clearing next to the other girl. Once she was down, the rabbit girl returned to her previous position, staring up into the sky, eventually closing her eyes and seeming to just enjoy the feeling of nature around her. Ilia on the other hand, looked much less relaxed. She'd pulled up her knees, wrapping her hands around her shins and stared straight ahead, trying desperately to not be aware of the fact that she was sitting so close to Carmella that she'd could feel the other faunus' body heat radiating off of her. For some reason Ilia felt she needed to be keenly aware of where her hands were at all times, keeping them wrapped in a death grip around her lower legs.
This was all so stupid, she'd trained with this girl for hours now, they'd grabbed each other, pushed each other, landed on top of each other, proximity should not be such an issue anymore! Eventually, the pony tailed girl hazarded a glance to her right, where Carmella sat. Of course the first thing she noticed was the fact that the rabbit girls shoulder was practically touching her own, making Ilia scream internally for a moment, but then she noticed the look on the other faunus' face. She looked... completely fine, like Ilia being here wasn't affecting her at all. Carm's eyes were still closed, a soft smile on her lips, just a serene feeling radiating off the rabbit girl.
There was a part of the reptilian faunus that felt envious that Carmella was able to maintain her composure under such circumstances. Maybe that was because she just didn't feel the same way Ilia did? That was more than a little upsetting to think about, but at the same time it was just nice to see someone so comfortable with the pony tailed girl so close. For too long, Ilia had endured the sideways glances she usually received from others of her kind due to her appearance, leading to a general distrust, from both her side and theirs. The last time the chameleon faunus really felt at ease with someone like this it had been with... well, with Blake, years and years ago, back on Menagerie. After spending all day running rampant over the faunus filled city, the two would find a tall building to climb up and just sit and watch the clouds roll by. Better times, that was for certain. Had it really been that long since Ilia had truly let her guard down?
Well, might as well try and get back into the habit of it.
Ilia took in her friends relaxed position and posture and tried her best to mimic the pose. She relaxed back into her elbows, extending her legs out, and letting her head fall back so she could bask in the late afternoon sun. Then the young faunus closed her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, and exhaled slowly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she just relaxed. She wasn't fighting for freedom, or her people, or trying to hide herself from anyone, she just... was, for a few moments anyway. She didn't feel like the world was going to burn down around her, or care that her long ponytail was currently coiling on the ground. Ilia just let go of everything, focusing only on the sound of the wind and a few far off birds in the trees.
A content sigh escaped Ilia's lips. This was a feeling she could get used to, and it was all thanks to Carmella that she could experience it. Another thing she owed the rabbit eared faunus, that list seemed to grow longer and longer the more time they spent together. She'd done so much for Ilia, and all she'd asked in return were a few training sessions, but the chameleon girl hadn't even been able to keep that promise. Now, as she sat next to Carmella, enjoying a much needed moment of peace for once, the pony tailed faunus couldn't help but feel selfish again. She wished there was something she could do. Well... maybe there was a way Ilia could make it up to her... but was she prepared to take that risk?
"Hey, Carm?" the spotted girl said gently.
"Hmm?" The rabbit girl hummed in response, eyes still closed as she savored the atmosphere a little longer.
Ilia took another breath, she knew there would be no going back once she said this. "What if I told you... I knew a way to unlock your aura?... Like, right now, I mean."
The brunette's golden eyes snapped open. She suddenly sat up straight, turning to face Ilia, looking as if she wasn't sure she'd heard her friend right.
"What?" she asked breathlessly.
Ilia sat up straight as well. "You see... there's this... I guess you'd call it a ritual, that only someone with an aura can do that can be used to unlock another persons."
Carmella's eyes lit up. "That's... but you.. why didn't..." she seemed to be at a loss for words. "How come no ones ever told me about this before?"
The lack of an accusatory tone in the rabbit girls voice did not go unappreciated by Ilia, but she could tell the real question on her friends mind was, 'why would you keep something like this from me?'
Well... Ilia had her reasons. "It's... kind of... frowned upon?" The spotted faunus explained. "There are some... risks involved that make it a sorta last resort kind of thing."
Carmella took a moment to consider this. "Well... I mean, I don't want to put you in danger just for-"
"Not risks for me," Ilia interrupted, looking away from the other faunus, "risks for you."
