07-26-2014, 04:11 PM
Continued from Alliances?
Aria had left her savior's house with hope of some kind. It wasn't a fullfilling hope, but hope none-the-less. It was something that kept her warm against the cold air that drew down on the city. The snow had started falling in heavy wet flakes when she was halfway home. There was no point in taking the metro.
By the time she had reached her apartment she was nearly frozen to the bone. So cold that when she stepped into a warm bath it was like knives piercing her skin. The pain was the only thing she wanted to feel, despite the hope that had been given. The pain was far too intoxicating, too powerful a draw.
Aria sank into the darkness and the pain as the water covered her body and she preformed what had become an almost nightly ritual.
The next few days Aria spent most of her time in the database at headquarters, reading mission logs, the ones that she could anyway. There was many she couldn't but she expected that they were successful, but details were being kept from the lesser echelon for 'security' reasons.
Aria found a few peices of information that she found useful. The first being Father Stone was hiding a girl who posessed the gift. And the only reason she'd found that he was the one hiding her was because it was his daughter. A priest with a child was rather against his faith, but the fact that she could also weild the power of the gods made it all the more worse.
The second peice of information was of a recent failed mission. The details hadn't all be filed yet, but one Jaxen Marveet had survived, supposedly. The Regus had mentioned his name to her once, and Aria actually had met two of the hunters involved. She'd worked with Rune of course, and met, however briefly, her uncle Seth. Both Americans. Aria actually remembered the day Seth was given the command. It had been the same day she'd started working on the manuscript. That seemed like forever ago to her, but it was only mere months since she'd come to Moscow. Months!
Aria was getting antsy, not enough hunting. She had very little excuse to go out and walk the streets. But she had to. She had to get out and do something other than comb through the data she had on Ascendancy or the other gods. The books of old were no use to them anymore. They didn't have the devices and things they described, and if they did they wouldn't even know how to begin using them anyway.
Killing a man because he possessed some ancient power was wrong, it may have been necessary once, but even then not every man or woman weilding such power was evil, was prone to kill humanity. There had to be good. It was no different then. The Atharim were afraid, that is all. Afraid all men where like that.
As Aria was leaving headquarters to hunt, Father Stone stopped her. He griped at her over not having any reports from her in a while. He made to strike Aria again. But Aria reached for her sword and he paused a moment. She was a field hunter, her sole job was to kill monsters. Dispatching a human was far too easy and Father Stone knew it. He remembered the fear, Aria could see it in his eyes.
Aria stalked out of headquarters and headed to the Red Light District. Monsters lurked everywhere, but tonight she hunted something far more precious. Father Stone had a daughter, a reborn god, but she was still human, and human's die far easier than a monster. You just had to do it right.
The girl sat slumped over against a building. It looked as if Aria had been too late, but the girl sat shivering in the cold, huddled to the building for heat. Aria could feel the pain of withdrawl hitting her. Aria closed her eyes. It was unlike most pain she'd felt, the entirty of her body felt like it was going to explode, but there was no heat, nothing just the overwhelming feeling she'd die soon.
The pain made Aria change her mind. The girl suffered, Father Stone's daughter suffered. Aria lurked in the shadows feeding off the girls pain.
Aria didn't know how long she'd stood there, but the desire for the pain grew lesser, the hunger had been stayed and she walked away without touching a hair on the blonde girls dirty little head. It was the first time the hunger was gone. Aria felt almost empty without it.
But the fact that she'd been ready to kill the girl made Aria afraid of what she could do, just at the though of someone who'd hurt her before. What the darkness of the night pulled her towards. The night with Dane had changed everything, she'd broken something, and it was forever calling to her. She frightened herself. She had thought it was Dane she was drawn to, but these days without him in her thoughts, most of the time, things had become all too clear. It was her own dark desires, that lingered just out of reach, just close enough to tempt to be a threat everyday. She wanted to hurt someone, she longed to make them suffer. The darkness was the threat. It made the hunger so much stronger.
