This story is a continuation of Deciet, however if you didn't read it the will be a brief synopsis below. This is for everyone who appreciated my other story, and specifically the person who convinced me to right this second one. Thanks.
Synopsis of Deceit:
When Ava Hedsworth was seven years old her family was slaughtered by a crazy Overseer who'd heard of her mothers heretical beliefs. She was brought in by a young Overseer name Armand Gurrel and his wife Margo. The family moved to Dunwall shortly after the rat plague, as Armand was given rank of second in command to the High Overseer.
As years went on Ava grew to be a young adult and was accepted into the Academy of Natural Philosophy. There, she studied psychology, anatomy, and some on the side void research, as well as some astrology. This knowledge got her a 2 year job working for the High Overseer studying the void and its effects on people, mostly why many had gone insane.
She was close with three overseers she'd met when she was 16, Oscar Moore, Jonathon Haskil, and James Stovaski. She and Oscar had been dating for 5 years by the time she was 22 and her proposal to work for the High Overseer was accepted. However not everyone was excited by it.
Her proposal was accepted just days before the fugue feast. During which time she and Oscar were going to hold a small party for her colleagues while Haskil watch the High Overseer. However, before the fugue feast even began a zealous Overseer stabbed Ava in the heart with the knife that created the Outsider.
She woke up in the void and found that it's power now courses through her veins, the Outsoder had told her the Overseer, whose name was William Fredericks, had just barely missed her heart and that she would live. She and Oscar spent the fugue feast in Dunwall Tower as a doctor patched Ava up. Ava was given the knife as it was found laying next to her when she'd been found.
When the fugue feast had ended Ava found it hard to keep her powers secret from her friends and eventually explained to them what had happened, everyone agreed it best to get rid of the knife. Ava took a train to Potterstead and gave the knife to someone she trusted to get rid of it.
When she'd returned Fredericks had made an attempt on Oscars life and she, Oscar and Haskil made their way back to the office of the High Overseer, James was already there. The four went separate ways and Oscar was held hostages by Fredericks.
Fredericks called everyone to the courtyard where he and Oscar fought until he managed to leave a huge gash in Oscars torso ultimately killing him. Through rage and heartbreak Ava's eyes went black and she blew Fredericks into a million pieces with her powers in front of 50 overseers before she traversed away.
Ultimately Ava left Dunwall and never looked back. She moved to Karnaca with money from her inheritance from her bury fathers family and started a new life there. Things were going fine until the end of the Month of Rain in 1852.
3rd Day Month of Wind 1852
Ava Hedsworth walked through the Cyria Gardens district with James Stovaski, on toward the Royal Conservatory. They walked in a comfortable silence as she battled with the idea of telling him about the strange dreams she'd been having. She paused deciding it best to do so, if only to talk to someone else about it.
"Everything ok?" James asked when he noticed she stopped.
"Do you remember that thing that happened to me in your office a little over a week and a half ago?" She inquired.
"You mean when your eyes went black and you fell to the ground and seized for four minutes and twenty-six seconds? Yeah I recall something like that." He said still in shock about what had happened. "I sat cradling your head as Romero held you down." He snorted, he'd been trying to get her to talk about it for the past week.
"Well I have had these insane dreams every single night since then." She started. "I'm in the void but it's not quite right." She sighed "I'm not alone either but it's not the Outsider there with me." She whispered. "I walk around until these weird things find me, and no matter how hard I try I can't hide from them, I can't get my powers to function right and then I'm cornered with no where to turn." She took a breath. "Then I can't move and it's like I'm entombed in my body. I scream but nothing escapes, and Then I wake up in a cold sweat." She finished looking at James.
"I wish I knew what to do." He whispered feeling helpless. "Have you actually been drawn into the void since this happened?" He ask curious.
"I don't know. I really can't tell." She said. "I'm scared." She admitted in a low voice.
"A, we will get through this." James said squeezing her shoulder. "I'm right here with you every step of the way. And Haskil is on his way down so he should be here in a few days. With Bauble." He added.
"You didn't tell me Haskil was coming down!" She exclaimed excited. "Yeah, I think that will help me feel better. We can go to the bar and bullshit like we used to." She smiled.
"Come on." He said starting to walk away. "Let's go piss off Cardoza." He whispered.
"He's just jealous you were made Vice Overseer." She smiled as they reached the checkpoint.
"I am the best, aren't I?" He joked as he signed a paper, then passed the clip board to Ava.
"More like, extremely lucky the chain of command was in shambles. And lucky you're mostly qualified." She joked as she handed the clipboard to the Overseer in charge of the checkpoint.
"Very true indeed, though I like to think I'm overqualified." He said with a cocky smile playing on his face.
