Where Credit is Due

[Linika]

Where Credit is Due

Trial 38, Saun, arc 717

Had it not taken her almost a break to even find any of the volumes she was looking for, it might have improved her mood and patience with the subject matter. Growing up in Augiery, the ether-bolstered illusion forms had always featured perfect skin. Her focus on cosmetics had only extended as far as little enhancements to the creamy smooth complexion her race boasted.

Just a shade here, a hint of color to highlight cheekbones there. The only truly complicated sphere of her cosmetology training had involved her hair. The tattoos were not a cosmetics matter. That was a highly specialized section of the magic practitioners, so it was provided with no need for her to learn it.

None of this had exactly changed. Her skin was still creamy smooth, requiring only touches of slight embellishments. Her hair was the primary area of fashion where she enjoyed considerable prowess. What had changed was her eyes. Not the rich, luxurious lashes, nor her deep, amaranthine irises. But the mark of Xypha, extending like a birthmark down her right forehead, eyelids and cheek upset the unbroken perfection of her skin.

The amount of powders the book was instructing her to apply was atrocious. It clumped and smeared as she dabbed it along the length of the mark. And the liners made clown eyes of her once beautiful orbs. It was as if they both shared the malice with which Yvithia had scarred her glorious Naerikk features.

As was frequently the case these trials, any thought that went in that direction brought a storm of emotions. She had been slipping more and more toward acceptance of the benefits of the mark, which went hand-in-hand with feelings of betrayal towards her people and Audrae. But at the same time, she was feeling less and less cause to hold any obligation to the culture of Augiery, after their rejections and assassination attempt.

Still, a lifetime of devotion did not just vanish overnight, and her loyalty had been absolute. She knew that Yvithia was counting on her conversion being embraced in the same devout fashion, as was common among converts. As well, she could not deny the practicality of her new abilities, nor the appeal of being the singularly unique Naerikk spying for Viden. She would be the best spy Viden ever had, and the appeal of that was sheer decadence.

So she sat now, in the great Library of Viden, giving less than a single shit about the depth and variety of its stock; caring only that the depth and variety of the powders she was trying to hide the Xypha mark with made her look like she had slipped and fallen face-first in a paint shop.

Standing and swearing in her newly fluent Grovokian brought scolding expressions her way. Profanity was harsh enough in such a sedate environment; but the innate verbal violence of the Naerikk tongue almost made the air bleed around her. She was on the verge of swinging her arm across the surface of the table, bringing the fashion volumes, and cosmetic kit crashing to the floor, and storming out, when a dark-haired woman entered through the same door she would have exited through.

"All right...one more try" she sneered quietly, but not quite silently, as she snatched the kit back up and nearly threw herself back into the seat. Her hand almost shook with anger as she made an even more hopeless attempt to apply the make-up than any before it. Anger resonated in the way she "dabbed" the powder, coming off as more of a stab.

She didn't care. Let everyone know how furious she was. None of them had ever befriended her. None had ever had aught but scorn for her. There was even a sliver of satisfaction to be had in the fact that she was disrupting their calm. "Serves them right" she growled to herself.

[Faith Augustin]

More or less, Faith was of the opinion that if it were not for Padraig and the love she had for him, the life they shared together and just how happy she was, then she might never leave here. This library was like nothing she'd ever seen before and she was amazed and delighted. Not only had she not known that there were this many books in the world, she had no idea that they could all be in one place. Faith wondered if it was possible to read them all and on this trial whilst she was visiting Viden to test blood, she had wandered into the library.

Unusually for the human, she was meandering around and not really moving with any purpose. Usually, Faith was a very determined young woman who was always busy, always moving. The only time that she was still was with Padraig at home. Yet here, she wandered among the shelves and she was content to simply drink in the feeling, the ambiance of the place. She walked through a door because the door was there and then she saw that she was in another room filled with books and tables, students deep in concentration pouring over the tomes they were studying and...

..... and a woman putting on make up.