The long rabbit ears on top of the brunette's head tilted in confusion, urging the chameleon faunus to explain. Ilia sighed again before continuing, "The way it works is; I use my aura to awaken yours by sending a kind of... pulse into your body. The energy of my aura will seek out yours, and if things go well it should spark the power in you and make it surface... but..." Ilia looked back up at Carm. "If things don't go well, if I put even the tiniest bit too much of my own energy into you..." the lizard girl swallowed hard, "it could do permanent damage to you."
"... Meaning?" Carmella asked nervously.
"... Meaning... my aura could overwhelm your own, and then not only will yours not awaken," Ilia explained reluctantly, "it'd be locked away forever."
There was a long silence between the two as the reptilian faunus waited for Carmella to process her words. You could tell the rabbit girl had been affected by the revelations of these last few minutes, and wouldn't be?
Eventually the slightly overwhelmed brunette was able to ask, "But... you've done this before, right?"
"A few times, yeah, but that was years ago," Ilia replied, releasing a shudder.
In an organization like the White Fang, that recruited new members from all over Remnant, bringing in faunus from all walks of life, they needed to make sure those that joined were able to defend themselves from a world in which a majority of its inhabitants refused to acknowledge or accept them, not to mention the bloodthirsty beasts roaming between the kingdoms. That meant making sure most of their members had their aura's unlocked, and since the nomadic group spent a lot of the time on the road, they didn't always have time to wait for the souls protection to awaken naturally in each faunus that sided with them. And so, when they stumbled upon a monastery in between the kingdoms, one whose monks were trained in a way to unlock a persons potential in mere moments, they made sure to adopt this new skill to better serve their cause.
That was all long before Ilia had joined up though, but once she was of age, she got to experience the process firsthand, and then she was expected to perform the ritual herself when called upon. So she did, the next time a new group of recruits showed up in her cell of the Fang, the young chameleon girl helped to activate there aura's just as hers had been. The task was simple enough, all it required was as willing subject and a rudimentary understanding of aura control, so easy a child could do it. Of course, that was before anyone had told the young Ilia about the risks.
One day, while the pony tailed faunus was busy helping to set up camp for the night, there was a flash of light from inside one of the tents, followed by a scream. Everyone in the area heard the yell and ran to investigate, Ilia included. When they ripped open the flaps of the tent, they saw one of their new recruits, a young wolf faunus if the chameleon girl remembered correctly, on the canvas covered floor, convulsing, looking like he was suffering from some kind of seizure. Across the room, pressed up against the wall of the tent, was a terrified looking antlered woman, her eyes glued to the suffering man before her. It was just supposed to be a simple aura unlocking, one Ilia had remembered the deer faunus doing a bunch of times before that, but something had gone horribly wrong.
Thankfully, the wolf eared man survived, and was even willing to try the ritual again, but despite numerous attempts, no one could awaken the energy within him. Ilia had been one of the faunus to try, always eager to prove herself to the civil rights group, and what she felt when she sent the required pulse of aura into the man was haunting. It was... an emptiness, a big black void where the soul was supposed to be. Of course no one could awaken the energy inside this man, because it didn't exist anymore. It had been completely eradicated by the aura of the faunus who's tried to awaken his.
Ilia never volunteered for the ritual again because of what she'd seen. Meanwhile, the wolf faunus himself... well, he'd stuck with the group for a a few more weeks, gave unlocking his aura a few more tries, and with every subsequent failure became more and more frustrated. Then, one night, he just disappeared from the camp, without a word to anyone, like he'd never existed at all, and Ilia had a pretty good idea why. He'd wanted to fight, to help protect his people from the forces placed against the faunus, to stand against evil, no matter the cost.
Just like Carmella.
That was why Ilia had kept all this a secret until now. The whole situation just felt a little too familiar. She'd already said she didn't want to hurt Carm, and if the lizard girl messed up and the ritual went bad, the eager young faunus sitting next to her would have her dreams irrevocably crushed, and it would be all Ilia's fault. The chameleon girl just couldn't let herself be the person that'd ruined Carmella's life.
The rabbit girl went silent again, a look of anxious contemplation on her face as she furrowed her brow. The spotted faunus was beginning to regret having even brought this topic up, but at least she'd been honest about Carmella's options, as well as the risks involved. This wasn't her decision to make anymore, it was Carm's, and whatever she chose, Ilia would support. The quiet stretched on and on, the chameleon girl was glad that her friend didn't seem to be taking any of this lightly.
It took about three minutes for the long eared faunus to come to a decision. "Screw it," she finally said, "let's give it a try."
