Defying Purple

Ilia Amitola is a chameleon faunus girl with usually brown hair, tan skin, and gray eyes. Usually, because of her nature as a chameleon, she changes color along with her emotions, but otherwise, she looks no different from an ordinary human girl. Currently, she is making preparations to head to Atlas to find and recruit the Assassin behind the Red Auction Incident. Ilia had no good memories of Atlas since her parents died in an accident at the Schnee No.2 Dust Mine. The chameleon girl never thought she would return to that kingdom like this, but she did agree to the mission.

As Ilia filled her duffel bag, she heard a knock at her door and saw someone who made her smile, Blake Belladonna. She is a 13-year-old girl with long black hair, yellow cat-like eyes, and pale skin with a pair of black cat ears atop her head. The catgirl looked at her friend with worry and asked.

" Are you going to be fine, Ilia?"

The chameleon girl felt happy at the catgirl's concern and assured her.

" I'll manage Blake, thank you."

Blake knew of Ilia's history with Atlas when she pretended to be a human girl while her parents worked in the mines to give her the best life they could. After an awkward moment of silence, Blake asked her friend to make conversation.

" What kind of person do you think the Assassin is, Ilia?"

" Not sure, but considering he not only dealt with those human scum but also helped the faunus being treated as merchandise get back to their homes, I'm guessing they are at least sympathetic to our cause."

Ilia answered with venom in her voice as she talked about the humans but smiled at the end since she felt glad for the mistreated faunus returning to their families. As the chameleon girl wanted to make small talk with the cat girl, another person showed up looking for Blake, Adam.

" Blake, are you ready to go?"

" Yes, Adam."

The cat girl gave the bull faunus her undivided attention, which soured Ilia's previous good mood. Adam turns to face the chameleon girl and wishes her luck.

" I hope you find our new ally, Ilia."

Adam felt sure that the one behind the Red Auction Incident would join the White Fang. The bull faunus left with Blake in tow as the cat girl waved her friend goodbye, which the chameleon girl returned despite her awkward feelings. Ilia felt depressed that Blake only looked at Adam and not... her. She sighed as she finished packing and went to catch a ride to Atlas.

***

Willow Schnee looked up at the starry sky from her garden near her menagerie with a bottle of vodka in hand. The Schnee matriarch, drunk from the bottle, tries to get a buzz going for her while trying to forget her troubles and mistakes. Her only other comfort is the animals she acquires from her expeditions to add to her menagerie. Jacques doesn't care about Willow's hobbies so long as she doesn't get in his way and allows her into an account to fund her zoo. For the Schnee matriarch, animals do not have the malice humans have, like her husband.

As Willow reached for her bottle of vodka to addle her mind further, she found it missing. She looked around and then heard an electronic voice say.

" I can't have you completely drunk right now, Willow Schnee."

The Schnee matriarch froze in fright and asked fearfully.

" Who's there?"

" Someone with an offer to you, and you alone."

She continued to look around, trying to find the source of the voice but found nothing. Willow mutters to herself as she shakes with grim realization.

" Am going crazy..."

" No, you are not; I am simply invisible."

The Schnee matriarch felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see no one there. The electronic voice spoke as Willow started to panic.

" I am not here to hurt you but help you."

Disbelief ran through Willow's mind as she looked for an exit, then felt something enter her hand, a small hand-sized bottle of vodka, and the unseen stranger told her.

" Have this to calm your nerves for now."

The Schnee matriarch immediately opened the bottle and downed it quickly, which helped slightly. The electronic voice then asked her.

" Can we talk now, please?"

Willow then asked the unseen stranger nervously.

" What do you want?"

" For now, remove Jacques Gele from the public scene and have you take over your birthright."

The Schnee matriarch was stunned at the blunt reply and said.

" This is a dream."

The next moment she felt her hand being pinched, and the unseen stranger told her plainly.

" No, it is not, Willow Schnee."

Willow rubbed her hand from being pinched and started to shake from fright as she asked.

" Who are you?"

" Someone who has an offer."

The Schnee matriarch asked while trying to find her invisible intruder.

" What offer?"

" To be free of Jacques Gele and help you take over the Schnee Dust Company. For a price, of course, but we can discuss that at a later date."

Willow bitterly said without feeling any hope.

" Jacques has complete control over everything about the company and family. It's impossible."

" You don't have a choice in the matter unless you don't care about your children at all anymore."

The Schnee matriarch went ridge as she asked.

" Are you threatening my children?"

Her face was pale from fear, and she was about to shout for help but then heard something unexpected.

" No, I would never harm a hair on their heads."

Willow was surprised to hear that, then listened.

" Your husband, however, is another matter entirely."

The Schnee matriarch felt her Scroll vibrate, and the unseen stranger said.

" Look over that information carefully if you care about your children still, and I will be back in a few days to discuss a deal between us."

Willow called out, looking nervous.

" Hello?"

As she felt somewhat sure, the intruder left the Schnee matriarch and took out her Scroll to see what information she was just given. Willow would soon go over a series of revelations tonight that no amount of alcohol could make her forget.

***

I, Silva Branwen, have successfully made first contact with Willow Schnee and now hope for the best. As I pinched her, I used Soul Archive to see just how bad her mental health was. I decided my plan to motivate the Schnee matriarch into action—using the knowledge I have acquired about Jacques's actions to show Willow just what he intends to do with his and her children, along with the information Jacques has a hand at Nicholas Schnee's premature death. If she reacts like I think she will, then I can start dealing with Jacques, but if she still just gives up, then I will have to do things the hard way.

For now, sleep calls for me, and I crawl into my bed. I found Argint lying in my bed, which doesn't surprise me since this isn't the first time this has happened with her. The vampire girl tries to please me at every turn, and I respond by giving her a choice to do what she wants. I got in bed and decided to handle the situation in the morning. As I lay next to Argint, I felt how she cold felt and pulled her in closer to me to warm her. I hugged her petite body against my own and admired how soft she felt despite the circumstances behind this.

I may be no hero, but I can't leave some things alone, especially when they're right in front of me. And finding the organization that made Argint like this and exterminating them is on my to-do list. I close my eyes as I relax my mind to sleep.