Now, the thing was that Faith had seen more than one person put make up on in her life. It wasn't a new experience. It was rare that they were quite so angry and simultaneously bad at it. However, it was the context which made her stop and look. The woman in question was dabbing at her face like nothing Faith had ever seen before and she was suddenly, forcibly reminded of the time in the dress shop in Andaris, just after Tristan had bought her. He took her there and bought her a number of outfits and the people there had shown her how to apply basic make up to her face. They had also, of course, referred to her as 'it' and talked to Tristan about her like she was a fashion accessory.

So, Faith moved over and sat down in the chair next to the woman who was attacking her face with a powder brush. "Hello," she said, quietly. Looking at her, Faith recognised the mark on the woman's face. She was marked by Yvithia? Just like the man at home who she was so very proud of and Faith smiled slightly. "I'm Faith. New here, just visiting. Would you like some help?"

[Linika]

Linika spun towards the newcomer with a look that spoke of the assumption that she was being mocked. "Well if your heartless, interfering bitch mothe-..." she stopped, her mouth working silently for a few more syllables, before dropping her head and gaze in embarrassment.

"Oh...uhhh...I'm sorry, I assumed you were another eidisi, come to rub my nose in it. But I guess you did say you were new. And you're clearly not an eidisi. Not pureblood anyway. Frankly, I don't think you can help me. This mark seems to really resist being covered. I never asked for the f-f...thing, and I think these blue bitches resent me for having it. They can't stand seeing one of my race wearing the mark of their oh-so-sweet matron."

Her voice was a blend of fury and near tearful exhaustion. She fell back into the seat, dropping her head in her hands and speaking to the tabletop below, "They can't imagine such a thing being done to punish someone. Nothing but praise and happy days for them when they get one. Well it isn't that way for one of us." She looked up now to this new arrival that had called herself "Faith", gesturing to the both the seat beside her and the one across the table from her.

"Take your pick if you really want to help me. But I'll warn you in all honesty, you're taking a chance on being ostracized if you do." Looking the woman in the eyes, she found herself connecting to her thoughts, and rolled her eyes in self-recriminations. Her voice became somewhat sing-song as she responded to Faith's unspoken observations.

"Look I know I was jabbing the stuff on my face, okay? I was pissed off. We all have such great skin, we've never really needed to put anything on so heavily. And yes, I was lightly brushing it on at first, but it didn't look like it was doing anything. Yes, the liner covers it pretty well, but I can't only use it, I'd look like a clown!"

She scowled inwardly, cutting the Xypha connection that was allowing her to get Faith's thoughts, "I'm sorry again. For using the damned mark on you, reading your thoughts. You're the first person that's been kind to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't blame them." she said, with a gesture that encompassed everyone else present.

"I came here as an enemy, and they caught me. But I'd have rather they just killed me. They don't need this curse to neutralize me. All it is is torture. I mean I'm no good to anyone now. I can't ever go home with this." She said, gesturing to the mark and refraining from mentioning the actual appeal the abilities were slowly starting to generate in her scheming mind. She could never quite completely discard the notion of being the most unlikely spy Viden could ever have. There was a certain charm in that prospect.

She shrugged in resignation, sighing somewhat heavily but then brightening just a bit, "Well, if you really want to take shot at it, I'll sit still for you. It's just hard for me to imagine anyone actually wanting to come to this place. So, what's your story?"

[Faith Augustin]

"No, not at all. I'm human, just human." If there was any eidisi blood in Faith's veins, it was so diluted that she had no idea about it. The woman sitting down seemed exhausted; emotionally rather than physically, Faith thought. Tired of being different, judging by what she said. "You have nothing to apologise for," she replied when the woman did just that. She had acted, after all, on assumptions based on her experience and that was something they all did every trial. Looking at the mark, Faith frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It is Yvithia's mark, yes? It shows up more because of your pale skin. I know someone with it," she admitted with a smile. Not that he'd ever asked her to hide it for him, but it was obvious by her expression that the person she knew was an important one to her.