Ilia felt the knot in her stomach tighten. "Are you sure, Carm?" she said, not trying to talk the other faunus out of this or anything, but just making one hundred percent sure this was what she wanted.
The rabbit girl let out a humorless laugh, pulling up her knees and resting her elbows on them. "Nope, not really," she answered, smiling despite the nervousness in her voice. "But this has been my dream for so long, and I know that without an aura it'll never come true. So yeah, I'll do whatever it takes. I just can't sit and wait around for maybe's anymore, Ilia. So if you're ready to give this thing a shot," Carmella turned to face the spotted girl, conviction burning in her golden eyes, "then so am I."
"Besides, if I have to trust anyone with something like this," the rabbit girl continued, absentmindedly brushing back the strands of her caramel colored hair behind her left ear, "I'm glad that it's you."
Ilia smiled. It was strange how someone she'd only really just met had such an impact on her life. It didn't feel like it had only been a few days, the two of them meshed so well together it felt more like they'd been friends for years now. Carm trusted her, and that meant Ilia should try and to trust herself too, and that was all the motivation the reptilian faunus needed to do this and to make sure she did it right.
"Alright, let's get started," the spotted girl said, the conviction in her voice now matching Carmella's.
"Okay, do I need to stand up?"
"No, no, I think if we just prop ourselves up on our knees here that will be fine," Ilia explained, tucking her legs under herself. Carmella did the same, an excited expression on her face.
"Oh, and just so you don't worry," the chameleon girl said, almost forgetting an important detail, "this might take a bit out of me, so don't be too alarmed if I look a little tired all of a sudden and need a rest."
Worry flashed across the other faunus' face at Ilia's words. "Don't worry," the pony tailed teen reassured her, "it should only be for few minutes at most." Carmella still looked concerned, but nodded silently anyway.
With that out of the way, Ilia prepared to begin. Unfortunately that was when she remembered just how... intimate the ritual could be. It hadn't ever bothered her before, the few people she'd done it on back in the day had all been men, this was the first time the spotted faunus had performed this act on a girl, and not just any girl either.
Carmella continued to stare at Ilia, patiently waiting with her hands in her lap. The chameleon girl gave her head a quick shake, Stop it, this is a perfectly innocent and natural ritual, she told herself as she began replaying the steps in her mind.
Okay, first thing to do was establish a connection... physically.
Hoo boy...
Awkwardly -because how else would Ilia do things like this?- the lizard girl raised her hand, but then stopped when she remembered it worked better off she had two points of contact... and she wanted this to work, right? So, after a quick breath to ease her shaking, Ilia removed the glove on her right hand, setting it on the grass next to her.
"So... um... I kind of have to..." the increasingly flustered lizard girl tried to articulate what she had to do, raising her hands and gesturing to the rabbit girl before her. Unfortunately all she received in return was a confused -and maybe a little amused- look from the long eared faunus.
With a quiet groan, Ilia decided to just go for it and reached out and gently placed her palm on the other teen's shoulder.
"Oh," was all the response Carm gave, her eyes widening slightly.
"... Is that... okay?" the reptilian faunus asked sheepishly.
Carmella let out a quiet giggle that reawakened the butterflies that had taken up permanent residency in Ilia's stomach. "Yeah, it's fine," the rabbit girl said with a small smile.
That was good, because this next part... The chameleon girl brought up her other hand, this one heading towards the other faunus' face, and stopping just shy of touching her cheek. Carmella regarded the outstretched limb cautiously, but made no effort to stop it so Ilia decided to continue... but why couldn't she move her damn hand?
Sure enough, the lizard faunus' fingers remained about an inch from the other girls cheek and seemed to refuse to go any closer. What was the big deal? She'd literally thrown this girl around for the last two days during training, and now suddenly Ilia couldn't touch her? However, she knew this was different than the friendly sparring the two had done. The chameleon girl was about to send her aura -the literal manifestation of her soul- into Carmella. It was an incredibly personal and sacred act, it meant sharing every part of yourself with another person. Never mind her long eared friend, was Ilia ready to do this?
While the spotted girl was going through a minor mental breakdown, the energetic rabbit faunus brought up her own hand and used it to press Ilia's the rest of the way onto her cheek, holding it there gently. "Like this?" Carmella asked a hint of pink rising to her cheeks.
Well, that was it. Ilia had a good run, but she was pretty sure her heart just exploded. Either that, or it was beating so fast she could no longer track its rhythm.
Dammit spots, I swear to god, if you turn pink you'll have a date with a cheese grater when I get back to my room. The (mostly) empty threat did little to discourage the pony tailed girls faunus trait from activating, as her spots, face, and most of her arms all lit up.
