A/N- And here I am, as promised, a second chapter, and it hasn't even been half a year this time. Trust me, no one is more surprised by this than me. Well, since I don't have to waste three paragraphs with excuses about why this is so late, why don't we get right into it.
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Kuo Kuana was as bustling as ever, the dirt streets and paths filled with faunus going about their business. The marketplace was especially busy this time of day, the citizens of Menagerie eagerly peddling their wares to others of their kind, while ships docked at the nearby coast carted in more goods, as well as sometimes even other faunus that were either visiting, or maybe looking to find a place in the world, far from the cruelties their kind experiences at the hands of humanity.
Among the many others vessels, one such boat garnered extra attention this morning. It wasn't big, or grandiose, especially when compared to the freighters and passenger ships that often made port there, but every faunus in and around the docks took note of its presence. The owner of the vessel was obvious, all one had to do was look to the flag it was flying. The banner depicted a wolfs head, snarling, its teeth bared, with three claw marks behind it, all colored blood red.
The White Fang had always had a presence on Menagerie, it was were the organization had first been founded, after all. They were once seen as the voice of the faunus, defending their liberties in the wake of war. These days however, the cell of the civil rights group that operated there tended to keep to themselves for the most part, sequestering themselves away from the other citizens of the island. They still had their headquarters there, but it wasn't exactly the tourist trap it had once been. The old building had become overgrown and decrepit, spooky even, resting deep within the jungle, with only a select few coming and going.
The people of Menagerie didn't seem to pay them any mind though. Most of them had come to the island to escape the very problems the White Fang stood against, and saw little point in getting involved in their affairs, whatever they were up to.
So while the faunus took note of the older looking boat when it docked, very few offered it more than just a passing glance. That is, until it began unloading its "cargo."
The ships gangplank creaked loudly as a pair of White Fang members walked across it. Neither we're wearing their usual Grimm masks, as it was seen as a faux pas on the island community. They halfheartedly carried a third faunus between them, her head down and her booted feet dragging against the wood, the long ponytail hanging limply off the back of her head almost doing the same.
Their were murmurs in the crowd as everyone stopped what they were doing to observe the bizarre scene. The girl was unceremoniously dropped on the ground just outside the marketplace by her "escorts". Then the other two faunus merely turned around and boarded their ship once again without a word, and the transport disembarked soon after.
The villagers soon began crowding around the mysterious newcomer, taking in her frightful condition. She was laying stomach down on the stone path, her head turned to the side so everyone could see her dirt and sweat covered face, but to be honest, they all seemed more concerned with the mass of bandages wrapped around her torso.
The tattered top half of what appeared to have once been some kind of one piece, leather outfit had been pulled down to around the girls abdomen, her upper body covered only by the thick- not especially clean looking- wrappings. The ones covering her back had a substantial amount of fresh looking blood seeping through them.
Upon closer inspection, the panicked citizens discovered that despite the girls battered looking form, she was still breathing, though her cerulean colored eyes seemed to be glazed over, as if all life had been drained out of the poor teenagers body.
"Where did she come from?"
The faunus surrounding her began to talk and argue amongst themselves.
"Is that real blood?"
"Those were White Fang members, right? Why did they leave her here?"
"Don't touch her! She might be dangerous."
The words exchanged earned little reaction from the girl, at least at first...
"Who is she?"
"Should we call a doctor?"
"Is... she a faunus?"
"She almost looks human-"
Suddenly, life returned to the battered girls body and she sprung to her feet. With an animalistic growl, she pulled out some kind of whip-like weapon from beneath the torn up remains of her outfit. The device crackled with electricity as the feral looking teen lashed out at the faunus around her forcing them back. No one was hurt, thankfully, but it did give the gawkers all the motivation they needed to give the girl some space.
Perhaps more jarring than the young woman's wild outburst was her entire body shifting to a red color. Her long hair, her skin, even her irises, all turned crimson as she scanned the scared faunus around her. Now the concern that'd filled the comments about her were replaced by fear as many of the onlookers began to call out for the guards, some running off to alert them, or to simply escape the spotted teens wrath.
The weary and beaten girls blood colored eyes darted across the crowd, eventually settling on the group standing between her and the lush jungles that surrounded the village.
"Move."
It was a one word command, more of a growl than anything, but it was the first word this wounded, agitated young girl had spoken, directed at the elderly looking cat eared faunus ahead of her. The gray haired woman clutched tightly onto the children she'd protectively wrapped her arms around as the manic girl glared her way, then they all quickly stepped aside.
The obstruction in her path gone, the wounded young woman shot out of the group of muttering faunus like a bullet and into the green overgrowth of trees and vines, disappearing before the the authorities could arrive.
After a brief sprint through the woods, the spotted faunus started to slow down as the adrenaline began to fade. Her legs wobbled beneath her and she nearly collapsed, only barely managing to steady herself against the thick trunk of a tree where she stopped, gasping for air.
Ilia was exhausted, she'd barely slept during the three day boat ride from Vale, she was practically delirious at this point. Then of course there was the fact that she was still in an incredible amount of pain as a result of Adam's interrogation. It was a miracle she was even standing at all to be honest.
