The call came from an number Nox didn't recognize, but the Caller ID was unmistakable, 'From the offices of the Ascendancy'. He guessed they wanted you to know exactly who was calling you. The meeting had been a surprise. The location more so. But the meeting had Nox missing cues and just plain scatter brained. Which wasn't good for anyone. He'd told the girls what was going on and they understood completely.
So when he left they were all giggly and wishing him luck. While Nox was just hoping he got out of the encounter alive. Nox didn't dress up - not that he owned anything more than jeans and t-shirts. It was all clean, free of holes - well except the gray hoodie he wore over top it all. The pockets had seen better days, they'd been sewn repeatedly, Nox kept snagging them on door handles. Living inside was obviously rough on his clothes much more so than being a vagabond.
The Infidels Cemetery was an interesting choice of venue. Nox had never been himself. He avoided places where the dead lived. He knew Zombies were real, but the idea of someone reaching up and grabbing his feet freaked him out a lot more than it should. The agents outside the gates let him pass through with a quick pat down and nothing more than a curious glance. Nox had come as unarmed as he possibly could. Not that he carried a gun or weapon other than the lighter in his pocket these days. He really needed to gather up the small innocuous things again - particularly if he intended to enter the tunnels again - which was his plan - soon as he got his life situated again. Dance and hunt, the only two things he was good at.
The Ascendancy stood looking at a particular monument in the grave yard and Nox remembered the first time he'd met him. In a cemetery of sorts - the burial grounds of the monks and Atharim who had attacked the man he was meeting with. He'd dug deep into the ground with weaves Nox enjoyed using now. Feeling the earth was like reliving a memory. Not that he needed to relive any more memories but it was oddly calming. The Ascendancy had done it to find a single pendant in the earth buried long past. The hour glass he'd shown Aria. They never did find out much about it. But then life had a way of distracting them. And now Aria was dead - and he was no longer Atharim. Hunted by his own.
"At least this time the graves aren't covered in snow." Nox said with a smile. "I never expected you to kill me yourself. A bullet to the head is far safer. Not that I'd give you much trouble anyway, specially now that you can just take away my ability to touch the power inside." Nox's hands were in the pockets of his hoodie but he was neither angry or sad, he showed little emotion actually, the power danced just out of reach. Nox said to himself he'd not go down without a fight at least.
"Two things before we do whatever it is you wanted me to come here for. Aria's dead, buried under the streets of the Red Light district." Nox looked down at the ground - it wasn't shame he felt - loss, sadness, maybe. He'd killed his friend, but he was not ashamed of it. "And I wanted to thank you." He raised his gaze to look at the man again. "If I hadn't seen you in Siberia with earth, I might not ever have learned what I have. It was an far more inspiring than the arch to my eyes. So thank you." He had other reasons to thank the Ascendancy, the least of which was for his life, but that was more important - at least to Nox.
So when he left they were all giggly and wishing him luck. While Nox was just hoping he got out of the encounter alive. Nox didn't dress up - not that he owned anything more than jeans and t-shirts. It was all clean, free of holes - well except the gray hoodie he wore over top it all. The pockets had seen better days, they'd been sewn repeatedly, Nox kept snagging them on door handles. Living inside was obviously rough on his clothes much more so than being a vagabond.
The Infidels Cemetery was an interesting choice of venue. Nox had never been himself. He avoided places where the dead lived. He knew Zombies were real, but the idea of someone reaching up and grabbing his feet freaked him out a lot more than it should. The agents outside the gates let him pass through with a quick pat down and nothing more than a curious glance. Nox had come as unarmed as he possibly could. Not that he carried a gun or weapon other than the lighter in his pocket these days. He really needed to gather up the small innocuous things again - particularly if he intended to enter the tunnels again - which was his plan - soon as he got his life situated again. Dance and hunt, the only two things he was good at.
The Ascendancy stood looking at a particular monument in the grave yard and Nox remembered the first time he'd met him. In a cemetery of sorts - the burial grounds of the monks and Atharim who had attacked the man he was meeting with. He'd dug deep into the ground with weaves Nox enjoyed using now. Feeling the earth was like reliving a memory. Not that he needed to relive any more memories but it was oddly calming. The Ascendancy had done it to find a single pendant in the earth buried long past. The hour glass he'd shown Aria. They never did find out much about it. But then life had a way of distracting them. And now Aria was dead - and he was no longer Atharim. Hunted by his own.
"At least this time the graves aren't covered in snow." Nox said with a smile. "I never expected you to kill me yourself. A bullet to the head is far safer. Not that I'd give you much trouble anyway, specially now that you can just take away my ability to touch the power inside." Nox's hands were in the pockets of his hoodie but he was neither angry or sad, he showed little emotion actually, the power danced just out of reach. Nox said to himself he'd not go down without a fight at least.
"Two things before we do whatever it is you wanted me to come here for. Aria's dead, buried under the streets of the Red Light district." Nox looked down at the ground - it wasn't shame he felt - loss, sadness, maybe. He'd killed his friend, but he was not ashamed of it. "And I wanted to thank you." He raised his gaze to look at the man again. "If I hadn't seen you in Siberia with earth, I might not ever have learned what I have. It was an far more inspiring than the arch to my eyes. So thank you." He had other reasons to thank the Ascendancy, the least of which was for his life, but that was more important - at least to Nox.
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)