Sitting opposite the woman, Faith smiled and glanced around. "I don't care about being ostracized," she said, honestly. "and I think that I can help you. I believe so, anyhow." The woman then threw out what Faith was thinking and the young woman smiled. "My story? I used to be an undertaker, or I was owned by one. So I'm used to covering bruises. If I might suggest, you're going about it all the wrong way around. May I?"

The young woman leaned forward and took a piece of paper and a pencil. She drew a small oval on the paper. "This, is your face." Then, she put a light pencil-mark on the paper. Taking a piece of white chalk from her bag, she covered the oval, but the pencil mark still showed through. "I can't make it light enough to be even and when I try, whatever I'm using to lighten that mark spills on to the paper, making it lighter and my job harder. So the trick, is to first even the skin tone." Another oval, another mark but this time, what Faith did was to show Linika the same thing and then to gently use the pencil to shade in the oval. Once she'd done that, she took the white chalk and passed it over, chalking the space. "You can't see the mark. Because the base is all the same colour."

Faith gestured to Linika's face. "I can teach you how to do that to the point that you'll look like your wearing make up to make your skin more pale. It won't show the mark, because I'll even out your base first. If you'd like?" What they would need to do, Faith explained, was that she'd teach Linika how to apply a dark base to even her skin tone, then a light brush to make her skin appear pale again. "Although, in terms of telling each other our stories," she said with a smile. "Knowing your name might be a help?"

[Linika]

It was difficult for the naer to assume that anyone but an eidisi could enjoy having been "branded" by Yvithia. Yet the human, Faith, acted as if the person she knew who had this same curse was actually glad of it. Of course, with her Naerikk cultural upbringing, it never occurred to her that this woman's friend might be an eidisi. She was human, so it was to be assumed her friends were also human.

She was about to scoff at the thought that an undertaker would have any special knowledge of cosmetics, especially one that had apparently come from a slave's upbringing. But the evidence of culture radiating from her; the poise and grace of her movements, the enunciation and grooming inherent in her speech and appearance, gave Linika to think this woman had reached a higher strata of society, where the bodies of the dead would be cleaned and detailed for ceremonial show prior to being interred.

Morbid humor spilled forth instinctively, An undertaker, eh? So, going to dress me up like a corpse and call it an improvement, then? How flattering." She chuckled once and waved off any sense that she'd actually been offended before continuing. "No, but honestly, isn't that the problem I am already having? Getting more than a single layer without it clumping up?"

As the human continued, Linika realized two things. The first she kept to herself. It had struck her that the problem she was having was not all that different from some aspects of chemistry, that some compounds simply could not stack. Awareness of even a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry was not a detail of her education she chose to reveal to someone who was still, for the most part, a stranger. But it fit to a degree with the second realization, which she did comment on. "Oh, so, rather than trying to outright cover the mark from the start, we get it to blend in with what will appear to be a naturally darker initial skin tone, then lighten that skin tone. Ingenious!"

Inwardly though, she wondered if Naerikk skin, being largely generated by the ether-based tattoos and illusions, was somehow inclined, as a result, to reject normal cosmetics that lesser races took for granted. It kind of made sense to her, seeing that the illusions gave her race such perfect skin tones that very little skin toning was required. Most of the cosmetics that naer dealt with were strictly of the "highlight" variety.

But she was genuinely thankful to this woman, Faith, and had only a slight hesitance to give her name. Under circumstances of only an arc ago, she'd have had some deception already prepared, to make an unwitting tool of this girl. Something to gain her a foothold with some new and classified department of Videnese government, with this woman taking the fall. But all her schemes were undone, and she'd been hard-pressed to assuage the boredom of being nothing more than a working citizen. It was giving her a subconscious lean towards taking up the Intelligence Authority's offer to spy for them.

She missed the intrigue. Day-to-day employment, even where it allowed her to sneak her Frageon-infused drugs into the Viridian Wing where she currently worked, was dull. It was too easy. She wanted to explore and expand her knowledge of poisons and alchemy. And it was becoming ever more clear to her that it was only going to be at the service of the IA that this would happen.