The White Fang's "doctors" had fixed her up in the same sense that one would "fix" a flat tire by plugging the hole in it with chewing gum and then expecting it to still hold air. She'd been stitched up and sent on her way, left to worry about bandaging herself up once aboard the ship. It was hard to tell if the quality of care was out of ineptitude or just maliciousness. Honestly, considering her unceremonious banishment from the organization, the young faunus was inclined to believe the latter. Regardless though, if the burning fever she was experiencing was any indication, the chameleon girl was most likely dealing with an infection at this point, no doubt a result of the shoddy medical attention she'd received, and being out in the elements like this certainly wasn't helping. She also really hoped she hadn't torn her stitches in her perhaps overly aggressive escape from that mob just now.
The chameleon girl brought up Lightning Lash, still clasped tightly in her trembling hand. She wasn't even sure why she'd done that, lashing out at those faunus like she did. They might have helped her if she'd asked, so why hadn't she?
...But they'd said she'd looked "human."
They might as well have pulled the trigger on the chameleon girls weapon themselves. Even in her wounded- borderline feral- state, Ilia still remembered who the real enemy of her people was, and the reminder of how much her appearance resembled one of them had been enough to push her over the edge, causing her to lash out... again. Now that display of violence and aggression had cost her much needed help, as well as earned her a miserable walk through the boiling hot jungles of Menagerie.
But none of that mattered to Ilia right now, all she cared about was getting where she'd needed to go. She just had to go a little further, a little further and then she'd be safe. So after wiping the sweat gathering on her brow, and stowing away her weapon, the spotted girl took a deep breath and did her best to keep moving.
It wasn't easy. Every step sent new shockwaves of pain up Ilia's back. She stumbled and trudged her way through the thick brush, having to stop again twice on the way when the pain got to be too much. Thankfully she didn't have to go far.
After about twenty minutes of complete misery, the chameleon girl finally found herself at the edge of the jungle, having discreetly passed by both the market and the village, arriving at the familiar looking manor that sat further inland.
It seemed like forever since she'd last been here, the place she'd grown up, after Atlas, of course. The giant wooden home was a sight for sore eyes for the young faunus. The happy memories she associated with this place sent another shot of adrenaline into the weary girls body, energizing her, accompanied by a feeling of relief as she stared at her sanctuary.
Yes, Ghira and Kali would help her, they'd know what to do, but more importantly, it would be safe for Ilia. This was the best choice for the chameleon girl, she could rest here, heal her wounds, and more importantly, her spirit. However, as the young faunus went to take her first unsteady steps towards the building, she suddenly found herself hesitating, and that was enough to allow for a tiny sliver of doubt to enter into her mind.
She thought about the last time she'd seen her surrogate parents, it was the night Blake and herself had run off with the rest of the Fang. The expressions of hurt on both Kali and Ghira's faces as the girls they'd raised left them behind were all the exhausted young faunus could picture in her mind. It had been years since that day. How would they react to seeing Ilia crawling back after all this time? Would they be... angry with her? Disappointed? The young faunus wasn't sure which would be worse. She had essentially turned her back on them, the very people that had taken her in and raised her. Did Ilia really have any right to ask them for refuge after that?
Plus, there was the added complication that even if the Belladonna's did welcome her back with open arms, what was the chameleon girl supposed to say when they asked where their daughter was?
Yes... that's right... their real daughter...
The thought sent a spike of pain through the young faunus' heart as she was reminded that this wasn't really her "home," as well as the fact that Blake was... gone.
The idea still made Ilia's head spin, her friend- her best friend had just up and disappeared in the middle of a mission, off to who knows where, without so much as a word to Ilia or anyone else for that matter. Every second of not knowing where her friend was only made the pain grow stronger, but the chameleon girl couldn't even imagine how it would be for Kali and Ghira.
Ilia could see it in her mind, the surface level kindness her absentee parents would provide her if she showed up now. Sure, they'd smile, embrace her, welcome her home, say things like; "how happy they were she was safe," but deep down, Ilia knew there'd be a tiny seed of resentment.
'Why didn't our real daughter come back to us?' They'd say to themselves, 'Why not our own flesh and blood, instead of this... this stray?'
The more the thoughts marinated in Ilia's swimming head- not helped at all by the fever- the darker the chameleon girls mood became.
'Why didn't Ilia do more to make Blake stay?'
'She probably drove our daughter away,'
'Didn't even care enough about to her to notice she was about to run away.'
At that point, it was a little hard to tell whether or not Ilia was still imagining the Belladonna's saying these things to her, or if she was projecting her own guilt over Blake's disappearance.
Whatever the case, with Blake MIA, Ilia just couldn't bring herself to face Kali or Ghira, not yet anyway. Because the chameleon girl knew that even if she was wrong, and they did forgive her for their daughter going missing, Ilia still couldn't forgive herself for it.
It hurt though, feeling the relief and protection so close, but having to turn it away. Ilia would be lying if she said there wasn't a part of her that wanted nothing more at that moment than to dive headfirst into Ghira's arms for one of his big bear hugs-even if that would probably end badly in her current state- but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
No. Until Blake was back at her side, Ilia knew she had no place here.
So then, where was she supposed to go? It had taken nearly all her strength just to walk here. The wounds on her back were aching in time with Ilia's own heartbeat at this point from the strain she was putting herself through.
