Chapter Two: Sleep

"The concept of sleep is terrifying. An uninterrupted black…being turned off like a switch on some mechanical trinket that needs a new battery. Until one day, the light doesn't come back on…"

Emily -

I wanted to mention my vision to my father. I wanted to tell him absolutely everything - so much that it hurt not to. However, I'd had so much to catch him up on I didn't need to embellish while still skipping my interactions with the Outsider to fill a lot of time. I avoided mention of my own use of magic or the mark at all. I didn't know what the Outsider wanted me to say or not say and I wasn't completely convinced the Outsider I'd seen was real. I knew that Corvo could also use the Outsiders magic. Nonetheless, as I explained to father all the events since he'd been imprisoned I wasn't about to throw my supernatural benefactor under the bus just to feel good talking to my father – he would understand if later I could explain all of this. I hoped the Outsider would bring him in, there was no one I trusted more with a secret than father.

Even leaving my experiences and conversations with the Outsider out of my conversation it was well past noon by the time I could explain all that had happened to father. I already had soldiers asking for things to do, and with father's help we were starting to get a plan together for cleaning up the palace and setting things right in Dunwall. Corvo lacked the time to tell me what he thought about all that he'd heard but he'd given me a hug and whispered that he was glad I was all right. It was all the reassurance I needed to get through my day of decisions and order making. It was only going to get harder once things were cleaned up – I couldn't just rule from behind the councils anymore, I had to know what was going on so I didn't allow another Delilah and the Duke to come along and take it from me.

Still, it was past sunset when I was finally able to feel comfortable enough in my own room to retire there. Not that I wanted to sleep – even with new bedding acquired I couldn't get past the idea that Delilah had slept in the same spot – I would need to move the layout of the room or pick a different room entirely if I ever wanted to sleep here soundly again. I sighed at the paperwork already piled on my desk, how had they gotten to it so quickly? Still, it was far less a burden now that I'd fought to get this position back.

"Already rebuilding? Or would you rather still run away?" The echo laden voice of the Outsider drew me from the papers to where he was sitting on my windows ledge, looking around my room as opposed to at me. Small favors.

I suppose it was too much to hope that all of this was over now…that he'd just been a hallucination…

"I'm never running away. Dunwall is mine, and I'm going to fix it." I stated, frowning at his indication that I would do any less. My lips pulling a bit more downward at the slight smile he'd offered my quick response, I got the feeling he knew what I would say before I'd reacted. I didn't know which to ask first and two of my questions came out as one. "How…Why are you here?"

"The ritual Delilah used, that you sabotaged, brought me here…and if I'm right, trapped Delilah in the void. It ripped a separation in the fabrics of the two realities, it pulled them further apart somehow. Of course, it's just conjecture based on what was used, but I expect if I'm not fully right, I'm close to it." The Outsider explained, an easy confidence to his words even while he admitted there could be fault. Had he ever done that before? Not that I could remember in my short interactions with him…

"You…you are here…but immortal then? Like Delilah was?" I asked, I didn't know what else to say. This was all a bit much.

"I am unsure, I'd rather not test the theory and be wrong." The Outsider replied, returning his eyes to me after he'd finished looking over my room. He slipped off the sill and walked toward my desk. It was a strange thing, watching him do something as 'common' as walking. At the same time he was smooth, effortless, without sound as he stepped across the stone parts of my floor. "I will need your help Empress Emily Kaldwin, to get back to the void."

"My help?" I laughed at the absurdity of the remark. "Aren't you a god? Can't you just fix it yourself? If you didn't notice I have a whole realm here to rebuild and take care of. It's a busy job."

"It is, but is it not also the job of a leader to help her citizens in need? I'm certainly that, do you think me walking freely about the streets would end well? There are too many that mindlessly worship me as it is, much to the chagrin of your churches, do you realize the chaos that would cause?" He pressed as he sat on the edge of my desk as opposed to the window – perhaps if he was still in the void he'd have simply broken apart and reformed there as he'd done so many times in my visions of that place.

"You aren't really a Dunwall citizen, but you have a point." I sighed as I admitted it. Even without him having a knowledge of the future it didn't take much to see that his presence in the populace would be dangerous to my people. What choice did I have? "So, say I help you? What can I even do for you that you can't do yourself? Can't you just change time? Make it so I didn't do things the way I did."

"Not this time." He shook his head at me as his gaze dropped to the carpet, looking through it as opposed to at it. He seemed so frustrated even if it didn't show on his face…

"We'll figure it out." I reassured, reaching out subconsciously to put a hand on his knee. I'd always felt empathy for people when they were in a bad spot and I got the feeling he certainly wasn't where he wanted to be. He wasn't where he should be…he didn't belong in my world…it was strange that I could even touch him. Which made me realize I had and I pulled my hand back, shaking my head and wishing I didn't feel the heat rising to my cheeks. "I apologize…I just…we'll figure it out."