She sighed as she sat, "Sure, Faith. And...thank you. I don't get a lot of willing fellowship here. My name is Linika. I'd give you my last name, but I wouldn't want to set my ancestors back home rolling in their graves at the insult of attaching my great disgrace to their great honor, even from this distance." She grinned maliciously, "...Amarinthine. Well, maybe I would after all." she shrugged.

"But in fairness, I will spare them the shame, and confess that the label 'Eill' is to be put on any reference to me. That basically means 'traitor'. And in fairness to the people of this city, I was an enemy to them when I first arrived. A spy, an agent. You might wonder how a naer could ever hope to achieve any spying in a town populated by the greatest racial enemy my race and matron have in all the world. Well, that was the reason for the 'Eill' label initially. I was here under cover of being an exile from Augiery, under penalty of death, supposedly motivated to betray her home to the enemy.

"But now it's genuine. My people hate me. Even sent assassins to kill me." It was probably no surprise to Faith that the grin began to look forced. But it turned real again as she followed up her last statement, "But they trained me too well before they sent me here. No, seriously, I have no reason not to mention any of this now. It's all out in the open. No more secrets to hide."

[Faith Augustin]

When Linika suggested that Faith might prepare her like a corpse, the young human woman looked at the Naer and a flicker of amusement went across her features. Other than that, she did not really tend to show her emotions, the twinkle of mischief in her eyes was enough and more than was usual. "It is," she replied, as to the nature of the problem, "but also, consider that you are having to do more layers because of the contrast you are trying to cover up." This way, she explained, would lessen the number of layers and would mean that the skin looked more even also. She hoped.

Ingenious wasn't entirely what she thought it was, more just having had experience. However, she smiled at the woman and accepted her praise. After a brief pause, though, the woman thanked her and explained just what the thanks were for. She was isolated, Faith had already figured as much and the idea that people were rarely willing to help or even just spend time with her struck a chord for the former slave. All of her life, after all, she had been judged on what she was, rather than who. It wasn't until she was free that she realised what freedom meant.

The story that Linika told was one which sounded sad to Faith and she listened with care. Having been sent to be a spy under the guise of being hated, that had actually come true. Yet, this place had not become home and nor would it ever, Faith suspected, especially whilst Linika was viewed with such animosity. There was only one thing which Faith didn't understand from the story Linika told and, as she worked on the Naer's skin, Faith asked aloud the question which was nibbling at her brain. "What happened to make the change from pretending to be hated and actually to actually being such?"

Was it a show of loyalty to this place and these people on Linika's part, Faith wondered? Had she maybe refused to do something? It must have been pretty bad for people to have sent assassins after her. It was strange, Faith didn't feel at all like she was in danger and as she carefully applied the make up to Linika's face, she explained. "I'll have a go at it on you, you can look at the results and see what you think. Then I'll teach you how to do it and you can practice on me, since you can see me. Does that work?" First, it would be necessary to even the skin and then Faith would get it back to the colour Linka wanted.

"No secrets?" Faith gave a slight smile and her eyes seemed amused. "Then you are a rare person. May I ask. I am here studying blood, all races that I can. I'm undertaking my Charter in Medicine with the Academy campus in Scalvoris, but I'm going to here and Rynmere to collect samples for my research. Do Naerikk have blood?" If they did or didn't, Faith wasn't sure. After all, their form was almost entirely an illusion. It was a fascinating question to the young woman and she listened attentively to the answer, even as she continued to work.

[Linika]

Clarifications about Linika's misunderstanding about what she was doing wrong with the cosmetics turned to questions about what had gone wrong to alter her status with her home and people. She felt ill-inclined to go into details right then, her mood turning sour as she searched for a quick answer that didn't involve her own emotional confusion. "It's a long story." was all she felt like saying.

