Crimson Immoderation Part 31

Cats were curious creatures. It wasn’t a flaw in their nature as the popular idiom would imply. Not innately. Cats were predators. Highly territorial creatures. Curiosity wasn’t simply inquisitiveness for its own sake. It was a survival instinct. Any unfamiliar scent may be prey. Food. Any subtle movement or sound may be an invader into their territory. A threat that must be scared off, destroyed or fled from depending on what it was.

Not that any of this was relevant to Blake as she cautiously stalked the focus of her interest, wanting to ensure he wasn’t a threat to her friend. That whole thing about faunus behaving in a manner akin to the source of their animal traits was just stupid human superstition. She liked fish because fish were delicious. She hated dogs because they were loud, obnoxious and they peed everywhere. And she was stalking– Investigating! She was investigating Vlad because he was into some weird stuff and had somehow roped Ilia into it. She was willing to give him a little leeway. He had helped her out before and while she wished there were a better way things could have ended for Auburn, she knew it was wishful thinking. Vlad had earned some good will but that didn’t mean she would let him get Ilia into any kind of shady dealings without first finding out whether those shady dealings were a potential threat that needed to be ended.

... But yeah, the animal behaviour thing was bullshit.

She could tell Vlad knew she was following him. She felt confident he hadn’t noticed her doing it. He’d done his best to employ tactics for avoiding pursuers but she still managed to follow him to his destination. That meant he expected someone to be tailing him but didn’t know for sure. A shame for him. Blue bloods didn’t need to learn that kind of thing, definitely didn’t need to get good enough to outfox a faunus. The interesting thing was, even if he knew he was likely to be followed he was still going. If he didn’t have the patience to wait until the interested party would lose that interest, he didn’t have the luxury of time to do so either. Whatever he was going to do, it was time sensitive.

She followed him carefully. At a distance as to be concealed from his awareness but not so far that she could get thrown off by his mediocre tricks. Above him through the streets as he ducked into one building to come out through a rear exit, moved quicker to get distance from anyone who might have been following. It was almost cute how determined he was to throw her off. Unfortunate for him that he just wasn’t up to the task. She trailed him all the way to the industrial district of Vale where he ducked into a warehouse. For a moment she thought he planned to duck back out again through another exit but no. This was his destination. A nondescript warehouse. Not terrible as a hideout assuming it was all paid up under a pseudonym. Taking over a place like this without the right palms being greased would be a good way to get the cops called on you for B&E.

Or maybe that was just a faunus thing.

Well if this was where he was going, it was time to get a closer look to see what was so important about this place–

“Hey, kitten.”

The cat faunus winced, both at the new nickname and at being so quickly caught. “Ilia.” That made sense. Vlad at least understood his own shortcomings. If he couldn’t keep her away then his best option was to send out someone who could check for unwelcome visitors after he arrived. Though then again, an alternative option would have been to have Ilia tail him on his way over. The result would have been the same only without his hideout being compromised. 

Something wasn’t right. She turned, seeing her old friend standing there in her dark, form-hugging suit with her arms folded. Though no weapon in hand. Yet. “Good to see you’re still doing okay.”

“Yeah,” Ilia reciprocated the sentiment, “You too. So what brings you out here?”

There was no possible excuse that could explain this. “I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay.”

The chameleon faunus nodded, humming an acknowledging agreement. “I appreciate it. Well, I’m doing pretty good. No need to worry for my sake. Well,” she immediately amended, “Vlad was a little annoyed that I helped you figure out what he’s been up to. But only a little.”

“Sorry,” Blake felt compelled to apologise. “I’m just worried about you. You’re the only person from the... From before that I still consider a friend.”

Ilia’s freckles shifted from pink to green to pink, then back to their natural shade. “Well that’s sweet. But we’re all okay here. Thanks for visiting. You can go now.”

“And if I don’t want to go?” the cat faunus asked. “If I want to know what’s really going on here?”

The freckled girl stared, not quite glared at her before breathing out a sigh. “Gotta be honest, Blake. It kinda pisses me off you prying into other people’s business when you’re still wearing that bow.”