"Y-yeah..." Ilia managed to stammer out, trying to maintain her concentration, "n-now... shut your eyes and try to relax. This might feel a little... odd."
The flustered pony tailed faunus closed her eyes to try and regain focus, but could still feel her hand pressed up to Carmella's warm, soft cheek, as well as the bunny girls own hands keeping her in place. Also, it was like the image of her friends face was imprinted on the inside of her eyelids. Her golden eyes, her warm smile, the subtle -at least compared to Ilia's- blush on her cheeks, it was all too cute for spotted faunus to handle. Fortunately, a few deep breaths later, Ilia's emotions were back under control, and it was time to begin.
The first part of the ritual involved a mantra of some kind, either spoken aloud or chanted internally by the person with the aura being used to unlock the others. It didn't really matter what was said, it was more a formality used to stir ones own spirit to life with the intention of awaken another. The words just had to come from the heart was all, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Ilia had no trouble finding them in this particular situation.
Gathered by chance, emboldened by fate, the seeds of a bond are planted.
In honor of these destinies entwining, I offer this; a shard of my being, that it may protect this one in a world that demands protecting.
This is my solemn vow; I will awaken a warriors spirit with my own, let this piece of myself alight the flames inside them.
And may it be their shield should we every part.
That I- in some small way- will always remain at her side.
Ilia was surprised, for something she'd come up with on the fly, it actually wasn't terrible, she'd almost be willing to call it good. Usually when she'd done this kind of thing in the past she'd struggled with finding the right words. Then again, in those cases she'd felt little to no connection with the person whose aura the young faunus had been trying to unlock. Ilia would often have to imagine the persons in front of her was someone else entirely in order to establish any kind of link, usually a certain cat faunus, but that was neither here nor there. To say this time had been different would be an understatement, the silent prayer had come to her so easily, like her heart had the words prepared ahead of time and recited them as easy as breathing.
She didn't have long to be impressed with herself however, as the words served their purpose and the young faunus felt her own aura begin to stir inside. Then, with a bit of focus, she sent out the pulse, the pale blue energy inside herself crept out of her core to her shoulder, down her arm, and then into her hand pressed against the other faunus. There was a flicker of resistance at first, before Ilia's aura was able to enter into Carmella.
The spotted faunus used her aura to feel her way around inside her friends... soul? She'd never really given much thought as to what part of the person whose aura she was activatings "being" this process worked with, and putting too much thought into such things seemed unwise. She knew that the ritual worked, and that was all that mattered.
She poked and prodded around, guiding her blue energy throughout Carmella in search of any sign of her sleeping aura. Eventually she found... something, a blockage of sorts, or more likely, a manifestation of whatever was truly holding back the rabbit girls aura. It could be self doubt, fear, or maybe the other faunus' overeager attitude about unlocking her souls protection had caused a sort of "clogging" of her power. Ilia didn't know the reason, and wasn't in a hurry to ask, not that she could at the moment, but mainly because she wanted to be respectful. Then again, Carmella herself might not even know the answer, there were a lot of questions and it wasn't like there was an exact science behind this, as far as the chameleon girl knew anyway.
That didn't matter right now though, it was time to get to work. Ilia had seen this kind of block many times before, it was typical in those with locked aura's, and usually all it would take was just a little of the pony tailed faunus' own essence to remove the abnormality. However, as the chameleon girls energy reached out to Carm's behind the wall, she felt a strange sort of trepidation and hesitated for a moment. It was like some small part of herself was telling Ilia that this wasn't a great idea... but why? She shook off the feeling quickly enough, rationalizing it away as her just being nervous. It had been a while since the spotted girl had done this, and she just wanted things to go well, for both parties involved. A little anxiousness was to be expected... right?
This was the tricky part though, Ilia had to apply just enough of her own aura. Too much, and she risked overpowering Carmella's, resulting in the earlier mentioned catastrophe. So the reptilian faunus started off small, trickling her energy over the blockage as a kind of lure to beckon out the brunette's aura. Sure enough, as soon as the pale blue wisps touched the obstruction cracks began to appear in its surface, a golden brown light beginning to shine through them.
Well, that was easier than Ilia had-
Suddenly the chameleon girl became aware of the energy building behind the blockage. It was more than she'd been expecting... like, a LOT more, so much so that Ilia immediately began to retreat her extension of aura out of Carmella.