There was, of course, no shortage of time, but the human seemed content to let it rest. Linika assumed the woman had feared to have stricken a still-tender nerve. In fact, she had; but only because thinking about whether there was any reason not to give such details was only a different angle that still arrived at the same feeling of betrayal. Her hopes of vindicating herself were growing dimmer and dimmer every trial, and she warred with herself regularly about giving up on her naerikk upbringing altogether.

She looked straight ahead, muttering, "I can never go home again with...this mark." Faith made some remark echoing her own about 'no secrets, and the naer chuckled bitterly. "Well, secrets are the domain of Audrae, and she has rejected me, so I suppose if I am rejected by the Lady of Secrets, I ought not to be keeping any."

The subject turned to blood. Linika actually found this tangent interesting, "You know, I am honestly torn on the subject, the stability of the 'blood' we possess. I suppose it stems from the durability of the illusions we carry from our tattoos. I mean, we can breed with many races, though any females born share our naerikk nature and heritage. but there must be some essence that fills the requirements of what blood does.

"I don't just mean that if you cut us, we 'bleed'; that's just part of the illusion. We have an 'essence' that is formed of shadow. It has weight and presence, but can be shed into other shadows, or even other bodies at need. But I have heard there are some supernatural functions that require true blood, that we can not perform; or if we do, we lose our nature. I suppose if you were to conduct your research on the soil of Augiery, it would function just as real blood. But if you did it here, once it left the protection of the body's tattoos, it would dissipate or something."

She looked back in time for a moment, "The crime for which my cover story was arranged involved an alchemical treatment I did under pressure to turn one of my sisters into a generator of aerial release poison through the treatment of her blood. We were going to be captured by Athartians and enslaved. Her sacrifice enabled our escape. She was mortally wounded anyway. I suppose the blood would not have lasted long outside of her body, but it lasted long enough to carry the toxin to our enemies. But I was publically vilified and sentenced to exile."

She sneered now at the memory, her eyes wanting to face the woman to see what level of horror and censure Faith would inflict upon her. She was surprised that the brushes did not waver even a hitch in the application of the shading powder. "Am I correct to assume that you too have experienced enough of the brutality of this world to be less than shocked at the necessity of such a tactic to protect those you care about?"

Now she reached up and took hold of Faith's hands, fearing that the treatment might smear if she was unable to keep her face straight as she continued, "And I did care about them. Here, I suffer arcs of hatred to be able to play-along with a cover story that must bring me hate from every direction, even my own home, in order to serve loyally, and then I do something that directly benefits my home and goddess, and am now genuinely despised because it happened to help some of the other Immortals too."

She stood and turned to look Faith in the eyes, genuine pleading in her expression. "What was I to do? let those three monsters manipulate my goddess, rather than let myself be exposed? Some freak raves some warning about the 'Beating heart' and I sent a message home! So she could turn the tables on them! How could they think there was any choice? How can they punish me for giving a warning to the one I was most obliged to serve? My mission here was nothing next to that!"

She began to elaborate, her voice shaking with emotion, some grief, some outrage, "Yvithia took the tact that she was redeeming me from Audare's corruption, like she was doing me a favor by branding me with this...thing. But she has made me a pariah, with no home and nowhere to go where I won't either be hated as a naer or hated as a traitor. Oh sure, the abilities are useful, but how useful for...for someone...someone that can't...go...?"

She stopped, looking into Faith's staring eyes, as the woman seemed frozen in place. The woman had not seemed all that horrified by the story of turning her fellow naer into a carrier of airborne toxins. Now she looked absolutely shocked. "What?...Faith?...What is it?"

[Faith Augustin]

The nature of Naerikk blood was a discussion which Faith found fascinating and she listened to what Linika had to say. She stored the information away and considered Linika's words with a slight frown. "I think for the purposes of my research, then, I'm probably better off leaving Naerikk out of the equation and the study for now." That made most sense to her, she had more than enough extraneous variables to contend with as it was. Trying to find out what the nature of blood was meant working with blood first, she thought, but then she kept hold of the information. What properties did a Naerikk blood have in Augiery, for example? That would be truly fascinating to consider. However, one step at a time, Faith decided. One step at a time.

