Diamond is frozen in place, her feet as heavy as lead as it slowly spreads through her entire body. She can feel herself drifting away from herself. This can't be really. This isn't real. She doesn't known whether to scream, cry, or to pound Zusa, or Libby, or both.

No, no, Libby had to have been manipulated into it. She wouldn't do this.

Heart pounding, and throat constricting, Libby keeps her breathings steady – in through her nose, and out through her nose. In and out. In and out. In and out. Diamond is slightly shaking from anger and fear, Libby doesn't doubt it. Though her grip on her warhammer doesn't falter, instead, she grasps it desperately as if it's the only thing that's keeping her anchored to the earth right now.

Libby had known something was amiss when she was called to council with Zusa at the mansion. Thankfully she had a task assigned to her from the Guild so they wouldn't mind her absence. She managed to get it done before she had met up with Zusa, though her exquisite mansion had been burned near the west wing, and there were two members lost, Libby didn't think she would still pursue Diamond after she had fled.

Stupid. She should have known better. Hopefully she can get Diamond out of here once Zusa stops her blabbering.

Only now, Libby can feel her heart slam down into her stomach. The look in Diamond's eyes is enough for Libby to translate that the Sanctuary was targeted. Maro had gone through with it, as she suspected after their meeting in the tomb where his son had accepted his fate. Even when his son constructed his own death, Maro still somehow managed to point the blame on the Brotherhood than the Faceless; even when the Faceless told him everything. But perhaps that's why he so foolishly trusted them.

She wasn't there when the fires had broken out and Malick and Veera were helping Diamond escape, but the commotion was enough to send Eloria talking to her for weeks, ranting about how both Diamond and Zusa were to blame. But mostly about how she has to share a room now since hers was lost in the fire.

But Diamond . . . gods, Diamond . . .

She looked so different the moment Libby had seen her walk into the room. Her cowl and cloak hiding her features, blood splattered on her uniform, much less compared to when Libby had received word of her slaughter of the Penitus Agents back at the Sanctuary. She was a completely different person, and Libby knew why as she's experienced that same look of aggression she fearfully sees in Diamond now.

The Killing Calm, as Brynjolf had explained. Libby had delved into that dark place once, when she was at the age of eight and had received word that her mother had been murdered. Gallus was away on leave for the Guild, leaving Libby with her mother for the week.

Not even Gallus had never realized how calm Libby could be when she went over the edge. That day he had to move Libby into Riften as the carnage and body count had been too high for her to stay in Whiterun anymore.

She can see Diamond standing near that edge right now. And once Zusa leaves, because Libby knows she will as her own way of savoring the moment, Libby will have to choose her next few words carefully or else she can push Diamond over.

"Oh yes, your beautiful, exquisite friend here has been so useful and informative these last few weeks." Zusa stands next to Libby, and leans in close enough to wrap one arm around Libby's shoulder and rest her head on the other. "With her training in the Guild, she's advanced further than any student I've ever trained. Such skill for someone of such a young age."

If Libby was intimidated or scared, she did a damn good job at hiding it. Her face remains neutral, even shifting to a slight pinch of disgust every time Zusa touches and compliments her.

"But I can see you girls need some time to catch up," Zusa wickedly smiles as she walks behind Libby off to a door to the right. "So, I'll let you two get reacquainted."

Zusa prowls to the door that leads out onto the deck of the ship, closing it quietly behind her. There's a moment of torturous silence and Libby takes another shaking breath as she turns her head back to her friend, still standing motionless as a deer.

Diamond just stares at Libby, but she can't see Libby. All she sees are the purple wrappings, and the long dark cloak that morphs her body into living shadows. Her face and recognizable features are obscured by the shadows of Diamond's mind, and she is no longer her best friend, just another pawn of those monsters.

"Diamond."

They had done this. Zusa had sent the letter to Astrid, lying that Diamond had chosen their faction over her own. Then Astrid sought to seek false revenge by striking a deal with Maro to take Diamond and leave the Brotherhood alone. But then Maro betrayed Astrid's deal, and then Zusa betrayed her deal with Maro.

Now the Emperor and Maro are both dead, as well has her faction.

All because of the Faceless.

Diamond's gaze is at the wooden floor, focused on her toes. Her nails are dirty, bloody, cracked – gruesome against the shining hilt of the warhammer.

"Diamond."

She had done this. She had betrayed her. Betrayed the Brotherhood. She had taken Astrid away.

She had known.

"Diamond." The familiar voice says again.

Diamond slowly lifts her head.

Libby stares at her, her head checking left and right for possible Faceless spies. "Listen, we need to get out now. I can create a distraction long enough that you can escape through the door and off the ship –"

Diamond shatters completely, and launches herself at Libby.

Libby has only enough time to release her dagger as Diamond lunges, swiping her warhammer for Libby's face.

But Libby whirls away. As Diamond strikes nothing but air, Libby slams the butt of her sword into Diamond's spine. She staggers, but keeps upright, turning on one foot as she charges after Libby again. She goes to grab a dagger on her waist, but Libby grabs her wrist and kicks her in the side, sending her sliding a couple feet away. Diamond is up with her warhammer ready once more. Though Libby mighty tease her about her size, Diamond is still strong. But Libby is quick.

"Diamond." Libby attempts, but it's useless. Diamond is snarling, snarling like some kind of wild animal as she snaps her Libby's neck. Libby rears back, throwing Diamond against the wooden floor. "Stop."

But the Diamond she knew is gone. That vibrant, fierce, loving soul; the assassin who had been her best friend; the person of whom had shared and kept all of Libby's secrets, a beacon of hope – just like that, as if she is no more than a wisp of candlelight, she is gone.