She was too late though, the barrier exploded and a metaphorical tidal wave of shining, golden energy rushed out, completely overwhelming the poultry amount the pony tailed faunus had used.
Back in reality there was a sudden flash of light at the point where Ilia's hand made contact with Carmella's cheek. The spotted faunus let out a shriek, and then everything went black.
Laurel Prep? You really think they'd let one of us into a school like that?
What... what is this?
I know Ilia's smart, but the tuition alone would bankrupt us.
That voice...
... you're right, she deserves a better life. We'll make it work somehow.
... Dad?...
There was no mistaking the sound. It may have been almost a decade since she'd last heard it, but the tone still sent a needle of pain into her chest. She remembered this conversation, the spotted faunus had overheard her parents talking late one night after she'd gone to bed.
Remember, no changing colors, okay? Good girl, we're so proud of you, my little rainbow.
Darkness still surrounded Ilia. She couldn't see or feel anything, but she heard the sound of her fathers voice. Regardless of the topic of conversation it was still nice to know that a part of Ilia still remembered what he'd sounded like. The chameleon girls parents had sacrificed so much for their daughter, just so she'd have a life better than toiling away in the mines of Mantle, like they did. In the end though, because of a cruel twist of fate, all their sacrifices had been for nothing.
Hello there, Ilia.
There was another voice, one the young faunus also recognized.
My name is Ghira, you're going to be staying with us for a little while. I hope that's okay.
She remembered this as well, that was what Ghira had said to her on her first day on Menagerie. These memories... why was she reliving them now?
You know, I have a daughter about your age. I bet she'd love to meet you. Blake? Come and say hello to Ilia.
H-hello...
Ilia still didn't understand what was happening. The last thing she remembered was trying to unlock Carmella's aura, but then...
Why... why did you join the White Fang?
The chameleon girls train of thought was derailed. That night... Ilia hated thinking about that night. She remembered the look of horror on her cat eared friends face as the pony tailed faunus told her about what had happened on the day she'd found out her parents were gone, the violence she unleashed on those other girls. There was another reason she hated that conversation though; It was the last one she'd had with Blake before her friend had disappeared.
Gods, you're just... you're just growing up a little too fast on me, Parsnip...
Wait, what was that?
Blake.
Whatever curiosity as to the phenomenon that was taking place was washed away in an instant as a cold chill shot down the lizard girls spine. Even after the White Fang's former high leaders utter defeat and humiliation at Haven, his voice still cut to the pony tailed teens core.
Adam?
I told you the train was coming early tomorrow. Say goodnight to Ilia, we're going to bed.
The spotted faunus felt a raw panic grip her chest. She knew this conversation as well, and what had followed it the next morning.
WHERE. IS. SHE.
No, please, she didn't want to relive this.
I know you know where she is, Ilia. I saw you two scheming last night behind my back...
Immediately the reptilian faunus felt a burning pain in her shoulders as her arms were lifted above her head and fixed together, she could feel the coarse rope digging into her wrists.
It doesn't matter, you'll tell me...
Ilia began hyperventilating, the young faunus' heartbeat beginning to drown out the words being spoken.
Eventually, you will tell me everything...
Then came the pain, just as real as it had been back then, searing hot, lighting up her back. Ilia wanted to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse whimper as incomprehensible suffering rocked her small body again and again.
As the lizard girl began convulsing in agony, all doubt as to what this was left her mind.
This was hell.
But then, something cut past the pain, a sensation the complete opposite of what Ilia was currently feeling. It was the gentle touch of something stroking her forehead, across the small cluster of spots just below the tuft of hair sticking out.
"Shhhhh... it's okay..."
Then there was a voice, sounding just as gentle as the hand now running down the side of the young faunus' face. The pain ceased, fading away to the familiar numbness the chameleon girl was used to.
"You're okay..."
This feeling, this voice, they were different from the others, they felt... real, not like the memories from before. So the young faunus followed their source.
Suddenly, Ilia began to feel more aware of her body, as well as her surroundings, and she finally opened her eyes.
The blinding light of the sun was the first thing to welcome Ilia back to consciousness. The fear of returning to whatever nightmare she'd just escaped from was the only thing that kept the young faunus from immediately closing her eyes again. Instead she just squinted as she waited for her vision to adjust. While she did, Ilia noticed she was now laying on the ground. She could feel the cool grass under her on her exposed legs and arms. However, she also noticed her head was propped up on something that felt different by comparison, something soft and warm.