A hand went up to her head, finding the piece of fabric covering her ears. She... Hadn’t even thought about it. Whether she should continue wearing it. She just kept putting it on without even thinking. It was almost natural. Almost. And that scared her more than she ever thought it would. She had hidden her ears because after everything that happened with Auburn... She just didn’t want to be a faunus anymore. A faunus’ life was a struggle of suspicion and derision. Her parents had tried to make it better and failed. Auburn and Sienna had fought to make it better, succeeded, but did horrible things in the process. It was hard to accept. The idea that if they wanted to be treated with decency they had to get blood on their hands. She felt that if that was the cost, that to stop their suffering they had to cause more suffering, then they didn’t deserve the better life they were fighting for.

She had listened to her conscience that day. Denied Auburn the chance to murder and in the process she had run away. Not just from Auburn, but from the cause. Auburn scared her, but she had never felt more of a coward than when she decided to give up fighting for equality. Even feeling like the methods were wrong, to give up so completely felt like a betrayal. Like she was giving up a part of herself to assuage her guilt.

So she ran. She ran from Auburn. From the cause. From being a faunus. All held back by her little black bow.

“You’re right,” she admitted, pulling at the knot, letting the ribbon loose to hang from her fingers. Her ears twitched at their sudden freedom. “Here,” she held it out for her friend to take. “I don’t need it anymore.” There was no more reason to hide.

“You want me to take it?” Ilia asked, her nose wrinkling. “Why?”

“I thought it’d look good on you. To tie your hair.”

“Oh,” the bright pink returned to her freckles, her skin also turning a few shades lighter. “Well... Thanks, I guess.” Awkwardly, she snatched the ribbon out of Blake’s hand and pocketed it, avoiding eye contact.

“If you really want to thank me you can tell me what Vlad’s up to...”

Ilia’s eyes rolled, though she wore a fond grin. “Just don’t know how to leave well enough alone huh? Still same old Blake.” The grin dropped, her expression becoming more serious. “Look, Vlad doesn’t really care that much that you know about me, or about this place. So long as you keep your mouth shut around Beacon. Hell, before long it won’t even matter that much.”

So she had to keep his secrets now too. And even from Weiss. That was slightly worrying. She had gotten into one difficult situation with the heiress already. She didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a disagreement between her and Vlad. “Then you can tell me what’s going on.” That didn’t mean she wouldn’t though. She had come to get answers. So she would get answers.

The chameleon’s eyes rolled as she made a beckoning gesture before hopping off the roof they were standing on to another. Blake quickly followed as Ilia led her around the outside of the warehouse, stopping around halfway along the side wall. “You wanna know what he’s up to? Take a look,” she offered, gesturing at one of the windows.

He was in there. Blake crouched low, reducing her profile in case he happened to look out the window, though with Ilia refusing to do the same it was a wasted effort. Pulling out a handheld scope she looked in through the window, seeing Vlad there offering a bag to a woman with light brown skin and brown hair. The woman was wearing an ill-fitting outfit. Clothing that looked more appropriate for a girl of Ilia’s stature and style. Which explained where those clothes had come from, and why the bag Vlad had brought her contained yet more clothes.

“Vlad brought her here in a hospital gown and his coat,” Ilia explained. “She’s been through some hard times from what he’s told me.”

“Did... This wasn’t Auburn...” Blake stated, but only for fear of it being a question.

“No,” her friend confirmed, relieving her fears. “There’s a lot more than the White Fang causing suffering in the world. Seems he’s taking aim at one of the bigger fish for that.”

“Who is she?”

“Someone who needed help,” came the non-answer. “And someone who’ll only be put in more danger if you decide to speak up about this.”

“I get it.” The cat faunus continued watching the two interact through the window, the lanky blue blood sitting next to her on the twin bed, the two talking comfortably. “I won’t say anything.”

-(-)-

“She’s gonna keep doing it.”

“You know, after the first time I kind of hoped you’d convince her to leave things alone. You’ve caught her snooping every time I come here.”

“Yeah, well, Blake is Blake. Not being able to leave things alone is half her personality.”

“Alright. Well... There’s no reason we can’t make the most of this opportunity.”

“Seeing a stalker as an opportunity. You’re a weird guy sometimes.”