There was... one other place on the island she could go, one other place where she'd felt at home once, but... it was a bit of a walk, and considering Ilia's current state, there was no guarantee she'd even make it there. Looking at her options- which we're currently; give up, lay down and die, or start walking- Ilia chose to move on, looking back over her shoulder at the Belladonna home one last time before disappearing back into the jungle.
With every step, the chameleon girl felt worse and worse. More than once she tripped over a root or a vine that was sticking out of the ground and had to catch herself. She knew the odds of her getting up again if she fell at this point were slim. So Ilia guided herself slowly, moving from tree to tree, through the thick jungles of Menagerie.
The fever and pain were beginning to take their toll on the young faunus. Voices started echoing in her own head, and she began seeing things, like shapes out of the corners of her eyes, ghostly figures moving in the distance. More than once she had to give her head a rough shake or even a few slaps to remind herself of what was real.
Eventually, her breathing became ragged, Ilia could barely even walk a straight line, and haunting images flashed through her mind.
She saw Adam, or his silhouette at least, shrouded in darkness with the only red lines of his mask visible as he approached. Slowly his form distorted, growing several feet taller, large and muscular, his horns jutting out and twisting, until what what stood before Ilia was no longer a faunus, but a spitting, snarling, Grimm. Then it lunged at her, it's fangs a burning crimson. The chameleon girl stumbled backwards with a gasp, before giving a frustrated growl, and weakly punching at a nearby tree. It wasn't real, she knew that, she just had to keep moving.
But then she saw Blake, that final moment she'd had with the other faunus. That sad look in her eyes as she told Ilia she'd "see her tomorrow", but then, that look quickly transformed into a sinister, knowing grin. Had Blake abandoned her on purpose? No, that was impossible. Ilia still refused to believe that. Adam had just been trying to mess with her. And yet, as Ilia continued her miserable trek through the boiling hot jungle, she found the thought running circles in her head, making it spin more and more.
Finally, at the point where Ilia wasn't sure her legs could carry her any further, she arrived at her destination. The exhausted faunus propped herself up by the shoulder on a tree as she took in the sight. The building had seen better days, that for sure, but there it was, the White Fang headquarters.
She knew this was probably a bad idea. Ilia was sure that by now Adam had contacted the Menagerie branch of the Fang and informed them of her "betrayal." She knew the odds of her finding any kind of respite here were slim, but Ilia had nowhere else to go...
She didn't know what else to do...
The barely coherent faunus went to take another step forward, but suddenly the ground beneath her feet switched places with the sky, or at least that's how it felt to her, and she began to fall. Ilia's head have one last, massive spin, before her vision faded to black and she crumpled down on to the unforgiving earth. The poor girl didn't even feel the impact as she hit the ground.
How long the chameleon girl laid there, she didn't know. Eventually, the sound of a pair of quiet footsteps made Ilia's consciousness flicker back enough for her to become aware of two shadows looming over her.
"Worry not, sister Ilia," one of the two figures said.
"We will keep you safe," said the other.
Ilia felt a pair of arms grip her by the shoulders and lift her off the ground before she blacked out again.
With a groan, Ilia sat up in her bed. She was exhausted, wanted so badly to get some rest, but for the first time in several days, her insomnia had returned, and seemed content to keep her trapped with her own exhaustion. Thankfully, it wasn't so late that the chameleon girl had given up hope on a decent nights sleep, but the prognosis was grim. She'd really hoped she was past all this, but perhaps she'd been overly optimistic in assuming all her mental struggles could be resolved in a weeks time. Although, given the day she'd had, it wasn't really a surprise she was having trouble falling asleep.
After the... incident with the sundress, the rest of the day she'd spent with Carmella hadn't been quite as uplifting as its first half. The two had stuck around long enough to thoroughly explore all the wonders the Mall of Mistral possessed, and more importantly, long enough to wait out the downpour outside, but it had been obvious to the pony tailed girl that her rabbit eared companion didn't have the same spring in her step she'd had earlier, and it wasn't exactly a mystery as to why either.
Even hours later, Ilia still felt on edge, her nerves shot, her back tingling, she couldn't even imagine how bad Carm must feel. The spotted girl had wanted to bring up her concerns on their way back from the mall, but didn't, or rather, she couldn't. Instead the two had walked in silence, barely exchanging goodbyes as the rabbit faunus dropped Ilia off at her hotel, before heading on towards her own.
It was all Ilia's fault. Her trauma always made things messy, and now she'd dragged poor Carmella down with her. She wanted to call or text her friend to check in, but hadn't been able to muster the courage just yet. Namely because the chameleon girl knew any conversation she stared in regards to what had happened would inevitably result in more questions about what had caused her to have a panic attack back in that dressing room, which would in turn lead to a conversation about the scars.
She just... wasn't ready to talk about it yet. The incident had reopened a lot of wounds Ilia had been doing her best to ignore. What was the point in dwelling on that stuff anyway? After all, Ilia had turned over a new leaf, stepped back from that ledge leading into the darkness that had consumed so many other faunus in the White Fang, she'd helped save Haven Academy, and even got to see Adam put in his place!
And Blake was... Blake was back in her life. So why bother even thinking about all that bad stuff that had happened? It was best left in the past.