The lizard faunus' pale blue eyes were still acclimating to the harsh sunlight, but then a dark colored blob took up her vision, blocking out the sun's rays, a blob with a familiar pair of rabbit ears on top of it.
"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness, I swear I was one digit away from calling for help."
"Ugh... Carm?..." Ilia groaned out, barely even able to form the word. She felt exhausted, like she'd just gone twelve rounds fighting an Ursa bare handed.
"Yeah it's me," the rabbit girl said, clear relief in her tone. "I know you said this might take a lot out of you, but you didn't tell me you'd pass out!"
Pass out? That wasn't supposed to happen. "How... long...?"
"Almost ten minutes," Carmella informed, "which was more than long enough to freak me out. I mean, you were still breathing, so I figured I'd just give you some time, like you said, but still..." The long eared faunus let out a deep breath, "In the meantime, I figured I'd just try and make you comfortable. You looked like you were having a bad dream or something."
"... Comfortable?"
As Ilia's vision finally cleared, she was able to fully make out the features of the other faunus looming over her. She saw Carmella's face was still laced with worry, her scroll in her left hand. She really had been ready to call for help if the lizard girl hadn't woken up when she did. However, as Ilia's eyes fully took in the sight of her friend above her, she traced the rabbit girls body downward to see where the rest of her was placed. Suddenly the true identity of just what the chameleon faunus was resting on became clear.
Lap.
Head in lap.
Ilia's head was in Carmella's lap, resting casually on the other faunus' soft thighs.
As if that wasn't enough to cause the pony tailed girls brain to malfunction, she felt the other teenagers free hand gently cupping her face, Carm's warm thumb gently stroking Ilia's spotted cheek.
All of the chameleon girls body went pink. She immediately tried to stand, only for an intense rush of pain to send her back to the ground, or more accurately, back onto her "pillow."
"Hey, hey, hey," Carmella said softly, putting her scroll away and using her now free hand to tenderly caress the hair on side of Ilia's head. "Take it easy, it's okay, you're okay."
The same words that had helped Ilia break out of her mental prison made the pony tailed faunus' heart speed up, but for a different reason this time.
This was- it was too much!
She couldn't- she couldn't just lay on Carmella like this!
That was something that people did when- But they weren't- They were just-
Carmella continued gently stroking her hand over Ilia's head, and soon the fragmented thoughts and fears in the chameleon faunus' mind quieted down, and her skin returned to normal as she began to calm down.
Well... if Carm was okay with this, then Ilia supposed she could deal with it. Not like she could move right now even if she wanted to. This was all just very... new to her, not in a bad way or anything, just... different. Ilia would never claim to be a big fan of being touched by other people, but this was... yeah, different was the only word her fried brain could think of to describe it.
Since she wasn't going anywhere at the moment, the worn out faunus gave her fingers a quick test flex, as well as the toes in her low cut boots. Everything seemed to be working okay, and aside from the extreme fatigue she felt, Ilia appeared to be fine. Well, she was a little thirsty, but her water bottle was in her bag, which was all the way over at the edge of the clearing, and since she was in no shape to get it, that meant Carmella would have to get up to grab it for her, which Ilia definitely didn't want... for practicality reasons, of course...
Despite being more comfortable than she'd admit, the chameleon girl still didn't want to risk falling asleep. She still felt a little traumatized by whatever that horror show she'd just experienced was. It was so strange, Ilia had never had anything like that happen before when she'd- Oh yeah, she'd almost forgotten.
"So... did it work?" the resting faunus asked in a tired voice.
Carmella gave a confused look before her long ears shot up straight. "Oh right, I was so worried I didn't even check to see," there was a clear lack of excitement in the rabbit girls voice, probably due to her aforementioned worry about the chameleon faunus' safety. It cast yet another a rock of guilt into Ilia's stomach.
Carm shut her eyes and furrowed her brow, then after a moment gave a thoughtful look, before turning back to the faunus in her lap. "Um... how do I... check, exactly? I mean, I feel... kinda different, like... I don't know, lighter? But how do we know for sure that it worked?"
Ilia gave a tired chuckle. "Okay, hold your hand out in front of you," she instructed, but felt a twinge of regret as soon as the warmth of the rabbit girls touch left her cheek, " ...then, try and focus on that lightness you feel, and try to guide it to the surface." The long eared faunus raised an eyebrow at the odd request, but shrugged and did what she'd been told, closing her eyes again. There was an intense look of concentration on her face as she grimaced and clenched her teeth. "Don't try and force it," Ilia coached. "Your aura wants to protect you. All you have to do is just relax and let it do its thing."