"Wow, nice to see you guys have scaled back your bonfires and really just honed on in shoving the smell of incense down everyones throats." She said cocking an eyebrow at James.
"Well good thing all adjoining apartments and businesses are condemned until further notice." He snorted. "It is pretty bad though isn't it?" He whispered meriting a laugh from Ava.
"So what exactly is going on here? People still obsessing over the Cienfuegos thing?" She asked.
"Well that's part of the reason I'm here. Everything on the investigation went missing a little over a week ago. I had to come check in because neither the Abbey or The Oracular Order can keep order here without incident." He yelled the last part at a passing Overseer who whimpered a pathetic 'sorry' in response. "Ugh, shit." He sighed stopping in front of the entrance as an Overseer marched up to them.
"What is she doing here?" The man sneered at Ava. "I know the rumors." He pointed a finger, dangerously close to touching her.
"Wanna keep pointing that finger at me and see if there's any truth to them?" She said expressionless.
"Stop it. Now." James said speaking up. "Now, Brother Cardoza, do you have incident reports collected from all of your men as requested?"
"Yes, Vice Overseer" He offered as he glared at Ava. "I still have no idea how Sister Rosewyn and I were both incapacitated." He sighed and gave a scowl. "Sister Rosewyn is leaving at the end of the week. Now would like to talk more about this in private and I can give you the reports?" He stated rather than ask.
"First, I believe you owe Ava an apology." James gave an expectant look. "The daughter of the High Overseer deserves more respect than a finger to the chest."
"No, let him believe what he wishes." Ava cut James off. "I prefer my Overseers scared." She winked at Cardoza before turning toward James.
"Dismissed." James said in a very authoritative tone.
"What about the reports?" Cardoza inquired.
"I will get to them when I get to them. Dismissed." James said with a fake smile.
Cardoza walked off leaving Ava and James alone.
"What an ass." Ava snorted.
"That's the main reason Haskins coming down you know." James said folding his arms. "He's taking over here and Cardoza will be reporting to another post." He looked up the steps to see he'd made it into the courtyard.
"So, is Haskil being re-stationed down here?" Ava asked leaning up on the railing behind her.
"Not permanently but for the foreseeable future, yes. You know he's bringing that girl he's been seeing with him." James said low, gossiping.
"What's her name, Katherine?" Ava asked, James nodded. "Wow. I'm happy for him, I've always felt bad that we just left him in Dunwall after everything went down." Ava said as a pang of guilt ran through her.
"Tell me about it, you know he sold the old apartment." James looked down and smiled. "We had a lot of good times there."
"Remember The Hound Pits Pub? Back when we would close that place down?" She laughed. "Did you know Oscar had this fear that Haskil and I hated each other." She sighed.
"You guys used to fight all the time, I can hardly blame him for thinking that." James looked up at Ava.
"If only he could see us all now, I write to Haskil more than I write to my own parents." She admitted.
"They miss you, you know." James stated the obvious. "Armand told me he fears you blame him for what happened. For not catching on to Fredericks sooner. At least that's what he told me last time I went home." He finished.
"I just don't want to go back there. Not yet." Ava said feeling the hurt rose inside of her. She looked at her watch. "Shit, I have to head home I have dinner with Nathaniel tonight at 7:45. Some place in the Palace District." She said standing up straight.
"That's in a little over an hour and a half, you better head home." James said patting her shoulder and leading her back out of the checkpoint. "I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon, we can talk more then." James called to Ava as she headed out of Cyria Gardens to the nearest carriage station.
"Sure." Ava called back with a smile.
A twenty minute walk later she'd made it to her apartment building in the Upper Cyria District.. She unlocked the door and placed her bag on the nearby table.
"Hey little guy!" Ava said softly petting Higgs as he purred and rubbed against her. "You hungry?" She asked as she walked over to the kitchen and poured some food into his bowl. He meowed and started eating.
After feeding Higgs she walked through the small hallway past the bathroom and into her bedroom to get clothes before hopping in the shower. Once she was out of the shower she'd dried off and traversed into her bedroom, the only time she'd ever really used her powers anymore.
"That will have to do." She whispered to herself looking in the mirror before heading out of the room. As she closed the door and walked out to the living room she noticed a man standing in the doorway to her balcony. "Fuck." She whispered with an exasperated sigh.
"Hello, Ava." A familiar voice said as he turned and faced her.
"I'm dreaming, or having some weird hallucination. Another seizure maybe?" She whispered as shock paralyzed her body.
"I knocked but the door was unlocked. I locked it, never know what kind of people can sneak in." The Outsider said as he gave a wicked yet playful smile. He took a step toward Ava taking her hand and placing her fingers at the base of his neck. "Do I have a pulse now?" He gave a small laugh, all the while she was fixated on the bright green eyes studying her.
Thanks for Listening.