Well, at the very least Ilia would have plenty of time to think and dwell on that question if she was stuck staying up all night.
Great, The young faunus thought sarcastically, laying back down on the mattress and closing her eyes in a vain attempt to will herself to sleep.
But it turned out Ilia wouldn't even get the chance to try, as at that moment there was a quiet knock on her door.
In a flash, the nimble faunus was on her feet, leaping out of bed and barely making a sound as she landed and crouched low on the floor, her eyes narrowed and focused on the door.
Who could that possibly be at this hour? Years of bad experiences had Ilia guessing; no one good. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone. Without even looking back, the ponytailed girl reached behind her to the nightstand by her bed and gripped the handle of Lightning Lash.
"Ilia? Are you awake?" A familiar voice called out to the lizard faunus, making her release her grip on the weapon.
"It's Blake."
Blake? What was she doing here? Well, there was only one way to find out. Ilia crept across the hotel rooms floor without so much as a floorboard creaking, her old friend and companion; paranoia, not allowing her guard to go down just yet. Once at the door, she looked through the peephole, revealing her cat eared friend standing just outside.
After giving a confused look for a moment, Ilia unlocked and opened the door, fully revealing Blake, who gave a nervous looking smile. "Is everything okay?" the chameleon girl asked the other teen.
The cat faunus didn't answer right away, instead she anxiously tugged at the sleeve of her white duster jacket. "Can I come in?"
All of her friends mannerisms had Ilia very suspicious. By not answering her question Blake was making it very clear that everything was not, in fact, okay. Despite this however, the spotted girl stepped to the side, allowing her friend entry. As Blake passed, Ilia stuck her head out into the hallway, quickly looking left and right to ensure her friend was really alone.
The raven haired cat girl walked into Ilia's hotel room, stopping next to the bed. She remained there, facing away from the spotted teen as the chameleon faunus shut the door.
"Blake, what's wrong?" Ilia asked, stepping around her friend to look at her face.
The feline-like ears on top of Blake head were low, a clear sign she was agitated, but by what? Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest, her head was angled towards the ground, and she seemed to be trying desperately to look in any direction Ilia wasn't in. The sad expression on the other girls face was... hauntingly familiar to her.
Finally, after a brief silence, Blake let out a huff of air, standing up straight and looking at the chameleon girl standing next to her.
"I guess there's no easy way to ask something like this... So I'll just come out and say it," the cat faunus said, sounding reluctant, but clinging tightly to the conviction she'd found. "I want to talk to you about..."
Blake's trailing off had Ilia feeling exasperated. She wished her friend would cut the melodrama and just spit it out already.
"... About your scars."
One hour earlier...
The tea cup in Carmella's hands had cooled significantly since Blake had handed it to her. She actually felt a little guilty for not trying any, it had smelt really good, almost as good as the kind Ilia had made for her on the boat ride from Menagerie, but it was far from her greatest source of guilt at the moment, given what she'd just shared with the black haired teen.
This was still all so surreal to the rabbit girl. Here she was, sitting down, having tea (sorta) with Blake- freaking- Belladonna! Their family was practically royalty back on the island.
Wait. Does that technically make Blake a princess? Oh Gods, should I have curtsied when we met ? Should I have dressed fancier? How noticeable is the stain on my shirt from lunch? These had been the kind of questions running through the long eared faunus' mind as the cat girl led her into the home she was staying in, which by the way, put her hotel room to shame, hell, even her families home back on Menagerie couldn't hold a candle to it.
However, such thoughts where cast aside pretty much immediately as the two girls sat down on the long sofa in the living room, and the gnawing anxiety returned to Carmella as she began to speak.
She told Blake about how Ilia and herself had been training and spending time together recently. She tried not to gush too badly over the chameleon girl and all she'd done to help the rabbit faunus... the key word being "tried". It was honestly hard for Carmella to not sound like some wide eyed schoolgirl when it came to the other faunus, but in truth, that was part of what had brought her here in the first place. Ilia had been so good to her, she just wanted to help, to understand what was going on with her. Now, was that worth seriously overstepping the clearly present boundaries the spotted girl had in place? Well... that was still up in the air.
Blake had remained silent throughout the entirety of this part of Carm's story. The other teen had this strange- bordering on eerie- sense of calm about her as she listened. She'd just seemed so... cool and composed the entire time, although the rabbit girl could have sworn she caught a glimpse of a knowing smile when the ebony haired faunus went and took a sip from her own teacup. That was weird, but nowhere on the young rabbit girls list of concerns for the moment.
So Carmella got to what had happened earlier that day, the incident that'd spurred her to track down Blake Belladonna in the first place. The cat girl's silence continued, but took on an entirely different tone, what remained in her own cup of tea going cold in her hands. Wide, amber eyes seem to stare right through the long eared faunus as she told the other teen what she'd seen, as well as what she'd felt.
Now more than ever Carmella wished her stupid semblance worked on more than one person. She would've loved to know what Blake was feeling right now. She still wondered why this ability was so locked onto Ilia, but that was a mystery for another day.
Blake gripped her cup tightly with both hands, looking straight down into the dark colored liquid within with a disturbed yet thoughtful expression, her cat ears lying flat, nearly disappearing into her raven colored hair.
"... You're sure about what you saw?" the cat girl asked in a low voice.