Diamond rages for Libby again her warhammer rising.

Libby takes the blow this time, angling her sword so Diamond hits the blade. Metal shrieking against metal, Libby jumps towards Diamond, letting the force of her own blow snap the upper part of the hammer straight into her face. Diamond stumbles, but Libby's fist is waiting. As it meets with Diamond's nose, she winces at the rush of pain through her hand and the crunch of her bones beneath her knuckles. Libby leaps back before Diamond has the chance to strike. Blood gleams from her nose. "Bitch!" Diamond hisses, and swings.

"Diamond, stop!"

Libby meets her hammer, holding the sword with both hands, pushing the blade into the warhammer, even when it lets out an ear-screeching shriek.

Libby shoves Diamond, grunting, and spins. She whacks the back of her with the hilt of her sword, and Diamond teeters, but she regains her footing. Diamond wipes at her bloody nose, eyes gleaming as she pants. Her face becomes feral, and she charges, aiming a direct blow to Libby's heart. Too fast, too wild for Diamond to stop.

Libby drops to a crouch. As the head of the hammer sails overhead, Libby lashes out at Diamond's legs. Diamond doesn't even have time to cry out as Libby sweeps Diamond's feet out from under her, nor does she have time to raise her weapon before Libby grasps Diamond's hammer and yanks.

Spinning the warhammer skillfully in her hands, Libby points the head at Diamond's neck as she stands superiorly over Diamond.

"Diamond, I'm your friend."

Diamond stares at her, panting through grit teeth, her breath coming quicker and quicker before she oars, the sound filling the room, Libby's blood, her world: "You betrayed me! I lost everything because of you! Why?! Your own benefit, the benefit of the Guild?! You took it all away from me, you selfish, conniving bitch!"

She bellows the last word with such soul-deep hatred that Libby feels it like a punch to the gut.

Still, Libby does her best to keep her composure as she takes a deep inhale. "Diamond, listen to me." she says with deadly calm. "We need to get out of here."

"Why?! So you can deliver my corpse to Zusa?!" Diamond still screams with loathing.

"I'm doing it to help you –"

"No!" Libby lowers the weapon allowing Diamond room to prop herself on her elbows. "I'm never going anywhere with you!"

"Diamond." Libby goes to reach for her, but Diamond slaps her hand away. Libby can barely feel the sting.

"No! Don't touch me!" She bellows with her hatred.

Libby wants to hold her, she's so fragile, even if she can't see it in herself. Libby can't deny it's her fault, even if she didn't have a choice. She chose the Faceless over her friend. She can never change that statement, nor would she want to.

Libby will carry that weight with her to her grave, and spend the rest of her life making it up to the one person in the world who has seen Libby for who she is and decided she was still worth accompanying.

No, it wasn't bad judgment on Diamond's part. Libby was just foolish. Ungrateful.

Even as she approaches Diamond, who has her back turned as she tries to push herself from the floor, tears stream down Libby's face, her lip trembling as she waves the warhammer and slams it into Diamond's head.

Diamond's first starts throbbing towards the back, and slowly her senses wake up one by one. Soon her head throbs with every beat of her heart. She can feel the sand beneath her cheek, cloaking her body as he real one is missing, she feels her toes grow wet yet warm, and the sounds of waves infiltrate her ears.

Grunting with pain, Diamond pushes up to her forearms and presses her still gloved hand to her forehead, relieved to find it cold yet gritty with sand.

Slowly, Diamond shifts to sit with her knees bent to her chest. She blinks as the world settles into focus. Immediately her eyes catch the gleam of her warhammer in the sand. Reaching a shaking hand towards it, Diamond suddenly sees orange and red and white glittering across the handle.

She jerks her head towards the sea, causing a searing throb in her temple. There she finds the Katariah burning ablaze. The flames dance across every inch of the ship, bits of flaming wood falling off the ship and disappearing into the water in a hiss of steam. The sails evaporate as the flames eat away at the Imperial emblem stitching.

Libby is nowhere in sight.

It's almost like when they'd first met in Whiterun. Libby had accidentally killed Diamond's target for the Brotherhood. After the two had fought, Diamond had followed Libby out of town, bargaining with her that she owed Diamond for killing her target. Libby refused, but with careful persuasion, the Guild member allowed the assassin to follow.

But Diamond isn't following Libby this time.

And never again.

She watches the ship burn until one of the masts topples onto the deck. Then she turns her head to strap her warhammer to her back, and freezes instantly.

There's writing in the sand. The handwriting immediately tells Diamond it's Libby's.

It's the Guild's emblem. A perfectly shaped diamond with a circle on the inside.

It's supposed to be her apology. Her way of saying she's till in the Guild. Not the faceless. But then again, since when can Diamond believe anything she says anymore.

Snarling, Diamond takes her dagger and swipes the symbol out of the sand. Viciously she sweeps and stabs at the sand until it is purged of any remains of the mark.

It's over. Completely and utterly over.

Her home.

Her faction.

Her friend.

She doesn't want to go home. She doesn't want to do anything anymore.

I give up.

She curls her arms around her knees. Wonder what Nazir or the Night Mother would say about the Listener now that she's lost the will to live. How could she be the leader of a whole new generation of assassins when she can't even take care of herself?

No one in their right mind would let her male the plans. Because she obviously can't tell a friend from an enemy.

Diamond curls into her ball, clutching her knees to her chest as she watches the Katariah sink into Solitude's port in a cloud of steam and spitting embers.

Then she watches long after the ship has sunk and the waters are as still as glass.

Then she watches until the sun comes up, peaking up over the horizon.