Aria walked the city streets during the day for the first time really since coming to Moscow. Most her travels had been at night, when monsters lurked. The air was cold, but the sun was in the sky, while it did nothing for her mood, it was better than the darkness that lingered when she stalked the streets at night.
Even in the cold afternoon air people walked from place to place, nearly unaware of the crisp air. Aria huddled in her trench coat trying to stay warm. She'd have to invest in a hat or something if she wanted to stay topside in the dreary Moscovian winters. For now she was thankful the wind was not brisk and was only an occassional whaft of cold air across her skin.
Only one good thing had come from the past months, walking down the streets no longer overwhelmed her. Too many people crowding the streets left Aria wary, but she could manage without migraine, or without worry their feelings would overwhelm hers and put her on the ground. For that she was thankful.
But with that control came a greater threat, losing herself to the darkness within. It grew stronger each day. Each day it grew harder to fight the desire to inflict pain and suffereing. She hunted to ease the hunger inside, but it wasn't so easily stayed. But the sun kept the darkness at bay, kept the dark thoughts in the darkness inside. Night would fall, and she'd be again at her own mercy.
Aria let her senses wander just outside of her immediate region. She wasn't looking for anything more than something that might try to jump out and scare her or worse. Moscow was a dangerous place during the day or night in the wrong neighbor hoods, and Aria wasn't being overly cautious in her wanderings.
Much like the pain she'd sensed when she'd found Connor, Aria found the pain lingering on her senses. A few steps forward and a tattoo parlor with a few customers under the needle grimaced in pain inside. The physical pain was intoxicating. Aria went inside, the bell above the door rang and the two men in the chairs holding the needle looked up. Both looked Russian by decent, one smiled at her, the other just bent his head back to his work.
The one who had smiled at her patted the man's should her'd been working on. "All done. Remember, keep the salve on until it's fully healed."
Aria watched the man with new tattoo pay up and walked out the door with a shadow of pain still lingering in his mind. Aria turned and watched him leave.
She felt the now free artist walk up to her, he was in a good mood. When she turned around he was an appropriate distance away with a smile that light up his bright blue eyes. Aria smiled back. "What can I do for you?"
Aria looked around. "Just browsing."
He laughed. "You don't browse unless you are looking for something."
Aria pulled off her gloves and stuck them in her pocket, then hung her jacket up near the door on the provided coat rack. "I'm not sure yet."
He grabbed her left hand and held it palm side up and looked at her tattoo. Aria cocked her head at him wondering what he was doing. "Looks rather old. When'd you get this done?"
Aria smiled, his hand was warm holding her arm. She almost felt like blushing, but didn't, more perplexed at herself than anything. "Since I was 15, I guess."
He grinned down at her "So not very long then."
Aria shook her head with a smile. "You'd be surprised. Can I have my arm back?"
He looked embarrassed, but there was no embarassment in his emotions. He was happy, almost too happy for Aria. It almost pushed out the pain from the man under the needle. Aria had to do a double take and try to remember what she'd heard. "Yeah. Sorry. What you looking for then?"
He let her arm go, but it felt like his fingers lingered in hers far longer than necessary. Aria smiled back at him.
"An update. Turmoil, the way I feel I guess. But the snake has to stay, exactly as is, color added, doesn't matter, but it has to stay."
He nodded and handed Aria a card. "Lucas. My card so you call me."
The men behind him chuckled over the purr of the needle.
Aria took the card and put it in her jeans pocket and offered her hand. "Aria."
Lucas shook her hand and he smiled at her. Something about him made Aria push the pain away. She didn't know why, but she'd rather stay in his presence. She pulled her hand from his grip slowly and turned towards the wall of drawings and pictures looking for inspiration.
Aria looked at the wall and Lucas just stood by her side with a finger to his chin. He looked deep in thought, his emotions said he was concentrating and serious and the playfulness had left. Aria smiled, he was trying to find something for her too.
(really long post - breaking it up)
Edited by Aria, Jul 28 2014, 10:07 AM.