"Thank you for the sentiment Empress…" I could feel his eyes on me but I left my gaze on my papers even without reading them. I had to be more careful, this creature wasn't human, he was a god…what were all those classes on diplomatic interaction for if I let myself forget them after a few months off the throne? I made note to react better as I glanced up, planning to nod at his appreciation but he'd already moved, he was standing by my fireplace staring at it. My lips quirked a bit, while I figured he was just a quiet mover even when he walked it reminded me of our time in the void…it reflected the thoughts I was having as to his supernatural status.

I wondered what it was like, to have lived as a wisp on the edge of our reality for so long, to suddenly be pushed back into it. He certainly made it obvious he wasn't here because he wanted to be, but I didn't know what implications his presence had beyond the general dangerous ones. I doubted he would tell me much if I pressed. If I wanted him to talk I needed to let him confide in me as opposed to pushing for it. Maybe all my studies in diplomacy would help me after all…

The Outsider –

The Empress was late…

A concept that had been lost on me until today.

I didn't concern myself with time in the void, but here it passed differently – quickly at times but painfully slowly in others. Was this my new fate? To walk the path of the mortals, not effecting fate as I once had? My abilities were strong enough, I could still feel power in my veins, but I lacked an outlet to see just what I was capable of while waiting on the rooftops. Instead I'd wasted hours attempting to call forth the void or return to it, that is when I wasn't contemplating how to fix it. With nothing more to show for my attempts to contact the void than a headache and several blackened tiles – turned so by my frustration best I could tell. I had a fair idea how to reverse it but it hinged on either causing issues in the world, which I preferred to avoid, or relying on the young woman whose mercy inspired this mess for aid. Certainly, it was clear that despite my capabilities I was quite stuck here. The other world had been cut off not just to me…but all together from my observations of it so far.

Was this emptiness solely what had been stolen by Delilah? No, there was more to it than that. So much more. I missed it, the void had become my home…and now it was gone. It was incredibly lonely to be the only one in my head after so many years of visions and whispers… Was this how Emily had felt the day Delilah had walked into her court? Was that why I'd chosen to confide in her out of my handful of Marked? To a point, she seemed the most likely to really comprehend it. Still, her tardiness was far from agreeable…

Speak of the devil…

I could hear them finally leaving her quarters, though the sun had set hours ago. The mortals that had spent the day changing her linens, cleaning the various stains, and tidying up in general. The point was to make it beautiful enough for a queen…the people took her back so readily but they couldn't be expected to do less after the slaughter Delilah had turned the capital into. They would wash the blood away eventually, and apparently had started with the tower this very day…hopefully the water wouldn't be completely stained by the time it reached the common folk in the gutters…

When I poked my head in after the noise had died, Emily was at her desk, looking at papers – the bureaucracy never rested even in a city whose government was nearly exterminated. I canted my head at her as she sighed at the work, that was what she'd returned here for after all. My next remark came out harshly, a sign I was letting her making me wait get to me. "Already rebuilding? Or would you rather still run away?"

"I'm never running away. Dunwall is mine, and I'm going to fix it." She stated with the same fire that had inspired me to allow her to take my power. That and my need for her to kill the witch…at least one out of two on the choice wasn't a complete failure. Then she asked me a question I could expect without seeing the future. "How…Why are you here?"

"The ritual Delilah used, that you sabotaged, brought me here…and if I'm right, trapped Delilah in the void. It ripped a separation in the fabrics of the two realities, it pulled them further apart somehow. Of course, it's just conjecture based on what was used, but I expect if I'm not fully right, I'm close to it." I explained. I had wasted much of the day on attempts to return but when I wasn't doing that I'd considered for some time the implications of the ritual and the way that Emily had interrupted. I was certain of my assessment, as much as in my way to fix it.

"You…you are here…but immortal then? Like Delilah was?" Emily pressed. I hadn't expected that comparison but I should have. I supposed it was a fair enough thought.

"I am unsure, I'd rather not test the theory and be wrong." I admitted with a small shrug, so slight she may not have noticed my disinterest in the topic. I doubted that anything short of spectacular could harm me even in a mortal body, a part of me was one with the void even if I was cut off from it presently. I headed inside instead of skulking in the window, moving closer to where she was working and settling against the side of the desk she wasn't using so we could speak more easily. I was much more accustomed to being close on those occasions I spoke to mortals. "I will need your help Empress Emily Kaldwin, to get back to the void."

"My help?" She let out the phrase in a laugh, and I had to keep my composure as much as I wanted to scowl at her amusement. "Aren't you a god? Can't you just fix it yourself? If you didn't notice I have a whole realm here to rebuild and take care of. It's a busy job."

"It is, but is it not also the job of a leader to help her citizens in need? I'm certainly that, do you think me walking freely about the streets would end well? There are too many that mindlessly worship me as it is, much to the chagrin of your churches, do you realize the chaos that would ensue?" I replied, hoping my plea would induce her and if not the logic of my argument would probably do the trick. She had fought long and hard to return to her throne, she would be loath to do anything to harm it.

