I can see inside you...
The sickness is rising...
Don't try to deny what you feel.....
It seems that all that was good has died...
And is decaying...
In me.....
It seems you're having some trouble...
In dealing with these CHANGES!
Living with these CHANGES!
Oh, the world is a scary place,
Now that you've woken up the demon....
In me....
- Disturbed, Down With The Sickness
***
Aya looked up from clearing the warehouse of Sky Raiders at a familiar name mentioned in Seer Gallowglass's ongoing small talk with some of the other Widow
training cadre. "Poor Marino's not been th'same since th'incident, more's th'pity..."
their escort noted, Aya blinking inside her helm at the tone. "She doesn't really leave the Tower these days."
"What? I would've thought her career would've taken off by now. Her predictions were always fairly accurate," the Widow said
quietly, trying to pry a bit more information out of Gally. The older woman had been in the Fortunata for some time when Pia had been recruited, and Aya had
liked the woman even despite her usually brusque and slightly abrasive manner.
"It's not m'story t'tell, lass. You want to know more, you have to ask her yourself."
Even if you are what's left of her family, Aya heard quietly in her own head, before ducking her head in
acknowledgment and thanks to the older Widow. She'd told her enough.
***
"Why are you disturbing me soldier?" Seer Marino demanded sullenly. "The day to day operations and training are handled by...." she
started, before whirling to face the black helmed and armored woman in front of her. "....Aya?" she said, almost disbelieving her own gifts before
the armored helm was removed, revealing the dusky complexion that was older and somewhat more worn, but still the same.
Pia Marino, for once in her life since the botched job that had ended any dreams she had of progressing further among the seers, utterly failed to stand on
ceremony and protocol despite the vast difference in she and her friend's stations, removing her own helm and rushing forward to embrace her. "Aya,
what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at her eyes. "I thought you were still in Para....oh," she said quietly, before looking slightly
embarassed at the annoyed look her friend gave her.
"I can't help it," she said. "You're broadcasting your thoughts so directly that I can't help but hear them," she said,
motioning for Aya to sit down as they moved into Pia's office. Aya took the seat, looking over at her friend as she poured tea.
"Pia, I need to know what happened," she said softly. "You always dreamed of being one of the Seers. Why'd you stop?"
"They notified you, I imagine," Pia replied, soft as a wraith. "You were one of the ones she wanted to know..."
"...what does Bella have to do with this?" Aya asked, danger instincts that weren't quite powerful enough to be called precognition tingling at
Pia's resigned and haunted expression.
Gone was the cheery young woman that'd joked about her own sketchy precognition during their novice days. Who'd nonetheless accurately predicted when
another student, Gladys Natla, would be out of her room so that Aya and a few other students could prank the stuck up bitch's room. As she sipped her tea,
looking into those eyes, Aya remembered her plans for this meeting when she'd finally gotten her transfer approved back to the Rogue Isles. She'd
wanted to talk with Pia about so many things. About running into Gladys again in Paragon, the latter having become the infamous Night Widow Nocturne. She'd
wanted to share a laugh with her over her using the temporal chaos of Faultline to get away with punching a woman whose status in Arachnos was barely below
that of the Arbiters. But those eyes...squeezed out of all the joy and energy they'd held in their younger days together... they compelled her to ask the
question she suspected she already knew the answer to, despite Pia's sudden lack of communication with Aya after Bella's death. "Pia...what
happened?"
"...Bella and Paolo were on the same mission, Aya...they both died that night. But...I have suspicions. A hunch, really. I'm not certain I believe the
story they told me....or if Paolo's really dead. In fact, I suspect he survived somehow," she said hesitantly. "But I need proof. If anything, I
simply need a properly connected focus to render my visions in greater clarity regarding the events of that night....but I'm not allowed to intervene. The
Arbiters frown on we Fortunata developing attachments that might be... problematic to Arachnos. This only makes my suspicions greater. If there was nothing to
find, they wouldn't prevent me from searching..." she said.
Looking up, her eyes pleaded in a way that resonated with the helplessness that Aya had felt when told that her mentor and one of her closest friends had died,
but not been told anything in regards to how or why she had died. It had clawed at her, the uncertainty. Dug at her at night, the feeling there was something
she could've done, something she could still do. And now, having finally returned, here it was. The opportunity she'd always wanted. And as much as Pia
did, albeit for different reasons, Aya also wanted to know the truth.
"What do I have to do?"