Aria had left her savior's house with hope of some kind. It wasn't a fullfilling hope, but hope none-the-less. It was something that kept her warm against the cold air that drew down on the city. The snow had started falling in heavy wet flakes when she was halfway home. There was no point in taking the metro.
By the time she had reached her apartment she was nearly frozen to the bone. So cold that when she stepped into a warm bath it was like knives piercing her skin. The pain was the only thing she wanted to feel, despite the hope that had been given. The pain was far too intoxicating, too powerful a draw.
Aria sank into the darkness and the pain as the water covered her body and she preformed what had become an almost nightly ritual.
The next few days Aria spent most of her time in the database at headquarters, reading mission logs, the ones that she could anyway. There was many she couldn't but she expected that they were successful, but details were being kept from the lesser echelon for 'security' reasons.
Aria found a few peices of information that she found useful. The first being Father Stone was hiding a girl who posessed the gift. And the only reason she'd found that he was the one hiding her was because it was his daughter. A priest with a child was rather against his faith, but the fact that she could also weild the power of the gods made it all the more worse.
The second peice of information was of a recent failed mission. The details hadn't all be filed yet, but one Jaxen Marveet had survived, supposedly. The Regus had mentioned his name to her once, and Aria actually had met two of the hunters involved. She'd worked with Rune of course, and met, however briefly, her uncle Seth. Both Americans. Aria actually remembered the day Seth was given the command. It had been the same day she'd started working on the manuscript. That seemed like forever ago to her, but it was only mere months since she'd come to Moscow. Months!
Aria was getting antsy, not enough hunting. She had very little excuse to go out and walk the streets. But she had to. She had to get out and do something other than comb through the data she had on Ascendancy or the other gods. The books of old were no use to them anymore. They didn't have the devices and things they described, and if they did they wouldn't even know how to begin using them anyway.
Killing a man because he possessed some ancient power was wrong, it may have been necessary once, but even then not every man or woman weilding such power was evil, was prone to kill humanity. There had to be good. It was no different then. The Atharim were afraid, that is all. Afraid all men where like that.
As Aria was leaving headquarters to hunt, Father Stone stopped her. He griped at her over not having any reports from her in a while. He made to strike Aria again. But Aria reached for her sword and he paused a moment. She was a field hunter, her sole job was to kill monsters. Dispatching a human was far too easy and Father Stone knew it. He remembered the fear, Aria could see it in his eyes.
Aria stalked out of headquarters and headed to the Red Light District. Monsters lurked everywhere, but tonight she hunted something far more precious. Father Stone had a daughter, a reborn god, but she was still human, and human's die far easier than a monster. You just had to do it right.
The girl sat slumped over against a building. It looked as if Aria had been too late, but the girl sat shivering in the cold, huddled to the building for heat. Aria could feel the pain of withdrawl hitting her. Aria closed her eyes. It was unlike most pain she'd felt, the entirty of her body felt like it was going to explode, but there was no heat, nothing just the overwhelming feeling she'd die soon.
The pain made Aria change her mind. The girl suffered, Father Stone's daughter suffered. Aria lurked in the shadows feeding off the girls pain.
Aria didn't know how long she'd stood there, but the desire for the pain grew lesser, the hunger had been stayed and she walked away without touching a hair on the blonde girls dirty little head. It was the first time the hunger was gone. Aria felt almost empty without it.
But the fact that she'd been ready to kill the girl made Aria afraid of what she could do, just at the though of someone who'd hurt her before. What the darkness of the night pulled her towards. The night with Dane had changed everything, she'd broken something, and it was forever calling to her. She frightened herself. She had thought it was Dane she was drawn to, but these days without him in her thoughts, most of the time, things had become all too clear. It was her own dark desires, that lingered just out of reach, just close enough to tempt to be a threat everyday. She wanted to hurt someone, she longed to make them suffer. The darkness was the threat. It made the hunger so much stronger.