"I am," Carm answered, not too terribly offended by the idea of Blake not believing her, she was a stranger that'd basically wandered in off the streets after all.
With a miserable sounding sigh, the cat faunus set down the poor teacup she'd been nearly crushing, the porcelain rattling as it touched the table from her shaking hands.
"So... these scars," Blake started somewhat reluctantly, "what did they look like? Any idea what might've made them?"
Carm made a confused face at the question. How would she know that? She wasn't exactly an expert on that kind of thing, unlike Blake, apparently.
Noticing the lost look in the other girls eyes, Blake clarified, "I mean, did they look like claw marks-" she brought up a hand, curling her three middle fingers and giving her wrist a few bends to better illustrate her point, "- or... did it look like it was done... with a blade?"
The tone of the second half of Blake's question was laced with something Carmella couldn't quite pick up on, but the dark look that came over the other faunus' features as she said it gave her a pretty good idea.
"Uhhh..." The rabbit girl thought back, she hated having to revisit that moment, but if she really wanted Blake's help, then this was the way she'd get it. "They were long, straight, I don't think it was a Grimm, if that's what you're asking. So... maybe a blade then?"
"How long?" The cat girl shot back, a growing intensity in her feline-like eyes.
"I-I don't know," Carm stammered out, withering a bit under the weight behind Blake's tone. "But some of them looked like they went all the way across her back, if that helps?"
Recognition flashed across the cat girls face, like she'd just found the last piece of a puzzle. "Like it was done intentionally..." Blake murmured.
"You don't mean..." The rabbit faunus started, then swallowed deeply, not wanting to connect those dots, but it was impossible to ignore. All she could do was hope she was wrong. "You don't mean... like torture, or something, do you?"
Blake's face fell forward into her hands, essentially confirming Carmella's suspicions. The rabbit girls eyes went wide, she sat there staring across the room as both sat in silence for a long while. The idea that someone had done that to Ilia... deliberately, with the sole purpose of causing as much pain as physically possible... it chilled Carmella to the bone. Who could possibly do something like that?
She didn't have to ponder the question for long. From behind her hands, Blake muttered a name;
"Adam."
"Adam?..." Carmella repeated back without even realizing. She probably wouldn't have even heard Blake say it without the extra set of ears on top of her head.
That was the name of the man Blake and the rest of the militia had come to Haven to stop. The one who'd tried to blow everyone up once his plan had fallen apart.
She'd heard the name Adam Taurus more than once back on Menagerie, and even more so on the boat ride to Mistral. The stories seemed to vary from person to person, some said he was a hero who stood up against humanity for the sake of all faunus in the world, others said he was a madman whose lust for violence gave others of his kind a bad name. Personally Carmella was leaning towards agreeing with the latter, given the whole 'trying to blow everyone up because things weren't going his way' tantrum the bull faunus had pulled.
Did Blake mean that Adam? Was she saying that he was the one who'd... hurt Ilia like that? The cat girl sitting across from her raised her head from her hands. Based on the look the other faunus was giving her right now, Carm could assume the answer was yes.
An odd feeling started stewing in Carmella's gut at that moment. It was like a fire that spread out through her entire body, making her hands tighten into fists and her teeth grind together. The young faunus had been angry many times in her life, when her younger brothers had stolen her diary, when teachers had given big homework assignments before a long weekend, or when one of her bitter exes started spreading rumors behind her back, all of those paled in comparison to this feeling.
She was... furious right now. Furious at the idea of that man, or anyone really, laying a finger on Ilia. She wanted to find him, this... "Adam" guy, and... well, she didn't really know what she wanted to do.
Deck him?... in the schnoz?
Yeah, something like that.
This was a new feeling for the rabbit girl; wanting to cause someone she'd never even met physical harm for something they'd done, not even something they'd done to her personally, but to someone she cared about. Carmella didn't like this feeling, it felt strangely intoxicating, like if she followed this train of thought too far she might actually do something she regretted.
Thankfully, the emotion was pushed aside by the miserable look on Blake face. That was when Carm realized how hard this news must be for the cat girl as well, given the apparent relationship between Ilia and Blake, speaking of which...
"So if your don't mind me asking..." Carmella started, hoping to get answers to a question that'd been on her mind since Ilia had first spoken Blake's name, as well as finding an opportunity to lighten the dark tone of this conversation, "how do you and Ilia know each other? I mean, I gathered you were both in the White Fang together, but I get the feeling there's more to it than that."
Blake regarded the question for a moment, before a lopsided, timid smirk snuck into the edges of her mouth. "We... actually grew up together." The cat girl titled her head slightly, "She never mentioned that?"
There was a small sting in Carmella's chest as she shook her head. "She doesn't really like to talk about herself very much..." she said dejectedly. Getting any information at all about the lizard girls past was akin to pulling teeth in the rabbit faunus' experience.
Blake offered a sympathetic smile. "I'm not surprised, she never was much of a talker, but after everything that happened with her parents, I can't really blame her."
The rabbit ears on top of Carmella's head shot up straight at the mention of the spotted girls parents.
That cat faunus stared at Carm with wide eyes. "Oh... she... never mentioned them either?" Blake asked sheepishly.