“Yeah, well, if you want that chance you’ve been hoping for you should be ready to make your move.”

“Make my–?!”

“That’s right. Time to seize the day.”

-(-)-

I knock loudly on the wall outside of Amber’s room, the makeshift lodgings of the warehouse not exactly furnished with proper doors. We gave Amber a reasonable facsimile of one using a temporary wall screen so she would have some privacy.

Well. The illusion of privacy. An unfortunate amount of Amber’s time here has been spent as the victim of a certain feline voyeur. Blake can’t seem to leave well enough alone. Not that it will be a problem much longer though. Amber is going back tomorrow. A little while before the Atlas contingent are to arrive. A significant emergency turned back down to a regular emergency with her return. Just in time to stop Ironwood from tearing apart the city to find her.

“Vlad?” Amber asks as she peeks around the screen, a smile lighting her face as she sees me. “Hi!”

“Good evening, Amber,” I greet her with a matching smile as I enter. “How are you feeling? Nervous about tomorrow at all?”

She sighs. “How could I not be? Ozpin... I didn’t really trust him to start with. Now after all of this... And I have to–”

“You don’t have to do anything,” I reassure her with a touch to the outside of her shoulder. Something she has gotten very used to over the past couple of days to the point she just about melts into it. “If you’d rather let him believe everything’s fine, or give him an earful for what he planned, that’s up to you.”

“What if... What if I want to stay here instead? With you?” she asks, hope shining in her eyes.

And this is the tragedy of the Fall Maiden. She was never the heroic warrior type. She wasn’t entrusted with the power of a maiden by someone who thought she would take good care of it. She was a random recipient. One Qrow had managed to track down years ago when she first manifested her powers. She never wanted this life. Never wanted to be a target. Never wanted to be a hero. She wanted to be a schoolteacher. Specifically for young children too young to have realised the world is terrible. And yet here she is the latest victim in a tug of war between immortal demigods. She would have died for that war if not for a third party inserting themselves. Me. And here I am doing the same thing as they did, just being a bit nicer about it.

I don’t want her for the maiden power, though. It will be a nice benefit but Amber is among the last people I would call on for help in a fight. I want her, because she will give me power. Currently there is no force on Remnant that can put an end to Salem. Not the maidens, not Ozpin, not the relics. It would take calling the gods back and I’m not putting myself at the mercy of capricious overgrown lizards, let alone the entire world. But, if I gather the right powers, the right abilities from the right girls, I could put a stop to Salem. She can’t die, but putting a collar on her and fucking her until she can think of nothing but pleasing me? That would end the threat she poses. At least for my lifetime.

Amber is how I get the power to do that. Real magic. That’s what I need. Whatever power is required for me to get close. All I need to get there is to get this humble demigod to spread her legs for me. The perfect cocktail of affection, admiration, respect, arousal, all mixed together to get her wet and ready for me. All with the ticking clock in the background as she wonders if this will be her last chance to express herself.

“Amber, if you don’t want to go back, I won’t force you. We’ll need to make sure Ozpin knows you’re safe somehow, but if you’d rather hide and leave his forever war behind, I don’t think anyone would blame you. It’s put you through more than you ever deserved.” 

She offers me a smile of gratitude. I’m genuinely astonished just how easy it is to blame Ozpin for everything Cinder did. It’s like the world is predisposed to not trusting him. For the heroic types he’s the man with the plan (even if he doesn’t have a plan). For the non-heroic types though, he’s a dispassionate man with no regard for the lives lost under his watch. It’s somewhat unfair to expect him to have the solution to a problem the world itself tells him there is no solution for.

The gods are dicks. This is known.

I feel a sudden warm contact on my hand, Amber taking it in hers then pulling it gently as if to beckon me. Going with it, I feel her reach up her other hand to cup my face as she kisses me. It’s short, chaste, and then she lets go looking very uncertain of herself. “I wanted to do that, as a thank you. You’re the first person who cared what I wanted ever since I got these powers. So, I, it’s nice to feel like I can choose how I live my life again. I wouldn’t have ever gotten that chance if it weren’t for you so I wanted to say thank you.” She blushes, looks away. “But you’re... Umm, really tall, so...”