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
The sickness is rising...
Don't try to deny what you feel.....
It seems that all that was good has died...
And is decaying...
In me.....
It seems you're having some trouble...
In dealing with these CHANGES!
Living with these CHANGES!
Oh, the world is a scary place,
Now that you've woken up the demon....
In me....
- Disturbed, Down With The Sickness
***
Aya looked up from clearing the warehouse of Sky Raiders at a familiar name mentioned in Seer Gallowglass's ongoing small talk with some of the other Widow
training cadre. "Poor Marino's not been th'same since th'incident, more's th'pity..."
their escort noted, Aya blinking inside her helm at the tone. "She doesn't really leave the Tower these days."
"What? I would've thought her career would've taken off by now. Her predictions were always fairly accurate," the Widow said
quietly, trying to pry a bit more information out of Gally. The older woman had been in the Fortunata for some time when Pia had been recruited, and Aya had
liked the woman even despite her usually brusque and slightly abrasive manner.
"It's not m'story t'tell, lass. You want to know more, you have to ask her yourself."
Even if you are what's left of her family, Aya heard quietly in her own head, before ducking her head in
acknowledgment and thanks to the older Widow. She'd told her enough.
***
"Why are you disturbing me soldier?" Seer Marino demanded sullenly. "The day to day operations and training are handled by...." she
started, before whirling to face the black helmed and armored woman in front of her. "....Aya?" she said, almost disbelieving her own gifts before
the armored helm was removed, revealing the dusky complexion that was older and somewhat more worn, but still the same.
Pia Marino, for once in her life since the botched job that had ended any dreams she had of progressing further among the seers, utterly failed to stand on
ceremony and protocol despite the vast difference in she and her friend's stations, removing her own helm and rushing forward to embrace her. "Aya,
what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at her eyes. "I thought you were still in Para....oh," she said quietly, before looking slightly
embarassed at the annoyed look her friend gave her.
"I can't help it," she said. "You're broadcasting your thoughts so directly that I can't help but hear them," she said,
motioning for Aya to sit down as they moved into Pia's office. Aya took the seat, looking over at her friend as she poured tea.
"Pia, I need to know what happened," she said softly. "You always dreamed of being one of the Seers. Why'd you stop?"
"They notified you, I imagine," Pia replied, soft as a wraith. "You were one of the ones she wanted to know..."
"...what does Bella have to do with this?" Aya asked, danger instincts that weren't quite powerful enough to be called precognition tingling at
Pia's resigned and haunted expression.
Gone was the cheery young woman that'd joked about her own sketchy precognition during their novice days. Who'd nonetheless accurately predicted when
another student, Gladys Natla, would be out of her room so that Aya and a few other students could prank the stuck up bitch's room. As she sipped her tea,
looking into those eyes, Aya remembered her plans for this meeting when she'd finally gotten her transfer approved back to the Rogue Isles. She'd
wanted to talk with Pia about so many things. About running into Gladys again in Paragon, the latter having become the infamous Night Widow Nocturne. She'd
wanted to share a laugh with her over her using the temporal chaos of Faultline to get away with punching a woman whose status in Arachnos was barely below
that of the Arbiters. But those eyes...squeezed out of all the joy and energy they'd held in their younger days together... they compelled her to ask the
question she suspected she already knew the answer to, despite Pia's sudden lack of communication with Aya after Bella's death. "Pia...what
happened?"
"...Bella and Paolo were on the same mission, Aya...they both died that night. But...I have suspicions. A hunch, really. I'm not certain I believe the
story they told me....or if Paolo's really dead. In fact, I suspect he survived somehow," she said hesitantly. "But I need proof. If anything, I
simply need a properly connected focus to render my visions in greater clarity regarding the events of that night....but I'm not allowed to intervene. The
Arbiters frown on we Fortunata developing attachments that might be... problematic to Arachnos. This only makes my suspicions greater. If there was nothing to
find, they wouldn't prevent me from searching..." she said.
Looking up, her eyes pleaded in a way that resonated with the helplessness that Aya had felt when told that her mentor and one of her closest friends had died,
but not been told anything in regards to how or why she had died. It had clawed at her, the uncertainty. Dug at her at night, the feeling there was something
she could've done, something she could still do. And now, having finally returned, here it was. The opportunity she'd always wanted. And as much as Pia
did, albeit for different reasons, Aya also wanted to know the truth.
"What do I have to do?"
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."