No, she hadn't. Although Carmella did recall asking about them once, back on her first day of training with Ilia, as well as the chameleon girls obvious, almost aggressive dismissal as soon as she'd brought up the subject. After that, Carm had just sorta forgotten to follow up about it.
The feeling in the rabbit girls chest grew from a small sting to a deep ache and a small, joyless laugh escaped her lips. She really didn't know anything about Ilia, did she?
Not only that, but with every new thing she learned, it made Carmella more and more aware of how small and insignificant the time the two of them had spent together seemed in the grand scheme of things, like one drop in a bucket full of water. She thought she'd gotten pretty close to the often antisocial seeming faunus, but it was easy to forget that Ilia had lived a whole life before even meeting Carmella, just like she herself had.
"I probably shouldn't say any more about that," Blake went on, "that's not my story to tell."
That was frustrating for the rabbit girl to hear, she felt like she was being led in circles at this point, by both Blake and Ilia. The truth always seemed to be just out of her reach, but in a way, she understood. Carmella recognized that as uncomfortable as this was for her, it was probably much worse for Blake. If their roles were reversed, and some random person started asking questions about one of Carm's friends behind their back, she probably would have told them to take a hike a long time ago. Honestly, the rabbit faunus should consider herself lucky she'd gotten this far while sticking her nose where it didn't belong.
"But yeah, we lived together for years, growing up in the same house. We were each other's best friends, basically sisters," the edges of the cat girls lips curved upwards slightly as she picked up her tea cup and began absentmindedly stirring the now room temperature liquid in it with a spoon. "The way we ran around the island like we owned the place, always getting into trouble and exploring off where we weren't supposed to, it was nice. And then, when we were old enough, we both joined the White Fang. Ilia and I wanted to try and make a difference in the world, and we wanted to do it together."
The cat girl leaned back in her seat, eyes drifting upwards at the fond memories. "We went through a lot in those days. Training together, building our weapons together, fighting to keep our caravans safe from Grimm... as well as... other threats. It wasn't always easy, living on the road like that, but no matter what we had each other to rely on."
Conflicting emotions began to swirl inside the long eared faunus as she listened to Blake. Firstly, it sucked to find out that the girl she'd developed a connection with so quickly had lived no more than a twenty minute walk from her home all those years. The fact the two of them had never crossed paths in all that time (to Carmella's knowledge at least) was baffling and more than a little aggravating to her.
Secondly- and Carm was fully aware how childish this was- she was actually a little... jealous to hear about all the time Blake and Ilia had spent together. It wasn't the cat girls fault, or anyone's really. Like she'd said, Carmella didn't even know Ilia existed until a free weeks ago. So then why did she feel like this?
Jealousy was another new feeling to the rabbit girl, she'd never really felt that way before about anything, or anyone for that matter. Even when she'd see her exes off starting new relationships and just generally being happier, it never bothered her, not like this at least. So that raised the question of; what made what she felt around Ilia so special? So... different?
"We were really close once..." Blake continued on, but then the smile fell from her face, "... all three of us."
"Three?" Carm asked, brought out of that gross pit of bitterness she'd chosen to wallow in by the other faunus' curious choice of words.
The cat girls body slouched forward, any joy or nostalgia gone from her amber eyes. "Yes, me, Ilia... and Adam," she said, speaking the final name in an darker tone.
"Wait, Adam?" Carmella said incredulously, "Like, that Adam?!"
The other girl nodded curtly. "Yes, him. I know how it sounds, but there was a time when even I..." Blake paused and scoffed as the ears on her head laid flat, "when even I fell for his whole facade. I thought he was just misunderstood, but it turned out I was the one refusing to see who he really was, and by the time I realized that, there was nothing I could do to stop him."
Well, that was certainly a whopper of a puzzle piece for Carmella. It all seemed so unreal to her, Ilia and Adam had been friends once? And he'd still... done that to her? Why? Just how twisted was this guy? The rabbit girl couldn't imagine doing anything so cruel to anyone she cared about, not even her worst enemy deserved something like that in her eyes.
She just couldn't understand, but as horrible as all this was to hear, it did help clear up a few things about Ilia for the long eared faunus. She'd been betrayed by someone so close to her, in one of the most horrific ways possible, that's why the spotted girl was so guarded all the time, or surely at the very least a large part of the reason.
The animosity Carmella felt towards what was essentially a complete stranger seemed to only grow the more she learned about Adam. How could he have betrayed Ilia's trust like that? Of course, then came the uncomfortable realization that Carm was currently doing exactly that to Ilia just by being here, meeting one of Ilia's friends behind the chameleon girls back. So what right did she have to judge?
As Carmella stewed on that thought for a moment, Blake sighed. "I still can't believe what you told me. I mean, I'm not so surprised that Adam would do something like that, it's just... but to Ilia of all people, all because I... and Ilia's been carrying that all this time, and I didn't even know..."
There was a long silence between the two faunus, neither feeling particularly good about themselves at that moment. Then, with a huff, the cat girl stood.
"I have to go talk to her."
It felt like a lightning bolt struck Carmella as she leapt to her feet, fresh, new panic erupting from within her. She jumped over the coffee table, barely clearing the tea set in the middle, and landing in front of Blake, blocking her way as the cat girl went to leave.