Carmella took a slow, deep breath, and her features relaxed a bit. Then suddenly, her golden eyes popped open, as a shimmering light surrounded the rabbit girls hand.
For a moment, both faunus stared at the limb in silence. The light only lasted a few seconds before it fizzled away, but the evidence was irrefutable;
Carmella's aura had been unlocked.
The outstretched hand of the rabbit girl started shaking, her breathing became harsh, like she was out of breath. It almost sounded like she was about to cry.
"I... I just..." the brunette swallowed hard, "Holy crap! I- I DID that!" she continued staring at her hand with glossy eyes. "Ilia! Did you see that!"
Yes, Ilia had, and while she was incredibly proud of her "students" accomplishment, and knew just how much this meant to her, she couldn't help but feel like something was... off.
Carmella's aura... it had been blue... the same shade of pale blue as Ilia's... That was completely in contrast to the golden-brown colored light the chameleon girl had experienced when trying to awaken the other girls aura. What did this mean? Carm hadn't seemed to notice anything strange, so maybe Ilia had just been seeing things? She was still pretty tired after all.
However, the chameleon faunus didn't want to ruin this moment by causing her friend to worry even more. "Yeah, I did... could you... do it again real quick? Just so we're sure it worked."
Carmella complied, closing her eyes again, and this time the light appeared almost instantly.
It was golden-brown now, like Ilia had seen previously. Huh... must be more tired that I realized.
Dismissing what had to have been a bizarre hallucination, Ilia smiled up at the rabbit eared girl. "Congratulations, Carmella, you just unlocked your aura."
The long eared faunus let out a half laugh, half sob, still staring at her hand in wonder, a humongous smile on her face. "Wow..." she said, still sounding a little choked up, "I... I wanted this for so long, and now that it's finally happened, I..." The rabbit girl took a moment to wipe her eyes on her forearm, before holding the limb back out in front of herself, a more melancholy look on her face. "You know, a lot of people told me to just give up, that if my aura hadn't awakened by now, it never would, and I think of part of me believed them. Thankfully, I had others who told me to keep at it," a small smile returned to Carmella's face as she went on, "like my brother Phyll, and Saber, they said there was always a chance, that I might just be a "late bloomer" as they put it." The rabbit girl lowered her hand, "But... none of them ever really helped me as much as you have, Ilia." She looked down at the resting faunus, "Thank you."
Ilia just smiled back. It was her pleasure, honestly. However, before she could properly express this, Carm let out a humorless chuckle. "It's weird, I feel like I say that to you a lot, huh?" Then the long eared faunus' face fell, if the pony tailed girl wasn't mistaken, it almost looked like guilt. "You've done so much for me in just as few short days, and now you've literally changed my life. Somehow 'thank you' just doesn't seem like enough anymore. I wish I could do something to make it up to you."
"Don't sell yourself short, you've done plenty," Ilia replied effortlessly, joining her hands over her stomach as she continued to recline on the rabbit girls lap. "Helping you out like this, it's been... nice. I wasn't sure I'd like it at first, but watching you come so far so quickly, it feels... rewarding? I guess?" Ilia winced and looked off to the side, she didn't feel like she was explaining this very well. For someone who's emotions were often literally written all over her face, she sure had a hard time expressing herself. "I don't know, it's just nice to feel like I'm doing some good for a change."
The giggle from above made her turn her head back though. "Now who's selling themselves short?" Carmella asked with a smirk.
A quiet chuckle escaped Ilia. "Thanks," she said appreciatively, "and uh... thanks for taking care of me when I... passed out, too."
"I don't think you have to worry about that one," the rabbit girl said, her smile growing wider. "Pretty sure I owed you for what happened on the boat ride to Anima."
The spotted faunus gave an amused look. "At least I didn't throw up on you."
"What do you-" Carmella's eyes widened in horror, "Oh gods, I threw up on you too!?" Something about the look on the other faunus' face, the mixture of panic, disgust, and embarrassment, it just broke Ilia, and she laughed louder and harder than ever before.
After taking a moment to wipe away the tears in her eyes, the chameleon girl saw Carmella pouting down at her. "Sorry, but... yeah, you did," the lizard girl explained, "only a little though. I was able to dodge most of it." Ilia added with an apologetic smile.
The rabbit girl scoffed, directing her pout elsewhere. Then she seemed to focus on something on the lizard faunus' torso. "So... what does that color mean?" Carm asked.