Aria walked the city streets during the day for the first time really since coming to Moscow. Most her travels had been at night, when monsters lurked. The air was cold, but the sun was in the sky, while it did nothing for her mood, it was better than the darkness that lingered when she stalked the streets at night.
Even in the cold afternoon air people walked from place to place, nearly unaware of the crisp air. Aria huddled in her trench coat trying to stay warm. She'd have to invest in a hat or something if she wanted to stay topside in the dreary Moscovian winters. For now she was thankful the wind was not brisk and was only an occassional whaft of cold air across her skin.
Only one good thing had come from the past months, walking down the streets no longer overwhelmed her. Too many people crowding the streets left Aria wary, but she could manage without migraine, or without worry their feelings would overwhelm hers and put her on the ground. For that she was thankful.
But with that control came a greater threat, losing herself to the darkness within. It grew stronger each day. Each day it grew harder to fight the desire to inflict pain and suffereing. She hunted to ease the hunger inside, but it wasn't so easily stayed. But the sun kept the darkness at bay, kept the dark thoughts in the darkness inside. Night would fall, and she'd be again at her own mercy.
Aria let her senses wander just outside of her immediate region. She wasn't looking for anything more than something that might try to jump out and scare her or worse. Moscow was a dangerous place during the day or night in the wrong neighbor hoods, and Aria wasn't being overly cautious in her wanderings.
Much like the pain she'd sensed when she'd found Connor, Aria found the pain lingering on her senses. A few steps forward and a tattoo parlor with a few customers under the needle grimaced in pain inside. The physical pain was intoxicating. Aria went inside, the bell above the door rang and the two men in the chairs holding the needle looked up. Both looked Russian by decent, one smiled at her, the other just bent his head back to his work.
The one who had smiled at her patted the man's should her'd been working on. "All done. Remember, keep the salve on until it's fully healed."
Aria watched the man with new tattoo pay up and walked out the door with a shadow of pain still lingering in his mind. Aria turned and watched him leave.
She felt the now free artist walk up to her, he was in a good mood. When she turned around he was an appropriate distance away with a smile that light up his bright blue eyes. Aria smiled back. "What can I do for you?"
Aria looked around. "Just browsing."
He laughed. "You don't browse unless you are looking for something."
Aria pulled off her gloves and stuck them in her pocket, then hung her jacket up near the door on the provided coat rack. "I'm not sure yet."
He grabbed her left hand and held it palm side up and looked at her tattoo. Aria cocked her head at him wondering what he was doing. "Looks rather old. When'd you get this done?"
Aria smiled, his hand was warm holding her arm. She almost felt like blushing, but didn't, more perplexed at herself than anything. "Since I was 15, I guess."
He grinned down at her "So not very long then."
Aria shook her head with a smile. "You'd be surprised. Can I have my arm back?"
He looked embarrassed, but there was no embarassment in his emotions. He was happy, almost too happy for Aria. It almost pushed out the pain from the man under the needle. Aria had to do a double take and try to remember what she'd heard. "Yeah. Sorry. What you looking for then?"
He let her arm go, but it felt like his fingers lingered in hers far longer than necessary. Aria smiled back at him.
"An update. Turmoil, the way I feel I guess. But the snake has to stay, exactly as is, color added, doesn't matter, but it has to stay."
He nodded and handed Aria a card. "Lucas. My card so you call me."
The men behind him chuckled over the purr of the needle.
Aria took the card and put it in her jeans pocket and offered her hand. "Aria."
Lucas shook her hand and he smiled at her. Something about him made Aria push the pain away. She didn't know why, but she'd rather stay in his presence. She pulled her hand from his grip slowly and turned towards the wall of drawings and pictures looking for inspiration.
Aria looked at the wall and Lucas just stood by her side with a finger to his chin. He looked deep in thought, his emotions said he was concentrating and serious and the playfulness had left. Aria smiled, he was trying to find something for her too.
(really long post - breaking it up)
Edited by Aria, Jul 28 2014, 10:07 AM.