"Y-you can't do that!" The rabbit girl blurted out, arms extended out wide as if to further impede the other faunus' progress.
Blake stared at the brunette with a look of mild shock and confusion. "Um... why?" She asked.
"Because!... because..." Carmella started, then, upon realizing how stupid she must look, let her arms fall back to her sides as she gave out a heavy sigh and her head hung down towards the floor.
"... because then she'll know I told you about it..." The rabbit girl muttered miserably to the wooden boards beneath her. "She'll... she'll never speak to me again... please..."
Concern was all that had brought Carmella here, she hadn't meant to be nosy, not really. She just thought... I don't know, that maybe Blake already knew about Ilia's scars, and that she would just tell Carm what had happened, so she could understand the chameleon faunus better. She'd had no idea the size of the can of worms she'd been opening, and by the time she did, there was no closing it.
Carmella knew Ilia wasn't stupid, far from it, and she also knew that as soon as Blake showed up at the spotted faunus' door asking questions about something she'd only just revealed to Carm earlier that same day, it would be pretty obvious as to what brought it on.
"You must really care about her a lot."
Blake's words made the rabbit ears on Carmella's head shoot back up straight, then slowly fall back down, laying flat. She slowly raised her head to see the cat girl bent forward slightly to meet Carm's level. Blake gave the other girl another knowing smile that made the brunette's whole face burn.
The embarrassed looking faunus turned away slightly and gave a sheepish nod. She supposed her affection for the spotted girl must have been pretty obvious at this point, but it was so much more than that now. This wasn't just some crush she had on a cute, badass girl that was teaching her to operate highly destructive weaponry. Ilia had put her trust in her, and now that Carmella knew for a fact just how short of a supply the ponytailed girl had, that made the amount she'd received all the more precious, and the idea that she'd betrayed that trust so much more painful. That's why Ilia could never know Carm was here... but then wouldn't that be an even bigger betrayal? Was she really prepared to add lying to the girl she claimed to care so much about to her list of mistakes today?
"I get it," Blake continued, "She means a lot to me too."
That got Carmella's attention, her body straightening up, joined quickly by her long ears. There had been a certain "vibe" in the air as Blake had told the rabbit girl about her "relationship" with Ilia, one that was beginning to lead Carm to believe there was more going on there than just friendship. She'd written it off at first as her just reading too much into it, but with what Blake had just said, those suspicions were dangerously close to becoming reality.
It made sense, Carmella supposed, the two of them had spent most of their lives together, according to the cat girl. Traveling on the road, fighting monsters, saving lives, just a couple of bad girls living life on the edge, Blake would probably be a really good fit for Ilia. Certainly better than some wannabe Huntress who could barely hold her own tonfa right.
She could see it now; Blake rushing to the chameleon girls side in the dead of night, having a long, emotional conversation that culminated in the cat faunus tearfully confessing her hidden feelings for her longtime friend. Then, Ilia would gently lift the cat girls sulking face, wiping away a single tear on the other faunus' cheek as she told Blake she felt the same way, before slowly leaning in and-
The rabbit girl gave her head a quick shake, brushing aside her melodramatic fantasy. Now wasn't the time for her newfound jealousy to get out of control, this was serious. Worrying about having accidentally sent Ilia into the arms of another girl should be the last thing on Carm's mind right now...
Okay, maybe not the last, but definitely second or third behind the whole 'having broken the other faunus' trust,' thing.
"... and it's exactly because I care that I can't let this fester any longer."
While Carmella was busy tucking away those unhelpful thoughts for minute, Blake continued.
"All of this, all that pain Ilia's been hiding, it's because of me. Adam might've been the one holding the blade that day, but the way I see it, this is just as much my fault as it is his."
The rabbit eared girl wanted to pry, to find out what the hell that meant, but felt she'd invade enough of Ilia's privacy for one day, and let it slide. Still though, Carm knew that if she couldn't convince Blake to not do this, it would be the end for her and her beloved teacher.
"Carmella... please, understand, I have to do this," the cat girl tried to explain to the other faunus still blocking her way. "I'm the only one who can make this right, and the only way I can see to do that is by talking to her about this."
Carm gave the other teen a skeptical look, still not fully convinced.
"Let me ask you this then," Blake said, "what would you do in my situation?"
If it had been her? If Carmella had been the one to discover something someone close to her had been hiding? Something that had been eating that someone alive from the inside for far too long? Hurting them? And she'd realized it was all her fault? The answer was simple, the rabbit girl didn't even have to think about it. Admitting it, however, that was the toughest thing she'd done all day.
"I'd do everything I could to make it right..." Carmella finally said, dejectedly.
She knew Blake was right, she'd probably known that from the moment the cat girl brought this up. More lies and deceit weren't going to get her out of this hole she'd dug herself. It sucked, but the best thing the rabbit girl could do at this point was take the hit, face the consequences of her actions when they came... even if ended up costing her something precious. Because at the end of the day this wasn't about her, it was about Ilia, and making sure she was okay. Her own happiness should barely even be considered an afterthought.
With her long ears hanging low over her head, Carmella reluctantly stepped aside, out of Blake's way.
The cat girl gave the other faunus a sympathetic look, showing a clear understanding of the inner turmoil Carm must be facing right now.