“I see. Well, you’re welcome. But,” I once again take the hand she had used to pull me down to her level, “Was thanking me the only reason?”

She looks up at me. Sees my encouraging, welcoming expression. Pushing my hand away, her eyes flare with magical power, purely so she can levitate herself a foot in the air to kiss me once again, this time with much more passion. I grab her by the waist as I feel her legs wrap around me. Her power recedes as she secures herself. Her arousal having been at a low simmer since I first touched her shoulder ratchets up, encouraging her actions, her own body telling her she made the right decision while at the same time telling her she wants more. With the right timing and the right incentive, any woman can fall to passions they never imagined. Something I’m counting on in the future.

I don’t love Amber. I barely know her as a character, let alone as a person. I find her attractive, I more than appreciate her sweet little gasps and moans as her body heats up at a frightening pace, as her clothes are removed piece by piece. She’s cute, kind, almost but not quite innocent, her body fit and tight. No one can deny that she has her own appeal. I’ll take her as mine, maybe one day I’ll love her. She wants to be a schoolteacher, she’ll be an ideal nanny for my many children. But for now, as I lay her down and hear her pleasured yelp as I enter her, she’ll suffice as a catalyst for my more immediate plans.

I fight not to glance out the window, keeping all of my focus on my newest conquest as I drive her wild. I won’t know until later whether the other part of tonight’s festivities has gone to plan. I just have to hope Ilia is following through.

-(-)-

One former White Fang agent stalked another, hiding away from her old friend, uncertain whether she really wanted to go through with this.

Vlad had told her he had set things up for her. That if there were ever a chance for her to get what she wanted, this would be it. Blake would be receptive to advances. If she felt any kind of sexual or romantic interest in Ilia, even subconsciously, she would find it difficult to resist. Even more primed by watching Vlad’s going in for the kill with the maiden.

There the cat faunus stood. Then knelt. Watching the enigmatic man strip the maiden through the window. It was a pleasant view. What was going on in that room, and what was happening on the roof as Blake’s own hands began to roam.

This was Ilia’s moment. And yet, she hesitated. Vlad had said it. If she had a chance, this was it. So if Blake rejected her even now... Then it was never meant to be.

But at the same time, she had already lost without a fight once. To Auburn. A flame of anger burned away her doubts at remembering. Blake had fallen for the masked faunus and gotten so hurt because of it. How different would things have been if Ilia had plucked up the courage to make a move? Would it have been better? She didn’t know. But she couldn’t forgive herself that any blame could be lain on her unwillingness to try.

She moved. Landed near silently behind the friend she wished could be more. Vlad’s price didn’t matter. So Ilia would have to be his. That didn’t matter so long as Blake could be hers.

The cat faunus was too deeply engrossed in watching the window to even notice Ilia’s approach. Not until she felt an extra set of arms wrap around her. She startled, her ears pointing straight upward. She was only slightly reassured by recognising the scent of the person holding her. “Ilia?”

“Hi... Kitten,” Ilia responded, doing her best to smile. She had tried the nickname on a whim the first time, hoping to sound more confident, more smooth than she felt. In this moment it felt like it was backfiring. Like it was incredibly obvious how uncertain she was with this sort of thing.

“Wh-what are you doing?” How much of Blake’s nervous stutter was from getting caught touching herself watching people have sex, and how much was for Ilia’s forwardness was anyone’s guess.

“Something that I’ve always wanted to do.” Her answer was accompanied by a brushing of her lips along the girl’s cheek. Was it surprise that saw Blake turn around in her arms? Or receptiveness? There was only one test. She leaned forward, once more offering her lips, this time directly to Blake’s own.

Ilia’s heart soared as she found the girl she dreamed of didn’t pull away. Instead their lips touched, then pressed together as the cat faunus’ head tilted to deepen the kiss. The brunette’s tongue lapped at her upper lip, asking, begging for permission. Her skin flared a passionate, pale magenta at the tacit reciprocation and acceptance of Blake’s parted lips. All at once, Ilia’s timidness fell away. The love she dreamed of was right there waiting with open arms. Her affections grew fiercer, more possessive as her tongue darted through wet lips to seek and dominate Blake’s. 