Ilia gasped softly, before looking down at her arms to see they were covered in a bright purple up to her biceps. The chameleon girl stared at her vibrantly colored limbs in disbelief. Usually she could tell when her faunus trait was activating, she'd feel the tingling of her skin, a warning sign the faunus had learned to detect at a young age when trying to hide her true nature, but... this time she hadn't even felt the change coming on.
Her question going unanswered, Carmella anxiously brushed some of her caramel colored hair behind her ear. "Sorry, that was probably a rude question. It's just... I was curious. I know the colors have something to do with emotions, and I think I've got most of them figured out, but, uh... purple is new."
The pony tailed faunus flexed her wrists slightly, and her arms went back to there normal color. Now it was her turn to look mortified.
"Oh crap, I offended you, didn't I?" Carm covered her eyes with one hand. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's fine," Ilia interrupted, placing her hands back on her lap. "Really, it's okay. It's not like you're the first person to ever ask me. I mean, I know it's not the kind of thing you see everyday, so I get why you're curious."
It was a common enough question for the reptilian faunus, though usually it was asked with much less tact. She'd never necessarily felt offended by people asking, but in her experience it was better to just answer it quickly and get it out of the way. Purple though? It had been a while since Ilia had seen that one, and it was a little embarrassing to admit what it symbolized. Though perhaps not as embarrassing as the revelation that Carmella had been watching her enough to figure out what most of her colors meant.
The spotted faunus looked off to the side despondently. "Purple is... I guess it means I'm... happy," the chameleon girl finally answered.
Gods, Ilia would give anything to have a faunus trait that was even a little less weird, or at the very least, more subtle. She thought she'd been getting better at controlling her color changes, but around this girl it was like years of practice went straight down the tubes. Also, why purple of all colors for happiness? That, strangely enough, was the thing that Ilia had always found herself hung up on. The rest of her colors made sense in association to their assigned emotion... more or less.
Red was anger (obvious),
Yellow was fear,
Blue; sad
Green was guilt or shame (which Ilia always thought was a bit of a stretch)
Pink was... for more... embarrassing emotions...
But purple being happy? That never made sense to the chameleon faunus. Unfortunately, she didn't get to choose which color for which feeling, so all she could do was accept her freakish nature.
Carmella gave a knowing smirk, looking a little bashful. "Heh... yeah, I kinda figured that was what it was, but I just wanted to be sure." Then she sighed, "Oh well, as long as my... nasty seasick escapades did you some good in a roundabout sorta way, then I guess I'm happy too."
The two shared an awkward laugh that dissolved into silence. Ilia didn't mind though, once she'd gotten past the initial shock of waking up with her head in the other faunus' lap, she was actually starting to enjoy the moment. The warmth of the sun was shining down on them, they could hear the sound of other park goers in the distance, not close enough to be intrusive, but far enough away that they provided a comforting bit of ambiance, coupled with the birds chirping away in the trees around them, acting as a sort of witness to the days bizarre events in the clearing. It was nice, maybe there was something to this whole "relaxing" thing.
It wasn't long before the chameleon girl felt her eyelids start to get heavy, she was still pretty tired after all. Ilia looked up at Carmella as the rabbit girl continued to stare off into the sky, watching the clouds roll by with a effortless smile on her lips.
Eventually the long eared faunus caught the other girl staring again and her smile grew. "Comfy?" she asked with a giggle.
Immediately the spots on Ilia's face lit up. "N-no, it's not-" She was cut off as the lizard girl felt the brunette's fingers cup the side of her face again, making Ilia's whole face light up.
"It's okay," Carmella said to the blushing faunus resting on her lap. "You can rest if you want to. I'd definitely say you've earned it. Don't worry, I'll wake you up in a bit."
With that promise, as well as Carm's thumb gently tracing the side of her face, Ilia's last bit of resolve finally crumbled and she closed her eyes. Somehow she didn't feel like she needed to fear the nightmares, not as long as she had someone watching over her.
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A/N- Hey, it's been a while. Hopefully not too long.
I really missed this story, and it provided a nice break from the overflowing angst and violence of my other story "The Ballad of Oreonna" which you should all check out by the way, as we are rapidly approaching the end of the first... season? Volume? Whatever you'd call it.
Anyway, I think I might do one more chapter of this before I get back to finishing up my other story. I just need some more fluff before I dive back into the trenches.
I look forward to hearing from you guys about this chapter, so please let me know what you think!
Later ;P