"For what it's worth, I'm not trying to get you in trouble with her," Blake said, stepping closer and putting a hand on the poor girls upper arm. "I won't mention where I heard this from, if that makes you feel better."
It was a nice sentiment, but Carmella knew she was screwed. Still though, she managed an appreciative smile and a nod towards the raven haired girl. Blake's hands slowly slid off the rabbit faunus' arm, as if she could sense that her platitude had little effect in easing the other girls conscience.
"... I'm sorry," Blake said genuinely. "It was nice to meet you though, I just wish it'd been under better circumstances. Also, I wish we had a chance to actually enjoy our tea. Maybe another time?"
That at least earned a quiet laugh from the rabbit faunus. Of all the things to be worried about...
"Sure," Carm said with a slightly more realistic looking smile. Despite how all of this has turned out, she'd actually found herself really liking Blake, and would definitely consider hanging out with her again sometime... You know, once Ilia was done hating her forever and everything...
Blake reciprocated the expression, before giving another long sigh. "Well... I should probably get going."
"You're going now?" The rabbit girl asked, sounding more surprised than upset at this point. It was sorta late.
"Yeah, no sense delaying the inevitable," the other faunus replied. "You can stay here tonight if you want. I'm sure my friends would be willing to keep you company."
The idea was alluring, but Carmella knew she'd wasn't up for it. She loved meeting new people, but to say her heart wouldn't be in it at the moment was an understatement.
"Nah, I'm... It's getting pretty late, so I think I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and crash, rain check though," she said, politely refusing.
"Do you want me to walk you back?" Blake asked.
"I'm good, thanks," Carm replied. "I've got... a lot to think about right now."
Blake gave a nod of understanding, and led the other faunus girl to the front door, where they said their farewells and went their separate ways into the steadily approaching night.
As Carmella traveled down the now mostly empty-but thankfully, still well lit- streets, her stomach was in knots. She was... well, she wasn't really angry per-say, gods, she wished it was that simple. She wished she could just be angry, about all of this, it would be so easy by comparison, to have a hot pit of fire in her guts that she could project outward, at Blake, at Ilia, hell, even just at herself, anything would be better than the actual feelings eating away at her right now as she walked down the shadowed city streets, mentally kicking herself again and again for her stupid, stupid choices.
No one had forced her to track down Blake, to involve herself in something that she wasn't a part of, she could have easily spent the evening in her hotel room, endured another sleepless night, let these secrets stay buried, but no, Carmella just had to try to "help," and look where that had gotten her.
No, this was worse than simple anger, this was guilt, the kind that settled itself deep down inside you, kicked off its shoes, put its feet up onto your favorite coffee table and proclaimed that it would be staying a looooong time.
A part of her wondered if Ilia felt it too, as a result of the rabbit girls bizarre- and thus far, mostly worthless- semblance. Was she already aware that something had happened? That the long eared faunus she was inexplicably linked to had done something that had upset herself?
... No... no, somehow- don't ask Carmella exactly how- she just... felt that Ilia didn't know yet. She was still getting a feel for the sensation that usually came with sharing emotions with the ponytailed teen, but had experienced the bizarre phenomenon enough times to be able to tell when their "link" wasn't active. Whether it was because of proximity, or just random, Carm still had no idea, but right now, her emotions were her own.
However, none of that was much of a comfort to the rabbit girl. She knew it was only a matter of time before the chameleon faunus would find out about Carmella's betrayal of her trust. Then, all that would be left was for Carm to face what came after...
The young faunus stopped in her tracks, leaning her shoulder up against the cool stone of a nearby building and bringing a hand up to her face, covering her eyes as she grit her teeth in response to the bitter, cold feeling spreading within herself.
She knew it was all over now, she knew that there was no way Ilia would ever forgive her for this, and yet, somehow that wasn't the worst part. No, what was worse was that, even after being betrayed by one of her closest friends, Ilia had still decided to take a chance on Carmella, to try again and open herself up to someone new, even just a little bit. And how had she been repaid? By getting stabbed in the back all over again.
No, what sucked so much worse than Ilia not wanting to spend time with her ever again, was the idea that the chameleon girl might never trust another person in her life, and that was all thanks to Carmella, no one else.
With a quiet growl of frustration, the rabbit girl slammed her fist against the wall she was leaning on, the glare on her face leveled at the ground before her. She stood there for a little while, her knuckles pressed against the rough surface, before letting out a sigh, reaching up to dry her eyes on her forearm, and then continued on her way.
If Carmella hadn't been so upset and lost in her own head, she might've noticed the huge hole she'd made in the side of the building she'd punched, with cracks spidering out across the stone all around it.
She also might've noticed the tall figure that had been stalking her since she'd left the house Blake was staying at.
Once Carmella had moved on, the tall, muscular figure stepped over to the wall and observed the destruction in silence, then turned to look at the path the rabbit girl had taken, before finally turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
Tonight was not his night to strike, but soon, he'd get the revenge he so desired.
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A/N- Yeah, bit of a shorter chapter this time, but you got it like a week after the last one, so what right do you have to complain? (Authors note... again- you have every right to complain... maybe in a review maybe?)
The next chapter (which should be out in another week or so) is a little longer than this one, but shorter than the one before this. Just right in my opinion. We get the fallout from all of this. Hope to see you there!