"You aren't really a Dunwall citizen, but you have a point." She admitted. How little she knew…did she never wonder why I kept track of this city above so many others? I had called this area home ages before it was known as Dunwall – I was far more a native than the ones present now. I didn't correct her however, instead listened as she continued. "So, say I help you? What can I even do for you that you can't do yourself? Can't you just change time? Make it so I didn't do things the way I did."

"Not this time." I looked away from her. I didn't want to admit my own weakness, that I had been torn apart from the very fabric of my power – that which would have allowed me to augment time the way I had for her. All of this was so very new…asking for help was a first experience for me…I'd been poor at it in my first life…and without the need for it in my second.

"We'll figure it out." She stated, a sentiment I should have seen favorably – but then she also touched my leg. I didn't know what to think about the sensation. The last time I'd been touched was far from kind, and this…the gesture of it was something that shocked me so much I didn't even move at first. Was this what kindness felt like? A bit of that hole inside of me didn't seem quite as painful despite knowing her reassurances meant little if she didn't back them up with action… "I apologize…I just…we'll figure it out."

She withdrew shortly afterward, as though thinking better of her reaching out. By the time I recovered to look at her she was staring at her work without seeing it. She was embarrassed? Why? Was it weak for her to react with empathy? Was she afraid? So many were afraid…

"Thank you for the sentiment Empress…" I didn't want her to fear me, though I wasn't quite certain what else to say to her show of kindness. I was confused, and I very much didn't enjoy being confused. I walked away from the desk as much for her comfort as my own, moving to stare at the fireplace instead, watching the flames flickering at its center. Everything was so much more vivid here than the void…all my senses seemed ready to betray me. I let the silence last, probably longer than I should have if I had frightened her – but there suddenly wasn't enough time to decipher what I should say compared to yesterday…

"The ritual will need to be reversed." I pressed toward my goal as opposed to wasting time considering our short interaction. It didn't matter, and nor would it once I was back to the void where I should be. "It will require a few things. Someone that was present – which would be you. The place closest to the disturbance in this world, your throne room – both easily enough had. The next of which will be someone that knew what Delilah had in mind so I don't mistake what the woman's intentions were. There was a coven of witches that helped her design the ritual, but only one wise enough to escape while letting Delilah believe her murdered with the rest. Last I had considered her before this unfortunate exile she had fled to the north and was living in Driscol up the coast."

"Okay…" I could tell she was torn. She had a lot of work to do in Dunwall after all to fix everything that had happened – not to mention the cities of Serkonos. Still, she hesitated because she'd just promised me she would help me. Her good nature was going to be her undoing one of these days, promises she could never truly keep in full. "What else will you need?"

"Someone that suffered at Delilah's magic, hers was augmented slightly to my own after her theft. However, we have Corvo for that. The rest of the materials I should be able to gather well enough on my own without being seen. I know the places in Dunwall to look, though I cannot travel as far as Driscol without help. If I have trouble finding something I can tell you but largely I will need an escort." He answered. It was straightforward enough – he knew what he needed after all…

"That's it? A trip to Driscol?" She asked curiously.

"Assuming she's still there." I answered honestly. "She may have grown nervous and gone further."

"What is this woman's name?" It seemed that with these questions Emily planned to help me even if it was inconvenient for her. Was she hoping for something out of it? I suppose I would owe her for the favors…but then, she already had my mark so there was little else to give.

"Bethany Craftshaw, she works often as a tailor in the cities where she finds havens for herself." I explained, she couldn't exactly advertise being a witch after all. "I take that to mean you plan to go with me then?"

"I don't seem to have much choice…but I can't yet. I need at least another few days, if not a week, here in Dunwall. You said you needed to gather materials so I'd think that's reasonable enough. I could always make a cover that I'm traveling to see the state of affairs after Delilah's destructive rampage." Emily stated, reasonably enough. She had a fair point, and while I wanted to track down the most elusive of my needed 'components' immediately I could hardly argue with her. I nodded at that, it was a compromise I could make.

"It seems we've reached an agreement then. I will visit you again tomorrow to see how plans are progressing." I accepted her terms, nodding to her and walking back toward the window.

"You don't have to stay outside." She stated in confusion at my movement. "I can arrange a room here for you. Discreetly of course, I do have a secret vault that was recently vacated by its last resident."

I paused to look at her, a bit surprised by her offer. Then again, what danger was I to the castle treasury? I nodded slowly, it was likely more comfortable than the outdoors. This was going to be a strange living arrangement…but that could be said for me being in the solid world at all. I took the new 'room' without complaint and with the need for sleep in one of many 'firsts for a long time' I was unconscious before much time had passed. Even my distracted thoughts couldn't banish the darkness of that required oblivion for long…

End Chapter

Wow this chapter took off from me and ended up really long. I couldn't find a good place to pause it. I wasn't even sure I should have paused it there but I needed to cut off somewhere…

-Aura

To my reviewers:

tigerfur - There are a couple fics with this pair, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. Thank you for the compliment, I hope you continue to enjoy my story.