Her kitten gasped, stumbled back as Ilia pressed forward insistently. Their kiss parted as the cat faunus found herself perched on the edge of the roof. Ilia tried to follow her down but Blake held her back by the shoulder. “Wait, wait! Where– Ilia, where did this come from?!”

“It didn’t come from anywhere,” the chameleon answered honestly. “One day it was just there, but I could never bring myself to say anything. And then you were...” She winced. She didn’t want to bring up that name. Not now. Not ever again if she could help it. “I missed my chance. I don’t want to miss it again. This is it. This is what I’ve always felt for you.”

“I...”

Talking was done. There were no more words that needed to be shared. The freckled girl pounced on her new lover, the surprised cat laying out on her back, still not pushing against her. Still not rejecting her. She smiled down at Blake, taking her lips once again, one hand snaking into her top that had been opened in Blake’s voyeuristic self-indulgence. Ilia’s calloused fingers stroking at her kitten’s erect nipple, cupping and massaging her breast as their tongues danced together.

Before long, Ilia began to slide down Blake’s body, kissing at her neck, then down the middle of her chest, tongue flicking over her belly button as the chameleon opened Blake’s shorts. The cat had no misgivings about where this was going judging by how quickly her hips rose to let Ilia pull down her shorts and panties.

“Ilia– Oh!” Whatever Blake wanted to say was lost as Ilia flicked her tongue at the apex of her soaked nether lips. Her hands settled atop Ilia’s head, gently encouraging her to keep going as her own head rolled back.

The chameleon feasted on Blake’s sticky mound, her slick lips. Savouring the taste on her tongue as it delved between those lips to slither inside her. For a moment she wished her faunus trait was a chameleon tongue instead of skin. She wanted to taste, to touch every inch of Blake inside and out. Feel the squeeze of her pussy’s pussy as she came. But  the best she would need to settle for was the tang of Blake’s girlcum splashing on her tongue. She drank it gladly but had no intention of stopping. Her tongue coiled around Blake’s erect clit, not giving her a single moment’s respite. Her shrieks and yelps at the continuing intense sensations, not even given the chance to come down from her orgasmic high. That ecstasy. She wanted to give Blake that. Over and over again. As often as she could.

But it seemed Blake had other ideas. Legs like jelly, mind dazed, none of it mattered as Blake threw Ilia onto her back, flipping their positions. “You think I’m just going to take that?” Blake asked, demanded, glaring down at her.

In that instant, Ilia felt terrified. Had she gone too far? “I’m sorry! I mean, I didn’t mean to–!”

“Your turn,” Blake insisted with a severe frown, unzipping the chameleon’s bodysuit and pulling it down from her shoulders to reveal petite breasts. The frown turned to a gentle smile of reassurance.

Even being just a little embarrassed as she was carefully bared before her new lover, she couldn’t help the wetness rimming her eyes. So relieved was she that she hadn’t messed everything up. Her hips moved to ease the passage of her bodysuit down over the shallow curve of her backside then down over her thighs. More or less completely bare for Blake’s appraisal.

Not that the cat faunus was interested in giving it. She was far more interested in exploring. Feeling the tight muscles, searching for the spots that would make the chameleon faunus twitch and writhe. Fingers and stroking palms soon replaced with a curious lapping tongue that tasted her skin. Her freckles flared pink again, getting Blake’s attention enough that she felt compelled to give each of them a playful lick as she moved down to Ilia’s womanhood.

Was this perfect? Was it exactly how she had imagined it? Getting Blake to see her as a lover instead of just a friend? Well, she had imagined it a number of times. A dramatic confession after or before a mission gone wrong or gone right. A kiss stolen by Ilia or by Blake in an innocent moment. She had imagined it any number of ways. Blake getting hot and bothered watching two humans fucking and Ilia taking advantage of it... That wasn’t even on the list of her imagined scenarios. But the how didn’t matter. Blake looking up at her for approval as her tongue wriggled in her pussy. This wasn’t love, it was sex. It wasn’t everything Ilia wanted yet.

But the door was open for it. One day. One day she’d get what she wanted. What she had to give up in exchange, it didn’t matter. Vlad could have her body. Blake had already stolen her heart years ago.