Linika went on to the story of how she had been exiled and vilified.Faith didn't stop what she was doing, didn't show any of the horror or disgust which others might have; she didn't feel them. When Linika asked her if she'd seen enough brutality, Faith smiled and shrugged slightly. "I've seen a lot of brutality, I suppose. But I believe that all we can ever do is our best and really, judging people is not helpful." Her smile turned slightly sad as she considered it. "I would die to save others. I've never been put in the situation where I have to find out if I'd kill to, and I hope never to be so. It sounds like an awful experience." There was no doubting it in Faith's mind. "All I can say is that you were in an impossible situation and did what you considered to be the best you could. How could I criticise you for that?"

The make up was working well and Faith was pleased with it. Her hands were moving almost automatically although she realised that it had been nearly an arc since she had put make up on someone else. Lifting the brush to Linika's face again, Faith felt her hand freeze as she heard what the Naerikk was saying.

"Some freak raves some warning about the 'Beating heart' and I sent a message home!" Linika said and Faith felt as though her body had been encased in ice, her skin moving to gooseflesh and her movement frozen still.

Because what Linika was saying was that she had.... "Beating heart. Treid's beating heart. You're talking about Treid's beating heart? Lisirra and Syroa, they.. Audrae. I was there. In Ne'haer, Oscillus, inside Treid." Faith looked at Linika and she looked absolutely shocked. "You.. you warned them?" There was amazement and awe in Faith's eyes as she gazed upon, if she was hearing this right, had warned them about Treid's beating heart and had, therefore, meant that Padraig had gone into the body of the Immortal.

"Do you know what happened there?" Faith asked, her voice more than a little awestruck and the make up, for a moment, forgotten.

[Linika]

Misunderstanding the sudden intensity in the face of the woman with the brush, defensiveness came quickly to Linika's attitude. She stepped back, hurt and anger in her face, "Yes! yes, his beating heart! What of it?...Yes, and Aelig too...They were who I warned her of!"

Xypha kicked in suddenly as Faith's instinctive reaction to the mention of Aelig brought a storm of loathing words and images into Linika's mind. There were waves of horror and desperation over someone called Padraig being set upon by Lisirra; the Plague Queen's severed hand flying over a wall, an exploding rooftop inadvertently saving the humans' lives, Syroa fleeing Lisirra's misdirected rage, and all of it with some peripheral knowledge of Audrae's hand in turning them against each other, undoing certain defeat and destruction.

The naer put her hands over her ears, unable to discern what was being actually spoken by the excited woman before her, and what was the intrusion of Xypha's connection bringing the much faster paced stream of memories racing through Faith's mind. She tried to interrupt the flow, raising her voice, "I don't know anything about Ne'haer!" she cried as a flash of a portal in a battle-strewn hall filled her mind, where two immortals send ruinous powers against each other, the backlashes and ricochets laying waste to mortals and minions alike.

She stumbled back into her chair, her arms half raised in defense, the sounds of Faith's memories of those horrors creating a cacophony of screams and war cries, fire and ruin. Hundreds in peril from illusions in the healer's tents, clashes of illusory forces meant to cause the allied forces to attack each other. A morbid need to know provoking her to keep the Xypha connection open.

Shock robbed Linika of her voice. She had, of course, heard stories of battles across the globe. but she had only ever encountered the one shadow creature, the one who had been destroyed with the help of the madman that had relayed the message of the Immortals' plot in the first place; the message she had sent as warning to Audrae.

Her voice was pleading to be believed, having been so often scorned and reviled as a probable liar since her arrival in Viden, "NO! I only warned Audrae! I didn't warn THEM! Only Audrae! So she could STOP them! They said the same thing! That I knew there was some big impact on the world! I DIDN'T know! I only heard rumors! I thought they were trying to trick me." Her hand waved in the general direction of the Intelligence Authority's edifice.

Unbidden, her own Xypha-empowered memory of her interrogation now burst forth back at Faith; a memory of being locked and defenseless, with Yvithia's angry face looming before her, taunting and threatening, as her mark was agonizingly applied to Linika's face. The madness of unrestrainable desperation to get away, only to be relentlessly reminded of the impossibility of escape as divine power burned a mark of abomination into her face. A mark so anathema to all that she believed in the depths of her soul that it could only be compared to a healer finding herself alone, chained, taunted and marked by Lisirra.

Linika rose slowly now, not registering what effect her mental impression may have had on Faith as a slow-building fury gave her new strength. But it was not anger at Yvithia; not at the citizens of Viden; not at their Intelligence Authority; not even at Lisirra, Syroa or Aelig. They had all behaved as should be expected of strangers and enemies. She'd detected an accent in Faith's voice. She did not know how, but she somehow knew this woman came all the way from Scalvoris, and her visions proved she'd been there in Oscillus. Now she knew why she'd instinctively kept the memory connection open. Now she knew what she'd needed to know all this time.

So, the rumors she'd heard had been true after all. Her warning to Audrae had been instrumental in defeating the schemes of the three beasts. Her action had been crucially important! Without her warning, Audrae could not have planned her turnaround! Worse yet, The Great Mother had known her cover would be blown with the dispatch of this missive to Augiery. Would have known there'd be no reason for her cover story to be maintained. No reason to leave her stuck in an enemy city where she could no longer achieve anything on Audrae's agenda.

But had she done anything to show appreciation?....No.
Was she basking in the glory of a great victory?....Yes. - All over the globe, the word was that many were giving acknowledgement of a debt to Audrae for the defeat of the others, however grudgingly.
Was any sliver of this recognition being given to the lone operative in Viden? Was anything being done to thank her for her sacrifice, outside of sending assassins to silence her?

"NO!!" Linika bellowed in fury, her face quivering in rage of betrayal and abandonment, the stream of thoughts bombarding Faith without the naer's awareness of it.

"That's IT?" Linika raged at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face. "That's all the thanks I get?"

[Faith Augustin]

Faith was a disciplined and controlled woman; she did not show her emotions, did not express her feelings. Not to anyone except the amber-eyed physicist she loved and most certainly not to strangers. Yet, thanks to the mark which they were speaking of, Linika could hear and feel what Faith was thinking and feeling as clearly as if she shouted it.

Thoughts, memories and emotions rushed through her mind as she recalled the events, felt the familiar swell of very negative emotion at the mere mention of the word 'Aelig', she looked at Linika with a calm and placid expression. Because Faith didn't know that the Naer was feeling and hearing what was going on in her mind. To the outside observer, Faith seemed to be very relaxed, very in control but Linika was experiencing the emotions which bombarded the calm and earnest young woman. To her perception, Linika started behaving very oddly. She didn't know anything about Ne'haer? Well, Faith had to admit that she didn't really know a lot about the place herself, having only been there that time.

Then, there was the shouted proclamation which really made very little sense to Faith. Who had told her what, this woman who had been told something so very important? She hadn't known when she warned Audrae, had not been aware of the impact on the world? Faith was not at all surprised, how could she have possibly, possibly foreseen the reality? The former slave opened her mouth to reassure Linika that yes, she believed her.

When it felt like her head exploded.

Memories, not her memories but Linikas pushed into her mind and Faith let out an entirely silent and totally heartfelt scream, internally begging that Linika stopped, stopped. She had been branded, and Faith had felt that four times before, branded and on her face. On her face? The freedom brand went there, on the face. The brand which marked someone always as a former slave. Showed the world what once you had been. Linika's memories coalesced with Faith's and the young woman took a step back, and then another. Stumbling backwards, Faith's silver eyes were wide in confusion as the Naer erupted in emotion and fury.

A hundred images cascaded on her consciousness, a thousand emotions ripped through her and she looked on, wide eyed, as Linika railed against the Immortals themselves. She didn't know what was happening, what had happened, she just knew that in that moment she could not speak or move or question, simply look with confusion as conflicting memories fought to gain dominance in her mind.